Legend, The

Rating:
Summary: Overall a good read
Review: This really wasn't a bad book. However, for the sake of the readers, instead of talking about all the things it did well, I will simply focus on what could have been better (and let the reader decide). First, the heroine seemed a little too foolishly independent. She was stubborn and a little ridiculous with all the times she was going to "strike out on her own" in a dangerous country and during wartime. Second, I thought the jealousy between Neil and James was silly. Any truly close brothers would not begrudge each other's happiness and Neil simply ended up seeming childish. Third, the murder plot was a filler and completely useless only because we knew from the beginning who did it. Also, the characters were suspicious of the murderer for no real reason except that they didn't like him. I can think of several of the characters who would have been so much better in the "surprise" role of murderer. (Ellen's previous suitor instead). On a side note: these criticisms are simply that. I do not mean that this book is not a good read; it is. I am merely trying to help readers weed out the best writers as I am a very picky romance reader myself. I am also aware that there are several other reviews already written about the strengths of this book. I just thought I'd warn readers of the weaknesses as well... thanks for reading my opinion!

Rating:
Summary: Overall a good read
Review: This really wasn't a bad book. However, for the sake of the readers, instead of talking about all the things it did well, I will simply focus on what could have been better (and let the reader decide). First, the heroine seemed a little too foolishly independent. She was stubborn and a little ridiculous with all the times she was going to "strike out on her own" in a dangerous country and during wartime. Second, I thought the jealousy between Neil and James was silly. Any truly close brothers would not begrudge each other's happiness and Neil simply ended up seeming childish. Third, the murder plot was a filler and completely useless only because we knew from the beginning who did it. Also, the characters were suspicious of the murderer for no real reason except that they didn't like him. I can think of several of the characters who would have been so much better in the "surprise" role of murderer. (Ellen's previous suitor instead). On a side note: these criticisms are simply that. I do not mean that this book is not a good read; it is. I am merely trying to help readers weed out the best writers as I am a very picky romance reader myself. I am also aware that there are several other reviews already written about the strengths of this book. I just thought I'd warn readers of the weaknesses as well... thanks for reading my opinion!

Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Twins are born under the spell of a prophecy in this 17 century Scottish tale. I really liked the idea of this book but somehow the storytelling of it was not what I thought it would be. The romance aspect between Ellen and James was good, but, it seemed to take a backseat to the history in this novel. Also it was sort of choppy as far as pacing. I would just be starting to get into a section and BAM. Cut to a new part. Sometimes the cut was only for a paragraph or so, which made it distracting and sort of disjointed. But aside from the author's style (I have never read Miss Givens before) I did like most of the book and I will be picking up the next one about the other twin Neil. Like I said in my title - good but not great.