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Swanlea Spinsters #3
After the Abduction
When Miss Juliet Laverick tracks down the mysterious, gentlemanly smuggler who kidnapped her and then disappeared two years ago, unexpected secrets are revealed--and unexpected love, as well.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2002
153 people are currently reading
1615 people want to read
About the author
Sabrina Jeffries
85 books4,794 followersSabrina Jeffries is the NYT bestselling author of over 50 novels and works of short fiction (some written under the pseudonyms Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas). Whatever time not spent writing in a coffee-fueled haze of dreams and madness is spent traveling with her husband and adult autistic son or indulging in one of her passions—jigsaw puzzles, chocolate, and music. With over 11 million books published in print and electronically in 25 different languages, the North Carolina author never regrets tossing aside a budding career in academics for the sheer joy of writing fun fiction, and hopes that one day a book of hers will end up saving the world.
She always dreams big.
She always dreams big.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
January 9, 2022
3-3.5 stars! I liked this one better than book 2 but it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping for. I mean, the heroine fell in love with her kidnapper!? I loved her character but the hero was annoying.
nevermind
September 18, 2016DNF somewhere around 50%
This is by far my least favorite book of the series, and I didn't even like the other two all that much. I just really dislike the hero—this could be due to characterization that makes no sense or the fact that I find the sex scenes between him and heroine distasteful for some reason (he doesn't listen when she says no and stop, for example). Anyway, it's possible I'll pick this up again in the future just to finish it, but it's also possible I'll just donate it.
This is by far my least favorite book of the series, and I didn't even like the other two all that much. I just really dislike the hero—this could be due to characterization that makes no sense or the fact that I find the sex scenes between him and heroine distasteful for some reason (he doesn't listen when she says no and stop, for example). Anyway, it's possible I'll pick this up again in the future just to finish it, but it's also possible I'll just donate it.
September 26, 2021
This is the 3rd book of the Swanlea spinster series. I HIGHLY recommend you read at least book 2 in the series before reading this one. First of all, because it's enjoyable, and second of all you will get to experience everything that sets up the plot for this book. Juliet and “Morgan” also share a kiss in that book and man nothing makes me madder than reading a book as a standalone and realizing I've missed stuff like that.
Sebastian has his peace disturbed when Juliet and her family (Rosalind and Griff from book 1), come to demand some type of satisfaction from Morgan Pryce, who kidnapped Juliet 2 years prior. The rumor mill has been silent about her ordeal until just recently. To save her from ruination, they need to find more information and protect her reputation.
I'm feeling conflicted about this book. First of all, I really didn't like Griff that much from the first story and he is in it A LOT. I found him annoying in book 1. Why is he back to torture me? I thought I was done with him. If you read the first book and loved him, or haven't read the first book, this probably won't affect you AT ALL. I am envious. Sometimes it's nice to see previous characters. This one I could have done without. Just shoo, Griff, geez.
Secondly, much of the book has its plot steeped in deception. I just don't like it. It makes me so uncomfortable. You just know it's going to come out. You know it's not going to be good. I don't like being worried throughout the book waiting for the confrontation. However, I will say it was resolved in a way I liked, and much faster than I was anticipating. That is something that saved it a bit for me.
Sebastian's character is fairly arrogant and pushy. He's aggressive when it comes to physical side of things. He's not rapey, he's just...more forceful and excited to kiss the heroine? Honestly it usually doesn't bother me at all, but tied in with the deception at the beginning of this book it did put a damper on those scenes for me. Sebastian has the promise of a deep character I would become attached to, but somehow I just didn't. I didn't get all wrapped in with his drama of his early life and how it formed him. It just fell a bit flat for me with that, sadly. Doesn't mean it will for everyone. Maybe I needed more time in his head with his emotions instead of his plotting? I'm not sure.
Juliet was pretty enjoyable. She's grown up a lot from the other books, especially the first book where she was a naive ninny who cried over everything. That was a refreshing change. She's very take charge. I liked her trying to manage her situation and play with Sebastian to get him to where she wanted. He is an even match for her. I do feel like they are meant for each other, after all of this.
Something I loved about this book was how open and excited the hero was to marry the heroine. He decides early on that is what he wants in life and I really loved that. There's so many romance novels where the hero is never going to marry, or can't marry and its such a problem through the whole book. So that was rather refreshing. He has seen the bad side of love, however so he's not as open with saying that word until it counts ;)
I also loved how steamy this book felt. There's so many kissing scenes and more. I will say this book didn't quite hit on the feels department for me, so they didn't feel as powerful as they would have otherwise. Not going to lie though I enjoyed it. Multiple kisses, one time for her pleasure, more than 1 full sex scene, plus at least 1 glossed over.
So overall I'm feeling maybe 3.5 stars? I usually round up. But I don't know if I liked it enough to round to 4.
(This book takes place in 1818)
Locations of kisses/sex
Sebastian has his peace disturbed when Juliet and her family (Rosalind and Griff from book 1), come to demand some type of satisfaction from Morgan Pryce, who kidnapped Juliet 2 years prior. The rumor mill has been silent about her ordeal until just recently. To save her from ruination, they need to find more information and protect her reputation.
I'm feeling conflicted about this book. First of all, I really didn't like Griff that much from the first story and he is in it A LOT. I found him annoying in book 1. Why is he back to torture me? I thought I was done with him. If you read the first book and loved him, or haven't read the first book, this probably won't affect you AT ALL. I am envious. Sometimes it's nice to see previous characters. This one I could have done without. Just shoo, Griff, geez.
Secondly, much of the book has its plot steeped in deception. I just don't like it. It makes me so uncomfortable. You just know it's going to come out. You know it's not going to be good. I don't like being worried throughout the book waiting for the confrontation. However, I will say it was resolved in a way I liked, and much faster than I was anticipating. That is something that saved it a bit for me.
Sebastian's character is fairly arrogant and pushy. He's aggressive when it comes to physical side of things. He's not rapey, he's just...more forceful and excited to kiss the heroine? Honestly it usually doesn't bother me at all, but tied in with the deception at the beginning of this book it did put a damper on those scenes for me. Sebastian has the promise of a deep character I would become attached to, but somehow I just didn't. I didn't get all wrapped in with his drama of his early life and how it formed him. It just fell a bit flat for me with that, sadly. Doesn't mean it will for everyone. Maybe I needed more time in his head with his emotions instead of his plotting? I'm not sure.
Juliet was pretty enjoyable. She's grown up a lot from the other books, especially the first book where she was a naive ninny who cried over everything. That was a refreshing change. She's very take charge. I liked her trying to manage her situation and play with Sebastian to get him to where she wanted. He is an even match for her. I do feel like they are meant for each other, after all of this.
Something I loved about this book was how open and excited the hero was to marry the heroine. He decides early on that is what he wants in life and I really loved that. There's so many romance novels where the hero is never going to marry, or can't marry and its such a problem through the whole book. So that was rather refreshing. He has seen the bad side of love, however so he's not as open with saying that word until it counts ;)
I also loved how steamy this book felt. There's so many kissing scenes and more. I will say this book didn't quite hit on the feels department for me, so they didn't feel as powerful as they would have otherwise. Not going to lie though I enjoyed it. Multiple kisses, one time for her pleasure, more than 1 full sex scene, plus at least 1 glossed over.
So overall I'm feeling maybe 3.5 stars? I usually round up. But I don't know if I liked it enough to round to 4.
(This book takes place in 1818)
Locations of kisses/sex
December 24, 2024
After the Abduction is the third book in the Swanlea Spinsters series. This was my first time reading Sabrina Jeffries and maybe this series wasn’t the best place to start. 😅 I had such high hopes for this series/author and I just haven’t loved them (the first 3 books) sadly.
This is a historical romance with secret identity (to a degree). This book started off strong but then lost my interest and just dragged on. This series so far has followed 3 sisters who are dubbed the “Swanlea Spinsters” and the characters from these 3 books really feature throughout one another’s books. This book in particular follows events that happened 2 years prior in book 2.
Juliet is the youngest of the sisters, when she was 18 she ran off with a man thinking they were eloping but she was actually being abducted at the time on behalf of smugglers he was working with (that all happened in book 2). It all ended well and she was found safely and brought back home. Now it’s 2 years later and rumors about her reputation have begun again, so Juliet (and her sister Rosalind and husband Griff—the couple of book 1) set out to find Morgan, the man who caused this whole scandal. Upon finding him, Juliet is surprised to find out she’s actually found his twin brother Sebastian instead and that Morgan is assumed dead after a shipwreck. But Juliet isn’t as naive as she once was and is immediately suspicious about this story…
While trying to get Sebastian to admit he’s actually Morgan, Juliet also tells him she wants his help in identifying scoundrels and weeding through men. They’re both pulled to one another but he’s convinced he’s not capable of love. This started off strong but just lost my interest. I really didn’t like book 1 so seeing that couple featured so heavily in this book definitely impacted my enjoyment. I’ve heard other series from this author are better, so maybe I’ll try her books again!
This is a historical romance with secret identity (to a degree). This book started off strong but then lost my interest and just dragged on. This series so far has followed 3 sisters who are dubbed the “Swanlea Spinsters” and the characters from these 3 books really feature throughout one another’s books. This book in particular follows events that happened 2 years prior in book 2.
Juliet is the youngest of the sisters, when she was 18 she ran off with a man thinking they were eloping but she was actually being abducted at the time on behalf of smugglers he was working with (that all happened in book 2). It all ended well and she was found safely and brought back home. Now it’s 2 years later and rumors about her reputation have begun again, so Juliet (and her sister Rosalind and husband Griff—the couple of book 1) set out to find Morgan, the man who caused this whole scandal. Upon finding him, Juliet is surprised to find out she’s actually found his twin brother Sebastian instead and that Morgan is assumed dead after a shipwreck. But Juliet isn’t as naive as she once was and is immediately suspicious about this story…
While trying to get Sebastian to admit he’s actually Morgan, Juliet also tells him she wants his help in identifying scoundrels and weeding through men. They’re both pulled to one another but he’s convinced he’s not capable of love. This started off strong but just lost my interest. I really didn’t like book 1 so seeing that couple featured so heavily in this book definitely impacted my enjoyment. I’ve heard other series from this author are better, so maybe I’ll try her books again!
did-not-finish
December 29, 2024DNF at 120/480
Really liking her writing style though! After reading 30% of this attempting to piece together what happened in the previous 2 books, it was ultimately too much effort for a plot/character I wasn't all that attached to—evidently not a series to be reading out of order. However, I did find myself really enjoying Sabrina Jeffries' writing style—it has the sweeping grandeur old school historical romance tends to have (i.e. not afraid to be overly descriptive from time to time). Hopefully I'll get some recommendation which titles of hers are worth checking out!
**Historical Hellions Book Club | December 2024 Selection**
Really liking her writing style though! After reading 30% of this attempting to piece together what happened in the previous 2 books, it was ultimately too much effort for a plot/character I wasn't all that attached to—evidently not a series to be reading out of order. However, I did find myself really enjoying Sabrina Jeffries' writing style—it has the sweeping grandeur old school historical romance tends to have (i.e. not afraid to be overly descriptive from time to time). Hopefully I'll get some recommendation which titles of hers are worth checking out!
**Historical Hellions Book Club | December 2024 Selection**
November 23, 2019
3.5
Con este libro se termina la historia de las hermanas solteronas Laverick.
Al igual con los libros anteriores la autora nos da historias que se disfrutan mucho. Y este no fue la excepción. Me gusto mucho al igual que los personajes principales.
Con este libro se termina la historia de las hermanas solteronas Laverick.
Al igual con los libros anteriores la autora nos da historias que se disfrutan mucho. Y este no fue la excepción. Me gusto mucho al igual que los personajes principales.
September 20, 2017
3.5 stars
May 14, 2022
Not bad. I liked that the hero wasn't a whore.
September 9, 2015
I am willing to go 3.5 stars on this book. It is a book with potential. I like the lead characters a lot but find the plots a bit silly, espcially in the second half.
So the book has a mixed identity and kidnapping thing going on. Juliet was kidnapped by Morgan (who was actually Sebastian) but she thought she was eloping with Morgan. Morgan/Sebastian kidnapped her to save his twin brother, who was the real Morgan, but had no real intentions of hurting Juliet, at least not physically. Juliet was heartbroken when Morgan/Sebastian left her after he rescued her from the people who wanted her kidnapped but did not succeed in rescuing the real Morgan. This is where the second book left us regaring Juliet and Morgan. At that time, nobody knew that Morgan was not Morgan.
So the 3rd book in the series, this book, picked up 2 years later when it is revealed to the readers that Morgan was actually Sebastian. And Juliet has come to Sebastian with her family, having heard that Morgan was Sebastian's ward. Upon seeing Sebatsian, Juliet immediately recognized him as Morgan, despite the fact that Sebastian denied the claim profusely and repeatedly.
So the story begins.
I liked the story a lot better than the first 2 books, A Notorious Love and A Dangerous Love. And it has everything to do with the heroine's characterization. Juliet, the heroine in this story appeals more to me than her sisters Helena and Rosalind, who I had trouble establishing connections with. She is more domestic and on the soft side, less impulsive and of a mother hen. She is occasionally a childish brat too but she has her good moments. Sebastian is not badass enough for an alpha hero and his character is rather inconsistent. Sometimes he is tough and sometimes he is way too soft. But they are both endearing characters.
The plots are rather thin in the sense that I think they did not serve the purpose of giving the lead characters the opportunity to develop their relationship. The first half is sigfinicantly better than the second because the initial "are you Morgan or not" kept the tension. In the second half the question "when is Morgan coming back" became the supporting theme and failed to maintain the tension.
And honestly, not that I am pining for an asshole but I become suspicious of a man who is way too understanding. Sebastian was sometimes almost too sweet. In German there is a name for men like this: "Frauenversteher". It literally means they are "women-understander", referring to men who are "sensitive" to women's feelings and sometimes this is how they get close to women. And Sebastian is not supposed to be such a man. This bit of inconsistency bugged me a lot in the second half. I winced whenever he was written to be very understanding and all nice and sweet. I would rather have a gay friend than such a man. (there, I said it. I prefer my gay friends over men who are less of a man than I am. lol)
So the book has a mixed identity and kidnapping thing going on. Juliet was kidnapped by Morgan (who was actually Sebastian) but she thought she was eloping with Morgan. Morgan/Sebastian kidnapped her to save his twin brother, who was the real Morgan, but had no real intentions of hurting Juliet, at least not physically. Juliet was heartbroken when Morgan/Sebastian left her after he rescued her from the people who wanted her kidnapped but did not succeed in rescuing the real Morgan. This is where the second book left us regaring Juliet and Morgan. At that time, nobody knew that Morgan was not Morgan.
So the 3rd book in the series, this book, picked up 2 years later when it is revealed to the readers that Morgan was actually Sebastian. And Juliet has come to Sebastian with her family, having heard that Morgan was Sebastian's ward. Upon seeing Sebatsian, Juliet immediately recognized him as Morgan, despite the fact that Sebastian denied the claim profusely and repeatedly.
So the story begins.
I liked the story a lot better than the first 2 books, A Notorious Love and A Dangerous Love. And it has everything to do with the heroine's characterization. Juliet, the heroine in this story appeals more to me than her sisters Helena and Rosalind, who I had trouble establishing connections with. She is more domestic and on the soft side, less impulsive and of a mother hen. She is occasionally a childish brat too but she has her good moments. Sebastian is not badass enough for an alpha hero and his character is rather inconsistent. Sometimes he is tough and sometimes he is way too soft. But they are both endearing characters.
The plots are rather thin in the sense that I think they did not serve the purpose of giving the lead characters the opportunity to develop their relationship. The first half is sigfinicantly better than the second because the initial "are you Morgan or not" kept the tension. In the second half the question "when is Morgan coming back" became the supporting theme and failed to maintain the tension.
And honestly, not that I am pining for an asshole but I become suspicious of a man who is way too understanding. Sebastian was sometimes almost too sweet. In German there is a name for men like this: "Frauenversteher". It literally means they are "women-understander", referring to men who are "sensitive" to women's feelings and sometimes this is how they get close to women. And Sebastian is not supposed to be such a man. This bit of inconsistency bugged me a lot in the second half. I winced whenever he was written to be very understanding and all nice and sweet. I would rather have a gay friend than such a man. (there, I said it. I prefer my gay friends over men who are less of a man than I am. lol)
January 15, 2014
Originally posted
HERE
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Sabrina Jeffries is a favourite author of mine, but this is my least favourite book by her so far. There were some great moments, some funny moments. I loved that not all the characters were stereotypically ‘perfect’ (the secondary couple, who starred in the first book of the series, were wonderfully flawed).
I suppose my problem is that when I read a Jeffries book, I expect well above average. I expect it to find a place on my ‘Favourites’ shelf. I expect to want to go back and reread passages as soon as I’m done, and while this was a decent historical romance, it didn’t have the same magic I demand from this author!
I was very relieved by how the ‘secret identity’ stuff worked out. The heroine came out of it looking nowhere near as stupid as it was possible for her to look. I was really pleased about that aspect.
It took me until about halfway through the book to realise what it was that was stopping me from enjoying After the Abduction as much as I wanted to: I didn’t want to read what happened after the abduction; I wanted to read about the abduction.
I know this is a book in a series, and further investigation has told me the abduction happened in an earlier book that focused on different characters, but what I would have loved was if Juliet and Sebastian’s story could have been told with flashbacks or something. I was reading half a book.
There’s also something that bothers me about historical romance in general, and it’s the stereotyping of various types of men. Almost every book like this has a blond villain, one who takes pride in his appearance, and who of course is evil because he adheres to the fashions of the time.
After the Abduction had two such men, and it tipped me over from mild frustration to all-out annoyance with the stereotyping.
Here’s a little fact about England: it isn’t populated by 6’2”, black-haired, blue-eyed, tanned, muscled gods. Not now, and certainly not in the nineteenth century. It wouldn’t have even been considered attractive in the nineteenth century! The two tallest, most attractive men I knew in the years I lived in England were blond. And that didn’t make them sexual perverts who liked frilly outfits!
There were my usual issues with some heavy-handed American English throughout, but Jeffries – being usually a favourite author – is cut a bit more slack by me than most authors are.
I can’t say you’ll dislike this book, but I would recommend that if you want to try this author, you should go for The Forbidden Lord or When the Rogue Returns first.
Sabrina Jeffries is a favourite author of mine, but this is my least favourite book by her so far. There were some great moments, some funny moments. I loved that not all the characters were stereotypically ‘perfect’ (the secondary couple, who starred in the first book of the series, were wonderfully flawed).
I suppose my problem is that when I read a Jeffries book, I expect well above average. I expect it to find a place on my ‘Favourites’ shelf. I expect to want to go back and reread passages as soon as I’m done, and while this was a decent historical romance, it didn’t have the same magic I demand from this author!
I was very relieved by how the ‘secret identity’ stuff worked out. The heroine came out of it looking nowhere near as stupid as it was possible for her to look. I was really pleased about that aspect.
It took me until about halfway through the book to realise what it was that was stopping me from enjoying After the Abduction as much as I wanted to: I didn’t want to read what happened after the abduction; I wanted to read about the abduction.
I know this is a book in a series, and further investigation has told me the abduction happened in an earlier book that focused on different characters, but what I would have loved was if Juliet and Sebastian’s story could have been told with flashbacks or something. I was reading half a book.
There’s also something that bothers me about historical romance in general, and it’s the stereotyping of various types of men. Almost every book like this has a blond villain, one who takes pride in his appearance, and who of course is evil because he adheres to the fashions of the time.
After the Abduction had two such men, and it tipped me over from mild frustration to all-out annoyance with the stereotyping.
Here’s a little fact about England: it isn’t populated by 6’2”, black-haired, blue-eyed, tanned, muscled gods. Not now, and certainly not in the nineteenth century. It wouldn’t have even been considered attractive in the nineteenth century! The two tallest, most attractive men I knew in the years I lived in England were blond. And that didn’t make them sexual perverts who liked frilly outfits!
There were my usual issues with some heavy-handed American English throughout, but Jeffries – being usually a favourite author – is cut a bit more slack by me than most authors are.
I can’t say you’ll dislike this book, but I would recommend that if you want to try this author, you should go for The Forbidden Lord or When the Rogue Returns first.
December 7, 2021
#HRReadathon
February 1, 2016
1.5 stars
Sebastian and Juliet
England, 1816
This was such uninspiring, unengaging drivel that I'm not going to waste my time writing too much for the review (yes, it was so bad in a boring and annoying way that it doesn't even merit a hate-review). I had to rate it two stars because I reserve one stars for my real hate-reviews or absolute dreck. Sabrina Jeffries has talent as a writer so I couldn't rate this one star even though it was hard not to.
It's hard to say I hate the hero. He's unlikeable but he's also so bland and uninteresting that it's hard to have strong enough feelings about him to hate. There is just absolutely nothing appealing about this lying, spineless, annoying, arrogant, dishonorable but BORING jerk who is inexplicably made out to be such an amazing lover and guy that the perfectly nice and smart heroine falls for him. It just amazed me that this hero was so out of the mold of the normal hero for a Regency romance but not in a good way. He wasn't dishonorable because he was a lovable scoundrel who flouted the rules of society. He really just decides to do things selfishly and without thought of the heroine.
The heroine is a Mary Sue for the most part although she shows some signs of spunk and character, only to turn wishy washy and boring in the end.
The book also references a series of critical events that occurred two years before the setting of this book and involved the H/h directly but yet the book gives absolutely no attention to, or detailed description of, what went on in the past. Apparently, the hero wooed and kidnapped the heroine and this is the first time she fell in love with him but we are never treated to a first hand experience of those events, just a few vague references to what went on. Maybe it's because this is a third book in the series but if there are critical events involving the hero and heroine directly, those should be a little more fleshed out here. Instead, it felt like the most exciting parts of the romance between the H/h occurred outside this book and we are left with only the dry and boring parts.
Sebastian and Juliet
England, 1816
This was such uninspiring, unengaging drivel that I'm not going to waste my time writing too much for the review (yes, it was so bad in a boring and annoying way that it doesn't even merit a hate-review). I had to rate it two stars because I reserve one stars for my real hate-reviews or absolute dreck. Sabrina Jeffries has talent as a writer so I couldn't rate this one star even though it was hard not to.
It's hard to say I hate the hero. He's unlikeable but he's also so bland and uninteresting that it's hard to have strong enough feelings about him to hate. There is just absolutely nothing appealing about this lying, spineless, annoying, arrogant, dishonorable but BORING jerk who is inexplicably made out to be such an amazing lover and guy that the perfectly nice and smart heroine falls for him. It just amazed me that this hero was so out of the mold of the normal hero for a Regency romance but not in a good way. He wasn't dishonorable because he was a lovable scoundrel who flouted the rules of society. He really just decides to do things selfishly and without thought of the heroine.
The heroine is a Mary Sue for the most part although she shows some signs of spunk and character, only to turn wishy washy and boring in the end.
The book also references a series of critical events that occurred two years before the setting of this book and involved the H/h directly but yet the book gives absolutely no attention to, or detailed description of, what went on in the past. Apparently, the hero wooed and kidnapped the heroine and this is the first time she fell in love with him but we are never treated to a first hand experience of those events, just a few vague references to what went on. Maybe it's because this is a third book in the series but if there are critical events involving the hero and heroine directly, those should be a little more fleshed out here. Instead, it felt like the most exciting parts of the romance between the H/h occurred outside this book and we are left with only the dry and boring parts.
March 21, 2016
4 Stars..!
When I first read about Juliet in Notorious Love and Dangerous Love I didn't like her. She was a ninny. Not someone with a backbone. I mean, she was intimidated by Daniel..!
But she surprised me in this book. In a way Sebastian was the one who brought the change in her and made her worldly.. And I just loved Sebastian.. My lonesly, handsome brave heart..!!
All in all it was a good SJ book.. Like I said.. If there is an SJ book available then sign me up...!!! ;)
When I first read about Juliet in Notorious Love and Dangerous Love I didn't like her. She was a ninny. Not someone with a backbone. I mean, she was intimidated by Daniel..!
But she surprised me in this book. In a way Sebastian was the one who brought the change in her and made her worldly.. And I just loved Sebastian.. My lonesly, handsome brave heart..!!
All in all it was a good SJ book.. Like I said.. If there is an SJ book available then sign me up...!!! ;)
January 1, 2025
This was SO FUN. The banter!?!?
The heroine was kidnapped by the hero two years ago (this happened in a previous book, but I didn't read that one and started here). Her reputation is ruined, so she is determined to confront him. But when she arrives, the man she confronts claims it was his twin brother who kidnapped her, not him. She knows, though, that this is the man who made her fall in love with him and she's determined to prove it. The two dance around each other as she tries to get him to admit it was him and they fall more in love with one another. It was such a fun dynamic! And the ending!? I loved it! I definitely want to go back and read the first two books!
The heroine was kidnapped by the hero two years ago (this happened in a previous book, but I didn't read that one and started here). Her reputation is ruined, so she is determined to confront him. But when she arrives, the man she confronts claims it was his twin brother who kidnapped her, not him. She knows, though, that this is the man who made her fall in love with him and she's determined to prove it. The two dance around each other as she tries to get him to admit it was him and they fall more in love with one another. It was such a fun dynamic! And the ending!? I loved it! I definitely want to go back and read the first two books!
March 18, 2022
Loved this entire series, and loved Juliet and Sebastian so so much! Their chemistry was amazing, and I loved the whole scheming between the two of them! The entire series was 5 stars!
December 5, 2014
Two years ago (as captured in A Notorious Love), Juliet "eloped" / was kidnapped by "villain" "Morgan Pryce" who left her ~unspoiled and safe with her family albeit on the verge of ruin. Now, however, there are ~rumors swirling about her checkered past, so she, her sister, and her alpha-asshole brother-in-law (Rosalind and Griff, from A Dangerous Love) hunt down Sebastian Blakely, the alleged keeper of said "Morgan Pryce". ARE YOU STILL FOLLOWING? GOOD. THIS IS ALL SETUP. YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED.
Except! CHAPTER TWO PLOT TWIST: SEBASTIAN IS "MORGAN PRYCE" OH SNAP. Juliet knows it, Sebastian knows it, his semi-foreboding uncle knows it, but when Sebastian denies it like an asshole, Juliet's family proceeds to tell her THAT CLEARLY SHE'S MISTAKEN, TWO YEARS IS A LONG TIME, YOU'RE OVERSET AND NONSENSICAL, ETC. (This book made me hate her family retroactively. GREAT.)
So Juliet confronts the shit out of Sebastian because he's a liar face who lies, and this begins a strange "game" where Sebastian believes he's courting Juliet and Juliet believes she's seducing information out of Sebastian and lo, setup for a glorious misunderstanding! BUT THAT'S ONLY THE NEXT 50% OF THE BOOK! THERE'S MORE.
I finished it, but after the tangled-webs, such-deceive thing, it goes into SUPER ANGST territory where they clearly want to be together but Juliet has demands and Sebastian has demands and one of them needs to realize the Power of Love before it's too late! WILL THEIR GROWN-UP PLACES EVER GET TO TOUCH AGAIN??? OR WILL THEY BE FOREVER SEPARATED BY PIGHEADEDNESS AND IDIOCY??
And there's the rub: SUCH IDIOCY. There's this convoluted plot about getting the REAL Morgan Pryceto please stand up away from pirates and ~saving the family and ~honor and all this horseshit and it FEELS like horseshit. It feels useless and wastes time and worst of all, it ultimately unwinds itself into a mess of wet paper-mache plot.
I mean, it turns out that Sebastian's machinations in that department are all for naught ANYWAY because Morgan's the hero of the next book and he can't be anything but 100% over-competent and completely in charge of his own destiny, you know? And it's frustrating because that decision (to reveal Morgan's ~abilities) undermines Sebastian and makes all Sebastian's pigheaded idiocy seem MORE IDIOTIC AND PIGHEADED instead of ~loyal and ~stubborn like Jeffries would have us believe. Rather than allow the hero of her next book to be caught in a web outside his control and a fool, she instead makes the hero of THIS book a fool. WHICH IS NOT VERY FUN.
And that doesn't even begin to hit on any of my issues with Juliet, caught between her sisters' version of her as a sweet child, and who she might eventually become as a woman. The problem comes because there really is too much of the child left in Juliet for the reader to ever get to see her as anything else: yes, Sebastian waxes enthusiastically about how womanly she is now (this is 90% about her body), but his observations of her as a "brave, willful woman" aren't really backed up by anything on Juliet's end. Her "stubborn" outbursts read as tantrums; her "braveness" comes across more as foolish naivety.
Which is a damn shame because that tension (between familial expectation vs. self expectation) is FASCINATING. I would have read the shit out of that. Juliet DOES have moments of maturity that were nice, but the lack of overt acknowledgement from her family really didn't support her new-found grown-upness, especially when so much of the text is spent underlining just how much they misunderstand her. :\
And in the family-note: there was a strange little subplot about Griff and Rosalind that I appreciated--in theory, anyway. (It was about Griff and Rosalind's attempts to conceive and Griff's concern with the new rift in their relationship over the issue.) It never seemed to come together the way I wanted it to, nor was it resolved in a truly satisfying way (the epilogue gives us a baby off-page). It was intriguing, but an ultimately disappointing secondary plot.
This review is very long and disjointed and I've probably repeated several words multiple times without meaning to, but it is obscene o'clock and I have not yet had any caffeine.
But that doesn't distract from the mediocrity of this book and it's many, many flaws and the fact that it's December and anyone who lives through winter deserves better than this.
Except! CHAPTER TWO PLOT TWIST: SEBASTIAN IS "MORGAN PRYCE" OH SNAP. Juliet knows it, Sebastian knows it, his semi-foreboding uncle knows it, but when Sebastian denies it like an asshole, Juliet's family proceeds to tell her THAT CLEARLY SHE'S MISTAKEN, TWO YEARS IS A LONG TIME, YOU'RE OVERSET AND NONSENSICAL, ETC. (This book made me hate her family retroactively. GREAT.)
So Juliet confronts the shit out of Sebastian because he's a liar face who lies, and this begins a strange "game" where Sebastian believes he's courting Juliet and Juliet believes she's seducing information out of Sebastian and lo, setup for a glorious misunderstanding! BUT THAT'S ONLY THE NEXT 50% OF THE BOOK! THERE'S MORE.
I finished it, but after the tangled-webs, such-deceive thing, it goes into SUPER ANGST territory where they clearly want to be together but Juliet has demands and Sebastian has demands and one of them needs to realize the Power of Love before it's too late! WILL THEIR GROWN-UP PLACES EVER GET TO TOUCH AGAIN??? OR WILL THEY BE FOREVER SEPARATED BY PIGHEADEDNESS AND IDIOCY??
And there's the rub: SUCH IDIOCY. There's this convoluted plot about getting the REAL Morgan Pryce
I mean, it turns out that Sebastian's machinations in that department are all for naught ANYWAY because Morgan's the hero of the next book and he can't be anything but 100% over-competent and completely in charge of his own destiny, you know? And it's frustrating because that decision (to reveal Morgan's ~abilities) undermines Sebastian and makes all Sebastian's pigheaded idiocy seem MORE IDIOTIC AND PIGHEADED instead of ~loyal and ~stubborn like Jeffries would have us believe. Rather than allow the hero of her next book to be caught in a web outside his control and a fool, she instead makes the hero of THIS book a fool. WHICH IS NOT VERY FUN.
And that doesn't even begin to hit on any of my issues with Juliet, caught between her sisters' version of her as a sweet child, and who she might eventually become as a woman. The problem comes because there really is too much of the child left in Juliet for the reader to ever get to see her as anything else: yes, Sebastian waxes enthusiastically about how womanly she is now (this is 90% about her body), but his observations of her as a "brave, willful woman" aren't really backed up by anything on Juliet's end. Her "stubborn" outbursts read as tantrums; her "braveness" comes across more as foolish naivety.
Which is a damn shame because that tension (between familial expectation vs. self expectation) is FASCINATING. I would have read the shit out of that. Juliet DOES have moments of maturity that were nice, but the lack of overt acknowledgement from her family really didn't support her new-found grown-upness, especially when so much of the text is spent underlining just how much they misunderstand her. :\
And in the family-note: there was a strange little subplot about Griff and Rosalind that I appreciated--in theory, anyway. (It was about Griff and Rosalind's attempts to conceive and Griff's concern with the new rift in their relationship over the issue.) It never seemed to come together the way I wanted it to, nor was it resolved in a truly satisfying way (the epilogue gives us a baby off-page). It was intriguing, but an ultimately disappointing secondary plot.
This review is very long and disjointed and I've probably repeated several words multiple times without meaning to, but it is obscene o'clock and I have not yet had any caffeine.
But that doesn't distract from the mediocrity of this book and it's many, many flaws and the fact that it's December and anyone who lives through winter deserves better than this.
February 23, 2021
4,5/5
Jeffries po raz kolejny dała radę i bawiłam się naprawdę dobrze przy jej książkach. Osobiście uważam, że jednak jej najnowsze serie są o wiele lepsze, ale też zdecydowanie preferuję motyw małżeństwa w trakcie książki niż na końcu. Nie można mieć wszystkiego, a Jeffries to nie Kleypas, ale i tak uwielbiam jej styl i bardzo polecam książki :)
Jeffries po raz kolejny dała radę i bawiłam się naprawdę dobrze przy jej książkach. Osobiście uważam, że jednak jej najnowsze serie są o wiele lepsze, ale też zdecydowanie preferuję motyw małżeństwa w trakcie książki niż na końcu. Nie można mieć wszystkiego, a Jeffries to nie Kleypas, ale i tak uwielbiam jej styl i bardzo polecam książki :)
February 2, 2021
3.50 / 3 Stars
HOOPLA Audio
The story was decent, however, I question why Sebastian didn't realize kidnapping Juliet would ruin her. Juliet's family was able to keep the elopement/kidnapping under the radar for 2 years, but once someone leaked it the news traveled fast. Then Sebastian is remorseful, after-the-fact. It just doesn't seem realistic when everyone in society, both male and female, know the rules of society. For this I dropped it to 3 Stars.
HOOPLA Audio
The story was decent, however, I question why Sebastian didn't realize kidnapping Juliet would ruin her. Juliet's family was able to keep the elopement/kidnapping under the radar for 2 years, but once someone leaked it the news traveled fast. Then Sebastian is remorseful, after-the-fact. It just doesn't seem realistic when everyone in society, both male and female, know the rules of society. For this I dropped it to 3 Stars.
March 27, 2025
4.0.
"Any man can make mistakes,
but only an idiot persists in his error."
~Cicero’s Philipics~
"Any man can make mistakes,
but only an idiot persists in his error."
~Cicero’s Philipics~
March 6, 2022
Heroine: Lady Juliet Laverick, 20. Was abducted over 2 years prior under the guise of an elopement.
Hero: Sebastian Blakely, about 29. Baron of Templemore. An identical twin.
Date: 1818
How they meet: Juliet accompanies her sister and brother-in-law in search of the man who abducted her two years prior. They trace the man to Sebastian’s estate, believing Lord Templemore to be the man’s guardian. Juliet identifies Sebastian to be her abductor, only to have him claim to be the man’s identical twin. He also tells them his twin is presumed dead in a shipwreck.
What happens: Even though Sebastian claims to be the twin of the man who abducted Juliet, she is very skeptical. She seeks him out when he is alone so she can confront him. She tries several tactics to get him to break. She shoots holes in his story, but he always has a rebuttal. There is a secondary story focusing on Griff and Rosalind (a continuation from book 1 of the series) and some challenges in their marriage.
Verdict: This book fell short of my expectations. At first the dynamic between the hero and heroine was entertaining--even funny at times--and it created a lot of sexual tension. However, as the story wore on the banter felt more like bickering and it seemed Once they decided they were going to marry, the manner in which they argued felt cold or cruel at times, which was stupid because I don’t have a lot of patience for characters who constantly work against their own best interests. However, if you enjoy a battle of wills, this may be the book for you! The secondary story of Griff and Rosalind was also disappointing with too much and too little On the bright side, it did address some unanswered questions from book 2 of the series.
Steam-level: Steamy and explicit
Rating: 3 stars
Hero: Sebastian Blakely, about 29. Baron of Templemore. An identical twin.
Date: 1818
How they meet: Juliet accompanies her sister and brother-in-law in search of the man who abducted her two years prior. They trace the man to Sebastian’s estate, believing Lord Templemore to be the man’s guardian. Juliet identifies Sebastian to be her abductor, only to have him claim to be the man’s identical twin. He also tells them his twin is presumed dead in a shipwreck.
What happens: Even though Sebastian claims to be the twin of the man who abducted Juliet, she is very skeptical. She seeks him out when he is alone so she can confront him. She tries several tactics to get him to break. She shoots holes in his story, but he always has a rebuttal. There is a secondary story focusing on Griff and Rosalind (a continuation from book 1 of the series) and some challenges in their marriage.
Verdict: This book fell short of my expectations. At first the dynamic between the hero and heroine was entertaining--even funny at times--and it created a lot of sexual tension. However, as the story wore on the banter felt more like bickering and it seemed Once they decided they were going to marry, the manner in which they argued felt cold or cruel at times, which was stupid because I don’t have a lot of patience for characters who constantly work against their own best interests. However, if you enjoy a battle of wills, this may be the book for you! The secondary story of Griff and Rosalind was also disappointing with too much and too little On the bright side, it did address some unanswered questions from book 2 of the series.
Steam-level: Steamy and explicit
Rating: 3 stars
January 27, 2015
Downgrading my original rating from 3 to 2 stars. This story is just a hot mess. In a continuation of the story from the the first two books in the series, our previously kidnapped heroine, Juliet, has finally found the man who eloped /kidnapped her two years prior. The problem - our hero, Sebastian, claims he is not the kidnapper, Morgan, but, rather, his identical twin, Lord Fancypants Who Makes the Guns. Naturally, Juliet is not fooled for a minute and determines to prove to her sister and brother-in-law that Lord Fancypants is really Morgan the bad guy who kidnapped/eloped with her.
I love books in a series but when you create a nonsensically convoluted plot line that runs through the series , in my opinion, you are asking for trouble. That is this book's major failing. To appreciate this story you have to know and care about way too much back ground story from the previous books. I hope. Otherwise, this is just a terrible hot mess. Combine that with two card board cut out leads and you end up with something that can put you to sleep and give you a headache.
Hahaha. Was pondering the spoiler alert button and trying to figure out what exactly I could say about this book that would be a spoiler. Couldn't think of a single thing. Nope. Not a single thing. That, my friends, is a truly uninspiring story - there are no spoilers because nothing really happens in this book.
I love books in a series but when you create a nonsensically convoluted plot line that runs through the series , in my opinion, you are asking for trouble. That is this book's major failing. To appreciate this story you have to know and care about way too much back ground story from the previous books. I hope. Otherwise, this is just a terrible hot mess. Combine that with two card board cut out leads and you end up with something that can put you to sleep and give you a headache.
Hahaha. Was pondering the spoiler alert button and trying to figure out what exactly I could say about this book that would be a spoiler. Couldn't think of a single thing. Nope. Not a single thing. That, my friends, is a truly uninspiring story - there are no spoilers because nothing really happens in this book.
March 18, 2011
Book 3 in the Swanlea Spinsters series
I have not read the other books in the series; this is my first one, as well as my first time reading this author. I just loved the story and characters and the humor that was in this book that I’ll now have to read the rest of the series.
Juliet was kidnapped two years ago by Morgan Pryce. Sebastian (Morgan’s brother) was actually the one doing the kidnapping in order to find out information from smugglers about Morgan’s whereabouts (in exchange they wanted Juliet). In the end Sebastian/Morgan didn’t let the smugglers have Juliet, but disappeared from her life. Juliet has been obsessing about the man who made her fall in love with him to an elopement which then turned to kidnapping. Rumors in London have somehow now (after two years) begun surfacing about Juliet and the events from her past. So Juliet, her sister Rosalind, and her husband Griff have traveled to Templemore to avail on Sebastian to reveal Morgan’s whereabouts. Of course, one look at Sebastian and Juliet knows that he is her kidnapper! But, how is she going to get him to admit it? And that is actually only the beginning of this wonderfully refreshing story. I loved the ending!
I have not read the other books in the series; this is my first one, as well as my first time reading this author. I just loved the story and characters and the humor that was in this book that I’ll now have to read the rest of the series.
Juliet was kidnapped two years ago by Morgan Pryce. Sebastian (Morgan’s brother) was actually the one doing the kidnapping in order to find out information from smugglers about Morgan’s whereabouts (in exchange they wanted Juliet). In the end Sebastian/Morgan didn’t let the smugglers have Juliet, but disappeared from her life. Juliet has been obsessing about the man who made her fall in love with him to an elopement which then turned to kidnapping. Rumors in London have somehow now (after two years) begun surfacing about Juliet and the events from her past. So Juliet, her sister Rosalind, and her husband Griff have traveled to Templemore to avail on Sebastian to reveal Morgan’s whereabouts. Of course, one look at Sebastian and Juliet knows that he is her kidnapper! But, how is she going to get him to admit it? And that is actually only the beginning of this wonderfully refreshing story. I loved the ending!
May 25, 2017
Summary: Lady Juliet Laverick has waited two years to finally confront the man who kidnapped her and left her with memories of a kiss that still make her burn for him. When rumors of her abduction and failed elopement start circulating around the ton with details only those involved could possibly know, Juliet is certain that the notorious Morgan Pryce has resurfaced. When her family receives word that Morgan is a ward of Lord Templemore and is residing at the Baron’s estate, Juliet accompanies her sister Roselind and brother-in-law Griff to go confront him. Her hopes for answers are dashed though when “Morgan” turns out to be Sebastian Blakely, Lord Templemore himself! Though he’s able to convince her relations with his claims that his identical twin Morgan is the one they seek and denies any involvement in her kidnapping, Juliet refuses to believe him – especially when his kisses stir the same reaction in her that “Morgan’s” once did. She is certain she has finally found her abductor, now she just needs him to admit it!
Sebastian is stunned. He never expected to see Juliet again, much less have her show up at his door with her overprotective family in tow, demanding answers that he can’t give or risk his brother’s life. He does the only thing he can think to do and lie to the beauty that still captivates him. Thinking that he’s managed to convince them of his innocence, Sebastian vows to stay away from his unexpected guests – especially Juliet – so he doesn’t inadvertently reveal that he is truly the one they seek. But when an unexpected snowstorm and other circumstances prolong their stay, Sebastian begins to wonder if rather than resist his attraction to Juliet, he should just do right by her and marry her – effectively silencing the rumors and slanders to her character that he can’t help but feel guilty for having caused. But courting the suspicious lady comes at a price. Soon Sebastian and Juliet are enmeshed in a chess game of wills with her trying to get him to slip up and admit to the abduction and him trying to keep his secret and win her affection.
My thoughts: I went into this one more than a bit hesitant. Even though I was incredibly intrigued by “Morgan” in the previous book, A Notorious Love, I haven’t able to stand Juliet since her introduction in the first book of the series, A Dangerous Love, so I wasn’t looking forward to having her be the heroine of her own book. I fully admit that my bias colored my interpretations of her character and actions. I get that she is frustrated with her family constantly treating her like a child and that she’s trying to assert herself, but often her actions and words seemed bratty and childish. I did enjoy her and Sebastian’s banter and the romance that came out of that. And I will concede that Juliet did have some refreshing moments of maturity, but every time I thought I was finally warming up to her, she’d do something that made me roll my eyes and think “THIS is why your family still treats you like a child!” There was something she did that actually really bothered me , and her condition to him on getting married seemed remarkably selfish to me. The story was definitely slower paced than the previous two, especially A Notorious Love which was jammed packed with adventure, but overall (despite Juliet continuing to annoy me) it was actually a pretty engaging story. I really loved Sebastian and his devotion to his brother, and honestly would have loved to see more scenes between them. My thoughts on Griff and Roselind in this story keep fluctuating. At times they were really annoying, and yet I can kind of understand that they were under a lot of stress and not acting like themselves or thinking clearly. That’s a hard situation for a couple to deal with, so I’m willing to give them a pass. Besides, they did their part in progressing the plot along. I will say that the ending was really sweet, and I really enjoyed the scene where Griff and Sebastian FINALLY got along and were united against the villain. Also, I love that Sabrina Jeffries brings in minor characters from other books that we’re already familiar with. It was a delight to see Lady Brumley from the Lord Series and her nautical hat pop up again. Depending on the character’s POV, we see different sides of the notorious Lady Brumley. Some don’t like her and consider her a gossip, and yet here we have her actually helping Sebastian out in trying to woo Juliet. I just thought it was clever to see that it’s not just the main characters from other books that make cameos here and there. Especially if the reader has read the previous books, it makes the ton feel a little bit more intimate and familiar.
Minor Annoyance: The scene where they’re playing footsie under the table was just uncomfortable and NOT sexy. My husband’s foot never EVER needs to go there, and if I even tried that on him he’d probably think I’d lost my mind.
Overall: I’d really place the rating at 3.5 stars, but I’m willing to round up to 4 for Sebastian’s sake. If you enjoyed Juliet in the previous books, then you’ll enjoy her in this one, and it’s nice to see the final Swanlea “spinster” get her HEA.
Sebastian is stunned. He never expected to see Juliet again, much less have her show up at his door with her overprotective family in tow, demanding answers that he can’t give or risk his brother’s life. He does the only thing he can think to do and lie to the beauty that still captivates him. Thinking that he’s managed to convince them of his innocence, Sebastian vows to stay away from his unexpected guests – especially Juliet – so he doesn’t inadvertently reveal that he is truly the one they seek. But when an unexpected snowstorm and other circumstances prolong their stay, Sebastian begins to wonder if rather than resist his attraction to Juliet, he should just do right by her and marry her – effectively silencing the rumors and slanders to her character that he can’t help but feel guilty for having caused. But courting the suspicious lady comes at a price. Soon Sebastian and Juliet are enmeshed in a chess game of wills with her trying to get him to slip up and admit to the abduction and him trying to keep his secret and win her affection.
My thoughts: I went into this one more than a bit hesitant. Even though I was incredibly intrigued by “Morgan” in the previous book, A Notorious Love, I haven’t able to stand Juliet since her introduction in the first book of the series, A Dangerous Love, so I wasn’t looking forward to having her be the heroine of her own book. I fully admit that my bias colored my interpretations of her character and actions. I get that she is frustrated with her family constantly treating her like a child and that she’s trying to assert herself, but often her actions and words seemed bratty and childish. I did enjoy her and Sebastian’s banter and the romance that came out of that. And I will concede that Juliet did have some refreshing moments of maturity, but every time I thought I was finally warming up to her, she’d do something that made me roll my eyes and think “THIS is why your family still treats you like a child!” There was something she did that actually really bothered me , and her condition to him on getting married seemed remarkably selfish to me. The story was definitely slower paced than the previous two, especially A Notorious Love which was jammed packed with adventure, but overall (despite Juliet continuing to annoy me) it was actually a pretty engaging story. I really loved Sebastian and his devotion to his brother, and honestly would have loved to see more scenes between them. My thoughts on Griff and Roselind in this story keep fluctuating. At times they were really annoying, and yet I can kind of understand that they were under a lot of stress and not acting like themselves or thinking clearly. That’s a hard situation for a couple to deal with, so I’m willing to give them a pass. Besides, they did their part in progressing the plot along. I will say that the ending was really sweet, and I really enjoyed the scene where Griff and Sebastian FINALLY got along and were united against the villain. Also, I love that Sabrina Jeffries brings in minor characters from other books that we’re already familiar with. It was a delight to see Lady Brumley from the Lord Series and her nautical hat pop up again. Depending on the character’s POV, we see different sides of the notorious Lady Brumley. Some don’t like her and consider her a gossip, and yet here we have her actually helping Sebastian out in trying to woo Juliet. I just thought it was clever to see that it’s not just the main characters from other books that make cameos here and there. Especially if the reader has read the previous books, it makes the ton feel a little bit more intimate and familiar.
Minor Annoyance: The scene where they’re playing footsie under the table was just uncomfortable and NOT sexy. My husband’s foot never EVER needs to go there, and if I even tried that on him he’d probably think I’d lost my mind.
Overall: I’d really place the rating at 3.5 stars, but I’m willing to round up to 4 for Sebastian’s sake. If you enjoyed Juliet in the previous books, then you’ll enjoy her in this one, and it’s nice to see the final Swanlea “spinster” get her HEA.
May 1, 2025
Somewhat convoluted story line: Juliet had been abducted and released two years prior by Morgan, a smuggler and pirate. She’d entered society with the abduction hushed up, but recent rumors threaten her name, so she, her sister Rosalind, and her husband Griff travel to see Morgan’s brother Sebastian to seek a remedy. When she sees Sebastian, she realizes that he is the one who abducted her, so she demands to know why, but he claims she is mistaken. In reality, he had abducted her, taking his brother’s name, so that he could find out from the smuggler where his brother was. Convoluted, to be sure, but weather ends up trapping the family there, so Juliet and Sebastian have time to battle their wits to find out secrets and try to keep them, and to ultimately fall in love. Nice twists to the story, and the emotional depth of each of their struggles was compelling. I also was moved by the side plot of Rosalind’s fertility struggles.
Read
October 19, 2024I read After the Abduction, got to 68% before calling it, for a bookclub. This is the 3rd book in the series, and there were things that happened in the first 2 books that I should have known about before going in. I was lost and didn’t connect with the MFC and the MMC. I didn’t love the deliberate miscommunication and how that was handled. The writing itself is good. The characterization wasn’t complete, because I didn’t have the information from the books that came before it. I may go back to this after reading the first 2 books.
August 10, 2013
3.5 stars actually.
Nothing much happens in this book (the amount of plot or conflict could fit in a thimble) but the hero and heroine are so likeable and normal, I almost found myself not caring.
Nothing much happens in this book (the amount of plot or conflict could fit in a thimble) but the hero and heroine are so likeable and normal, I almost found myself not caring.
September 24, 2019
This book was published in 2002 and has many elements of Old Skool romance that were just beginning to go out of style. An overly-alpha hero, a foot-stamping heroine, and secret keeping are among the issues that plague this book.
But the biggest is the gaslighting. I made it about halfway through and from the beginning the hero twisted the heroine's mind by trying to convince her he wasn't the one who kidnapped her. She knows he was and has plenty of good evidence in favor, but the hero continued to manipulate and confuse her. I picked up on it immediately and by the time the hero decided he HAD to marry her (for a number of reasons none of which include actually liking her as a person), I was slightly sick to my stomach.
The way this made me feel reminds me of Julia Quinn's The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy which made me hugely angry and not a little uncomfortable. That book at least had a likable heroine, good dialog, and lovely secondary characters. This book had none of those things, thus I am marking it DNF.
Final Grade: DNF
But the biggest is the gaslighting. I made it about halfway through and from the beginning the hero twisted the heroine's mind by trying to convince her he wasn't the one who kidnapped her. She knows he was and has plenty of good evidence in favor, but the hero continued to manipulate and confuse her. I picked up on it immediately and by the time the hero decided he HAD to marry her (for a number of reasons none of which include actually liking her as a person), I was slightly sick to my stomach.
The way this made me feel reminds me of Julia Quinn's The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy which made me hugely angry and not a little uncomfortable. That book at least had a likable heroine, good dialog, and lovely secondary characters. This book had none of those things, thus I am marking it DNF.
Final Grade: DNF
January 30, 2020
I own a ton of Sabrina Jeffries in paperback, and the title and cover of this one called to me. Historical. Abduction. Sleigh. Winter. Horses. *Sigh*
I picked it up because I hadn't read it, but... I definitely had. Years and years ago.
Unfortunately, the beginning of this book is slower than a sleigh in summer. I had to power through, hoping it would hit some snow and gain speed. Eventually, it did.
Problems with the first few chapters: (1) too many character names. Not necessarily too many characters, but everyone we meet seems to have two names, or be hiding their identity. So from chapter one, you have to remember that Sebastian says he's not Morgan but he was Morgan when he abducted Juliet, who knows he's the Morgan who abducted her so refuses to believe he's Sebastian. Anyway, lots of names.
(2) Nothing is happening. Juliet's family storms off to confront Sebastian/Morgan for abducting Juliet (happened off-page, before our story begins), but once they confront him, things sort of... fizzle, plot wise, for a few chapters.
(3) Perhaps the biggest issue: A lot of the driving force of the action happened before the book begins. I assume it's featured in a previous book, because Jeffries refers to the abduction and its details often, but we never actually see it.
As I said, eventually we get to the good stuff. Stoic, secretive hero. Innocent, determined heroine. Forced proximity (This love story is brought to you by: SNOW! Nature's matchmaker).
A solid three stars for After the Abduction, and a decent start for my A2Z challenge! I'm not mad I read this one, but won't reread.
I picked it up because I hadn't read it, but... I definitely had. Years and years ago.
Unfortunately, the beginning of this book is slower than a sleigh in summer. I had to power through, hoping it would hit some snow and gain speed. Eventually, it did.
Problems with the first few chapters: (1) too many character names. Not necessarily too many characters, but everyone we meet seems to have two names, or be hiding their identity. So from chapter one, you have to remember that Sebastian says he's not Morgan but he was Morgan when he abducted Juliet, who knows he's the Morgan who abducted her so refuses to believe he's Sebastian. Anyway, lots of names.
(2) Nothing is happening. Juliet's family storms off to confront Sebastian/Morgan for abducting Juliet (happened off-page, before our story begins), but once they confront him, things sort of... fizzle, plot wise, for a few chapters.
(3) Perhaps the biggest issue: A lot of the driving force of the action happened before the book begins. I assume it's featured in a previous book, because Jeffries refers to the abduction and its details often, but we never actually see it.
As I said, eventually we get to the good stuff. Stoic, secretive hero. Innocent, determined heroine. Forced proximity (This love story is brought to you by: SNOW! Nature's matchmaker).
A solid three stars for After the Abduction, and a decent start for my A2Z challenge! I'm not mad I read this one, but won't reread.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2020
3rd in the series, I have listened to them as I own the next 2. 2 years after the last book Juliette finally sets out to confront the man who abducted her 2 years before . There are so many blockhead men in this book that it brought it down 1 star in my estimation. Sebastian refuses to tell the truth to Juliette, even though she knows he abducted her, because he is trying to protect his twin brother Morgan who he just recently found out existed ! And the brother never told Sebastian he was working for the home office. And the Griff, the brother in law from book 1, who lied throughout is mad that Sebastian lied and challenges him to a duel, over the protests of Julia, who could be pregnant which would cause a greater scandal. Jeffries writing has improved over the years, but she still has a lot of blockheaded men in her books!! I have already started Morgan's book, and it looks like I may have to now read the Pirate lord series, which unfortunately I gave away.
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