What I Read in June Part V . . .
Althea's Grand Tour by Emily Hendrickson -- Regency Romance
I was traveling and downloaded this book from the library. There are a number of typos, including exclamation points for I and sometimes no spaces between the words. Terrible e-book!
The Honorable Miss Althea Ingram is too tall and hearty to attract a suitable husband. She wishes she were delicate and small like her companion Cecily. When she overhears the rude comments of the London gentlemen, she decides to leave London. She plans a grand tour of Europe with her companion to see the sights her Papa remembers so fondly, but everything that could possibly go wrong does. First, her stepmama's odious cousin Jemima Greenwood invites herself along though she doesn't approve of Althea or her itinerary; next they run into a spot of trouble and are rescued by the one man Althea hopes never to see again, John Maitland, Earl of Montmorcy, who once called Althea an Amazon to her face. John can't believe his eyes when he comes across the one woman who drove him away from London. He can't understand why he gets to flustered and tongue tied around her and what this strange feeling is he experiences whenever he sees her. Althea has no choice but to rely on John's wisdom and connections, but that doesn't mean she has to like him. In fact, he would make a good husband for her friend Cecily, much better than the Italian Comte who insists on following them. Why does that idea not fully appeal to Althea? It's not that she liked the Earl, for he is so infuriating!
I liked the idea of this book but the plot was pretty stupid. All manner of crazy things happen to Althea and she is ALWAYS being rescued by a man. She's strong and capable but she can't see what's obvious. She doesn't confide her feelings and wishes to her good friend/companion, so how is the hero supposed to know what she wants? She's downright rude to him, despite how kind he is to her. He's a perfect paragon except for calling her an Amazon once or twice. I can see how that would wound her pride, it would mine, but she holds a grudge and continues to misinterpret his intentions. Some of the secondary characters are more appealing than the major characters. The story would have been a lot better without the obvious villain plot. It was a bit too out there and silly. I suspected a totally different villain at first and thought of a different but better plot for the villain. The story could have been a good opportunity to showcase how difficult it was for women at that time. I did like the travel narrative though felt there could have been more description of the scenery and less of fashion.
Althea's Grand Tour by Emily Hendrickson -- Regency RomanceI was traveling and downloaded this book from the library. There are a number of typos, including exclamation points for I and sometimes no spaces between the words. Terrible e-book!
The Honorable Miss Althea Ingram is too tall and hearty to attract a suitable husband. She wishes she were delicate and small like her companion Cecily. When she overhears the rude comments of the London gentlemen, she decides to leave London. She plans a grand tour of Europe with her companion to see the sights her Papa remembers so fondly, but everything that could possibly go wrong does. First, her stepmama's odious cousin Jemima Greenwood invites herself along though she doesn't approve of Althea or her itinerary; next they run into a spot of trouble and are rescued by the one man Althea hopes never to see again, John Maitland, Earl of Montmorcy, who once called Althea an Amazon to her face. John can't believe his eyes when he comes across the one woman who drove him away from London. He can't understand why he gets to flustered and tongue tied around her and what this strange feeling is he experiences whenever he sees her. Althea has no choice but to rely on John's wisdom and connections, but that doesn't mean she has to like him. In fact, he would make a good husband for her friend Cecily, much better than the Italian Comte who insists on following them. Why does that idea not fully appeal to Althea? It's not that she liked the Earl, for he is so infuriating!
I liked the idea of this book but the plot was pretty stupid. All manner of crazy things happen to Althea and she is ALWAYS being rescued by a man. She's strong and capable but she can't see what's obvious. She doesn't confide her feelings and wishes to her good friend/companion, so how is the hero supposed to know what she wants? She's downright rude to him, despite how kind he is to her. He's a perfect paragon except for calling her an Amazon once or twice. I can see how that would wound her pride, it would mine, but she holds a grudge and continues to misinterpret his intentions. Some of the secondary characters are more appealing than the major characters. The story would have been a lot better without the obvious villain plot. It was a bit too out there and silly. I suspected a totally different villain at first and thought of a different but better plot for the villain. The story could have been a good opportunity to showcase how difficult it was for women at that time. I did like the travel narrative though felt there could have been more description of the scenery and less of fashion.
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