Customer Reviews

The Unlikely Angel (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was initially attracted to this book for two reasons: one, the plot description looked interesting, and two, it was by the author of The Duke's Dilemma, which I loved. Unfortunately, this book seems to mark the downward slope of Nadine Miller's work - I've rated her subsequent books at one star.

The problem is not so much the lead characters: these were interesting enough to keep me reading. But some of her secondary characters are too incredible for words, and - as in later books - there are plot twists which left me shaking my head in disbelief. There is the hero's other suitor, who seems at the beginning to be a decent enough person, if over-persistent; near the end of the book he turns out to be a near-villain! And the scene in the Viscount's grandfather's house at the end is too farcical for words. Absolutely incredible.

Am I destined to hate books Lee Emory loves? At least it might help me recognise which books to avoid in future! <g>. Since Miller is the author of 'The Duke's Dilemma,' an excellent book and one which I notice Ms Emory hasn't reviewed, I thought this one was worth a try. It wasn't.

Yes, Miller tries to bring some social concern into a Regency, which when done well does tend to appeal to me. But for some reason the characters just did not appear either particularly credible or sympathetic. The heroine's friend almost undergoes a personality transplant close to the end, and as for the final scene in the hero's grandfather's house, 'farcical' springs to mind.

Since the later book of Miller's I've read is even worse, I really wonder what happened to that talent she showed in her first book. I could even begin to doubt that it was written by the same person!

This is one of the loveliest Regencies I've ever read. Nadine's characters and setting are very real. I couldn't bear to put this book down, and sneak-read it even at work! Now that's the mark of a truly excellent novel. Nadine is a wonderful writer whose style can't be beat for drawing you into the lives of her characters. You ARE her characters when you read this wonderful tale.