Clare Reviews: The Lady's Command by Stephanie Laurens

Title: The Lady's Command

Author: Stephanie Laurens
Series: The Adventurer's Quartet #1

Format: Paperback

Pages: 312

Rating: 2.5/5

Blurb: The instant Captain Declan Frobisher laid eyes on Lady Edwina Delbraith, he knew she was the lady he wanted as his wife. The scion of a seafaring dynasty accustomed to success, he discovered that wooing Edwina was surprisingly straightforward—not least because she made it plain that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Declan’s vision of marriage was of a gently-reared wife to grace his arm, to manage his household, and to bear his children. He assumed that household, children, and wife would remain safely in England while he continued his life as an explorer sailing the high seas.
Declan got his wish—up to a point. He and Edwina were wed. As for the rest—his vision of marriage…
Aunt of the young Duke of Ridgware and sister of the mysterious man known as Neville Roscoe, London’s gambling king, even before the knot was tied Edwina shattered the illusion that her character is as delicate, ethereal, and fragile as her appearance suggests. Far from adhering to orthodox mores, she and her ducal family are even more unconventional than the Frobishers.
Beneath her fairy-princess exterior, Edwina possesses a spine of steel—one that might bend, but will never break. Born to the purple—born to rule—she’s determined to rule her life. With Declan’s ring on her finger, that means forging a marriage that meets her needs as well as his.
But bare weeks into their honeymoon, Declan is required to sail to West Africa. Edwina decides she must accompany him.
A secret mission with unknown villains flings unexpected dangers into their path as Declan and Edwina discover that meeting the challenge of making an unconventional marriage work requires something they both possess—bold and adventurous hearts.

“Marrying the lady of his dreams had proved suprisingly easy. Forging the marriage of his dreams…That, apparently was an entirely different challenge.”

It's generally hard for me to review regency romance books, I tend to go into them and enjoy them as just light-hearted and escapist and fun and not worry about any slightly repetitive writing or overly predictable plot lines. And I do usually enjoy Stephanie Laurens' books so it is frustrating that I just couldn't get into this one.

The romance is very different from her usual ones. The main characters are married and in love from the start so there is less tension with the relationship, however it does lead to arguably a more healthy relationship for the couple. I admired Edwina and I liked that Declan was, for the most part anyway, willing to listen to and respect her opinion. That's fairly unusal and very welcome for this genre. There was an element of romance and the relationship did develop and grow stronger over the course of the book but it just wasn't overly compelling.

The plot follows Declan as he is sent on a mission and Edwina tags along uninvited. The mystery itself wasn't particularly exciting. There were enough hints dropped that it was fairly easy to figure out who the villains of the piece were and it was frustrating that there was no real resolution. I understand that this is the first in the series and that the characters of the next book will pick up where Declan and Edwina left off - but the lack of resolution left me feeling fairly empty by the end.

There was a bit of repetition, especially with Declan's internal monologues but overall I didn't have many problems with the writing style itself and although I did occasionally want to skip through to get to the more exciting parts I didn't really struggle to read it. If you are a fan of Stephanie Laurens then I would recommend it but it's definitely my least favourite of her books to date. I will still be reading the sequel though and I am hopeful that I will enjoy it more. 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Sunday Post 14th February 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Showcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader. As always you can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the Goodreads page for that book if you're interested in finding out more about it.

Last Week on the Blog:

• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Clare Reviews: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
• Cover Reveal: Princess of Tyrone by Katie Hamstead
• January Wrap Up & February TBR

Books We Got This Week:

Grace & Style The Art of Pretending You Have It by Grace Helbig: I really enjoyed her first book and all her videos, I've already had a quick flick through this and thought it was very funny!

Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers: I love assassins, but please, please be more vengeance and less romance.

Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto: The last two (and my first two) westerns were incredible so I have high hopes for this.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: I haven't read any Ruta Sepetys and I've always meant to, the synopsis of this intrigued me so I am excited to get reading.

Traveler by Arwen Elys Dayton: I actually haven't read the first book yet but I've heard there was a cliff-hanger of sorts so I kind of wanted to wait for this first!

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer: I was in love with the Lunar Chronicles and it had such a bittersweet ending in Winter so I can't wait to return to that world.

Alive by Scott Sigler: It's been a while since I read a great dystopian and I am hoping this could be it?

Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback: This sounds very interesting. The cover intrigues me and the plot sounds very compelling. I hope to read this soon.

Kit by Marina Fiorato: I love Marina Fiorato's books, she is an auto-buy author for me and I am very excited for her new book.
Song of the Sea Maid by Rebecca Mascull: I had heard some good things about this and the idea of a female scientist in this time period does intrigue me.
The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman: I had only read half the blurb by the time I had put this in my basket at the supermarket. I got to the bit that said it was about a school for the children of master criminals. I need know no more.
These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker: Jane Austen meets X-Men??! Yes! I am beyond excited for this.

Front Lines by Michael Grant: I have heard some great things about this. I got this along with The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School as they were on offer and I am hoping to enjoy this.
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard: Another one where I haven't read the first book (because of a rumoured cliff-hanger) but I am keen to get into this series.
Curio by Evangeline Denmark: I have heard mixed things about Curio but a steampunk western intrigues me so I definitely want to try it.
Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay: Stacey Jay has written some great retellings and I have been meaning to read this one for a while.

Reading Update:

Clare:

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: 4.5 stars, I actually have a review up for this here (my first review in a while). I really enjoyed this. I loved the characters and how complex and three dimensional they felt and I really loved the unique plot. This isn't something I think I've really seen in other books set during this period.
The Lady's Command by Stephanie Laurens: 2.5 stars, I have a review coming for this next week. I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped to but I will still be reading the sequel.
In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware: 3 stars, This was kind of a failed experiment. The book itself was fine, although not particularly compelling and the characters were less than sympathetic but I just couldn't cope with the anxiety of reading a thriller.
How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss: 4 stars, Very compelling. The subject matter was difficult but well dealt with and I found it interesting to read. The characters were very strong, especially the two main characters and I really felt like I was drawn into the world. 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

January Favourites and February TBR

Ann:

This month I didn't manage to read many books as I have been a bit busy this week but I did finish about 2 books neither of which I really liked.

My favourite read had to be Dear Dylan though as it was very realistic - unlike some books which seem like the characters have lives that are unrealistically perfect whereas in Dear Dylan she goes through a lot of problems and it seems more realistic.

Clare:

This month I read a total of 16 books. It was kind of a slow reading month for me and I didn't often feel like picking up books but I did read a few that I absolutely loved. 

1) Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
My brother got me the Falling Kingdoms series for Christmas and I loved it, I thought the first book was a little slow but from the second onward it was incredible. Frozen Tides was definitely my favourite of the series (so far) and I cannot wait for the next book!
2) The Martian by Andy Weir
This book surprised me so much. This was definitely one of those books I picked up entirely for the hype around it. It doesn't sound like my kind of book at all and yet I really loved it. The science went completely over my head (my Mum is a scientist and assures me the science is amazing) but it felt so real and the humour was such a wonderful type of humour. I am very much looking forward to seeing the movie.
3) Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
The second book wasn't as good as the first in my opinion but I loved these characters and particularly how original and well researched the story was. I really felt like Anne Blankman had made an effort and it paid off with the detail and the realistic feel to the events. I look forward to reading more by her.

February TBR:

Since our TBR's often get out of control we've decided to list our top three books we plan to read in February which should hopefully be easier to manage!

Ann:

Scarlet: This sounds like a very interesting book and the cover is also wonderful. All three of theses books are on the AR reading scheme at my school.
Fracture: This also sounds like a very good book and I love the sound of it and the cover also looks very nice
Lament: I love the sound of Lament and also the cover looks wonderful.

Clare:

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

There is nothing about this blurb that I don't love. You can click the picture to go to the goodreads page and check it out - honestly this just sounds so intriguing to me and I've heard amazing things.

Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

I am actually kind of nervous for this one, I love the idea of assassins and vengeance but I am so worried it will just devolve into Romeo & Juliet style romance. With any luck the vengeance will be the main focus though!

How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss

This sounds right up my alley. I've heard good things about Clare Furniss and this sounds like a good book to start with so fingers crossed I enjoy it!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Cover Reveal: Princess of Tyrone by Katie Hamstead

Clare Reviews: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Salt to the Sea

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Format: Paperback

Pages: 400

Rating: 4.5/5

Blurb: Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

“Yet amidst all that, life has spit in the eye of death.”

The first thing that I really enjoyed about this book was how unique it was. Not necessarily in writing style, but in subject matter and in perspective. I've read a lot of books set during World War 2 and the majority of them tend to be from the perspective of British or American characters so it was very intriguing to me to have four very individual perspectives.

The voices of each character were definitely identifiable and even without the names at the beginning of each chapter I am confident I could tell them apart. Three of the characters are easily likable for different reasons whilst the fourth - Alfred, well he isn't the most pleasant. Joanna was a very strong character, very capable and a lot of the other characters depended on her and were drawn to her. It was great to see, as the book developed, her more vulnerable side though. Florian was another interesting one. He, too, was a very strong character but as we grew to discover his secrets and his motivations he became a lot more sympathetic. Emilia was very different from both of them but she very quickly became my favourite character. Her secrets are revealed slowly over the course of the book and with each one I grew to respect her more and more.

This book takes place as three of the main characters make their way to the Wilhelm Gustloff (the fourth character is already there) and their struggles along the way as well as their continuing struggles on board. I hadn’t heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff before which, given the enormity of the tragedy, was a pretty big oversight of my history teachers and it was definitely interesting for me to learn more even though it also inevitably led to some very sad moments.

This is not a happy or an easy read. Bad things happen to good people (and sometimes to bad people) and the reality behind the fiction made this doubly tragic to read. I left this book feeling as though I grew to really love these characters (except Alfred) and that I had actually learned something. I did find the writing style a bit predictable in places – someone even lets out a breath they didn’t know they were holding. But the overall story and the depth of the characters more than made up for it. This is my first Ruta Sepetys book but I will definitely be looking for more by her.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Wednesday Catch-Up 10th February 2016

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? 

This is kind of a long post this week since it goes all the way back to our last Wednesday post, so this is a few weeks worth of reading. I really missed doing these and I am glad we can get back on track with the blog now!

Clare:

Currently Reading:

This is kind of an odd one for me. I don't usually read thrillers because they make me way too anxious but the whole "remote cottage" thing really appeals to me for some reason so hopefully I will enjoy it. This is also a Richard and Judy Book Club read and I have had good luck with those before.

Recently Finished: 

I managed to finish Finnikin of the Rock although I did struggle with it, I can tell this is a great book but I've been so overwhelmed lately that I think I really needed a lighter book to read. I am planning to re-read this when I am in a more focused mood so I can really appreciate it. I then read Eighth Grave after Dark by Darynda Jones which was a really fun read. It wasn't my absolute favourite of the series so far but it definitely set up the ninth book well and I am looking forward to reading that. Then I finally read The Martian which was a great book. It was funnier and more intense than I had expected. There was a fair amount of science and I am not usually great with science but I never felt like it detracted from the plot. I've already lent this to my Mum and she is really enjoying it as well (and she really is great with science). I also really enjoyed City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong, it's not my favourite of her books but its definitely a promising start to the series. I then read Carol which I've been intrigued about because of the film, I liked it a lot and I am definitely going to see the film when I get a chance. Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans was a very unique wartime story with some interesting and morally dubious characters. I liked two of the perspectives (and the letters by Vee's mother) but I didn't like Donald's perspective as much. I then read Prisoner of Night and Fog and the sequel Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman, and I thought these were really good. They were a very original take and it was clear that they were incredibly well researched. The parts with Hitler in them made my skin crawl and I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I then read another great book set during this time period which was Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys which I have actually written a review on which will be posted tomorrow if you're interested in seeing my thoughts. And finally I read something light after all those heavy books - The Lady's Command by Stephanie Laurens. This was not my favourite of her books, I definitely didn't race through it like I usually do, but I will probably be continuing the series.

Planning to Read Next:

All three of these really appeal to me. I am probably most excited for We Are the Ants if only because it sounds so incredibly unique but all three sound amazing and just what I need right now.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading