Rating: 
Summary: Fun and touching BUT...
Review: If you didn't know, this was THE book earlier this year. I caught the fever and haunted the new bookstores (What do you mean, you don't have it? It's barely a month old! No, I don't want Nora Roberts!) and scavenged the old ones, but I never found it. Then I got wise and ordered it from Half.com, and settled down over my precious fall break to read my much-anticipated treasure.I've good news and bad news. The bad news... nothing can live up to my expectations. By now, I thought it would be a cross between Rhett's staircase kiss and a direct revelation from God. But when I finished it, I felt as if what I'd really gotten were a few Hershey's chocolate nuggets (you know, satisfyingly good but not that great) and that God was actually just some guy over the store loudspeaker. I like my men to be gentlemen. Brent wasn't. Oh, he has a title, and you're suppose to think that underneath that tough, unloved exterior he is. I'll buy that, but that doesn't rub away my impression that he's just kind of... cold. And blunt. Expect him to be very blunt and straight-forward, expect a lot of twists, misunderstandings... that began to annoy me when Ashworth would pile one "incident" on top of the other until... I didn't really care, anymore. You can read the list of the reviewer underneath, but come on, babe, it's FICTION, and I've never came across anything in my life that was perfect. But the good news, now. Despite what I've said, it's very well-written, and the heroine far surpasses the hero in my opinion. She's smart and ambitious and kind in her own particular way. Every modern woman would understand Caroline's position, as in, encountering even today in our "enlightened" times bigotry about women's intelligence, and the issue of pursuing a career or having a family. Take a chance, and see if this book works for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Avery good but very unique historical regency
Review: In 1815, brilliant Caroline Grayson wants to be a botanist. Her ingenious research in her father's garden on mixing roses is way ahead of its time, but ignored by the male-only botanists field because women are scorned as being too dumb. Caroline is accepted to attend Columbia University by pretending to be a man. Though Caroline plans to travel to New York in a few months, her father has other ideas for his favorite daughter. He decides she should marry their neighbor, The Earl of Weymerth, Brent Ravenscroft. He blackmails the Earl into agreeing to the nuptials and Caroline has no choice but to marry the Earl. Brent and Caroline are immediately attracted to each other and soon they fall in love. However, there are many problems and hidden agendas that need to be worked out between the pair if they are to share a lifetime of happiness together. Awesome Adele Ashworth scribes one of the best Regency romances of the year with My Darling Caroline. The story line cleverly yet entertainingly discusses the prejudice normally intelligent and rational men have towards intelligent females. Readers will admire the lead female protagonist for her courage, passion, and refusal to give in to the male establishment. As wonderful a role model as Caroline is, Brent is that rare huggable male, who understands and urges his wife to use her brain even as he wants her to be his loving wife and mother to his children. Ms. Ashworth raises the level of Regency romance by her touching story line that demonstrates what we all lose when any group is the recipient of prejudicial behavior. Historical romance readers of all eras will be totally enthralled by this absorbing drama which also happens to be the debut novel of tomorrow's superstar . Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: I just adored this book
Review: It's a rare book that is fast-paced, witty, and emotionally moving. A couple of the plot twists were a bit convenient, but the book was so good I didn't care!
Rating: 
Summary: amateurish, disjointed and genuinely (a little bit) moving
Review: Ms. Ashworth has real problems with plot development. Plot devices are introduced with an abruptness that makes the reader's head spin, only to disappear without a trace. Motivation among these characters is confusing to say the least, of course, when you fail to understand Ms. Ashworth can be relied upon to explain it all - usually about 100 pages late. to make matters worse, Ms. Ashworth has a wholly inadequate grasp of the period. We don't mind the leap of faith required to imagine a young woman of the period who wants to study in the University above all else, it is the little things that annoy. Ashworth gets titles wrong, whisks characters about England with a rapidity that would require horseless carriages, and her idea of espionage in the Napoleonic period is nothing short of grotesque. Her idea of human character is equally distorted. Would that we all had a set of such omniscient, omnipotent, devoted relatives. To top it all off, Ms. Ashworth's grasp of the English language is shaky. So why read an Ashworth book? Because sometimes, just sometimes, she writes a scene where the emotions are compelling and we are genuinely moved by the plight of the hero and heroine.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and loving
Review: My Darling Caroline is one of the best books I have read in months. The characters Caroline and Brent were filled wth such raw emotins. It was good to see such a hero who was just an ordinary man with needs and desires. Caroline expressed views that still affect women today and how our spouses should react to those views. A++++
Rating: 
Summary: Not for me --
Review: Reviews are interesting; in the end, however, a review is only that reader's opinion. I had heard many good things about this book, especially raves about the gorgeous cover. It's different, that's for sure. Unfortunately, before I'd managed to get out of the first chapter, quite a few of my 'uh-oh' buttons had been pushed, and by page 65--chapter six--they were worn out from so much pounding, and I closed the book. If you want to read about very modern-day characters, using modern-day language, but grafted onto a supposedly historical novel set in 1815, then you might be able to like this book. "Please respect that decision" is not quite what I would imagine a new wife of that era telling her husband, after she's calmly informed him that she has no intention of carrying a child. Any child. Regardless of her supposed intelligence, I found Caroline to be a very one-sided character, and Brent no better. Their 1999 sensbilities grated immensely, and even by page 65 I was confused about time-lines, etc. Too many books, too little time.
Rating:
Summary: Right era, wrong author
Review: The best written romances are often the older ones. The most talented authors will either cross over into writing for mainstream audiences or pump out book after book with quality being sacrificied for quantity which is too bad. I haunt Amazon for good reviews of older romances--particularly regency era historicals. This book has been reviewed here and on other websites with, mostly, glowing reviews. I really looked forward to receiving and reading it and so was astonished at how badly written I found it to be. This may be called an historical romance but the actions of the protagonists and the dialogue was more out-of-the era than in it. I don't think people in 1813 called one another "sexy" as the hero called the heroine, constantly in this book. The plot was standard "marriage of convenience" and when handled skillfully can work. Not in this case. In fact, I found it so difficult to sustain belief that I just could not finish it. There are fewer and fewer romances written with any skill and intelligence. I'll keep looking for them, though.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story.
Review: This is a pleasant book with a very interesting heroine - a botany genius who is denied a chance in furthering her studies because of her gender. It is heartbreaking to read of her frustration. The author has a wonderful way with words, and I fully recommend this to my friends. Having said that, the Big Misunderstanding blew me away by surprise. I don't like it - it feels like a device. However, it doesn't really spoil the story. Read this book and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful debut book!
Review: This is a wonderfully written, emotionally satisfying book with characters I cared a lot about. Caroline Grayson wants tbreed flowers, unfortunately, in 1800s England women are not taken seriously as scholars and Caroline's efforts to attend university seem thwarted. Just when she has made up her mind to leave everything behind and go to school (under a name that won't reveal she is a woman) her father determines she is to marry. Her first meeting with the Earl of Weymerth is not a promising one, but after the wedding, Caroline begins to discover just what a wonderful person her husband, Brent, really is. She must still decide whether to give up her dream or to leave Brent, whom she has fallen in love with, not to mention little Rosalyn whom she loves as well. Brent's past as a spy also poses problems. I absolutely loved this book. Caroline and Brent are wonderful lead characters and I hope you'll give them a try.
Rating:
Summary: A very powerful dramatic story!
Review: This is the type of a romantic drama that everyone will enjoy to read. Although, historical romance wasn't the type of book I wanted to read but after reading this novel. I began to enjoy and appreciate the quality and entertaining stories like this. I am looking forward to read Miss Adele Ashworth's next novel!!
| 
