Elizabeth Mansfield (1) (1925–2003)

My main problem with this book was with the characters. Granted Generva is a lot less scheming then the synopsis (or her cousin) make her out to be, but the fact remains that Generva and the Marquis were well aware of how they should act.

Of course her cousin was the most spoiled, bratty and irritating chit this side of the Atlantic so I'm not terribly sure why either was too concerned about her (she was certainly not concerned with how Generva was feeling and several times went out of her way to rub Generva's face in the matter).

As a romance this just fell flat for me. Annoying shrew or not, I wasn't comfortable with the way the two kept espousing how wrong it all was and then doing the opposite.… (altro)

This is a pretty uncomfortable book to read in parts. The hero and heroine are brother and sister-in-law and when the story starts the hero is cheating on the ill wife. The wife who is the sister of the heroine dies of course fairly early on and the hero and the heroine have a very acrimonious relationship but are kept in each other's orbit by the children of the hero and the dead sister. However, it is very well written and pretty realistic as to the mores of the times. After a lot of painful stuff they get together. I do recommend it if you can deal with the cheating.… (altro)