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Winter Garden #2
Winter Garden
Though a celebrated French beauty in 1849, Madeleine DuMais's cleverness is her greatest asset --- and one she puts to good use as a spy for the British. When her expertise is needed in the south of England to break up a smuggling ring, Madeleine willingly puts her life on hold to help the crown ...
Arriving in the quaint resort town of Winter Garden, Madeleine meets her partner in subterfuge. Thomas Blackwood is unlike any man she has ever met. His quiet confidence and mysterious intensity send shivers of pleasure coursing through her ... shivers that slowly melt into a desperate passion. As duty gives way to desire, surrender holds its reward. And Madeleine will never recover from the touch of Thomas's hands on her body --- and the touch of his heart on her soul ...
Arriving in the quaint resort town of Winter Garden, Madeleine meets her partner in subterfuge. Thomas Blackwood is unlike any man she has ever met. His quiet confidence and mysterious intensity send shivers of pleasure coursing through her ... shivers that slowly melt into a desperate passion. As duty gives way to desire, surrender holds its reward. And Madeleine will never recover from the touch of Thomas's hands on her body --- and the touch of his heart on her soul ...
344 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2000
63 people are currently reading
1209 people want to read
About the author
Adele Ashworth
11 books240 followersAdele Budnick was born in 1963. She has always felt she's led a rather dull life on her road to becoming a romance author. Unfortunately, she's also often been wrong.
From the first time she stepped onstage to sing Petula Clark's "Downtown" for a crowd (at the age of three in a Juarez, Mexico, hotel restaurant, dancing on the table at the urging of the Spanish-speaking waitresses), she knew she was destined to be a singer. Her first miscalculation.
At the age of six, as she watched one of the Apollo rockets take off on live Saturday-morning television, interrupting the most important TV shows of the decade—The Monkeys and Scooby-Doo—she decided she would become a diplomat. Much to her mother's chagrin, Adele was caught in a heated discussion with a telephone operator who insisted it simply wasn't possible to put a six-year-old child through to President Nixon at the White House just to make a complaint about important programming interruption. Diplomacy clearly wasn't for her.
In elementary school, Adele, being a voracious reader, decided she would be a defense attorney just like Nancy Drew's father. (One knew at any age that one couldn't make a living simply by being a mystery solver like Nancy, but solving crimes as an attorney seemed practical.) After three years of knowing she was destined for Harvard Law School, Adele finished every published Nancy Drew novel (53 of them at the time) and moved on to reading romance. Thus ended her dreams of solving crimes. The idea of law school seemed far less enjoyable after immersing herself in Victoria Holt at the age of twelve.
The Song Bird Years
Adele continued to pursue her singing into her teen years, deciding she was either going to be an editorial reader for a publishing company (because all she loved to do was read) or a Singing Superstar. She figured becoming a Superstar was probably an easier goal to achieve, and so, between reading romances (and in the late 70s there were very few to read), she practiced her art, training her developing coloratura soprano voice with private lessons from one of the best operatic instructors in the city of Albuquerque. Through numerous All-State Choir rehearsals, Jr. and High School choir practice, and various musical productions, she knew she was destined for stardom.
And then at the age of fifteen, her private vocal instructor told her the cold, hard facts: To really make it as a Broadway Singing Superstar, one not only has to read music well, but be able to act and dance and live on pennies. Adele does not dance (unless you count nightclubs in college and that time in Mexico when she was three…) and the "living on pennies" bit seemed highly questionable. Since her acting and music reading talents were also suspect, she decided Broadway might not be for her. Reality sure can be a shocker.
On the Career Path
In college as a journalism major (only because she had to major in something that might get her a paying job), she continued to pursue private vocal instruction with the University of Utah's finest, while performing in various musicals and college recitals. Having directed her through the lead in Cinderella, her drama teacher urged her to try out for local beauty—ahem—scholarship pageants. That was it. Adele was destined to be a singing, reading, reporting, Miss America.
Unfortunately, reality struck again. Not only was Adele a bit lacking in genius (to put it bluntly), being five feet and two inches tall, and possessing quite possibly the shortest legs in the history of womanhood left Adele doing well in talent portions of the contests, but lacking other…necessary attributes. Aside from being crowned Miss Sandy City and Miss Salt Lake County, the pageant thing never went anywhere. Alas, the Singing Beauty Queen future was out.
But Adele worked very hard at her favorite pastime and, by her senior year in college, she'd read just about every Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt, Shirley Busbee, Laurie McBain,
From the first time she stepped onstage to sing Petula Clark's "Downtown" for a crowd (at the age of three in a Juarez, Mexico, hotel restaurant, dancing on the table at the urging of the Spanish-speaking waitresses), she knew she was destined to be a singer. Her first miscalculation.
At the age of six, as she watched one of the Apollo rockets take off on live Saturday-morning television, interrupting the most important TV shows of the decade—The Monkeys and Scooby-Doo—she decided she would become a diplomat. Much to her mother's chagrin, Adele was caught in a heated discussion with a telephone operator who insisted it simply wasn't possible to put a six-year-old child through to President Nixon at the White House just to make a complaint about important programming interruption. Diplomacy clearly wasn't for her.
In elementary school, Adele, being a voracious reader, decided she would be a defense attorney just like Nancy Drew's father. (One knew at any age that one couldn't make a living simply by being a mystery solver like Nancy, but solving crimes as an attorney seemed practical.) After three years of knowing she was destined for Harvard Law School, Adele finished every published Nancy Drew novel (53 of them at the time) and moved on to reading romance. Thus ended her dreams of solving crimes. The idea of law school seemed far less enjoyable after immersing herself in Victoria Holt at the age of twelve.
The Song Bird Years
Adele continued to pursue her singing into her teen years, deciding she was either going to be an editorial reader for a publishing company (because all she loved to do was read) or a Singing Superstar. She figured becoming a Superstar was probably an easier goal to achieve, and so, between reading romances (and in the late 70s there were very few to read), she practiced her art, training her developing coloratura soprano voice with private lessons from one of the best operatic instructors in the city of Albuquerque. Through numerous All-State Choir rehearsals, Jr. and High School choir practice, and various musical productions, she knew she was destined for stardom.
And then at the age of fifteen, her private vocal instructor told her the cold, hard facts: To really make it as a Broadway Singing Superstar, one not only has to read music well, but be able to act and dance and live on pennies. Adele does not dance (unless you count nightclubs in college and that time in Mexico when she was three…) and the "living on pennies" bit seemed highly questionable. Since her acting and music reading talents were also suspect, she decided Broadway might not be for her. Reality sure can be a shocker.
On the Career Path
In college as a journalism major (only because she had to major in something that might get her a paying job), she continued to pursue private vocal instruction with the University of Utah's finest, while performing in various musicals and college recitals. Having directed her through the lead in Cinderella, her drama teacher urged her to try out for local beauty—ahem—scholarship pageants. That was it. Adele was destined to be a singing, reading, reporting, Miss America.
Unfortunately, reality struck again. Not only was Adele a bit lacking in genius (to put it bluntly), being five feet and two inches tall, and possessing quite possibly the shortest legs in the history of womanhood left Adele doing well in talent portions of the contests, but lacking other…necessary attributes. Aside from being crowned Miss Sandy City and Miss Salt Lake County, the pageant thing never went anywhere. Alas, the Singing Beauty Queen future was out.
But Adele worked very hard at her favorite pastime and, by her senior year in college, she'd read just about every Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt, Shirley Busbee, Laurie McBain,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
August 15, 2019
¡Me encantó!!! Lamentablemente, no es mucho lo que se puede contar de la trama sin desvelar la verdadera intriga de la novela, que va mucho más allá del contrabando de opio que se menciona en la sinopsis. Las pistas van cayendo poco a poco y es posible prever de qué va todo, pero nunca me imaginé las circunstancias del secreto que guarda Thomas.
Es una novela poco convencional en el género, tanto por sus personajes como por la ausencia de los típicos diálogos chispeantes. Por el contrario, es una novela que destila sensualidad (y a veces melancolía) en cada una de sus páginas, y crea una atmósfera oscura y electrizante. En breve voy a leer algún otro libro de la autora para ver si este estilo es característico en ella… si es así, creo que me voy a beber toda su bibliografía.
Reto Rita 3.0 (agosto)
Es una novela poco convencional en el género, tanto por sus personajes como por la ausencia de los típicos diálogos chispeantes. Por el contrario, es una novela que destila sensualidad (y a veces melancolía) en cada una de sus páginas, y crea una atmósfera oscura y electrizante. En breve voy a leer algún otro libro de la autora para ver si este estilo es característico en ella… si es así, creo que me voy a beber toda su bibliografía.
Reto Rita 3.0 (agosto)
August 17, 2019
Le doy 2⭐ pero igual sería 1,5. Todavía estoy esperando saber qué es lo que promete. 😑
August 16, 2019
Me ha gustado bastante más que la anterior, aunque quizá sea más acertado darle un 3,5/5.
Me ha gustado mucho esta pareja, ella me gustó desde el libro anterior.
Tiene la dosis justa de intriga para que me enganchara hasta el final.
La historia de amor me ha gustado mucho sobre todo por parte de Thomas y todo el desenlace final me ha encantado.
Lo tecomiendo
Me ha gustado mucho esta pareja, ella me gustó desde el libro anterior.
Tiene la dosis justa de intriga para que me enganchara hasta el final.
La historia de amor me ha gustado mucho sobre todo por parte de Thomas y todo el desenlace final me ha encantado.
Lo tecomiendo
April 9, 2016
EL protagonista es muyyy tierno. Se dejan las cosas claras practicamente desde el principio, asique no son los tipicos con el tira y afloja. Es una novela bastante romantica aunque con poco movimiento, quizás un pelin sosa incluso, pero se lee bien.
December 4, 2013
This book was hard to find. Finally ordered from ebay from GB. It is very very good. Hot love scenes. Madeleine DeMais is a spy for the crown. Thomas Blackwood is also a spy (but alot more than that). He is at Winter Garden and hires her undercover to be his french translator for the supossed memoirs he's writing. They are a mission to find out who is stealing opium and then reselling it and suspect the owner of the the largest estate with it's underground tunnels. Love the end where he tells her how long he's been in love with from afar and the thruth about himself. Great Book. A keeper.
May 19, 2010
Now this is what defines the word "keeper". So often romance novels get so redundant that you can't tell one from the next. Not so with this one. Ashworth weaves together a love story of epic proportions with characters so real, likeable, and wounded that they will haunt you long after you finish reading it.
Thomas is a wounded, disfigured spy who is living in Winter Garden, England trying to find a opium smuggling thief. Madeleine is also a spy sent to help Thomas in his pursuit of the criminal. The story of Winter Garden tells of these two people's relationship first professionally, but quickly personally and it's evolution.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be careful when you read reviews of this book. Spoilers revealed could seriously damage the intensity of this book and the overall feeling of "this was something really special" that I can almost guarantee the unsuspecting reader to have.
Man, I wish this was in print! I'm half tempted to grit my teeth, fork over the asked used price. and pay the opportunists their money....just to have a copy of my own.
It's just that good.
Thomas is a wounded, disfigured spy who is living in Winter Garden, England trying to find a opium smuggling thief. Madeleine is also a spy sent to help Thomas in his pursuit of the criminal. The story of Winter Garden tells of these two people's relationship first professionally, but quickly personally and it's evolution.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be careful when you read reviews of this book. Spoilers revealed could seriously damage the intensity of this book and the overall feeling of "this was something really special" that I can almost guarantee the unsuspecting reader to have.
Man, I wish this was in print! I'm half tempted to grit my teeth, fork over the asked used price. and pay the opportunists their money....just to have a copy of my own.
It's just that good.
December 26, 2012
DNF. The social mores of the time period are pretty much disregarded from the get-go (Handsome scholar living alone with a gorgeous female "secretary"? Noooooo, of COURSE polite society won't think anything scurrilous is going on THERE, and of COURSE she'll be accepted to tea with the good ladies of the town....)
I could've dealt with it if the whole set-up of the H/h as covert spies was even remotely believable (see above setup, when they're suppose to be "blending in"), but... nope. (For that matter... mission? what mission? We're too busy being treacly at each other!) The townsfolk were predictable and the whole smuggling plot (particularly the suspected villain) was a little too over-the-top gothic for my taste.
Not going to be picking up any more of these.
I could've dealt with it if the whole set-up of the H/h as covert spies was even remotely believable (see above setup, when they're suppose to be "blending in"), but... nope. (For that matter... mission? what mission? We're too busy being treacly at each other!) The townsfolk were predictable and the whole smuggling plot (particularly the suspected villain) was a little too over-the-top gothic for my taste.
Not going to be picking up any more of these.
January 26, 2014
Me ha gustafo mucho.... Thomas es un personaje masculino que te atrapa... tiene el punto justo de misterio, encanto y pasión y Madeleine también me ha gustado mucho, independiente y decidida. La historia del misterio es tan solo una excusa para juntar a estos dos personajes, porque el libro realmente te hace disfrutar de su relación. La descripción y la forma en que la autora te va desvelando a los personajes me ha parecido muy buena... y sin olvidar el alto contenido erótico.
November 16, 2015
**2.5 stars**
Now I know why the investigation made no sense whatsoever! If only the reader would have been in on it from the beginning, that whole part of the story wouldn't have been so pointless!
Switched from audio to print at about 35%.
RTC
Now I know why the investigation made no sense whatsoever! If only the reader would have been in on it from the beginning, that whole part of the story wouldn't have been so pointless!
Switched from audio to print at about 35%.
RTC
March 1, 2016
Personajes desaprovechados en una historia con exceso de sexo. Una pena.
June 13, 2008
This was a wonderful book. It was very emotional, and had such a fantastic hero. His love for the heroine was so very sweet and touching. The hero, Thomas Blackwood, and the heroine, Madeleine DuMais, both work for the British government. They are sent to Winter Garden, where they investigate opium smuggling. As they work together and get to know each other, they slowly begin a relationship together. I enjoyed reading about the progressing relationship of the hero and heroine, and I thought they were both great characters. Seldom have a read a book with a hero I liked as well, and I was moved by the way the heroine so effortlessly accepted the hero's physical limitations, something he had not experienced from anyone since his injuries. I have read many reviews over the years saying that this was a fabulous book, and I definitely agree.
August 18, 2019
Madeleine, espía, bellísima, de vuelta de todo. Thomas, un misterio, su compañero en este trabajo. Qué momentos ! Al final lo que menos nos importa es el tema del contrabando con esta historia tan intensa y sensual.
Después de la segunda lectura poco más que añadir, me reafirmo en la valoración.
La confesión final de Thomas no la recordaba. Me encanta.
Después de la segunda lectura poco más que añadir, me reafirmo en la valoración.
La confesión final de Thomas no la recordaba. Me encanta.
October 29, 2020
Me he quedado fascinada con esta novela, la verdad es que me gustan los personajes imperfectos y estos dos son maravillosos...
September 3, 2012
Oh... How I adore this book... I finished this one in matter of hours and absolutely in love with it. The story is a bit different than tipical historical romance. It's not just about romance and aristocracy life. In fact, it almost has no scene that contain a real aristocracy lifestyle. Both the hero and heroine work as British Spy that were working together on a smugging/stealing opium case. The heroine was also a illegimate child of an addict French actrees with common English man. While the hero was a cripple man who lost his leg during his duty in Hongkong. The good thing is that unlike some other romance book, our author actually made some real scenes and plot for that part. I'm really glad about that.
There are some good sex scenes, but the romance was the one that is really good. It's not a first-sight-fall-in-love and really REALLY sweet. Not overly melancholic, but sweet nonthless. I can really relate to their feeling and how each of them changed and had significant role in each other life. The fact that it's actually the guy first who fell, kinda refreshing. haha.
Highly recomended to any romance lover...
There are some good sex scenes, but the romance was the one that is really good. It's not a first-sight-fall-in-love and really REALLY sweet. Not overly melancholic, but sweet nonthless. I can really relate to their feeling and how each of them changed and had significant role in each other life. The fact that it's actually the guy first who fell, kinda refreshing. haha.
Highly recomended to any romance lover...
May 26, 2018
British Spy Thomas Blackwood has been living in the quaint village of Winter Garden when Madeleine DuMais arrives to help him break up a smuggling ring. Because of his scars and noticeable limp, Thomas is posing as a former soldier who is writing his memoirs. Madeleine is his secretary who is translating the work into French. The two spies grow close as they live together and work to bring down the smuggling ring.
This is a unique historical romance. After reading the backblurb, I expected a big adventure where the characters fall in love while risking their lives. Instead, I found a quiet wounded hero and a smart independent heroine. It's a great relationship story with scorching sexual tension. I read this story approximately ten years ago and thought it was great. This time around I listened to the audiobook narrated by Heather Wilds. She does a fantastic job with this story. My rating: 5 Stars.
This is a unique historical romance. After reading the backblurb, I expected a big adventure where the characters fall in love while risking their lives. Instead, I found a quiet wounded hero and a smart independent heroine. It's a great relationship story with scorching sexual tension. I read this story approximately ten years ago and thought it was great. This time around I listened to the audiobook narrated by Heather Wilds. She does a fantastic job with this story. My rating: 5 Stars.
June 10, 2012
Loved this book in print when I read it ten years ago. I was totally swept up in the audio as well. It's definitely on my relisten shelf now.
Want to read
April 27, 2022am i adding this to my tbr bc the girl on the cover is hot? guess.
February 27, 2023
3.5 stars Madeline and Thomas. I liked this entertaining story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2023
I’ve had my issues with this book that have been covered in other reviews. So I will only mention the ones I haven’t seen anyone discuss. Why did hero never talk about his son? in fact he was only mentioned like 3 times and I don’t think he even attended his father’s wedding.
What further annoyed me is the heroine repeatedly talking about her sexual past. Like good for you but we get it! I personally don’t like reading about the MCs past relationships on page, especially if they don’t really add anything to the plot. It’s why I’m strictly reading from the no more rakes shelf right now. So I don’t appreciate reading how heroine only has sexual partners without having an emotional relationship with them either. I also hated how @ 60% she allowed another man to kiss her and even got turned on by it when she said she has never used her body in missions. I also believe she only loved hero because he loved her.
Lastly, I’m never reading a beta hero again because I’m honestly disgusted.
What further annoyed me is the heroine repeatedly talking about her sexual past. Like good for you but we get it! I personally don’t like reading about the MCs past relationships on page, especially if they don’t really add anything to the plot. It’s why I’m strictly reading from the no more rakes shelf right now. So I don’t appreciate reading how heroine only has sexual partners without having an emotional relationship with them either. I also hated how @ 60% she allowed another man to kiss her and even got turned on by it when she said she has never used her body in missions. I also believe she only loved hero because he loved her.
Lastly, I’m never reading a beta hero again because I’m honestly disgusted.
December 4, 2021
Some historical moral norms were sadly neglected but If you are willing to suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in lovely romance, this book was great. There is a spy/mystery element but it is very negligible and fades into obscurity, especially when hero reveals his true mission.
September 22, 2010
Too slow moving and didn't draw my emotions enough.
There is a lot of description going on. For example: within conversations, one person says something. Then there are one or more sentences describing body language, internal thoughts and/or emotions. Then the next person says something. It's an interesting style of writing. Sometimes this was good but other times it slowed things down too much. I wanted the story to move forward more quickly. This book is about uncovering some mysteries. It was like slowly unpeeling an onion. I would have preferred a lttle more action. By the end, my curiousity was satisfied, but I didn't feel the emotions that I usually desire in romance novels.
I also had a problem with too much pondering and wondering in Madeleine's thoughts. For example, for almost two full pages (288 and 289), she is thinking what did she feel, could she be in love, is he in love with her, it wasn't possible that he would be, did he love her anyway. The same kind of thing was repeated in other parts of the book.
Story brief: Madeleine is half French and half English. For six years she has been working for the English government as a spy living in France. Her new assignment is to work with Thomas, another government agent, working to uncover a smuggling operation in the town of Winter Garden.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
Madeleine and Thomas were attracted to each other, but he refused to act on it. Several times when she asked him why, he would not tell her the truth but said I'll tell you at a later time. His revealing of his reasons was done near the end of the book. I did not like what she said and did after hearing his story. She also lied to him at that time which I did not like.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: seven. Setting: 1849 in the resort town of Winter Garden in Southern England. Copyright: 2000. Genre: historical romantic mystery.
There is a lot of description going on. For example: within conversations, one person says something. Then there are one or more sentences describing body language, internal thoughts and/or emotions. Then the next person says something. It's an interesting style of writing. Sometimes this was good but other times it slowed things down too much. I wanted the story to move forward more quickly. This book is about uncovering some mysteries. It was like slowly unpeeling an onion. I would have preferred a lttle more action. By the end, my curiousity was satisfied, but I didn't feel the emotions that I usually desire in romance novels.
I also had a problem with too much pondering and wondering in Madeleine's thoughts. For example, for almost two full pages (288 and 289), she is thinking what did she feel, could she be in love, is he in love with her, it wasn't possible that he would be, did he love her anyway. The same kind of thing was repeated in other parts of the book.
Story brief: Madeleine is half French and half English. For six years she has been working for the English government as a spy living in France. Her new assignment is to work with Thomas, another government agent, working to uncover a smuggling operation in the town of Winter Garden.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
Madeleine and Thomas were attracted to each other, but he refused to act on it. Several times when she asked him why, he would not tell her the truth but said I'll tell you at a later time. His revealing of his reasons was done near the end of the book. I did not like what she said and did after hearing his story. She also lied to him at that time which I did not like.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: seven. Setting: 1849 in the resort town of Winter Garden in Southern England. Copyright: 2000. Genre: historical romantic mystery.
May 9, 2010
Love expands your soul with something inexplicably fulfilling. If you die without ever having experienced it, you will miss life's only true joy.
Good advice. This statement pretty much sums up this book. Learning to let go and love was the hardest thing Madeline has ever done...but once she did, the experience was fulfilling and rewarding. Thomas and Madeline had great chemistry. They outright set the pages on fire at times during this book. There were many intense scenes and a one so emotional that I got a little weepy. I loved how strong willed Madeline was and how secure she was in her sexuality. Thomas is a scarred(physically) hero but there is nothing typical about him. His back story was interesting and different than I thought it would be. Great story-telling on the author's part for giving us a different type of hero in what sometimes can seem mundane in the romance genre. Great read, great romance, great storytelling.
Good advice. This statement pretty much sums up this book. Learning to let go and love was the hardest thing Madeline has ever done...but once she did, the experience was fulfilling and rewarding. Thomas and Madeline had great chemistry. They outright set the pages on fire at times during this book. There were many intense scenes and a one so emotional that I got a little weepy. I loved how strong willed Madeline was and how secure she was in her sexuality. Thomas is a scarred(physically) hero but there is nothing typical about him. His back story was interesting and different than I thought it would be. Great story-telling on the author's part for giving us a different type of hero in what sometimes can seem mundane in the romance genre. Great read, great romance, great storytelling.
December 3, 2021
I stopped at chapter 8. I couldn't take the heroin anymore. They are in the middle of a stakeout to catch a smuggler and she keeps begging the hero for a kiss and whatever else he's willing to give. The hero is no better. While at luncheon trying to get information out of a mean bitter old hag of a druggy, the hero puts his hand between the heroin's thighs under the table, after telling her he wasn't going to have sex with her the previous day. There's probably more to this story, but I've lost interest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2012
I'm leaving my 5 star rating in place for this wonderful book. Narrator Heather Wilds is one who employs oddly timed pauses. I'm not sure if this is deliberate or the result of inadequate preparation. I just know that I notice it and it distracts me. 3.5 stars for the narration.
April 9, 2017
4/9/17 $1.99 SALE via Amazon US (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
December 28, 2015
Bello, struggente, di una tenerezza infinita! Preparate i fazzoletti......
January 11, 2017
Me gustó mucho esta pareja y esta historia, que se sale bastante de lo habitual dentro del romance histórico.
March 23, 2022
This book took me FOREVER to get through. It was beautiful and atmospheric, but at the same time, very easy to put down. I think this was very much a me thing because there's plenty of plot, sexual tension, etc, but one thing that totally bugged me and made me disengaged is that the two characters call each other by their first names from the very get, which is totally anachronistic, and I was SO HUNG UP on it. I don't need my historicals to be historically accurate to the T, but I need SOME semblance of factual accuracy.
Anyway, overall I liked this story okay? But the story was very instalust-y to me, and the forced proximity setup didn't make much sense at all (the heroine and hero are spies who work together to solve a case, and so the heroine pretends to be a translator for the hero — a war hero — who's writing a memoir, and she lives in his home, which ... makes no sense). We come to understand why there's an instalust/love from the hero by the VERY end of the book (I'm talking after the 95% mark!!!!), but it seems weird for it to come from the heroine's side as well.
And I also want to talk about the conflict/low moment that's introduced at the 96% (!) mark, which is when the hero reveals that he's known of the heroine for forever, since before they started working together, because he's actually the commanding officer she's been reporting to in her efforts to spy for the English government as someone with English and French lineage. (She didn't know this.) The heroine rightly is infuriated because she thought this entire time she was helping the English government do something and add value by being good at her job, when in reality, he was in the background controlling things. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND this devastation on the heroine's part, and while they reason it away in the last 10 pages of the book in a way that I semi-buy, from the heroine's perspective, it totally reads like a "I wanted to fuck you, so I gave you employment" trade. Which is terrible to learn! This is why I said at the 96% mark that I totally don't know if I can buy an HEA for these characters anymore. The heroine justifies it to herself at the end, reasoning that he only did it to give her a better life because he knew her circumstances, and I'm ... okay ... with this, but ultimately do think that this was really an annoying way to take away someone's agency. Even if done with the best of intentions, it strips away someone's own decision over something. The hero could've very much told the heroine from the get that he recognized her and leveled the playing field by letting her decide whether or not she wanted to work with them (and I can't see why he couldn't have told her anyway?! They had the briefest of meetings).
Anyway, overall I liked this story okay? But the story was very instalust-y to me, and the forced proximity setup didn't make much sense at all (the heroine and hero are spies who work together to solve a case, and so the heroine pretends to be a translator for the hero — a war hero — who's writing a memoir, and she lives in his home, which ... makes no sense). We come to understand why there's an instalust/love from the hero by the VERY end of the book (I'm talking after the 95% mark!!!!), but it seems weird for it to come from the heroine's side as well.
And I also want to talk about the conflict/low moment that's introduced at the 96% (!) mark, which is when the hero reveals that he's known of the heroine for forever, since before they started working together, because he's actually the commanding officer she's been reporting to in her efforts to spy for the English government as someone with English and French lineage. (She didn't know this.) The heroine rightly is infuriated because she thought this entire time she was helping the English government do something and add value by being good at her job, when in reality, he was in the background controlling things. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND this devastation on the heroine's part, and while they reason it away in the last 10 pages of the book in a way that I semi-buy, from the heroine's perspective, it totally reads like a "I wanted to fuck you, so I gave you employment" trade. Which is terrible to learn! This is why I said at the 96% mark that I totally don't know if I can buy an HEA for these characters anymore. The heroine justifies it to herself at the end, reasoning that he only did it to give her a better life because he knew her circumstances, and I'm ... okay ... with this, but ultimately do think that this was really an annoying way to take away someone's agency. Even if done with the best of intentions, it strips away someone's own decision over something. The hero could've very much told the heroine from the get that he recognized her and leveled the playing field by letting her decide whether or not she wanted to work with them (and I can't see why he couldn't have told her anyway?! They had the briefest of meetings).
October 21, 2013
Another review in Polish. This was written long time ago, when I was reading F/M books :) My opinion could be slightly (or maybe very) different right now :)
October 29, 2014
Despite the story revolving around arresting an opiate smuggler, the book spends little time actually doing that. I found the book to drag on and on. It wasn't until later in the book did the pace pick up. The book can be summed up very easily in two people falling for each other. One is disfigured and the other is absurdly beautiful. There isn't much to the story really. It was actually really boring. It had some good parts but not enough to justify a great rating, hence, the middle-ground. It was actually disappointing how little investigative works they had to do. They spend so much time talking and little of it was really substantive. There are just so many things that didn't really serve a purpose, ultimately. The opiate addict who wanted Thomas and was abhorrent to Madeleine disappeared after she insinuated Madeleine being a whore. The ladies didn't really make an impact overall. The baron gathering information from Penelope wasn't really important. There were just too many pages devoted to elements that didn't really contribute to the story. With that said, it does pick up later in the book but it was really too late to save it.
Story Brief:
Thomas and Madeleine work on a mission to figure out the smuggling operation at Winter Garden. They figure out that it is the baron and are trying to gather evidence against him. Along the way, they fool around since they are attracted to each other. They talk to villagers and Madeleine gets disrespected a lot. They do it. Thomas is in love with her. She cannot stay. They figure out his smuggling ways. He confesses that he orchestrated the mission and started her career. She felt it lessened the meaning of her accomplishments. She goes back to France. After some time, he comes for her. They have a baby together. They go back to the cottage.
Story Brief:
Thomas and Madeleine work on a mission to figure out the smuggling operation at Winter Garden. They figure out that it is the baron and are trying to gather evidence against him. Along the way, they fool around since they are attracted to each other. They talk to villagers and Madeleine gets disrespected a lot. They do it. Thomas is in love with her. She cannot stay. They figure out his smuggling ways. He confesses that he orchestrated the mission and started her career. She felt it lessened the meaning of her accomplishments. She goes back to France. After some time, he comes for her. They have a baby together. They go back to the cottage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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