I have enjoyed this authors written word for many-a-year, until I read ‘The Valcourt Heiress’. I was disappointed and disillusioned by her writing, never thinking to pick up any of her upcoming novels. And then LibraryThing.com has offered this one and I thought, why not?! I’ll give CC one more chance.

I was honestly afraid to pick it up. I didn’t want this book to be bad as the previous one. I wanted to WILL it to be good. It took me months to finally succumb and read it, that’s how afraid I was!

Let me be clear and reiterate one fact: I was a HUGE fan and I read almost ALL of her historical romances, ‘Sherbrooke Bride’ series being one of my favorites [for my reviews of these please click on the names of the books].

I enjoyed her writing; her prose and plotting; her fast pace and witty dialogue and most of all, the chemistry of her main and secondary players. She knew how to hook me from the first page to the last. Her character had depth and her plots were interesting and very entertaining. So what happened to THAT Catherine Coulter? The one that wrote those wonderfully witty stories that kept me reading way into the wee hours of the morning?! Why isn’t there ANYONE in her inner circle letting her know that the work she’s putting out there is lacking that main ingredient that we expect of her; imagination.

Or is she so jaded by her success that she doesn’t care what her audience, mainly her fans, think of her work. I am as much baffled by this latest inferior piece of work that I can only describe as train wreck, as I am disappointed. As a faithful fan I am deeply hurt by her lack of respect for my intelligence, taking me for granted as she and her ‘team’ are relying on me buying her work for no other reason but her well-earned reputation of a great story-teller that is decades old. It is not enough; not any more. I am older and wiser, and I will NOT be fooled again.

I’ll not bore you with synopsis as you can surmise the book from its blurb above (which is better than this book, trust me), but I will tell you why you should not spend your hard-earned money on it.

It is very hard for us reviewers out there to review a bad novel. We are human and our feelings get hurt by spending time reading work that lacks in prose, plot and characterization. We want to be entertained and wooed; we want to be engaged and touched; we want to escape the reality of our daily lives and that’s why we read romance. Yet when the book lets me down and my feelings of utter lack of respect on the part of the author [not going to even mention her ‘team’] literally makes me want to hurl every curs word I know at all of them, I find it hard to refrain, but I must. So, here is my review: this novel is not worth your time, money and attention. You deserve better. Especially from Catherine Coulter. She owes us an apology for wasting time, money and energy invested in reading this bland ‘salad of words’.

The characters are cardboard cut outs, cartoons if you will; the plot is inane and unnecessary; and the ‘witty dialogue’ a cornucopia of gibberish, a salad of words strewn around to fill the pages required for a hardcover novel.

There is no chemistry between ANY of the characters who I found bland and lackluster and boring at best. They were one-dimensional and unlikable, failing to pull me in, keep me interested. I was left not giving a fig about any of them!

Please, head my words, they are not lightly given: this book is so bad, it is not even funny!

Melanie for b2b

ARC provided by publisher through LibraryThing.com. ( )

I despise writing negative reviews but I feel I have to share. Catherine Coulter's books are like a box of chocolates... you never know. Don't waste your time reading this one. ( )

Another great one for Catherine Coulter, I was so happy to see another historical as I dont read her modern stuff, or anybodys for that matter! But I was pleased as usual! Great story, great charactors. ( )

Julian is resisting his mother's attempts to matchmake with her best friend's daughter, Sophie, who is 12 years younger than he. Her aunt, Roxanne, is her chaperone for the Season. Julian's half-nephew, Devlin, is only a few years younger than he. All four are intrigued with each other's at first, and after some time of acquaintance it becomes clear that Julian is reluctantly attracted to Sophie, and that Devlin and Roxanne are a witty match.

Julian's first wife died of a gunshot, and her brother, Richard, blamed Julian and has vowed to destroy him. Julian's friends are drawn into the drama when Richard mistakenly concludes that he is interested in Roxanne and kidnaps her. Roxanne's spiteful sister, Leah, is being courted by Richard. Further adventures ensue, involving smuggling and mystery. Finally it is revealed that Julian's wife was killed by her unbalanced sister, who was overwhelmed with jealously when she found out Julian's wife was pregnant.

An entertaining romp, amazingly full of dialogue and plot and no sex... just because it wasn't necessary. ( )

A typical romance that I failed to completely get into. First of all, I was hoping the couples would align slightly differently. I thought Julian and Roxanne were better suited together instead of Julian and Sophie. Secondly, I felt like I never got to really know several characters. I truly appreciate knowing a character's background and a psychological depth to the story, but this novel merely skims the surface rather than digging in deep. Finally, the author must have a strange sense of justice as the novel's conclusion reveals a murderer - whose punishment leaves something to be desired. All in all, not something I can warmly recommend. ( )