Heartless

Rating:
Summary: Kat Martin scores again!
Review: When I read the a review on HEARTLESS, I thought, "Oh, oh! Another plot placed in England in the early 19th century that has been done to death." Wrong! It could easily have been just another story of a poor peasant girl meets and falls in love with the local Earl....except Ms. Martin doesn't write anything just like anyone else. The peasant girl, Ariel, made a bargain with the Earl of Greville if he would send her to school so she could learn both academics and the fine art of being a lady when not to the manor born. By the time she graduates, the elderly Earl has passed on and his son, the handsome but cold-hearted Justin Ross is ready to collect on the bargain that was cast between the previous Earl and Ariel. She on the other hand has already made plans to renege on the arrangement. So begins a wonderful story of two people at opposite ends of the caste system that meet on the common ground known as love. They don't arrive at it easily, but once they do, sparks fly in the special way Ms. Martin has of making romantic scenes come alive and leaving you more then a little breathless! Oh, and as a special bonus....I understand there's a sequel to look forward to involving Justins friend, the handsome but slightly mysterious Clayton and Ariels spirtited friend Kassandra. This will be quite a twosome and I'm eagerly awaiting RESTLESS!

Rating:
Summary: Dull, not romantic, somber, depressing, could not finish
Review: With great hopes that I would enjoy this book, I could not. I tried. I read almost all of it before giving up because I could not care what happened to the characters. This book, although it began well, began to disappoint early: when the hero, Justin, as soon as he met the heroine, Ariel, demanded that she take off her clothes. Demanded! and made her beg him not to do that. Also, his constant sentiments of "I want you," and references to that fact were not necessary. We know from reading it the first few times. The book was boring, not romantic, somber, depressing, and had no humor. I like books with some element of fun and adventure, and good conversation and this was a book with none of that. The long-awaited first consummation love scene, before which she suddenly realized that she loved him (although it was nearly impossible to see what she found in him to love and that she didn't tell him of her love) lacked something. It was just mechanical, not fun or interesting to read at all. It's hard to read a book where they do very little besides stay at home. This book was very boring. Although set in 1800s England, the dialogue was 2001 American. Read Amanda Quick for humor, fun, adventure, and the way she has a handle on the wit, vocabulary and phrasing actually used in England, so we'll feel engrossed by the story and as if we've been transported to another world. Read this if you like somber, boring and undeveloped characters. I did not finish this book and it's not a keeper.