13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVED IT!, November 4, 2007
This review is from: In My Wildest Fantasies (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)
Lady Rebecca Newland has had a girlish fantasy of love for Devon Sinclair, Lord Hawthorne since he rescued her and her father from a carriage mishap on his property four years prior. Sensual sparks flew but since Lady Rebecca was only seventeen at the time, Devon knew nothing could come of their attraction and saw them safely to their destination. From that moment on Devon Sinclair, Lord Hawthorne and the future duke of Pembroke, was her hero and her heart's desire.
Four years have passed and Lady Rebecca is in a terrible bind she will do anything to unravel. She has been betrothed to a cruel man she loathes against her will. With the help of her Aunt Grace, she sneaks from her father's house to masquerade given by the Duke and Duchess of Pembroke with the hope of enlisting Devon's help. He saved her once maybe he can save her again.
Devon has just returned from three years abroad to discover his father is on a downward spiral and issued an outrageous proposition to him and his brothers. Marry or be disinherited. Devon has no intention of going along with this farce; his father has surely gone mad! However, past transgressions have never really healed and he will do almost anything to make amends. Then he sees a familiar face in his ballroom and is instantly captivated.
I absolutely adored this book. The sensual tension was electric and I found the erotic diary entries only added to its appeal. This book had hero-jealousy and hot love scenes-which I found not at all gratuitous. I kept waiting for a "big misunderstanding" to happen and was so happy that there was NONE. This couple communicated. I was completely convinced of their love. The romance was emotional without being angsty and the mystery is a extremely small part of the book
A definite KEEPER!!!
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21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
MacLean does a real disservice to her readers with this one., November 24, 2007
This review is from: In My Wildest Fantasies (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)
For some time now I've been reading the historical romances of Julianne MacLean . I've enjoyed them for their interesting plots, unusual characters, and the ability of the author to weave in the small details of life among the aristocracy in Victorian England. But with the onset of her new series called "Pembroke Palace," I found myself actively disliking the story and questioning my reasoning for reading this author in the first place.
As the novel opens, Lord Creighton and his daughter, Lady Rebecca, are returning to their home when there is a coaching accident. Rebecca is just seventeen, her head filled with romantic tales and still seeing sprites and magical creatures in the night. So it is no surprise to her when dashing Lord Hawthorne, the eldest son of the Duke of Pembroke comes riding in the night and offers to help them out of their predicament. Then and there Rebecca decides that he's the only man for her.
The story then skips ahead four years, and Rebecca has managed to slip away from her father's control in the company of her aunt, Lady Saxby. Together they are going to grand ball at none other than Pembroke Palace, and Rebecca is determined to catch herself a husband, preferably Lord Hawthorne himself. Ever since she met him, she has dreamed of no one but him, filling her imagination with the contents of a diary that is well, rather racy.
Devon, Lord Hawthorne, is coping in his own way with guilt over a death, one that caused a huge rift with his brother Vincent. Vincent is filled with fury, and at times out and out hatred, but exactly why the reader doesn't discover til the end. To make matters worse, there's their father, the Duke, who is babbling on about floods destroying everything, and ordering that all four of his sons marry, and soon, or none of them will inherit a shilling from him.
Devon and Rebecca meet again, are smitten with one another, and flirt and kiss and fall into instant lust with one another. Rebecca, despite her virginal state, and isolated life with her father, is rather knowledgeable about sex, a talent that she shows to the noble, always-dutiful Devon, who once he deflowers her, decides to marry her on the spot. After all, he is a gentleman, and she's a member of his own class.
A possible disruption to all this bliss is the villain of the piece, Maximillian Rushton, who has some sort of hold over Lord Creighton, and considers Rebecca to be his, no matter what. Even if she decides to marry someone else...
Yawn. I have to admit that it took me close to three days to wade through this novel. Both of the leads are such drearily good people, without hardly any vices, that I was bored with them. Worst still, the villain, Rushton, is so transparent and one-dimensional, that I simply did not care as to why he was so intent on Rebecca.
And this is where the problem lays with the novel. Despite the lusty scenarios that the author dreamed up for her lovers, and the nice trick of having an old diary to mirror Rebeeca's current experiences, there's nothing in her to interest the reader. There's a plethora of characters, from a nasty rival for Devon's affections, the various ducal siblings, hints of mysterious scandal, and lots of scenery chewing for the hero, all of which slows down the plot, and makes the overall drive of the story slow the pace down to a crawl.
By the end, I didn't care. There was nothing to interest me, and I could care less as to what will happen in the next novel. While MacLean is very adept at recreating the Victorian world for her readers, this time she seems to have forgotten that what drives a story are the plot and the characters, and it's a real shame.
I can usually forgive an author's occasional slip in writing a bad novel. But this one is so painfully bad, and contrived, that I will probably refrain from automatically purchasing Julianne MacLean's works in the future. And that's really a shame, as she can come up with some truly lovely stories.
Two stars, and I really wish I could have given this one more, but given the lack of anything interesting, and two main characters that are very forgettable, I can't do it.
Not Recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In My Wildest Fantasies, February 8, 2008
This review is from: In My Wildest Fantasies (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)
Saved by a charismatic stranger from her runaway coach, Rebecca
Newland has never forgotten her hero's invitation to visit his
family's estate. Four years later, engaged to detestable man, Rebecca
steals away from her father's house to take him up on his offer.
Tortured by his past, Devon Sinclair, future Duke of Pembroke, has no
desire to marry. When his father issues a dictate to wed or lose the
family fortune, Devon begins the hunt for a bride. Seeing the lovely
Rebecca again after rescuing her four years ago, Devon decides to
pursue her with all of his passion.
I adore tragic heroes. Mostly because when they realize they are not
only worthy of being loved, they are loved, they are fiercely
romantic. Although the quest for love takes Devon and Rebecca through
a rocky but passion-filled course, their love is that much sweeter.
In My Wildest Fantasies is a heartwarming blend of awakening, passion,
and romance.
Annmarie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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