by Christy English
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: Nov 6, 2012
Source: ARC sent by publisher
My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
How To Tame A Willful Wife:
1. Forbid her from riding astride
2. Hide her dueling sword
3. Burn all her breeches and buy her silk drawers
4. Frisk her for hidden daggers
5. Don't get distracted while frisking her for hidden daggers...
Anthony Carrington, Earl of Ravensbrook, expects a biddable bride. A man of fiery passion tempered by the rigors of war into steely self-control, he demands obedience from his troops and his future wife. Regardless of how fetching she looks in breeches.
Promised to the Earl of Plump Pockets by her impoverished father, Caroline Montague is no simpering miss. She rides a war stallion named Hercules, fights with a blade, and can best most men with both bow and rifle. She finds Anthony autocratic, domineering, and...ridiculously gorgeous.
It's a duel of wit and wills in this charming retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. But the question is...who's taming whom?
My Review:
This book was a roller coaster of emotions. Unfortunately, I wanted off the ride pretty quickly. But I had to keep reading to see if Anthony could ever redeem himself. Wow, I just really did not care for the hero at all. I really advise you to read the description carefully, especially the first part, and see if you would like to still read it. I thought it was all going to be silly and fun, but really this was quite a sad tale of abuse and control.
I really thought Anthony was going to come around and start being a good husband around page 100. But sadly, he was back to his old tricks rather quickly. When he was angry because she did something dangerous, I was okay with that. When he found her in the middle of a knife fight, sure he was going to be mad, because he was scared for her safety. But I didn't like the way he took everything out on her, substantiated in fact or not. And when he raised his hand like he was going to hit her, I lost all remaining respect for him.
The writing was really good, I know the author has written historical fiction in the past, and I could tell. She writes a quickly paced story! The subject matter just wasn't romantic enough for me.
Main Characters: 1/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 1/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Bottom Line: The taming of the spouse plot is a little too heavy for me, and not enough tongue in cheek fun like I thought it would be.
The title got my attention. That's why I stopped by. And I love your review style btw with the different rankings on categories.
ReplyDeleteI did not like him at all, and her, well she wasn't willful at all
ReplyDeleteOh, I do like the kind of story where the hero has to learn to accept the heroine, and the heroine learns to stop doing foolishly risky things just because, but is still a brave awesome person.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't sound like this is that king of story and that's sad.
Also the cover is kinda creepy - the guy's expression, and the girl is holding that knife as if to say 'i'm about to stab you, you creep"
I think I'm passing on this one. Too many readers hate the hero! (Though "the Earl of Plump Pockets" in the blurb is hilarious.)
ReplyDeleteI almost always agree with you when it comes to the hero so I'll pass. I got the vibe from the summary that he was a jerk.
ReplyDeleteI saw this one on Goodreads. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Think I'll pass on this book.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought it would be funny, too. Especially with the 1-5. Too bad. I would not like the threat of hitting because I'd hit him right back or use that knife on his. And "Plump Pockets", really?
ReplyDeleteHeather
Doesn't sound like my cup of tea. There has to be a fine line and it doesn't seem to have worked here.
ReplyDelete