For me, this series went out with a whimper instead of a bang. After reading Leo and Catherine's book I had high expectations of this one. Unfortunately, I never connected to the story and found my attention wandering frequently.
One of Beatrix's friends, Prudence, has received a letter from one of her suitors, Christopher, who is away at war. When Prudence decides she's not going to write back, because that would only encourage him to include more boring details about what he's going through, Beatrix insists she must. When Prudence still isn't interested Beatrix takes over the task herself, with Prudence's approval, and signs Prudence's name. Christopher and Beatrix exchange multiple letters back and forth until it becomes too much for Beatrix to continue the charade. What started as a way to comfort him during his time away turned into love. Beatrix breaks off her connection to him with a final letter asking him to find her.
I really liked that we got to read some of the letters going back and forth between them. It much more engaging than simply being told about it. The drawing that was included in one of the letters was a very nice touch too.
When Beatrix and Christopher finally meet in person, after he comes back from the war a hero, he's pretty rude to her. He wasn't impressed with her when they had met in the past, and time hasn't improved her. I thought the premise for this story was clever, but when it got to the reality of it I wasn't too pleased. I didn't enjoy reading about Christopher longing for Prudence while Beatrix was stuck longing for Christopher. It wasn't just the longing that bothered me. He was condescending and rude on pretty much every occasion they met. Whenever he discussed her with his sister-in-law, Audrey, he had nothing nice to say - unless it was about her appearance. It was a bit off-putting.
I wasn't that attached to Beatrix in any of the other books, so I had no real expectations of her going in to this book. What I definitely didn't expect was the historical dog-whisperer. Not only does she enjoy nature and animals, she seems to be an expert in everything about them. Hearing her constantly lecturing Christopher on proper care of his dog got a bit old. I agree he needed help, but he didn't ask for her opinion. She just barreled over him and spoke her authoritative opinion ad nauseam. She even stole his dog once. It was the best for the dog, yes, but it just emphasized her more unattractive personality traits. She's insanely bossy and managing.
Another thing that bothered me about Beatrix was this: She is the biggest Mary Sue. Everyone loves her. She's kind to every person and animal alike, she instinctively knows how to handle everyone she encounters, she's bright and cheerful and beyond the shallow pursuits of the ton. The only person who really ended up disliking her in the story was Prudence. Beatrix even managed to get Christopher's mom to tolerate her. It was all just too much.
Christopher wasn't a character I really enjoyed. He was either brooding or over dramatic in his love/lust. It wasn't compelling, it was just kind of silly. I did like the way his PTSD was handled, until the end of course. He had a very real problem adjusting once he came back from the war. Once he met Beatrix his problems didn't magically disappear. I thought it was a very realistic portrayal.
The ending kind of came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, bam, unexpected event. Then, it was solved and everyone was happy in just a few pages. It seemed like it was just a plot device to "fix" some of Christopher's issues.
I think my favorite parts of the book were when Beatrix or Christopher interacted with the Hathaways or Audrey. They sparkled in comparison to my ho-hum attitude toward the protagonists. Leo and Cam had great dialogue. When they started bickering about who had to talk to Christopher I couldn't stop giggling. Leo's mocking of Cam's Romany sayings was also fun.
This book was readable, but in spite of the PTSD it felt really light to me. Toward the middle it felt reminiscent of a farce. It reminded me of my reaction to most Julia Quinn books. I'll keep this book (because I have to keep series intact), but I doubt I'll reread it anytime soon.
One of Beatrix's friends, Prudence, has received a letter from one of her suitors, Christopher, who is away at war. When Prudence decides she's not going to write back, because that would only encourage him to include more boring details about what he's going through, Beatrix insists she must. When Prudence still isn't interested Beatrix takes over the task herself, with Prudence's approval, and signs Prudence's name. Christopher and Beatrix exchange multiple letters back and forth until it becomes too much for Beatrix to continue the charade. What started as a way to comfort him during his time away turned into love. Beatrix breaks off her connection to him with a final letter asking him to find her.
I really liked that we got to read some of the letters going back and forth between them. It much more engaging than simply being told about it. The drawing that was included in one of the letters was a very nice touch too.
When Beatrix and Christopher finally meet in person, after he comes back from the war a hero, he's pretty rude to her. He wasn't impressed with her when they had met in the past, and time hasn't improved her. I thought the premise for this story was clever, but when it got to the reality of it I wasn't too pleased. I didn't enjoy reading about Christopher longing for Prudence while Beatrix was stuck longing for Christopher. It wasn't just the longing that bothered me. He was condescending and rude on pretty much every occasion they met. Whenever he discussed her with his sister-in-law, Audrey, he had nothing nice to say - unless it was about her appearance. It was a bit off-putting.
I wasn't that attached to Beatrix in any of the other books, so I had no real expectations of her going in to this book. What I definitely didn't expect was the historical dog-whisperer. Not only does she enjoy nature and animals, she seems to be an expert in everything about them. Hearing her constantly lecturing Christopher on proper care of his dog got a bit old. I agree he needed help, but he didn't ask for her opinion. She just barreled over him and spoke her authoritative opinion ad nauseam. She even stole his dog once. It was the best for the dog, yes, but it just emphasized her more unattractive personality traits. She's insanely bossy and managing.
Another thing that bothered me about Beatrix was this: She is the biggest Mary Sue. Everyone loves her. She's kind to every person and animal alike, she instinctively knows how to handle everyone she encounters, she's bright and cheerful and beyond the shallow pursuits of the ton. The only person who really ended up disliking her in the story was Prudence. Beatrix even managed to get Christopher's mom to tolerate her. It was all just too much.
Christopher wasn't a character I really enjoyed. He was either brooding or over dramatic in his love/lust. It wasn't compelling, it was just kind of silly. I did like the way his PTSD was handled, until the end of course. He had a very real problem adjusting once he came back from the war. Once he met Beatrix his problems didn't magically disappear. I thought it was a very realistic portrayal.
The ending kind of came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, bam, unexpected event. Then, it was solved and everyone was happy in just a few pages. It seemed like it was just a plot device to "fix" some of Christopher's issues.
I think my favorite parts of the book were when Beatrix or Christopher interacted with the Hathaways or Audrey. They sparkled in comparison to my ho-hum attitude toward the protagonists. Leo and Cam had great dialogue. When they started bickering about who had to talk to Christopher I couldn't stop giggling. Leo's mocking of Cam's Romany sayings was also fun.
This book was readable, but in spite of the PTSD it felt really light to me. Toward the middle it felt reminiscent of a farce. It reminded me of my reaction to most Julia Quinn books. I'll keep this book (because I have to keep series intact), but I doubt I'll reread it anytime soon.
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