Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn
It's been a year, but I finally got to read the further adventures of Lady Julia Grey in Deanna Raybourn's newest installment of her "Silent on the _________" series, "Silent on the Moor". I read it in a few days and enjoyed it, though again, it is very simple writing. I've read mysteries that have much more complexity in style and language, so her writing tends to strike me as very... fluffy - but enjoyable. We pick back up with our heroine, Lady Julia Grey, once again deciding to throw herself at Nicholas Brisbane, her would be lover (it's set in the mid-1800s and author sticks to the mores of that day) by accompanying her sister, uninvited, to help him set up his new estate.
She gets there and it's the usual push me/pull me back and forth, with her not taking no for an answer and him kissing her passionately one moment, and pushing her away for the next two chapters. LOL. In some ways, I find it a bit maddening that in three books it's still the case that they're relationship is this way - though there is final resolution at the end of it. More annoying is that the Author sets Brisbane up almost as an omnipotent character. Julia begins to investigate strange goings on at the estate and as things begin to be unravelled, at almost every turn, RIDICULOUSLY, it turns out that Brisbane ALREADY KNOWS what she's discovered and frequently just couldn't be bothered to tell her *rolls eyes*.
I'm not a superfeminist by any means and I am ridiculously romantic at times (I shipped GSR for 9 years... MSR too)... but I found myself wanting to send a copy of "He's Just Not that Into You" back in time for a great deal of the book. The resolution is wonderfully romantic... but the way he treats her for most of the book was really irritating to me. I know from misunderstood heroes, but the author takes it a step further... his actions are openly disrespectful and demoralizing to the heroine... and yet the ending has him do a completely romantic about face.
The mystery itself is entertaining, focusing on the dark secrets of a family that is caving in on itself. Truth be told, with some careful readjusting to allow for the confirmation of evidence moments, the author could have cut the character of Brisbane out and made for a much better paced mystery.
Again, liked the mystery and I liked the romantic ending, but had one major niggle.
Well rip my lips off and call me smacky... it only took me a few clues to realize that the books I've been expecting more meat from are actually romance novels. I don't think that the publisher originally was going to market them that way, but someone in the romance section of the company must have read them and realized "hey, this is a romance novel without the smut LOL. The three books by Raybourn have new very "romance novel" covers and the author herself seems quite happy about it and in retrospect... she actually seems quite the romance novel writing "type" if you get my meaning. Very romantic in ideas and just... puts on that certain air LOL.
She gets there and it's the usual push me/pull me back and forth, with her not taking no for an answer and him kissing her passionately one moment, and pushing her away for the next two chapters. LOL. In some ways, I find it a bit maddening that in three books it's still the case that they're relationship is this way - though there is final resolution at the end of it. More annoying is that the Author sets Brisbane up almost as an omnipotent character. Julia begins to investigate strange goings on at the estate and as things begin to be unravelled, at almost every turn, RIDICULOUSLY, it turns out that Brisbane ALREADY KNOWS what she's discovered and frequently just couldn't be bothered to tell her *rolls eyes*.
I'm not a superfeminist by any means and I am ridiculously romantic at times (I shipped GSR for 9 years... MSR too)... but I found myself wanting to send a copy of "He's Just Not that Into You" back in time for a great deal of the book. The resolution is wonderfully romantic... but the way he treats her for most of the book was really irritating to me. I know from misunderstood heroes, but the author takes it a step further... his actions are openly disrespectful and demoralizing to the heroine... and yet the ending has him do a completely romantic about face.
The mystery itself is entertaining, focusing on the dark secrets of a family that is caving in on itself. Truth be told, with some careful readjusting to allow for the confirmation of evidence moments, the author could have cut the character of Brisbane out and made for a much better paced mystery.
Again, liked the mystery and I liked the romantic ending, but had one major niggle.
Well rip my lips off and call me smacky... it only took me a few clues to realize that the books I've been expecting more meat from are actually romance novels. I don't think that the publisher originally was going to market them that way, but someone in the romance section of the company must have read them and realized "hey, this is a romance novel without the smut LOL. The three books by Raybourn have new very "romance novel" covers and the author herself seems quite happy about it and in retrospect... she actually seems quite the romance novel writing "type" if you get my meaning. Very romantic in ideas and just... puts on that certain air LOL.