A Most Unusual Wedding (Nancy M. Griffis)
2.5 stars
Big Fat Meh.
I'm trying not to offend anyone (so apologize if I unknowingly do), but this is a long and dull romance with typically husband/stay-at-home wife role. Leo (the 'husband', the one with money, the one with high level position in the society) is working out of house, dealing with the plague, while Gerard (the stay-at-home 'wife') deals with the wedding planning, wedding presents and family dinner, as well as fighting off admirers and stalkers.
Oh .. and we have Leo's uncle's disapproval towards Gerard because 'he's a commoner, from the low class, and totally not meant for someone like Leo's level' which created ripples between the young couple ... Seriously, I kept expecting Mark to bribe Gerard to get away from Leo because it was what outdated romance-plot would bring (I had flashback of reading romance in my teenager years)
Since Leo is one of the best sorcerers and Gerard being a well-known leathersmith, in an alternate historical universe of magic, I was expecting Leo and Gerard working together somehow to investigate the mysterious plague, being bad-asses powerhouse couple. But the investigation itself was dragging and everything else was lackluster....
First, Leo and Gerard didn't spend much time together, with Leo working with the plague case, and they still live separately before they wed. Second, the villain's identity (for the plague) was introduced like 3/4 part into the book; it felt completely out of the left field (a name that has not been suspected or mentioned by anyone before) -- NOT a big fan of that -- then the fight with the villain was over in mere 1-2 pages. Third, regarding Gerard's secret admirer slash stalker. COME ON!! How predictable was that? There wasn't any surprising moment here. It was disappointing.
I still liked Daniel, Gerard's grandfather, as well as Gerard's best friend, Harry, who was totally more lively as character than both Leo and Gerard. But even them being at their best couldn't help this book for me. I skimmed a lot in my way to rushing to the finish line.
Bottom line, not exactly what I was expecting when I read the blurb and bought it *shrugs*. Definitely going to pass on the sequel whenever that might be.
Big Fat Meh.
I'm trying not to offend anyone (so apologize if I unknowingly do), but this is a long and dull romance with typically husband/stay-at-home wife role. Leo (the 'husband', the one with money, the one with high level position in the society) is working out of house, dealing with the plague, while Gerard (the stay-at-home 'wife') deals with the wedding planning, wedding presents and family dinner, as well as fighting off admirers and stalkers.
Oh .. and we have Leo's uncle's disapproval towards Gerard because 'he's a commoner, from the low class, and totally not meant for someone like Leo's level' which created ripples between the young couple ... Seriously, I kept expecting Mark to bribe Gerard to get away from Leo because it was what outdated romance-plot would bring (I had flashback of reading romance in my teenager years)
Since Leo is one of the best sorcerers and Gerard being a well-known leathersmith, in an alternate historical universe of magic, I was expecting Leo and Gerard working together somehow to investigate the mysterious plague, being bad-asses powerhouse couple. But the investigation itself was dragging and everything else was lackluster....
First, Leo and Gerard didn't spend much time together, with Leo working with the plague case, and they still live separately before they wed. Second, the villain's identity (for the plague) was introduced like 3/4 part into the book; it felt completely out of the left field (a name that has not been suspected or mentioned by anyone before) -- NOT a big fan of that -- then the fight with the villain was over in mere 1-2 pages. Third, regarding Gerard's secret admirer slash stalker. COME ON!! How predictable was that? There wasn't any surprising moment here. It was disappointing.
I still liked Daniel, Gerard's grandfather, as well as Gerard's best friend, Harry, who was totally more lively as character than both Leo and Gerard. But even them being at their best couldn't help this book for me. I skimmed a lot in my way to rushing to the finish line.
Bottom line, not exactly what I was expecting when I read the blurb and bought it *shrugs*. Definitely going to pass on the sequel whenever that might be.
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