3 stars I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. I enjoyed the other two books I read in the Sisterhood of Secrets series (#1 & #3), but I can’t help noticing my reviews earn fewer stars each time I read one of her books. It makes me hesitant to read the next one. It also makes me wonder whether the first was as good as I thought at the time. This one is about Jenny and Nicholas Dowding, the Earl of Deception. As usual, the male lead is given a clever moniker that barely represents the reality of who he is. In one of the previous books, Jenny threw her handkerchief over her shoulder to represent an end to unnecessary flirtations and the beginning of maturity. Nicholas picked it up and exacted a promise from her to help him at some future date. Neither can get the other out of their minds and eventually, Nicholas decides to cash in on the promise in this book. Jenny has been enamored with Nicholas since their first meeting, to the point that her internal dialogue is rife with schoolgirl fantasies of happily-ever-after with him. Granted, she is a school girl, but she is on the verge of leaving school, and I would have expected a bit more maturity and less impulsiveness. In his relationship with Jenny, Nicholas, although motivated by the desire to exact revenge from his enemies based on his father’s deathbed wishes, is primarily driven by his reluctance to fall in love because he was once hurt. Who hasn’t been? His reaction seemed a bit histrionic to me. Both characters lack depth, although Nicholas is a bit more realistic. Jenny’s head seems to be filled with air, peppered with hopes, dreams, and suspicions. She jumps from believing Nicholas loves her to thinking he is using her, simply based upon whatever circumstances within which she finds herself. One moment, she is impervious to the implied duplicity of Nicholas made by Lady Ayes, the one who broke his heart. The next moment, she has fallen for it hook, line, and sinker for the lies and refuses to allow him to explain. And the exclamation points! I feel certain I’ve mentioned this in the past, but there are entirely too many exclamation points in this book! An author should be able to convey emotions without resorting to punctuation to do so! Maybe try using some action verbs, or simply allow the words to speak for themselves! I’m tempted to give this book only two stars, but I’ll err on the side of generosity. Still, I cannot recommend it. July 30, 2022
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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