Rating: 
Summary: wonderful!!
Review: Carolyn Jewel's second book The Spare really shows her growth as a writer. Her first book demonstrated her talent, but there were a few nagging problems, as if she did not fully know her hero and heroine and how they would react, or she made them do things that seemed totally against their characters. In this book, you see none of that. Her craft is stronger, and a subtle deftness is in her prose that makes this book so strong, so perfect.
The Spare is a touch more sedate, elegant, with a dram of Paranormal/Gothic saying Jewel really has found her meter. This book is just so "assured" and it lets the reader settle into the spiraling story and enjoy it completely. It really leads me to look forward to her third book.
Sebastian Alexander is "a spare" - a younger son who never thought to rise to the earldom destined for his brother. He has pursued a career in the Royal Navy and had his life mapped out. He loved the life at sea. But suddenly he is beached. The "spare" is now an earl. Through a series of mysterious events, his brother is dead. Sebastian is wounded in battle and is recovering when news comes of his brother's murder. He must come to grips with his fate and the trouble surrounding his brother's death. There was a witness to the crime, one who could supply the answers to the dark riddles - Miss Olivia Willow. She was there that night, and was almost killed as well. She is the key to Sebastian learning why his brother died.
Only opening that key is not as easy as he hoped. Olivia, a vexingly beautiful redhead, cannot recall what happened that night. Three days of her memory is missing. Haunted by the ghost of his brother, Sebastian thinks this loss of memory is too convenient, too suspect and he will not rest until he unlocks the riddle of Olivia and knows everything she does about that fateful night.
Olivia is very beautiful, but a "poor relation". She is leery when the new earl invites her to his house party, invited to "even out the numbers". This gives Sebastian the chance to probe her story. Olivia is a strong character, one the readers will immediately identify and love. She lives on the edge of the gentry, but her poor means has held her back, yet she carries herself with a grace, serenity and ability to see past the surface of others. It's in Olivia where I see the most maturing in Jewel's writing. Olivia is just such a strongly defined character, so believable that she quickly has the reader wrapped around her delicate little finger. She is an outsider in this wealth and tries to remain on the edge, not attracting attention at the gathering. However, Sebastian will not permit that.
Their acquaintance begins as an adversarial one, though both sense an attraction. As Sebastian's investigation moves forward, he shifts from doubt to grudging respect, then into love. Again, Jewel demonstrates the growth in her talent by having such a strong relationship between these two wonderfully crafted characters. Sebastian's growing love for Olivia even has him fearing what he might learn as he unlocks the truth hidden in her mind.
Jewel just goes all out in this utterly radiant turn of the screw, where a ghost walks, romance sizzles and characters are so bloody brilliant!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and Unusual!!
Review: I completely disagree with the first reviewer. This book is both entertaining AND unusual, encompassing the rather poignant love story of a restless spirit, murder, rape and the actual love story between Sebastian and Olivia.
It seems that the first reviewer has been flicking through the pages just looking for sex scenes! and missed the endearing characters - particularly of Olivia Willow - and the quite mesmerising story. It is completely untrue that the only sex scene is very late in the book and that it is full of boring conversation. Indeed from about Chapter 11 onwards a large part of the book is about either Sebastian or Olivia fantasising aboutmaking love to the other - and the mometum/detail increases from chapter to chapter! And there is VERY little conversation at these times!! So I don't know what that reviewer was on about - could it be a different book they are writing about?Sebastian and Olivia are being haunted by the spirit of the Black Earl who is trying to use them to re-enact history and put right the dreadful crime he committed against his own wife, whom he was very much in love with. Therefore many times they find themselves making love with each other - even though the line between fantasy and reality is blurred. They are unable to figure out whether they have fantasised what happens between them or whether it has actually taken place, although later it seems that some of it was indeed real. It is almost as if they are a reincarnation of the Black Earl and his countess. I liked this book because it was unusual. The only drawbacks for me were that the character of Sebastian was at times far too rigid and that the murder mystery part of the story was kept too far in the background. It is a well thought of plot and the author should have made more of it. This was my first book by Carolyn Jewel and I shall certainly look forward to more. It was a refreshing change from the usual.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book!
Review: I really enjoyed The Spare. I enjoyed the characterizations especially and I don't count the intimate scenes when I read a romance. I am drawn to the characters. I am very drawn to a beautiful hero who's dark, taciturn, perhaps even cold but who is warmed by an equally beautiful heroine who is stalwart, kind, and intelligent. Hey, if I wanted reality I wouldn't be reading romance! I think the use of amnesia was very believable even though I could spot the murderer a mile away. But it was a good read. Carolyn Jewel's earlier novel Lord Ruin is worth a read as well. Give The Spare a try. Ms. Jewel's writing style is a little different and her use of proper names is very unusual...but I still recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars - just missing 5 stars
Review: I really loved the hero and heroine in The Spare. I disagree with the first reviewer who said that you did not get to know Sebastian and that he was not likeable. I think that he was. I think his behavior was perfectly suited to his position as Captain. I do think his behavior sometimes towards Olivia was more Medieval - but I chalked that up to him possibly being the reincarnation of the Black Earl (that is just what I supposed). I also have to disagree with the first reviewer that said there was no sex until page 330. There were tons of erotic scenes throughout the book. Also Harriet K - said that the amnesia thing was a bit much - but I didn't think so - she couldn't remember just one day of her life - which does happen in traumatic circumstances. And I have to admit I think Olivia's character was so likeable that my eyes filled up with tears at a few of the scenes dealing with her poverty or her attempts to fade into the background. I would have given this book 5 stars (I couldn't put it down and read it within a 24 hour period) but there were a few things that bothered me and left me feeling unfulfilled at the end of the book. 1) James. The reader never gets to find out his or Olivia's reaction to Sebastian marrying Olivia. I felt a little cheated by that. I hope that she writes a book with James as a main character - he wasn't such a bad guy. 2) I didn't mind the murder mystery taking a backseat but I just wished that the whole black earl thing was a bit more settled by the end - was Sebastian and Olivia the reincarnations of the black earl and his wife? Was that why when they started the seance that Sebastian's head began to pound etc? All in ALL I really liked this book! It was the first that I read by Carolyn Jewel - but I am going to head out and purchase Lord Ruin tomorrow.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars - Lord Ruin 2 it this isn't! Creative & unusual
Review: I very much enjoyed this author's last book LORD RUIN, but do not expect the same type of story or tone here. THE SPARE is a bit more Gothic with a touch of the paranormal and I found myself enjoying it much more than I had anticipated. Actually I think I prefer it to LR! As another reviewer said, it's original and unusual and THE SPARE is an apt title.
Sebastian Alexander was a third son (a spare) who never thought to see the earldom and had settled on a career in the Royal Navy that he has pursued with gusto. He would be on the deck of his ship now if he could, but two events have impacted his life, one most unexpectedly. First, he was wounded in battle and is still recovering from his injuries. Second, he is now the earl of Tiern-Cope after the mysterious death of his only remaining brother and his wife. There are many lurid rumours of a ghost who haunts Pennhyll, but only one witness to the crime - Miss Olivia Willow who was present the night of the murder and was almost killed herself. Only problem is, she claims to remember nothing from that night or the days surrounding the crime. Sebastian is suspicious of her to say the least, and is determined to uncover all she knows. The fact that she is a lively, attractive but pitifully poor redhead will not sway him from his purpose.
To entertain Sebastian during his recuperation (and to help find him a wife to begin his nursery), his friend James assembles a house party and Olivia is invited to even the numbers (another spare!). This serves Sebastian's purposes in that he intends to interrogate her to discover what happened the night his brother died and what her involvement was. Olivia is gentry but poor and has suffered many injustices but always carries herself with grace and dignity and I admired her character very much. She is uncomfortable with Society and prefers to blend into the woodwork but Sebastian will not let her. They begin as adversaries, progress to wary allies and ultimately fall in love in a slow but natural and believable manner. Will Olivia ever remember what happened that night? Does he or she really want to know the truth? The use of the ghost of the Black Earl was very effective - especially the erotic episodes both Sebastian and Olivia experience. Are they dreams, hallucinations or did they really happen? Whichever, they are steamy and romantic!
Kudos to Ms Jewel for taking some risks! Ghosts are always a risk as is creating an unrepentantly, uncharming leading man and allowing the reader to discover over time that he is actually a loyal, decent, intelligent and sexy man! Paired with the delightful Olivia and some nicely drawn secondary characters it's a story I heartily recommend (though I really didn't care for the cover)!
Rating: 
Summary: Warning Buy USED, not NEW !
Review: I was so disappointed in this book! I had high hopes after reading the author's first work - Lord Ruin. It truly was a jewel. However, she falls so far off the mark with this one, that I cannot in good conscience even justify the expense of buying the novel new. I feel cheated out of a good story and six bucks! The book is 352 pages and the only sex scene occurres somewhere on page 330...that should give you a fair example of what you're getting...pages and pages of endless dialogue. The plot meanders so far off the path that by the end you are left reading in disbelief as the author tries to neatly solve the murder mystery and send the hero and heroine off to happy-ever-after land. It just doesn't work on so many levels. The heroine is likable but the hero is not - because readers never get to know him. And while switching the point of view from male to female is a trait of this author, this time around she did not use it to advantage. In all, I would say buy it used, you'll be less likely to be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book!
Review: In the village of Far Caister, Sebastian Alexander spent his early life as THE SPARE to the spare. However, over a decade ago his oldest brother died making the middle son Andrew the heir and Sebastian the prime spare. Still as expected of a third born aristocratic son, Sebastian joined the Royal navy in the war with Napoleon. In 1811 his father and his sibling die not long apart. Sebastian inherits the title to Pennhyll Castle. As Sebastian heals from a near death war wound he plans to do his duty by marrying and siring the heir and a spare. However, most important immediately is to learn what happened to Andrew as the new lord believes someone murdered his brother. He plans to start his inquiries with Olivia Willow who has survived tragedy twice. Her father and brother died in a carriage accident that also crippled her mother and she was thought dead when his brother and sister-in-law died. However, Olivia insists she remembers nothing about what happened on that fatal day. Sebastian begins to fall in love with her, but wonders if he is besotted with a serial killer? Though the who-done-it remains too much in the background, fans will enjoy this entertaining Regency romantic suspense. Sebastian is a delightful lead protagonist who is obsessed with learning the truth. Olivia is the classic female sub-genre character struggling with tragedies and poverty though the amnesia is too convenient of a gimmick. Still fans will find THE SPARE is a fine jewel of a tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: entertaining Regency romantic suspense
Review: In the village of Far Caister, Sebastian Alexander spent his early life as THE SPARE to the spare. However, over a decade ago his oldest brother died making the middle son Andrew the heir and Sebastian the prime spare. Still as expected of a third born aristocratic son, Sebastian joined the Royal navy in the war with Napoleon. In 1811 his father and his sibling die not long apart. Sebastian inherits the title to Pennhyll Castle. As Sebastian heals from a near death war wound he plans to do his duty by marrying and siring the heir and a spare. However, most important immediately is to learn what happened to Andrew as the new lord believes someone murdered his brother. He plans to start his inquiries with Olivia Willow who has survived tragedy twice. Her father and brother died in a carriage accident that also crippled her mother and she was thought dead when his brother and sister-in-law died. However, Olivia insists she remembers nothing about what happened on that fatal day. Sebastian begins to fall in love with her, but wonders if he is besotted with a serial killer? Though the who-done-it remains too much in the background, fans will enjoy this entertaining Regency romantic suspense. Sebastian is a delightful lead protagonist who is obsessed with learning the truth. Olivia is the classic female sub-genre character struggling with tragedies and poverty though the amnesia is too convenient of a gimmick. Still fans will find THE SPARE is a fine jewel of a tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: I love the mix
Review: of ghosts and redemption and mystery and spice. I was tempted to give it a slightly lower score because I was occasionally thrown off the main story line, but heck, it's a fun read and I'm putting it on my keeper shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Original and Page Turning Regency
Review: Setting - Pennhyll Castle, Cumbria, 1812 --- Captain Sebastian Alexander, of His Majesty's Royal navy was home, recuperating from wounds received in battle, and from the summons that had finally reached him notifying him of his father's death and his bother's murder. Sebastian, `the spare' was now the heir and as such, the Earl of Tiern-Cope. It was his duty to marry, yes marry and set up his nursery - and to his mind get back to the sea, the only thing in his life he loved. His very good friend James had assembled a house party along with a bevy of prospective brides for him to choose from, including James' sister Diana, whom he assumed Sebastian would marry. Included with this group and to even out the numbers, was another `spare' Olivia Willow who is the only witness and sole survivor at the scene of the murder that claimed his brother and sister-in-law's lives. The only problem being, Olivia had been so traumatized that she'd lost all memories of the day before and the two days following the murders. Sebastian was determined to `break' her, to probe within the mind that held the secrets and bring the killer to justice. What he was not ready for was Olivia, with her red hair, and her irreverence towards his arrogance and animosity towards her. While staying in the castle both Sebastian and Olivia were being assailed with visions of the ghostly Black Earl and themselves in sensual occupations, neither was ever sure what was real and what was not, except for the intense physical attraction that both felt and were trying to ignore. This was quite an unusual love story with two very original lead protagonists. Sebastian was determined to uncover the murderer, always thinking that Olivia was involved yet fighting his escalating feelings every day for a woman whom he clearly felt had probably had an affair with his brother. Sebastian is clearly one of the more arrogant male leads I've encountered with very little finesse in courting the female sex, particularly after having led a sailors life for the past twelve years. Olivia on the other hand, was a delightful heroine, who on top of all the injustices she'd endured in life still had a positive outlook. The secondary characters were all well drawn out as to their parts in the story, and the ghostly apparitions were a fun touch adding a lot of depth and interest to the plot. I admit to reading this in one sitting, it certainly was an exciting page-turner and the `imagined and dreamed' sexual encounters were extremely hot. The only reason I have for not giving it a higher rating though, is that I believe it would have been nice to have seen a bit more reaction of James and Diana to Sebastian's abrupt marriage to Olivia, especially since James was his best friend and had himself offered marriage to Olivia. Bottom line, the story is terrific with an original plot that fans of this sub-genre should truly enjoy. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer at www.historicalromancewriters.com
|
