2008-05-06 Definitely not up to her usual standard!

Having read others of Coulter's Sherbrook romances, I looked forward to reading this one - and what a let-down it turned out to be! Set in 19th Century England, it's the story of Rosalind de La Fontaine. As a severely beaten child, she was rescued by Ryder Sherbrook, and raised in the orphanage he sponsors. She goes to London for the season where she meets Nicholas Vail, who is drawn to her, having dreamed he has a family duty to protect her. Together Nicholas and Rosalind are led to a mysterious tome, written in a strange language which none but Rosalind can decipher. So then we are led into a sort of regency meets Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings land of undecipherable magic gobbledygook, with a drop of traditional mystery thrown in, all of which just left me cold. It seemed to me that the author was just trying to cover as many genres as possible in one book - and in my humble opinion, was successful in none of them.

Usually Coulter's books rollick along, with sparkling dialogue, but this one just didn`t make the grade. In fact I couldn't believe it was one of hers. The characters seem to lack motivation, and their actions often are inexplicable, although there are a few lighter touches, such as the singing ghost. However, the ending seemed rushed, and a great many things were never resolved - for example, who shot Nicholas and why? And all that "Land of the Pale" stuff really was beyond the pale!

I was disappointed in this one - it definitely isn't up to Coulter's usual standard.