Rating: 
Summary: Good not Great but still worth a Look!
Review: Setting - England 1823 ---- In the second book of Hunter's new Regency era series, Vergil, Viscount Duclairc, is in search of his missing American ward under the assumption she has been kidnapped, only to find that she was performing as a theatrical singer in a gentleman's club. Miss Bianca Kenwood had no interest in giving up her independence and this high-handed and stern new 'guardian' of hers, however handsome he may be, was not about to curb her life's greatest desire of singing on stage. But considering that he controlled her inheritance, she would have to allow him to sweep her off to his country estate until she could come up with a better plan to pursue her dream.Exchanging barbs, refusing to address him properly and going out of her way antagonize him enough that he would wash his hands of her just didn't seem to be doing the trick. Not only that but his nearness and presence was definitely affecting her in spite of her resolve to continue her studies and anticipated career. Before long the mutual physical attraction and some outrageous behavior from his American ward had Vergil swept up into a maelstrom of emotions - like whether to kiss her or spank her! As they both are bound together for the next 10 months they must endure each other as they attempt to survive the murderous attempts on their lives and discover the reasons for his brother's suicide. Why the lower rating? Okay, I am a great fan of Ms. Hunters and absolutely loved her medieval BY series.... This story was a take on the guardian falling in love with his ward vehicle often used in the romance genre. I was a bit disappointed in Vergil's high handedness with Bianca and his seemingly cold-hearted attempts to divert her fortune into his family's control by initially trying to marry her off to his brother Dante. This did not seem like the same Vergil, that was warmly characterized in the first book of this series - THE SEDUCER. I can also say that Bianca did not worm her way into my heart at all - a bit too stubborn and selfish. On top of some bad editing mistakes on pg. 191 and 192 - (who the heck is Lucas?), I thought the author opened up a can of worms with Vergil's almost and very likeable fiancé. Why was Fleur, portrayed as such a classical beauty, best friend and with a very minor role as to why she was so gun-shy of marriage? It sounded like another mystery and then dropped??? Hello, what happened here-- a little bit of closure would have been nice. Bottom line - good, but not up to the standards I've come to expect from this exceptional author after reading her medieval BY series...... --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---
Rating: 
Summary: What a series!
Review: The Saint is the second of Madeline Hunter's new series set in the Regency era. I am a great fan of Hunter and absolutely loved her two medieval series. She is one of the authors that I will read anything she writes. Although I enjoyed The Saint, it just wasn't as good as the great books contained in those two earlier series. Those series had books with very involved stories, deep characters and realistic plots. Both The Seducer (the first of this new series - I have written a review on this book as well) and The Saint don't fall into this absolutely excellent category Hunter has created for herself. The Seducer and The Saint seem formula driven - similar in many ways to the current series written by Nicole Jordan or Cheryl Holt. Although not quite as sensual as those books, Hunter's new series still follow those similar plot lines, which seem to be popular in romance reading today. These plot lines involve men in some sort of spy work or searching out some very dangerous mystery. The books are driven by the mystery portion of the book as much as the romance. So, that said, I found The Saint somewhat dry reading with average formula writing. Also, I should state that I strongly believe positive or negative reviews are often a matter of taste. I have no doubt many readers will give The Saint a five star rating. I, however, want more depth to the characters and more romance than mystery when reading a romance novel. Therefore, take my criticism as a statement of my taste as well as a general review of the book. Virgil Duclairc, Viscount Laclere, is a morally upright man who has tracked his errant American ward, Bianca Kenwood, to a questionable establishment where she entertains with her singing. Bianca has come to England to claim her inheritance and continue her operatic training with intentions to eventually perform onstage. She never planned on having her unknown guardian locate her or even be that interested in her life. But she soon discovers that Virgil does care about her behavior and is appalled at her ambitions. Much to her distress he physically removes her and her maid to his home and the companionship of his two sisters. Virgil has plans of his own for Bianca. He is well aware of her inheritance and it's value. His own family needs cash since his father was hardly frugal with the family's finances. Virgil wants Bianca to marry his younger brother, Dante, who is known as quite the rake. Dante, although not too excited about marriage, agrees to court Bianca and he is confident she will accept his proposal. In the meantime, Virgil has his own heiress he is planning to marry. But then Bianca shows herself and Virgil's well-laid plans soon lay in the dust as she fights his authority over her every step of the way and completely rejects Dante's overtures. Bianca is determined to have her operatic career. She realizes she will not marry because of her chosen, disreputable career. But she comes alive when she sings and is truly most talented. Bianca is determined to escape the machinations of Virgil and finds him a very stubborn adversary. She decides to behave so outrageously that this saint of a guardian will want her out of his home and his family's life. The action is fast as Bianca turns one-way and then another to outsmart Virgil and gain her freedom. It is during this portion of the book that I became rather disenchanted with the heroine's character. I can understand her desire for the freedom to allow her to follow a life long dream of becoming an opera star. However, in her pursuit she often comes off as mean and hard-hearted. Virgil gradually becomes less powerful as Bianca gains the upper hand. This is where my taste in books plays a role in the rating of this review. Virgil is not as strong a hero as Hunter usually creates. I don't want to see the hero emasculated in any way. Yes - I think it is grand when a hero gets a proper comeuppance. But I don't want the hero lead on by the heroine for endless pages, as it seemed to happen here. And since Bianca is an immature heroine, it only makes her victories over Virgil that much more distressing. There are a few sensual scenes that rate about a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). On the plus side, the leads do know how to communicate openly and we do not have to endure one misunderstanding after another. Also, Bianca's love of singing is quite original. Now despite my concerns about the heroine, I still enjoyed this book. I do not give a four star rating unless the book contains a lot more fun than irritation. There are many of you who will savor the heroine's character and that will make this book even more enjoyable for you. I plan to continue to relish this series as it is published. The publisher has an aggressive schedule for release of the books in this series. The Seducer was released in October 2003 and The Saint followed closely with a release in November 2003. The third in this series, The Charmer, is scheduled for release 12/03/03 followed by the fourth book, The Sinner, which is scheduled before year-end of 2003. What a wonderful thing to do for us as readers. So often books in series are released so far apart that I have to review the previous book(s) to fully appreciate the next release. Hunter remains on my "must read" author list and I eagerly await the release of The Charmer.
Rating:
Summary: A singing heroine and a kinda saintly hero
Review: The Saint is the second of Madeline Hunter's new series set in the Regency era. I am a great fan of Hunter and absolutely loved her two medieval series. She is one of the authors that I will read anything she writes. Although I enjoyed The Saint, it just wasn't as good as the great books contained in those two earlier series. Those series had books with very involved stories, deep characters and realistic plots. Both The Seducer (the first of this new series - I have written a review on this book as well) and The Saint don't fall into this absolutely excellent category Hunter has created for herself. The Seducer and The Saint seem formula driven - similar in many ways to the current series written by Nicole Jordan or Cheryl Holt. Although not quite as sensual as those books, Hunter's new series still follow those similar plot lines, which seem to be popular in romance reading today. These plot lines involve men in some sort of spy work or searching out some very dangerous mystery. The books are driven by the mystery portion of the book as much as the romance. So, that said, I found The Saint somewhat dry reading with average formula writing. Also, I should state that I strongly believe positive or negative reviews are often a matter of taste. I have no doubt many readers will give The Saint a five star rating. I, however, want more depth to the characters and more romance than mystery when reading a romance novel. Therefore, take my criticism as a statement of my taste as well as a general review of the book. Virgil Duclairc, Viscount Laclere, is a morally upright man who has tracked his errant American ward, Bianca Kenwood, to a questionable establishment where she entertains with her singing. Bianca has come to England to claim her inheritance and continue her operatic training with intentions to eventually perform onstage. She never planned on having her unknown guardian locate her or even be that interested in her life. But she soon discovers that Virgil does care about her behavior and is appalled at her ambitions. Much to her distress he physically removes her and her maid to his home and the companionship of his two sisters. Virgil has plans of his own for Bianca. He is well aware of her inheritance and it's value. His own family needs cash since his father was hardly frugal with the family's finances. Virgil wants Bianca to marry his younger brother, Dante, who is known as quite the rake. Dante, although not too excited about marriage, agrees to court Bianca and he is confident she will accept his proposal. In the meantime, Virgil has his own heiress he is planning to marry. But then Bianca shows herself and Virgil's well-laid plans soon lay in the dust as she fights his authority over her every step of the way and completely rejects Dante's overtures. Bianca is determined to have her operatic career. She realizes she will not marry because of her chosen, disreputable career. But she comes alive when she sings and is truly most talented. Bianca is determined to escape the machinations of Virgil and finds him a very stubborn adversary. She decides to behave so outrageously that this saint of a guardian will want her out of his home and his family's life. The action is fast as Bianca turns one-way and then another to outsmart Virgil and gain her freedom. It is during this portion of the book that I became rather disenchanted with the heroine's character. I can understand her desire for the freedom to allow her to follow a life long dream of becoming an opera star. However, in her pursuit she often comes off as mean and hard-hearted. Virgil gradually becomes less powerful as Bianca gains the upper hand. This is where my taste in books plays a role in the rating of this review. Virgil is not as strong a hero as Hunter usually creates. I don't want to see the hero emasculated in any way. Yes - I think it is grand when a hero gets a proper comeuppance. But I don't want the hero lead on by the heroine for endless pages, as it seemed to happen here. And since Bianca is an immature heroine, it only makes her victories over Virgil that much more distressing. There are a few sensual scenes that rate about a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). On the plus side, the leads do know how to communicate openly and we do not have to endure one misunderstanding after another. Also, Bianca's love of singing is quite original. Now despite my concerns about the heroine, I still enjoyed this book. I do not give a four star rating unless the book contains a lot more fun than irritation. There are many of you who will savor the heroine's character and that will make this book even more enjoyable for you. I plan to continue to relish this series as it is published. The publisher has an aggressive schedule for release of the books in this series. The Seducer was released in October 2003 and The Saint followed closely with a release in November 2003. The third in this series, The Charmer, is scheduled for release 12/03/03 followed by the fourth book, The Sinner, which is scheduled before year-end of 2003. What a wonderful thing to do for us as readers. So often books in series are released so far apart that I have to review the previous book(s) to fully appreciate the next release. Hunter remains on my "must read" author list and I eagerly await the release of The Charmer.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: This story had no depth. It was written at an adolescent level. I am very disappointed in Ms. Hunter. Her first 3 books "By ...." were the best I have read. I suggest reading those 3 books that start with "By" you will not be bored or disappointed. They are excellent stories and very sensual. This book was boring. The intimacy was well done as Hunter does these scenes, but, I didn't care nor was I moved. I hope she didn't have just those first good stories in her because her talent was evident in her first books. Don't bother to read this one. Come on Hunter, get back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: This story had no depth. It was written at an adolescent level. I am very disappointed in Ms. Hunter. Her first 3 books "By ...." were the best I have read. I suggest reading those 3 books that start with "By" you will not be bored or disappointed. They are excellent stories and very sensual. This book was boring. The intimacy was well done as Hunter does these scenes, but, I didn't care nor was I moved. I hope she didn't have just those first good stories in her because her talent was evident in her first books. Don't bother to read this one. Come on Hunter, get back on track.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Romance With Meaningful Story As Well
Review: This story is supposed to be about the romance of Virgil Duclaire and Binaca Kentwood, but saying that alone does not do this book justice. This book at first seems as though it will be another charming romance from a good author and then it turns in to something much more complex then that. The secret in this book is huge and when it comes out it deals with injustice and what not respecting someone else's choice really can do a person. I was impressed with the amount of depth this novel had because I read The Seducer and that fell short of my expections so I was a little concerned about how well I was going to enjoy The Saint, but I am glad that I read this book. Virgil in this story is the nice guy every mother wants for their daughter. He spent most of the story helping other people with their problems; his sister, Fleur, Binaca, and when he wasn't doing that he was solving crime talk about being busy! Virgil was the perfect match for Binaca because someone had to rein in some of her spirit. She was a little selfish and that was the only part of this book that really bothered me and made me give this book a four stars because the things she did and said to Virgil were way over the top. She was bound and determined to have a singing career and was willing to make a fool out of Virgil for 80% of the book to pursue that dream. I always enjoy a good headstrong heroine, but that part of the plot was played out a little too long. I keep thinking to myself," Binaca do you not see that "Uncle Virgil" is the perfect one for you?" I did enjoy the romance other than that when they were together you could feel the energy flowing through them from the beginning. Dante was a very funny addition to the plot a rake that can be shocked is always entertaining. A good second edition to this four part series.
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