Hi everyone,
Summary from GoodReads:
Seven years ago she broke his heart...
When Robert Kemble stumbles across Victoria Lyndon in hedgerow maze, he can't believe his eyes. The girl who'd torn him in two, who let him plan on elopement and then left him standing by the side of the road, was suddenly within arm's reach, and even though his fury still knew no bounds, she was impossible to resist...
Seven years ago he left her all but ruined...
Victoria's father had told her an earl would never marry a vicar's daughter, and he was right. Robert had promised her marriage, then danced off to London while she suffered the shame of a foiled elopement. But even though Victoria doesn't particularly enjoy her new life as a governess, when Robert offers her a job of a different sort—his mistress—she refuses, unable to sacrifice her honor, even for him.
But Robert won't take no for an answer, and he vows to make her his, through any means possible. Can these star-crossed lovers learn to trust again? And is love really sweeter the second time around?
My opinion:
The first chapter was so sickly sweet that I almost gave up. I appreciated Quinn's foreword where she explained that even she doesn't like the love-at-first-sight trope. Because honestly it was ridiculous. After the two main characters were separated I was interested to see how the story would progress and the first 100-150 pages were promising. After that I just finished it because I had already started it (I've got waaay too many books that I've abandoned) and I wanted to add it to my Goodreads challenge, as it was an easy read.
I've learned not to look for too much plot in romantic novels, but this one was just... there was nothing there. The characters were flat. Robert in particular - we were told numerous times how logical and meticulous he is but all we saw from him was irrational behavior bordering on stalkerish. Victoria wasn't much better - at first I liked that she had found her independence (in less than two weeks, mind you) but it turned comical and there was absolutely no sense for her to continue bragging about how smart and resourceful she was when it was clear that she couldn't cope with certain situations. Like, when she decided to get away from Robert in the middle of night, only to be attacked by two drunkards. In an inn. Shocking! Or at the end when she kicked certain someone in the balls and there was a whole conversation about how she got the idea, as if it was something soo special...
Quinn tried to write humorsly and a comedy so much that she crossed the line. Some of the scenes and dialogue was entertaining but most of the time it was just ridiculous. Case in point - an earl tossing peas at his ex during an official dinner with twenty other people. Or when Victoria was attacked and Robert threw the offender "by the collar and the seat of his pants" through a window. And this happened not once, but TWICE. The first time I was like, eh, it sounds stupid but it's not a big deal. I mean I imagined that one gif with Tom's cousins, but I can't really find it right now.
I didn't like the fact that there were no other characters and Victoria and Robert basically only communicated with each other. Occasionally, Quinn would introduce someone but it was just so they can talk about Robert or were used as some plot-driving device. If we are supposed to believe that Victoria has turned into a strong independent woman shouldn't she have some interests?
All in all, it started okay but with the progression of the pages it became more and more unbearable, which is something I understand. I've tried to write books but at some point I too reach a point where the narrative and the plot just doesn't flow anymore. But this one looks like a first draft without any editing, and the whole team that was behind it just said 'fuck it, it would be fine'.
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