Sarah's Library

26/3 - I just finished digesting Pretty Little Dead Things, fiction's answer to the stodgy, boiled plum pudding; now I need something light, so I thought I'd try a new (to me) Stephanie Laurens, which I've come to think of as fiction's answer to pavlova - light and fluffy, full of nothing but sugar and air. After reading the last four of Laurens' more recent releases I've come to expect Chick Lit from her rather than the romance of her good old days. If I go in with those lower expectations the story might be able to squeeze more than a disappointed three out of me, maybe. We'll see... To be continued...

Later, on page 68 - Best start to a Stephanie Laurens romance since On a Wicked Dawn. I love Ryder! I don't remember reading of any other heroes of his type that 'decide' it's time for them to marry and immediately focus all their thoughts and actions on one girl. Usually, they're unable to admit they've found the one or think she's just the one for right now. Laurens' writing seems to have become too wordy as she's gotten older, but I'm really enjoying the descriptions of Ryder stalking Mary from one event to another. I can't wait to see her reaction when he tells her the truth. To be continued...

Two pages later - "Waltzing with him was like whirling freely within a fragile, essentially intangible construct...", what the hell does that even mean? And what's with all the fragmented sentences? A basic rule of writing is that each and every sentence needs to make sense in it's own right, it shouldn't have to rely on what a previous/future sentence says in order to make sense to the reader. Laurens didn't write like this in her earlier books, I wonder what precipitated the change and why her editor has pulled her up and re-explained the rules of writing to her.

Luckily Mary and Ryder are two of the more engaging characters I've read this year, so I can skim the waffle without too much irritation because I want to continue reading of our couple's adventures in married life (and there are adventures because someone's trying to kill or injure them). To be continued...

29/3 - This was almost a return to the Laurens of the Captain Jack's Woman days. The romance was hot and romantic feeling, even with the waffle unnecessarily doubling (if not tripling) the length of the scenes; the characters had great chemistry; Ryder and Mary both had strong individual personalities; and I liked the reunion (and possibly the setting of the scene for a new series of Cynster romances featuring everyone's children) epilogue. I haven't read most of the earliest books in the original series, so while I know of the couples who attended the reunion picnic I haven't actually read their stories. Since this appears to be the end of the Cynsters, at least for the moment, I think I'll see if I can get my hands on the first book in the series (can't wait to read a Laurens book that I don't feel worried isn't going to live up to expectations, or if you consider the last four books, does live up to expectations). If you read the stories of Heather, Eliza, Angelica, and Henrietta and were dreadfully disappointed give this last one a go, it really did impress and surprise me with how much I enjoyed it.