5 stars is only given to books that are brilliant; ones that I will want to read again and again, ones that will become classics. I haven't come across more than a double handful of those in my lifetime, and I read a lot.
4 stars is given to books that are very, very good.
3 stars goes to good books, that I enjoyed and which had few or minor slips.
2 stars means that it passed the time in the absence of anything better to do, but I wouldn't want to read it again.
1 star indicates that I was sorry I ever picked the thing up, and wouldn't want to recommend it to my worst enemy.
"Spellbound" by Jaimey Grant, ISBN: 1440414726
I read this recently.
Now I have to admit, the genre, Regency romance, is not something that I habitually read. Well, to be honest, it's not a genre I've ever read.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a lot better than I was expecting. The protagonist, Raven, was someone I took to immediately. There was an admirable supporting cast of eccentrics, Regency fops, nobility in various shades of good, evil and torment, and a good story line. It's not a genre I could relate to, but I was hooked and made to care about the ultimate fate of Raven. All the characters were believable and well-realized. There were sub-plots and red herrings in abundance, and the dialogue was often snappy, believable and witty. There were a number of words and phrases that were new to me, but that were authentic to the Regency period.
The book was also proofread and edited with very few mistakes that I noticed.
I have to admit I got confused at the late introduction of the nemesis, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it; much more than I was expecting.
So I am happy to award this a 3 star rating. Nice one, Jaimey.
Thank you, Paul. :o)
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