The Reluctant Suitor

Rating:
Summary: What Happened???
Review: After reading such amazing books as The Elusive Flame and A Rose in Winter, I was excited when I settled into my favorite chair and picked up this newest one. After the first chapter, I was sorely disappointed. This was nothing like KW's normal writing style. Everything seemed overly dramatic and unreal. Perhaps even a bit forced. I had to force myself to even get through the first few chapters. I am about 1/2 way through and still have yet to finish it. Me, who blew through The Flame and the Flower, along with The Elusive Flame both in the same day. I am highly disappointed with this book and I hope by the next one she is back to her normal self. I want my old KW back!

Rating:
Summary: Okay at Best
Review: Being an English major, I'm used to plowing through some pretty boring material. However, I prefer not to do that when I'm reading for personal enjoyment. This book wasn't bad, but it just didn't sparkle the way a romance novel should. Other reviewers have pointed out her word choices, and there was one word in particular that really bugged me. She used the word "chortle" in reference to her hero and heroine laughing. Technically a correct usage, but not the best image.

Rating:
Summary: Read the reviews - wish I had
Review: Gratuitous use of the word "orb." I believe one reviewer began underlining them just for fun. If you're counting words to up the entertainment value of a romance novel, then you know the book is dreadful.
I also agree with the - slapping a lady on the rear end is, in fact, not romantic -complaint. Nor is funny, sexy, endearing....
Basically this book is badly done. Really, really badly done.


Rating:
Summary: I Miss The Kathleen Of Old
Review: I can't express how very sad I am about this book. I am a huge Kathleen fan and I just can't understand what happened to her to change her writing style so dramatically. Her earlier books were far and above the top in excellence. This book was hard to read and easy to put down. It took me from first release to just now to finish it. I gave her two stars simply because she is Kathleen and I adore her earlier work. Instead, read my favorite by her "A Rose In Winter" or another favorite "Ashes In The Wind" You'll be much, much happier.

Rating:
Summary: absolute drivel
Review: I couldn't even get through the first chapter. The author takes PAGES to describe something that should be explained in one paragraph at the most. The descriptive terms used and the prose overall border on the ridiculous. As I skimmed through the remainder of the book, it did not seem to improve.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable Regency romantic
Review: I really enjoy this Regency romantic with suspense as well. I read 20th time and still want to read it again - can't put it down. This book makes you feels flames of passion between the lead couple. I enjoyed every single part of the lead couple. I hope to see more books like this. Where can you find a book that has everything? Adriana the most beautiful and desired lady and while James the most handsome and seductive man.
I liked sooo much when lead couple admit their love half way of the book and the rest are suspense with adventures.
I highly recommend this book for the readers that are looking for romantic and supsense.

Rating:
Summary: Strong story, pitiful prose
Review: I tossed "A Season Beyond a Kiss" after 20 pages because of the horrible prose. I was very interested in the story of "The Reluctant Suitor". As I began reading, the over-abundant use of words like "orbs", "protuberance" (who says that?) and "manly" (used with countless nouns and verbs), among other apparently favorite pretentious words, the horror dawned on me - "Oh my God! This is that same author!". I liked the characters and story of this book very much and only they kept me plodding through the nearly unbearable prose. Some sentences were so long and convoluted with excessive (but weak) adjectives, poor choice of synonyms and unnecessary drivel, that at the end of them, I thought "huh?" and had to reread them to find out what the author was trying to say. It's only a romance novel, not quantum physics - I shouldn't have to work so hard to follow the author's thoughts. I'll be avoiding Ms. Woodiwiss's work in the future.

Rating:
Summary: The Majority Can't Be Wrong!
Review: I won't go and say I've been a huge fan of Kathleen Woodiwiss but I have enjoyed several of her books. I too question whether the same person that was capable of penning "Shanna" was responsible for this effort. Thankfully I waited until it came out in paperback instead of shelling out more money for the hardback.

What are the problems you ask? Well, the prose is thick and overblown as other reviewers have already stated. Characters. What can we say about the characters that hasn't already been said? They are unlike able and totally taken with superficial things. This book is one of the reasons romance gets such a bad rap. Nothing but nothing was redeemable about this read.

I agree with many of the reviewers that reading the reviews was more entertaining then reading the book. It also pains me to pan a novel. It takes great time and effort to get a story down and to bring charaters alive, characters that the reader will care about. I don't think this is so much Ms. Woodiwiss's fault as so much as the editor. Throwing a book together and then adding a well-known authors name on the cover may sell some copies, but word will get around if the book is not up to the standards that a true fan will expect. I hate to compare but this book is NOTHING like what she is capable of and I can only hope her next effort will be better then the past three.

Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as what other thought
Review: I'm a big Woodiwiss fan and was eager to read The Reluctant Suitor but wasn't sure I would after seeing so many 1-star ratings for this book. Well I just finished reading it and wondered if I read the same book as everyone else because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Granted, it's not her best work. That honor goes to The Flame and The Flower; nor is it her worst work; that distinction goes to A Season Beyond a Kiss. It labors a bit in the beginning but it picks up, and there are several subplots sprinkled in. The main characters, Adriana and Colton, are likeable, and I think Roger, the evil person in this book, is believeable. Sadistic men like him exist in this present time. My only criticism is that I wish that she had made Adriana older than six when she was betrothed to Colton in a contract made by their parents for Colton to marry Adriana when she became of age. He refused to honor the contract and left to go to war. Now sixteen years later Adriana was still feeling the "pain of rejection" when he returned. That was a bit ridiculous. First of all, the author should've made her at least 9 or 10. A six year old isn't going to feel the sting of rejection and then harbor on it for 16 years, and I think it's just a tad creepy to think that a six year old is already linked up to a 16 year old.... And yes, Kathleen does overuse the word "orb" yet again, but then she uses orb alot in her other books as well as her other favorite word, akimbo.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and I think you should decide for yourself if it's worth a 1 star or a 3 star.

Rating:
Summary: Regency England or Frontier America?
Review: What has happened to the classy writing we had come to expect from KEW's earlier books. At times I had trouble believing she had actually written this book or that it was supposed to be Regency England.The constant use of `orbs', wouldv'e, and couldv'e was bad enough but `gotten',`pesky', `lit out' and `socked' american words not used even in modern England all served to spoil my enjoyment. Then came `boardwalk'!! PLEASE this is ENGLAND? Publishers please note, if you re-print, TAKE THIS WORD OUT.