Helpful Score: 7
2.5 stars. I'm not partial to stories set in Ireland or Wales anyway (for some reason, I find them dull), but I'm not so sure that had this story been removed to another location, I would have disliked it any less. First of all, the mind-reading of the heroine was the author's very lazy way for Roderica to know so much about so many characters without having to do any characterization. The phrases "her gift" and "her talent" were deployed way too often.
Secondly, NOTHING HAPPENS for pages upon pages, apart from some sensuous interaction between Faelan and Roderica ("Roddy" - blech) while she's both aroused and fearful of who he might really be. Then, in the last 50 pages or so, all hell breaks loose with some rebellion and then in the last 10 pages there's an inept reveal about Faelan's past and a highly far-fetched wrap-up by supernatural fairies/avenging pixies who say that Faelan's been set up for all these years and made to believe he's crazy and they take away Roderica's gift in some show of divine fair play and sacrifice. Or something. I don't know - I was long past caring at that point. After 300 pages of nothing and then the last 50 is bam bam bam with stuff, it made for a very poor read. And confusing as well, since the concept of Roderica "losing time" like Faelan does isn't explained, unless she was drugged as well.
I won't be bothering with any more Kinsale novels. The plots for 2 others sound exactly like this one!
Secondly, NOTHING HAPPENS for pages upon pages, apart from some sensuous interaction between Faelan and Roderica ("Roddy" - blech) while she's both aroused and fearful of who he might really be. Then, in the last 50 pages or so, all hell breaks loose with some rebellion and then in the last 10 pages there's an inept reveal about Faelan's past and a highly far-fetched wrap-up by supernatural fairies/avenging pixies who say that Faelan's been set up for all these years and made to believe he's crazy and they take away Roderica's gift in some show of divine fair play and sacrifice. Or something. I don't know - I was long past caring at that point. After 300 pages of nothing and then the last 50 is bam bam bam with stuff, it made for a very poor read. And confusing as well, since the concept of Roderica "losing time" like Faelan does isn't explained, unless she was drugged as well.
I won't be bothering with any more Kinsale novels. The plots for 2 others sound exactly like this one!
Helpful Score: 3
This was not a good book. I'm sorry, but somewhere between the overly dramatic female and the man having another pregnant chick on the side just kind of turned me off it. I stopped reading it a little over halfway through. It annoyed me that bad.
Helpful Score: 2
I am having a really hard time verbalizing my response to this book. My first instinct is just to say that the word "What???" can sum it up easily, but that really won't help anyone who hasn't read it and can't empathize with my bewildered rage (yes, there is such a thing).
I bought this book because it was a Laura Kinsale. I've read her Lessons In French, Midsummer Moon, Flowers From the Storm, etc. I liked all those! Some I even loved. I was expecting something along those lines, not this. Now all of her books don't have to be the same, of course, but what was going on with this? It was a mess. I put it down midway through and the only thing that made me pick it back up was the fact that I bought it and felt I should finish it.
We spent the whole book in Roderica's head (or Roddy as she is called) and never once got a glimpse into Faelan's head. Maybe that was to keep the mystery from being spoiled, but I don't know how that could be because the resolution came out of nowhere in the last chapter or so and was quite unbelievable.
Roddy can read minds/intentions/emotions/whatever. But when she meets a man whose mind she can't read she's all about hooking up with him for life. I can see why she would want to. It would be really awkward to know every thought that runs through a man's head in regards to you. Unfortunately, because of her gift/curse she's never had to learn how to read a person's face or voice. She's constantly unsure of Faelan.
One thing that bothered me through the whole book was Faelan's incessant use of the term "little girl" as an endearment. It was really creepy for me. No matter what mood (angry/sad/mad) he used it. A few examples:
pg. 310: She turned on him. "Injured party!" Her mouth curved in vicious humor. "Oh, God, I wish you were injured. I wish you were dead! I'd kill you this moment if I knew a way."
He had been sitting and looking a little aside, out the window at the budding branch that whipped and scraped the glass behind her in the rising wind. At that he lifted his eyes. "Little girl," he said, "I think you know the way all too well."
pg. 335: She was shouting by then. A rough hand caught her shoulder and came across her mouth, stopping the sound. Faelan pulled her back against his chest. "Little girl," he said in her ear. "Must you broadcast our quarrels to the whole country?"
There were many more examples, but those were the first I flipped to. I don't think it would have been so bad if it was just once or twice (even though I still think it's a creepy term of affection) but it was all the time.
I found Faelan to be very reticent and not into sharing about his thoughts. I know he had issues, but come on! So many things in this book could have been avoided if Faelan and Roddy would have just talked together. I hate when a story hinges on big misunderstandings between characters. If a book could fall apart if characters talked it really doesn't have that great of a plot.
The first 3/4ths of the book are slow and nothing really happens. It has a dark, gothic feel to it because of the mystery of her husband. At times I found it soap opera-ish and over the top, but everyone might not feel that way.
After a really slow beginning everything happens at once at the end. I'd say in the last 50 pages or so. It makes for a really jarring transition. ***SPOILERS*** All of a sudden faeries and magic appear. The reasons given for Faelan's blackouts make no sense to me. So, his mom really stalked him all his life and snuck into his home and drugged him and then moved him to a new location so he'd wake up and think he had a blackout? She did all this through his whole life without anyone ever having seen her? Even when he was at school? Right... There were a lot of other things that bothered me but I'll just stop there.
I bought this book because it was a Laura Kinsale. I've read her Lessons In French, Midsummer Moon, Flowers From the Storm, etc. I liked all those! Some I even loved. I was expecting something along those lines, not this. Now all of her books don't have to be the same, of course, but what was going on with this? It was a mess. I put it down midway through and the only thing that made me pick it back up was the fact that I bought it and felt I should finish it.
We spent the whole book in Roderica's head (or Roddy as she is called) and never once got a glimpse into Faelan's head. Maybe that was to keep the mystery from being spoiled, but I don't know how that could be because the resolution came out of nowhere in the last chapter or so and was quite unbelievable.
Roddy can read minds/intentions/emotions/whatever. But when she meets a man whose mind she can't read she's all about hooking up with him for life. I can see why she would want to. It would be really awkward to know every thought that runs through a man's head in regards to you. Unfortunately, because of her gift/curse she's never had to learn how to read a person's face or voice. She's constantly unsure of Faelan.
One thing that bothered me through the whole book was Faelan's incessant use of the term "little girl" as an endearment. It was really creepy for me. No matter what mood (angry/sad/mad) he used it. A few examples:
pg. 310: She turned on him. "Injured party!" Her mouth curved in vicious humor. "Oh, God, I wish you were injured. I wish you were dead! I'd kill you this moment if I knew a way."
He had been sitting and looking a little aside, out the window at the budding branch that whipped and scraped the glass behind her in the rising wind. At that he lifted his eyes. "Little girl," he said, "I think you know the way all too well."
pg. 335: She was shouting by then. A rough hand caught her shoulder and came across her mouth, stopping the sound. Faelan pulled her back against his chest. "Little girl," he said in her ear. "Must you broadcast our quarrels to the whole country?"
There were many more examples, but those were the first I flipped to. I don't think it would have been so bad if it was just once or twice (even though I still think it's a creepy term of affection) but it was all the time.
I found Faelan to be very reticent and not into sharing about his thoughts. I know he had issues, but come on! So many things in this book could have been avoided if Faelan and Roddy would have just talked together. I hate when a story hinges on big misunderstandings between characters. If a book could fall apart if characters talked it really doesn't have that great of a plot.
The first 3/4ths of the book are slow and nothing really happens. It has a dark, gothic feel to it because of the mystery of her husband. At times I found it soap opera-ish and over the top, but everyone might not feel that way.
After a really slow beginning everything happens at once at the end. I'd say in the last 50 pages or so. It makes for a really jarring transition. ***SPOILERS*** All of a sudden faeries and magic appear. The reasons given for Faelan's blackouts make no sense to me. So, his mom really stalked him all his life and snuck into his home and drugged him and then moved him to a new location so he'd wake up and think he had a blackout? She did all this through his whole life without anyone ever having seen her? Even when he was at school? Right... There were a lot of other things that bothered me but I'll just stop there.
Helpful Score: 1
I have enjoyed other books by Laura Kinsale, but this one was disappointing. It started out well, had an interesting premise, but got bogged down in some odd, vague, distracting "magic". The supernatural parts of this book were clumsy to me, and detracted from the book. It took a turn into a darker area that just wasn't as interesting as the beginning of the book. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't what I had hoped for.
