I'm befuddled by the low ratings! Well, that's not entirely true - the cheating MCs and their messy relationship with one another is probably why people hate this book, (I loved that about this book!). Similarly to Sherry Thomas's Not Quite a Husband, there are multiple timelines and the mistakes made in the past were those of young adults who fall in love hard yet stumble and don't have the tools developed to communicate with one another. However, the way we time-jump is different from ST - often these parts are set off with italics or are part of a stream-of-conscious memory a character has in the present time. So those stylistic choices may be difficult to follow at first.

This was my first romance by Pam Rosenthal and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is lovely and often very sexy. There were some passages where I had to reread to make sure I was following whose POV I was in, since we do some head-hopping. There are a few love stories being told along with our MCs (one that had me choking up at work!). I do think some of the political backdrop was a bit flimsy and at times confusing - but whatever I enjoyed myself. I am excited to explore her backlist! ( )

So besides the literary nature of the writing and the sex, it was totally unconventional and, dare I say it, disgraceful setup that made me fall in love with it. You just don't DO things like that in romance, and...this author did. ( )

reread. Rosenthal's edgy sexy books are worth a reread, and this book has a hero and heroine 10 years after a spectacular breakup find their way back together.

Some more honest and less classist look at the politics of the time are also a welcome change. ( )

Lady Wombat says:

Rosenthal is one of my new favorite historical romance authors. She seems to get low marks, star-wise, here and on Goodreads for being too difficult -- too many flashbacks, point of view switches, too much historical background, etc. But this is what draws me to her books, as well as her depiction of flawed but deeply human characters. The Slightest Provocation is the portrait of an estranged couple, and the reasons for their estrangement, as well as the ties that still bind them together, are depicted with nuance and believability. A book for intellectually-inclined romance readers.

Although, I found this plot line intriguing, I found this book to be just so-so. Often it came across as somewhat scattered and dull. I had high hopes when I read the description of the story, but it faltered here and there. Still, it wasn't bad, just nothing great - needed more oomph!

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2010/12/slightest-provocation-by-pam-rosenthal.html ( )