Jessie Clever

3.75 Stars
A slow-burn historical romance that starts off the series, this novel has a great premise, a beautiful seaside setting (when not in London), and some dynamic characters. The MC takes most of the book for her gradual change from wallflower to strong duchess, and the likeable but gullible male lead takes that long to help make both of them feel secure. The supporting characters are interesting and well-written and the story flows quickly and consistently. I'll try the next book to show more see what happens with the bestie. A good read for a rainy day.

GoodReads FirstReads Giveaway show less

Could use a touch of editing, but I am happy to overlook that since it hit on so many of my favored tropes!! One small complaint: I think Dax needed to do more groveling. The angst was soooo delicious, but in the end I felt like Eliza was too forgiving, when all he really ever did to make things right was to send ball invitations that supposedly gave her some power over him. I like the concept of him making himself vulnerable as PART of his redemption but I feel like he really should have show more had to do more after how much he hurt her. Overall a solid win for several of my shelves! show less

Dax wants an ugly wife so he won't fall in love, having been jilted by his first love. He picks Eliza Darby, a wallflower who loves dogs. Of course, the marriage doesn't go the way he planned.
I loved Eliza. She's intelligent and acknowledges the real faults in her appearance. My initial good opinion on Dax gradually decreased as the story goes on and I would have thought more of Eliza at the end if she'd not kept letting him get away with stuff with the ex. The villains were pasteboard show more caricatures, and I hated the confrontation scene on the beach.
It's a quick read but not a book I'd recommend. show less

Review can also be found in Chill and read

Society’s most capable housekeeper, the infallible Miss Eleanora Quinton, has a problem. Not only does a dead body fall right into the middle of her mistress’s ball and her son gets kidnapped, the only person who can help her also forces her to face her most crippling fears.

The heroin is a woman that has suffered a lot, away from her family, serving her aunt’s family and now a house in London for more than 10 years now. She is known to the show more house and her maids as strict and infallible and she is treated with respect. Turns out she is known to her mistress’s peers.

The story starts with a murder during a ball. A mystery kind of book that evolves to a historical romance. The beginning is very promising and the reader expects to find a really good plot and a couple of twists just around the corner. As a matter of fact, the story line is a good one, even though one would not expect that housekeepers get noticed by the peerage, but yet again, this is fiction we are talking about. It could continue really good and turn to a very interesting book, if it wasn’t written in a hurry… At least this is what sums up.

It is an easy read. The hero, Nathan, is a real hero in the book and is described as that. He is displayed to be thoughtful and caring, apart from being a spy and a brave man. His actions are up to the formed character. The heroine, Nora, is a woman that rarely smiles. She is running her staff on a firm hand. Somehow, these two fell in love quickly enough to get married in-spite of the common logic.

The story evolves surprisingly fast. All obstacles come clear miraculously. There should be some more development on the action/spy scenes. They would provide that special touch to make the book something more than a purely love story. There is room for improving and addressing a wider audience. Yet again, this is up to the author to take into account.

The book was provided as a prize of the "Big Summer Reading Giveaway" hosted by the author. show less