Okay, so I didn't love it. I didn't hate it either. I just plain didn't like it.
Lisa K is one of those authors whom everyone raves about and quickly recommends whenever someone asks for a good historical romance. Initially, I am always leery of raved-about authors(Mary Balogh, anyone?) because they rarely live up to my own expectations--and the fact that I like being difficult and different. So far, I've only "read" two Lisa Kleypas books: Again the Magic, and the aforementioned book.
With ATM(atm, ), I found it to be the height of melodrama. I usually don't like revenge tales because they are so predictable(guy/girl hates guy/girl, plots their revenge, finds out that guy/girl isn't whom they thought, guy/girl falls for guy/girl. The End. Boooring.), but since my former reading group read it, when it came in the mail, I decided to push aside my reservations and read it.
My final conclusion: Pass
Okay, so that's only one book. Maybe her others might suit me better. And in comes Suddenly You. The original copy was a library copy that I'd picked up at the last minute because I liked the cover, and it promised that it was "the most sensual romance of the year". Erm, okay, I'll take it.
Ha!!!
I wasn't titillated at all. After the initial seduction scene(the first two chapters), I was yawning, and I put it down as soon as the heroine, Amanda, found out that the hero, Jack, whom had masqueraded as her call-boy was her new boss.
I'm twiddling my thumbs, writing and surfing the internet, when today, my CP sends me a copy of SY.
So, I own a copy now, and I dislike having books that I don't read, so I picked up where I left off.
Ho Hum. Boohoo Jack, he had such a horrible childhood and he doesn't care about anything but making money. Gag me.
First off, what really bugged me was the pseudo-matchmaking of the madam that sent Jack to Amanda's doorstep, as well as one of Jack's associates telling Amanda about Jack's "tortured" past. I hate when other characters butt in and explain to the other character what makes their soon-to-be love interest tick, as well as telling them that they need love, and that the other person is the one to show them the way.
Ugh. I hate confessions. I like for actions to speak louder than words, instead of a characters backstory coming out in one conversation. That ruined the book for me because whenever Jack began to share or expose a bit of his backstory himself, I had to skim it because "yawn" I already heard it all in the first 60 pages.
So, because Jack's character was so not mysterious, combined with Amanda's non-personality, the so called "most sensual romance of the year" became "the most boring read of my life."
Apparently, that much-touted book with Derek Craven is supposed to be a sexier, better version of this book. But at this moment, I shudder at the thought of picking up a Lisa Kleypas book.
