Customer Reviews

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My personal favourite of the four Duran books I have read so far is "Written on Your Skin", but all of them show a superior writing style and characters that I care about, and this one is no exception.

The stuff of romance is the emotional conflict. I am glad to see a romance that actually focuses on it.

The book's characters are probably the better conceived ones in a Duran book, Simon is a suave and charming gentleman on the surface, but the story does a very good job of explaining his way to see the world when Nell discovers him, layer by layer. Nell is the focus of the book and her rags to riches story is very well done, because it doesn't ring of the usual clichés. Duran's imagining of what it would have been for a girl like Nell to find herself in this situation in this particular time seems very acurate, and she has a way to describe Nell's inner thoughts in a way that is both realistic and sympathetic. I loved that there was a lot of insecurity for Nell that was rooted in Simon's behaviour, however it would have been interesting to dip a little more into the evolution of his feelings for her.

As for the plot, the element of intrigue takes a backseat to the inner turmoil of the characters. Mainly Nell is forced through events mainly because of Simon's insistance, and after she is caught in the aftermath of the consequences of his plan. Because so much happens on the psychological level, it is acceptable that not a great deal of action happens in the book. What action there was served the story relentlessly and the emotional conflict as well.

That conflict centers mostly on Nell who is at first hostile and defensive, then has a ton of other issues stemming from the plot. I think the book centers a bit much on Nell and her perception of the hero. It seems the hero's emotional conflict gets resolved a bit too abruptly, and then it puts again the focus on Nell and her feelings of inadequacy. Still it did not remove from my enjoyment of the book and it was the most engrossing I have read in a long time.

this is the first meredith duran book i have read, and it will be my last. don't get me wrong - she does write well, her characters and dialogue are well scripted. the fault for me lies in the nature of the story - it is a gritty ugly hard-scrabbling reality that permeates the book, so although the book had the requisite happy ending, the journey getting there was not one i would willingly take again. i do not go to romance books so i can have my mind constantly barraged with the worst and ugliest realities of down-in-the-gutter poverty. i go to romance books so i can read and enjoy a more pleasant type of fantasy story.