Review: A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn Macnamara

Genre: Historical Romance

Published: 2/26/13 | Ballantine

Format: eGalley

I requested this book because it sounded interesting

After watching her beloved sister, Sophia, pine over the ton’s golden boy for years, Miss Julia St. Claire has foresworn love and put herself firmly on the shelf. Unfortunately, her social-climbing mother and debt-ridden father have other ideas, and jump at the chance to marry Julia off to the newly named Earl of Clivesden . . . the man of Sophia’s dreams.

Since resigning his cavalry commission, Benedict Revelstoke has spent his time in London avoiding the marriage mart. But when he discovers that the Earl of Clivesden has his sights set on Julia, Benedict tries to protect his childhood best friend from the man’s advances—only to discover that more than friendship is driving his desire to defend her. He surprises them both with the force of his feelings, but when Julia refuses him, and her father announces her betrothal, Benedict fears he’s lost her forever—until Julia approaches him with a shocking scheme that will ruin her for all respectable society and lead them into an exquisite world of forbidden pleasures.

This is Ashlyn Macnamera's debut novel so she is definitely a new to me author.  Don't get me wrong, I do love to read new to me authors.  In fact, I have discovered a lot of awesome authors this way.  However, this story just missed the mark.  I read the book knowing this was going to be about Miss Julia St. Claire but instead, I was reading about the sister Sophia meeting another guy!  I mean, I just barely started reading and by the time I reached Chapter 3, I was totally confused about where this story was headed.

True, there are books that have two romance stories in them, one being a minor romance in the book but I usually read about their romance in the middle of the book after the romance of the main characters have been developed and usually not before.  That being said, this just fell short for me.  I expected to read about the characters mentioned in the book as the main characters and not about the sister, Sophia (which I thought was a bit of a flake).

This is a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate/Did Not Finish) for me.  I may revisit this book at a later time but I won't hold my breath.  I expected to be captured by the story by the time I reach the second chapter but this really missed the mark.

My Rating

Heat Level

Unable to tell.  Stopped reading by the time I finished Chapter 3

February Book DNRs

There are times when the books you pick end up as a DNR  (Do Not Resuscitate, yes because I am a nurse, so I have to call it that).  At the first of the month, I had high hopes with my book choices.  In fact, I signed up for a mini challenge hoping to get through my TBR pile in a breeze.  For the most part, I had hoped that by mid month, I would be at least halfway done.  But no.  I just couldn't get past finishing my choices.  Maybe I was being ambitious.  But I thought picking 5 books wasn't that bad.  I mean, I have read more than 5 in a month.

Here's the rundown of my currently reading list.

1984 by George Orwell

Yes, I had been raving about this since I started listening to the audio book.  I'm now at the point where Winston and Julia get caught by the government.  At this time, it seems like the book is dragging like crazy.  Not to mention the reader's (not me but the one reading the audiobook) voice is driving me nuts!  It's all I could do not to throw the dang ipod out the window.  So now, I have stopped listening.

The Importance of being Wicked by Victoria Alexander

Don't get me wrong.  I like Victoria Alexander.  But this book just missed the mark for me!  I was waiting for something wicked to happen.  I'm about 150 pages in and still nothing.  Depending on my mood, I may have to read this at a later time.

Ruined by Rumor by by Alyssa Everett

This is a new to me author and I must say I am not impressed yet.  The heroine Roxana is just annoying!  I thought her flakey and flighty and I just didn't connect with her.  So I'm saying DNF for me at this time.

So, after the rundown of the books that I have put on the DNR List for the moment.  As with all advance directives, it can be changed at any time which means, I may revisit and re-read these books in the future.  

Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

An impossible romance.

Bitter rivalries.

Deadly choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

 

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

 

Disappointment does not begin to cover what I felt when I read the sequel to Firelight. I just could not get the love triangle between Jacinda, Will and Cassian.  I just wanted to hit Jacinda in the head. So much so that I just could not finish this book!  I didn't even flip ahead to see how the whole book ended!  I just thought it was so ridiculous for Jacinda to be flirting with these two guys when she was already in love with Will!  Agh!To top it all off, she goes and runs away to Will, who seems to NOT care how she feels and gets caught by Will's dad with Cassian's sister (I forgot her name)!  That was it for me and I just had to stop.

 

A good thing about it was that I did like that Tamra is now a Draki but this still does not make up for the whole love triangle.  I cannot fault Tamra's attitude when she found out that she is now a Draki. It was in the first book how she was treated because she wasn't a shifter, how out of place she was in their "tribe."  I also didn't feel that

 

Rating: DNF

Heat Level: 1