I am pleased to have been asked to be part of the blog tour for Damsel in Distress? by Kristina O'Grady. I have read, and enjoyed the book and would like to share my review with you.
Out Now
Published by Carina UK
Purchase from Amazon here
The blurb:
A chance meeting that could scandalise the ton!
19th century England. Harriet is running for her life, chased by three men on horseback through Hyde Park. Knocked unconscious, everything goes black…
Philip, Baron Eaglestone, has never seen such a beautiful damsel in distress. And he’s even more intrigued when she opens her eyes, and begins to speak. Because this irresistible woman can only remember her first name, and has no knowledge as to who was trying to kill her… or where she is!
As Philip cares for Harriet, their attraction burns… and neither can shake the feeling that their chance meeting was truly a moment out of time. But if her memory returns, Harriet will be faced with a question. Will she return home or could it be that family is where her heart is – with a Regency rake!
My Review:
Damsel in Distress? Is set in the 1800's and features Harriet and Phillip as the main characters. We meet them in the opening scene where Harriet is being chased and attacked by a group of men on horseback. Phillip is walking home and stumbles across the attack, ultimately saving Harriet's life. Phillip takes Harriet back to the family home to get her help. It transpires that she has lost her memory during the attack and, having no idea who she is or where she comes from.
There is an obvious strong attraction between them and during her recuperation we see that grow. However, given the era it isn't the done thing to have a single lady stay an eligible bachelors house, so the tongues are soon wagging both locally, and in the press, which also puts her in danger because the attackers are still searching for Harriet, or more that they believe she has something they desperately want.
The story is quite different to what I have read in the past, and when I saw it was set in the 19th century, and was about time travel I wasn't sure if it would be too far fetched, or dated, to appeal to me. However, I have been pleasantly surprised. Whilst the story is set in the backdrop of the 1800's, it isn't dated or stale. I liked imagining the house, and how the characters would have dressed and acted in those days. Whilst it was over a century later I felt a bit Downton Abbeyesque at times in thinking how they would have spoken and carried themselves. It took me a while to see how the time travel element was going to feature and it was done in a way that to me didn't seem too over the top.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Harriet and Phillip grow, and this formed the majority of the book. It was more of a love story if anything, particularly in the first half. I was willing them to make things happen. I can tell you that there are a couple of bedroom scenes during the story that had me cheering!
As the story progresses we get to know more about why Harriet was being chased, and what I liked is that the content of the package wasn't revealed too soon, which for me helped keep some mystery in the plot.
The book is well written and flowed really easily. I liked that chapters weren't too long but at the same time the pace was steady. It meant that I could pick it up if I had a few minutes to spare without worrying about having to put it down mid chapter. I liked the way the characters were bought to life, and the attraction was portrayed. The steamier parts were also descriptive enough to get the gist of what was taking place, but not so much that you couldn't recommend it to someone I.e. my Mum!!
A much more enjoyable book than I had anticipated it would be before starting it. I am really pleased that I had the chance to read it. I didn't realise that this was book two, and I will be happily looking out for book one too. I am not sure if further books are planned, but if so I wouldn't shy away from reading it.
Thank you to Carina for providing a copy in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment