Book 13 - 2020
Book 13: The Husband List by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly - 309 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Based on the family from the bestselling Love in a Nutshell, the story of an heiress longing to marry for love or not at all...
From The New York Times bestselling writing duo Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly, comes the story of a young woman's search for true love. Caroline Maxwell would like nothing more than to join her brother, Eddie, and his friend, Jack Culhane, on their adventures. While Jack and Eddie are off seeing the world, buying up businesses and building wildly successful careers, Caroline's stuck at home frightening off the men her mother hopes will ask for her hand in marriage. When her mother sets her sights on the questionable Lord Bremerton as a possible suitor, Caroline struggles with her instincts and the true nature of her heart. She longs for adventure, passion, love, and most of all . . . Jack Culhane, an unconventional Irish-American bachelor with new money and no title. A completely unacceptable suitor in the eyes of Caroline's mother. But Caroline's dark hair, brilliant eyes and quick wit have Jack understanding just why it is people fall in love and get married.
Set in New York City in 1894, The Husband List is an American gilded age romantic mystery. It evokes memories of the lavish lifestyles and social expectations of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers--a time when new money from the Americas married Old World social prestige and privilege. Dresses by Worth, transcontinental ocean voyages, lavish parties, a little intrigue, and a lot of romance await in, The Husband List.
Thoughts:
This historical novel is based on the same Culhane family as featured in a previous Evanovich & Kelly novel called ‘Love in a Nutshell’. The main similarities are the family and the ownership of breweries. This novel is set in the 1890s, featuring a young woman from a wealthy New York family, Caroline Maxwell. Caroline’s mother want her to marry well, preferably to a titled Englishman. Caroline wants adventure and if she has to take a suitor, she rather fancies her brother’s best friend Jack Culhane. Jack is a 1st generation Irishman busy buying up breweries, and though he has his own wealth, he’s certainly not good enough for Caroline’s family. When Englishman Lord Bremerton shows an interest in taking Caroline’s hand, its Caroline’s mother’s dream, but Caroline’s nightmare.
I really liked Caroline as a character - she was feisty, spunky and intelligent, a thoroughly modern woman stuck in a time that wanted her to simply be a wife. Jack was also a great character, who, unlike everyone else, appreciated Caroline’s spunk. I also really enjoyed the character of Flora, who was a great sounding board for both Jack and Caroline, as well as being an interesting character in her own right. The mystery surrounding Lord Bremerton, and the excellent moment when Caroline’s mother is put in her place, is quite enjoyable. Story wise, this is probably the strongest Evanovich novel I’ve ever read. Worth a look.
Currently reading:
- Journey to the West by Cheng-En Wu - 673 pages
- Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth by Gordon L. Dillow - 267 pages
- The Truth of Different Skies by Kate Ling - 369 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- Dr Space Junk vs the Universe: Archaeology and the Future by Alice Gorman - 282 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Based on the family from the bestselling Love in a Nutshell, the story of an heiress longing to marry for love or not at all...
From The New York Times bestselling writing duo Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly, comes the story of a young woman's search for true love. Caroline Maxwell would like nothing more than to join her brother, Eddie, and his friend, Jack Culhane, on their adventures. While Jack and Eddie are off seeing the world, buying up businesses and building wildly successful careers, Caroline's stuck at home frightening off the men her mother hopes will ask for her hand in marriage. When her mother sets her sights on the questionable Lord Bremerton as a possible suitor, Caroline struggles with her instincts and the true nature of her heart. She longs for adventure, passion, love, and most of all . . . Jack Culhane, an unconventional Irish-American bachelor with new money and no title. A completely unacceptable suitor in the eyes of Caroline's mother. But Caroline's dark hair, brilliant eyes and quick wit have Jack understanding just why it is people fall in love and get married.
Set in New York City in 1894, The Husband List is an American gilded age romantic mystery. It evokes memories of the lavish lifestyles and social expectations of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers--a time when new money from the Americas married Old World social prestige and privilege. Dresses by Worth, transcontinental ocean voyages, lavish parties, a little intrigue, and a lot of romance await in, The Husband List.
Thoughts:
This historical novel is based on the same Culhane family as featured in a previous Evanovich & Kelly novel called ‘Love in a Nutshell’. The main similarities are the family and the ownership of breweries. This novel is set in the 1890s, featuring a young woman from a wealthy New York family, Caroline Maxwell. Caroline’s mother want her to marry well, preferably to a titled Englishman. Caroline wants adventure and if she has to take a suitor, she rather fancies her brother’s best friend Jack Culhane. Jack is a 1st generation Irishman busy buying up breweries, and though he has his own wealth, he’s certainly not good enough for Caroline’s family. When Englishman Lord Bremerton shows an interest in taking Caroline’s hand, its Caroline’s mother’s dream, but Caroline’s nightmare.
I really liked Caroline as a character - she was feisty, spunky and intelligent, a thoroughly modern woman stuck in a time that wanted her to simply be a wife. Jack was also a great character, who, unlike everyone else, appreciated Caroline’s spunk. I also really enjoyed the character of Flora, who was a great sounding board for both Jack and Caroline, as well as being an interesting character in her own right. The mystery surrounding Lord Bremerton, and the excellent moment when Caroline’s mother is put in her place, is quite enjoyable. Story wise, this is probably the strongest Evanovich novel I’ve ever read. Worth a look.
Currently reading:
- Journey to the West by Cheng-En Wu - 673 pages
- Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth by Gordon L. Dillow - 267 pages
- The Truth of Different Skies by Kate Ling - 369 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- Dr Space Junk vs the Universe: Archaeology and the Future by Alice Gorman - 282 pages