A Season for Love

Rating:
Summary: an interesting read
Review: For eight years, Lady Caroline Carlington, the daughter of the powerful Duke of Longville, lived in the country with her mother (the Duchess of Longville) in seclusion and in anonymity. But now, with her mother's death, and her father's recent marriage to the dashing Eugenia Wharton, Lady Caroline finds herself suddenly having to deal with the London social scene. For a young lady who has been brought up to scorn the frivolous ways of Society, Lady Caroline has a lot to contend with; but add to that the fact that her relationship with her new stepmother started on the wrong foot, and the fact that she seems to be strangely attracted to her stepmother's brother, Anthony Norvile, and one begins to wonder if Lady Caroline will be able to cope at all...

I really wanted to like "A Season for Love." It seemed to contain all the ingredients necessary for a good thoughtful read: a young lady who has been brought up not to trust the men of her class (esp her father); her feelings and experiences at being suddenly thrust into Society; and her confused feelings for new stepmother -- more esp, her stepmother's brother, her new "uncle." And yet there were a few "niggles," that prevented me from rating "A Season for Love" as a truly excellent read. For starters though, don't trust the plot synopsis at the back of the book. For while Lady Caroline was one of the book's focal points, the novel really focuses on the budding relationship and romance that develops between the Duke of Longville and his new duchess. I rather the duke and duchess, and felt sympathetic for all that they were going through, but since I had bought the book on the notion that the book was going to focus on Lady Caroline, I felt a little shortchanged. But truthfully speaking this should not be classified as a "niggle." So what really got to me? The entire subplot involving the disgruntled anarchists. The book already had two subplots that needed a lot of attention: the subplot involving Lady Caroline, and the other one involving the Duke and Duchess of Longville. And the subplot involving Lady Caroline and all that she was going through as she tried to navigate her way through the ton, work out her feelings for Anthony, her father and her new stepmother, was already, in my opinion, suffering at the expense of the other subplot. So that this minor third subplot involving the three angry and dissatisfied anarchists took up far too many pages -- was this subplot even necessary, I wonder? If only the book had focused more on Lady Caroline and her feelings at having a new stepmother to contend with, the confusion she feels about her attraction to Anthony, and her feelings about her relationship with her once estranged father and being forced to endure a season ... the book then would have been a more enjoyable read for me. Nonetheless, I'd still rate "A Season for Love" as a truly interesting 3 star read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: I think the Romantic Times BOOKclub review says it all about A Season for Love. It classified it as a compelling page turner: "...this is a wonderful read. The storytelling alone captured my attention right from the start." What I loved about it was that it wasn't a boring run-of-the-mill traditional love story - it was a sensitive story of two families and how they manage to blend together despite the many pitfalls they faced. I can't wait to read Bancroft's next book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: I think the Romantic Times BOOKclub review says it all about A Season for Love. It classified it as a compelling page turner: "...this is a wonderful read. The storytelling alone captured my attention right from the start." What I loved about it was that it wasn't a boring run-of-the-mill traditional love story - it was a sensitive story of two families and how they manage to blend together despite the many pitfalls they faced. I can't wait to read Bancroft's next book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: On the eve of her father's marriage to a 2nd wife, Lady Caroline Carlington rides into London with some very important news. She has lived in a country cottage for most of her life, and has a strong aversion for city life. When she meets her father's intended, they don't get along.

When she meets her father's intended's BROTHER, it's a different story. Anthony Norville, Viscount Frayne, is everything Caroline wants to avoid. In an attempt to put their first scandalous meeting behind them, Anthony and Caroline spend more time together, and their attraction slowly builds.

In my opinion, however, the real "stars" of the story are Marcus (Caroline's father) and Jen (Marcus' new wife). What starts as a marriage of convenience becomes more than they expected. As a whole, I really enjoyed their story.

Still, I felt like this novel was lacking something. The pacing, especially at the beginning, was excruiatingly slow. I had to MAKE myself read. However, it did get better over time. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A family affair
Review: On the eve of her father's marriage to a 2nd wife, Lady Caroline Carlington rides into London with some very important news. She has lived in a country cottage for most of her life, and has a strong aversion for city life. When she meets her father's intended, they don't get along.

When she meets her father's intended's BROTHER, it's a different story. Anthony Norville, Viscount Frayne, is everything Caroline wants to avoid. In an attempt to put their first scandalous meeting behind them, Anthony and Caroline spend more time together, and their attraction slowly builds.

In my opinion, however, the real "stars" of the story are Marcus (Caroline's father) and Jen (Marcus' new wife). What starts as a marriage of convenience becomes more than they expected. As a whole, I really enjoyed their story.

Still, I felt like this novel was lacking something. The pacing, especially at the beginning, was excruiatingly slow. I had to MAKE myself read. However, it did get better over time. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars.