This story was at best annoying and at worst frustrating, yet it was sprinkled periodically with poignant scenes. How does an author make this work? She doesn't; it just turns out to be a rather average tale. It's a strange chemistry. Esme and Roman worked, but why do their best parts always have to be at the end? What didn't work for me was the overused curse plot that surrounds Roman's family. And this story was built entirely around this curse. It colored everything Roman did and felt and believed in. It made their marriage of convenience frustrating when it was obvious they could have really made a go of it. Esme's part in the curse felt thrown in, and when she finally made the big reveal, it was immaterial at that point. The ending was rather lukewarm, but at least certain facts about Roman's family were explained. Ultimately, I was able to finish this story, unlike the first one (The Duke and the Deep Blue Sea). However, it was far from satisfying. For me it was a lackluster 3 stars.

Share/Like this Review?

I am relatively new to Nash. I enjoyed the characters for the most part and I am interested in the series. The dialogue between Esme and Roman in the beginning was great. There were some funny parts but it isnt consistent throughout. Towards the middle it faltered a bit. The reoccurring I am too scared to allow people in got really tiresome and frustrating. If Nash shaved off 50 pages of that it would have been a lot better. The ending was nice enough but I was hoping there would be more closure towards Romans mother.

Nice story, easy read. Not the best but not the worst.

Share/Like this Review?