Rating: Summary: 1/2* An intimate character study with heady passion Review: After the demise of his father, Stuart Asygarth returns from Russia to succeed as the new Viscount Mount Villars only to discover his uncle Leonard has snatched away a cherished statue from him. When Yorkshire sheep-farmer Emma Hotchkiss extracts a payment from him through chicanery for the sheep his carriage ran into, he decides to threaten her into a scheme to hoodwink his uncle into surrendering the statue. The game of betrayal and deception turns personal when Stuart seduces Emma into bondage and saunters into her heart....Ms. Ivory's latest historical romance extrapolates her style of anachronistic prose and focused character study. Untie My Heart is heady seduction and lush passion that sizzles with erotic virtuoso from her spicy descriptions which assails the senses. Her intelligent and charming protagonists are sprouting constant surprises and revelations through intimate sharing of their personal lives and thoughts that gives readers an insightful understanding and room for budding attachment. Emma is a widow haunted by the drunkard of a husband; Stuart is disillusioned by his father's abuse. Their relationship brims with warmth, compassion and a kindrance of wounded souls - that is starkly poignant. So much so that it makes you forgive the uneven pacing and the lack of sub-characters in her novel. Ms. Ivory's characters are so thoroughly developed through their revelations that you feel keenly associated with them. It's as if they untied their hearts and let you enter their wondrous private world of love and redemption.
Rating: Summary: Untie My Heart Review: As in most Judith Ivory novels, the hero and heroine are flawed. This too, is the case, but the hero is somewhat exceptional. A little naughty, smart, arrogant, worldly and on a mission. The heroine is delightful, different, and this makes the book so enjoyable to read!
Rating: Summary: Not on my keeper's list... Review: Based on some fabulous reviews about this book I was very excited to give it a try. Although I enjoyed the writer's style, I didn't like the two main characters and felt that it lacked romance. If I don't feel a "love connection" between the characters I can't enjoy the more sensual scenes and this is the case with this particular story. I will have to try more of the author's works because I did enjoy her sophisticated prose.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing... Review: Emma, sheep farmer, and Stuart, viscount, become entangled after Stuart's carriage runs over Emma's prize sheep. Emma tries to swindle the worth of the sheep from Stuart. And Stuart tries to use Emma's swindling skills to get back his estate. Stuart's Uncle Leonard swindled Stuart, convincing people of Stuart's death. I'm afraid I was looking for a darker hero and Stuart seemed childish and arrogant, to me. Expecting to see an experienced heroine, Emma seemed controlled and innocent, to me. So much for my expectations. Besides having a problem with the leads, I had problems with the plot, as the chair scene was physically impossible. Nothing new in romance, I know. But I expected more from Ms. Ivory. Besides that, it wasn't particularly sexy or romantic. The sting seemed short-changed, as if it was being sqeezed in among the love scenes. And Leonard seemed quite dumb for a somewhat sucessful villian. Ms. Ivory's prose shines in many places. Some of her descriptions took me into the heart of the novel. And Stuart's entrance into a bank made me take notice. However, even with these pluses, I found UNTIE MY HEART a very disappointing read.
Rating: Summary: Unsettling romance Review: Having read other books by Ivory, I was expecting a better book. The two main characters in Untie... were lacking in dimension, chemistry, and I found it very hard to like them. The plot was dull, the "sting" tame, the villian dumb, and the romance ....missing.
I have a feeling that this author will now go on my "get at the library" list instead of buying her books.
Rating: Summary: This book is wonderful! Review: I cannot believe that anyone would not like this book. I guess it just illustrates the fact that everyone has their own unique tastes. For instance, many rave about the Christine Feehan books and I find them to be poorly written and overly melodramatic. "Untie My Heart" is an unspectacular title, I'll give you that, but there is substance to this book and as soon as I cracked it open I dove deep into these characters, their chemistry, and the wonderful texture of the writing. These are NOT typical romance characters and for that very reason this novel is stand-out. It reminds me of Black Silk, originally published under Judith's pseudonym. If you're the sort of person who enjoys romance but grows weary of the routine genre romance, this book will be refreshing delight. The sexual tensions are electric and to the snapping-point. The characters are well-drawn and interesting. There is also a wonderful dash of zany humor spicing up the sizzling sexual undertones in many of the scenes. This book, in short, is so hot I heartily recommend it with no reservations. I'm just sorry that others don't feel the same as I do. Please give us more like this one, Judith!
Rating: Summary: Not Her Best Review: I have greatly enjoyed Judith Ivory's previous works, and was surprised that I did not really enjoy this one. Perhaps its just me, but I am jarred when a character or characters seem to think and behave in ways that jump from modern back to consistant with the times in which the story is set. Or peripheral situations do not ring authentic, or seem glossed over. Anyway, both the hero and heroine are almost very engaging. I almost liked them, unfortunately, they came off more as character veneers that couldn't quite grab my sympathy. Ms. Ivory is an excellent writer, has given readers tremendous reading pleasure, and for that I am grateful. I hope her next novel returns to the 5 star level of all her other books.
Rating: Summary: Turn me loose Review: I love Judith Ivory's writing and subject matter. She has such a unique voice I look forward to each new story with great anticipation. Although the plots of "The Indiscretion" and "The Proposition" were noticeably discursive, the clever dialogue and Ms. Ivory's writing style were masterful enough to carry me through those stories. Not so in this case. "Untie My Heart" starts promisingly when plucky sheep farmer Emma Hotchkiss determines to settle the score, by fair means or foul, with a condescending viscount who runs over a valuable lamb but refuses to pay restitution. However, this story loses its tension and mystery when Stuart, the viscount, and Emma finally confront each other. After some of the intimate scenes I was left thinking "????" And some of the plot devices were dropped, such as Stuart's houseguests, why he arrived from Russia, and the bank account that Emma fraudulently opened. More importantly, I didn't feel that Stuart's feelings about his family were resolved, particularly in regards to his father's proclivities and his mother's love. The story just never built-- at some points it was bizarre, at other times, haphazard. I was left feeling strangely unsettled and dissatisfied after finishing this story. Mick from "The Proposition" was a wonderful, fully realized hero-- Stuart is a paler version of him. "Proposition" also had some great plot twists, this story does not. For me, "Untie My Heart" lost direction and drive about one-fourths of the way through the narrative. Sorry to say I was truly disappointed in this latest effort by Judith Ivory. For better examples of Ms. Ivory's writing talent I highly recommend "Starlit Surrender" as well as her titles "Bliss", "Dance", "Beast" and "The Proposition".
Rating: Summary: In a Word: Terrific Review: I must put down 9 out of every 10 books that I pick up to read nowadays. I've been a constant reader my entire life but in the past few years it seems that everything sounds the same and especially so in genre fiction. What a delight it was then to discover Judith Ivory's strongest book since "Sleeping Beauty." I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. I can't tell you how long it has been since I've been able to say that about a book. First, she creates a love story between two wonderful characters, a young widow who is a Yorkshire sheep farmer who used to be a confidence game pro with her late husband, and the new Viscount, just returned from Russia to claim his title. She sets the story in Victorian England, half of it in Yorkshire and the other half in London. She recreates this era wonderfully and I did not find the language anachronistic at all as one reviewer did. Secondly, Ivory constructs a very compelling plot around the love story, involving the two leads being at loggerheads over a legal dispute and, eventually, coming together to foil his uncle after taking on one another in battle first. You can't go wrong with any of Ivory's novels but I would especially recommend that you also secure "Sleeping Beauty" and "Black Silk". Plus, if you are willing to look for out-of-print books, I also loved her "Bliss" and "Dance" written under her real name of Judy Cuevas. I wasn't a huge fan of the two books Ivory wrote prior to this one but she certainly has sprung right back to the top with a solid A+. Yes, this is considered a romance genre novel. That is where you will find it shelved. Believe me, if you think that means it is not well written, that is going to be your huge loss.
Rating: Summary: Truly a DELIGHT Review: I must say that of all the historical romance books I've read - and believe me there have been plenty - Judith Ivory has come up with some Lulu's! This was definitely a first as she took a handsome and stuttering Viscount who inherits a vast fortune only to have it tied up in a Victorian type of probate because of an uncle who had him declared dead in an attempt to rob him blind before he could return to England from Russia. Talk about complicating one's life! So you think that's not enough of a problem? Toss in a very lovely, bouncy reformed confidence lady, who is now trying to live an honest life as a sheep farmer but because the Viscount's coach runs over her `only' male sheep - the one who would restore her to some sort of solvency...... well, life does get complicated as Emma tries to recoup her losses. This was a fabulous story, as the new Viscount runs afoul of the very angry Emma Hotchkiss, who again was not your svelte, gorgeous heroine. The characters were so delightfully different from your normal leads in a romance novel that I had difficulty in putting this one down. Where I found the previous Ivory novel "Black Silk" to be on the slow side - this was a totally different experience with fast action and lots of anticipation for what they were going to do next. Just the thought of a confidence game taking place in this era was interesting. Truly, this was a delightful read that I highly recommend.
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