 |
| Harper Collins |
Candice Hern
2004
The Summary
"When two friends are found in a compromising situation, their marriage of convenience turns into something neither was looking for...and something neither can live without.
"Nicholas Parrish wakes one morning to pounding at the front door of his London townhouse. Standing before him is the irate father of Prudence Armitage and several of her scowling brothers. They accuse him of compromising Prudence, and to his astonishment the woman in question walks out of his study, looking as if she's just been roused from her bed! Prudence had a tiring night putting the finishing touches to The Ladies' Fashionable Cabinet, the magazine she and Nicholas, along with his sister Edwina, have been working on.
"With Edwina on an extended wedding trip, Prudence had wanted everything to be perfect. But she fell asleep at her desk, and when she walks out of the office and sees her family ready to murder the man she had secretly had a crush on, Prudence is appalled. And when a marriage is forced between them, she is devastated. The damage is done, though, and now she's determined to make things right between herself and her new husband--making him fall in love with her."
"When two friends are found in a compromising situation, their marriage of convenience turns into something neither was looking for...and something neither can live without.
"Nicholas Parrish wakes one morning to pounding at the front door of his London townhouse. Standing before him is the irate father of Prudence Armitage and several of her scowling brothers. They accuse him of compromising Prudence, and to his astonishment the woman in question walks out of his study, looking as if she's just been roused from her bed! Prudence had a tiring night putting the finishing touches to The Ladies' Fashionable Cabinet, the magazine she and Nicholas, along with his sister Edwina, have been working on.
"With Edwina on an extended wedding trip, Prudence had wanted everything to be perfect. But she fell asleep at her desk, and when she walks out of the office and sees her family ready to murder the man she had secretly had a crush on, Prudence is appalled. And when a marriage is forced between them, she is devastated. The damage is done, though, and now she's determined to make things right between herself and her new husband--making him fall in love with her."
The Good
When I first picked borrowed this book from my local library's e-book collection, I have to admit I was a little excited. I'd read Candice Hern a couple weeks prior when I picked up It Happened One Season, a collection of novellas she wrote with Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balough, and Jaquie D'Alessandro. In her short story, "Fate Strikes a Bargain," she created a believable romantic relationship, intriguing characters, and used accurate historical details. Personally, I was thrilled with her work and I couldn't wait to dive into this novel.
And I am so, so glad I did.
It's what you might expect from a romance novel--silly misunderstandings, tried and true romantic tropes, sappy love lorn moments--but it caught me by surprise a few times and made my heart melt. I was absolutely enchanted by Once a Gentlemen, which is the third and final book in the Ladies Fashionable Cabinet series, and I almost immediately fell in love.
I loved the characters, who felt realistic and unerringly human; I loved the pace of the story, the cadence or, rather, tone it seemed to strike as I was reading; I loved the way the plot--and, subsequently, Prudence and Nicholas' relationship--developed. Granted, I found the way Nicholas and Prudence were suddenly thrust together in a marriage of convenience to be a little...well, cliche. I mean, it's been done before and, confidentially, I wasn't expecting that much.
But this is what won me: they didn't fall in love immediately.
Prudence already loved Nicholas, so it wasn't such a leap for her. Nicholas just didn't love her; in fact, he saw her more as a little sister than a wife. Their relationship went from a very close friendship to a deeper intimacy, as they slowly learned more about one another and, more to the point, discovered new things about one another.
Nicholas, in particular, finds himself astonished time and again by the little things about Prudence, like her love of music or her crazy family or her ability to keep the magazine from going under. I have to admit, I had stars in my eyes as I watched Nicholas' appreciation--and adoration--for Prudence grow. It basically turned me into a puddle of jelly, which I'm not proud to admit.
Okay, anyway, my point is that I was very impressed by Hern's ability to slowly and believably build a story and, more importantly, build a relationship. Plus, I loved the historical accuracy, which makes everything feel authentic. I mean, a book is only as good as the reader's imagination, but Hern does an excellent job of allowing her audience to sink in and really swim the full depth of Regency era England.
I'll be honest, I loved it. And I plan on binge reading the other two novels--Once a Scoundrel and Once a Dreamer--as soon as I can get my hands on them.
When I first picked borrowed this book from my local library's e-book collection, I have to admit I was a little excited. I'd read Candice Hern a couple weeks prior when I picked up It Happened One Season, a collection of novellas she wrote with Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balough, and Jaquie D'Alessandro. In her short story, "Fate Strikes a Bargain," she created a believable romantic relationship, intriguing characters, and used accurate historical details. Personally, I was thrilled with her work and I couldn't wait to dive into this novel.
And I am so, so glad I did.
It's what you might expect from a romance novel--silly misunderstandings, tried and true romantic tropes, sappy love lorn moments--but it caught me by surprise a few times and made my heart melt. I was absolutely enchanted by Once a Gentlemen, which is the third and final book in the Ladies Fashionable Cabinet series, and I almost immediately fell in love.
I loved the characters, who felt realistic and unerringly human; I loved the pace of the story, the cadence or, rather, tone it seemed to strike as I was reading; I loved the way the plot--and, subsequently, Prudence and Nicholas' relationship--developed. Granted, I found the way Nicholas and Prudence were suddenly thrust together in a marriage of convenience to be a little...well, cliche. I mean, it's been done before and, confidentially, I wasn't expecting that much.
But this is what won me: they didn't fall in love immediately.
Prudence already loved Nicholas, so it wasn't such a leap for her. Nicholas just didn't love her; in fact, he saw her more as a little sister than a wife. Their relationship went from a very close friendship to a deeper intimacy, as they slowly learned more about one another and, more to the point, discovered new things about one another.
Nicholas, in particular, finds himself astonished time and again by the little things about Prudence, like her love of music or her crazy family or her ability to keep the magazine from going under. I have to admit, I had stars in my eyes as I watched Nicholas' appreciation--and adoration--for Prudence grow. It basically turned me into a puddle of jelly, which I'm not proud to admit.
Okay, anyway, my point is that I was very impressed by Hern's ability to slowly and believably build a story and, more importantly, build a relationship. Plus, I loved the historical accuracy, which makes everything feel authentic. I mean, a book is only as good as the reader's imagination, but Hern does an excellent job of allowing her audience to sink in and really swim the full depth of Regency era England.
I'll be honest, I loved it. And I plan on binge reading the other two novels--Once a Scoundrel and Once a Dreamer--as soon as I can get my hands on them.
The Bad
I don't really have any complaints. I mean, like I said, it seems to follow many of the standard plot points that most romance novels follow; however, I think Hern does an admirable job of creating something unique and believable with endearing characters and realistic details. Overall, I was impressed and I think that Once a Gentleman will probably hold a special place in my heart for a few weeks.
I don't really have any complaints. I mean, like I said, it seems to follow many of the standard plot points that most romance novels follow; however, I think Hern does an admirable job of creating something unique and believable with endearing characters and realistic details. Overall, I was impressed and I think that Once a Gentleman will probably hold a special place in my heart for a few weeks.
The Ugly
Heartbreak. Poor Prudence.
I admit, I feel less sympathetic toward Nicholas. I mean, I'm definitely on Pru's side in their argument. Maybe it's a female solidarity thing, but, regardless, I was much more sympathetic for Prudence's heartbreak than Nicholas' plight. She acted selflessly out of a desire borne of love; he reacted out of pride and frustration.
Yeah. I'm going to be behind Pru all the way on this one.
Heartbreak. Poor Prudence.
I admit, I feel less sympathetic toward Nicholas. I mean, I'm definitely on Pru's side in their argument. Maybe it's a female solidarity thing, but, regardless, I was much more sympathetic for Prudence's heartbreak than Nicholas' plight. She acted selflessly out of a desire borne of love; he reacted out of pride and frustration.
Yeah. I'm going to be behind Pru all the way on this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment