This is the first book I've read for the winter 2011 challenge.
Back Cover Blurb
As children, identical cousins Anastasia and Breanna Colby swore always to protect each other. Now that Anastasia's beloved parents have died, she has come to live with Breanna...and Breanna's father, whose raging temper has locked his daughter into a life of fear. What is more, Anastasia soon realizes that her uncle is involved in a sinister scheme that places both young women in deadly danger. Fearing most of all for her cousin, Anastasia turns to the only help she can think of, the man who holds the reins to her considerable fortune-the fascinating, enigmatic Damen Lockewood, Marquess of Sheldrake.
From the moment Anastasia and Damen meet, blazing passion flares between them. But in the face of overwhelming peril-and threats on Anastasia's life-thoughts of love cannot be indulged. Not unless the mystery that entraps them is solved will they at last be able to pursue the future their feelings command them to share. But is the danger stalking them really gone?
My Thoughts
I liked somethings about the book (plot) and disliked other things (characters). First my dislikes,
1. Identical cousins? Really? I know their fathers were twins and their mothers sisters but to be alike enough that their parents can't even tell the two apart? Come on. Only a minor qiuibble I know but annoying enough to jerk me out of the story anytime it was mentioned.
2. Too perfect characters. There were no shades of grey in this book. You had the good guys (where you could all but see the glowing halo's over there heads) and the bad guys who you could imagine walking about in a cloud of their own toxic miasma they were so evil.
3. Romance? What romance? Yes there was a couple in the story but that was it. This is the amount of time devoted to the romance.
Anastasia: Hi, I'm Anastasia I'm incredibly smart, business minded and I won't let you boss me around.
Damen: Hi, I'm Damen. I find your intelligence and business-sense incredibly attractive.
Anastasia: I love you.
Damen: I love you.
Breanna: Thank God you showed up Anastasia to take this rich, charming and incredibly handsome gentleman off my hands. Too think I almost had to marry him - the horror!
And that's it. Yes for awhile Anastasia had to pretend to be Breanna so Breanna's father wouldn't find out but that's it. And there was no conflict in the relationship since they were both perfect. How can there be?
4. Wallpaper Historical - while I don't consider my self an expert on history by any stretch of the imagination I find it incredibly hard to believe any of the characters in this story acted true to the time period. Viscount's and Marquieses as business men. The girls had entirely too much freedom with zero consequences.
After all this what did I like?
The plot moved along quite well. It was actually quite a good suspense plot although I'd consider it suspense light since you always knew what the bad guy was planning and so did the good guys so you could be pretty certain it was going to work out well for the good guys. Even so it kept me turning the pages and was left on a bit of a cliffhanger so although I'm luke warm about the characters I'll be reading the second book. I'm hoping to enjoy the next one a little more as Breanna didn't appear to be the "fiesty" heroine stereotype that Anastasia was. I also hope her hero has some flaws and they have a few internal challenges to work out.
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