Sherry Thomas pretty much writes my favorite type of romance -- an angsty read written in elegant concise prose -- so this book suited me to a T.
SomeSherry Thomas pretty much writes my favorite type of romance -- an angsty read written in elegant concise prose -- so this book suited me to a T.
Some parts - reunited married couple working out their past against an exotic backdrop - reminded me of Mary Jo Putney's SILK AND SECRETS. The part of the hero, Leo, being fascinated/in love with the older heroine all his life reminded me of a bit of Jude Deveraux's THE INVITATION. I am just glad that the heroine Bryony NEVER baby-sat Leo and changed his diapers. That would have killed the romance for me and would have been a point of no return. And as always, there are touches that remind me of Judith Ivory (probably ST's favorite author), especially of Ivory's own older woman/younger man romance SLEEPING BEAUTY.
Reading the book, it really brought home to me that ST is one of the best at depicting the bittersweet yearning of people unsure in love. She knows how to heighten the agony of the moment so that it's pungent and sweet like the first taste of the ripest fruit, a moment not soon to be forgotten. To my mind, not many writers can do that as well as I would like.
But as I wiped my tears after I closed the books, I had a few quibbles and those niggles ultimately leads me to grade this as a B+ Read.
First of all, there is the controversal heroine, Bryony. She is antisocial, very intelligent, tightly wound, and such an emotional coward that she acts like a stone cold beeyotch through the first half of the book. Intellectually, I might have understood her but emotionally, I never warmed to her.
Second, altho it was not a big deal, I would have liked a line as to why Bryony thought she couldn't have children. It was never explained as to whether this was a physical reality or an emotional decision. WTH?
Third, the majority of the book is set during an uprising in northwest British India and all the descriptions of the local color with all them fur-reine words made my eyes glaze. This was definitely not ST's strongpoint.
Fourth, NQAH is related to ST's previous book in that Leo is the brother of the secondary hero in DELICIOUS. Leo is one of five brothers and the way ST casually throws out the names of the brothers as well as other characters from DELICIOUS is a little jarring, even for someone like me who had read DELICIOUS. Probably because it's been a while since I read it. NQAH could be read stand alone but just be aware of the name throwing.
But ultimately, these are minor quibbles. I am mostly forlorn that I will probably have to wait till next year for ST's next book to come out. Sigh. ST, please write faster.
I may read another thousand romances and never again come across a romance novel where the hero is a MORTICIAN!This is in my Top 25 Romances all-time.
I may read another thousand romances and never again come across a romance novel where the hero is a MORTICIAN! Yes, a mortician and he hates his job. His life is in a rut and he's a lousy virgin to boot. He needs to do what most young men do: sow some wild oats but how to in a small town where everyone knows your business? Well, there is that scandalous *gasp* divorcee (in early 1900 Americana) living on the edge of town. . .
Pamela Morsi wrote a string of Americana romances in the 1990s that totally envelope the reader in the small world that she describes. I don't usually go for "heartwarming" stories but Morsi underlines it with an earthy sensuality and gentle humor that negates the saccharin. In my opinion, Morsi is one of the most singular talents to ever write in the historical romance genre....more
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