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On a Long Ago Night

On a Long Ago Night

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Very difficult to read
Review: I like the idea that we are taken from the present to the past in flashbacks, but the writing was not strong enough to make this literary devise work. The time spent in the present and the time spent in the past went WAY too quickly (usually in 2-10 page increments). Right when I was beginning to warm up to the story, we would switch time frames. To me, this led to uncomfortable reading, not to interest. We are also missing very important parts of the past to be able to enjoy Honoria and James/Diego's relationship in the present. We are halfway through the book when we find out about their relationship, and then only to find out that they knew each other for 4 days. After eight years of being apart, I felt like saying "get on with your lives already, it was a quick 4 day fling!!!!"

My next criticism is about the characters themselves. Who exactly is Honoria? A country bluestocking, a passionate woman, or a spoiled brat? At 26 years old, I think our heroine should have been past the temper tantrum stage. She admits to her "spoiledness" and that she and her father spoiled each other, yet how can one be spoiled and self centered (part of the definition of spoiled) and yet so altruistic? She meets weekly with local "causes" to see whom she should give her money to (being that she is a Duke's heir). Her reaction to Derrick was quite believable, yet her reaction to James/Diego was completely illogical. How does she also get herself finagled into a marriage? There were too many conflicting attributes to Honoria to make her character believable or enjoyable to read about.

James/Diego was only a little bit better. He at least has the excuse that he thought Honoria was a mere merchant's daughter and married to boot He tried to forget her, truly.... Bah, if he really felt that way it should not have taken 8 years to go after her. How do you form such a strong relationship after 4 days...can we say Helsinki Syndrome on Honoria's side and lust on Diego's? Ah well, enough criticism. I did not care for this book, but those looking for a "light" read may very well enjoy the writing and tone of this book, it just seemed too superficial and illogical to me.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Very difficult to read
Review: I like the idea that we are taken from the present to the past in flashbacks, but the writing was not strong enough to make this literary devise work. The time spent in the present and the time spent in the past went WAY too quickly (usually in 2-10 page increments). Right when I was beginning to warm up to the story, we would switch time frames. To me, this led to uncomfortable reading, not to interest. We are also missing very important parts of the past to be able to enjoy Honoria and James/Diego's relationship in the present. We are halfway through the book when we find out about their relationship, and then only to find out that they knew each other for 4 days. After eight years of being apart, I felt like saying "get on with your lives already, it was a quick 4 day fling!!!!"

My next criticism is about the characters themselves. Who exactly is Honoria? A country bluestocking, a passionate woman, or a spoiled brat? At 26 years old, I think our heroine should have been past the temper tantrum stage. She admits to her "spoiledness" and that she and her father spoiled each other, yet how can one be spoiled and self centered (part of the definition of spoiled) and yet so altruistic? She meets weekly with local "causes" to see whom she should give her money to (being that she is a Duke's heir). Her reaction to Derrick was quite believable, yet her reaction to James/Diego was completely illogical. How does she also get herself finagled into a marriage? There were too many conflicting attributes to Honoria to make her character believable or enjoyable to read about.

James/Diego was only a little bit better. He at least has the excuse that he thought Honoria was a mere merchant's daughter and married to boot He tried to forget her, truly.... Bah, if he really felt that way it should not have taken 8 years to go after her. How do you form such a strong relationship after 4 days...can we say Helsinki Syndrome on Honoria's side and lust on Diego's? Ah well, enough criticism. I did not care for this book, but those looking for a "light" read may very well enjoy the writing and tone of this book, it just seemed too superficial and illogical to me.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Sequel That Does Not Quite Make It...
Review: I read in other reviews that there were a lot of flashbacks to in this book to 8 years ago. That's something that usually doesn't bother me; it creates suspense and another storyline. Not in this book. The flashbacks did not create an anxiousness to get back to the main storyline, they were just annoying interruptions to a story that was already barely holding my interests. It created a very choppy feeling in the book. I felt like I was reading two separate books and neither one was holding my attention well.

I persevered and finished the book and by the end the flashbacks felt more natural and the story had finally involved me enough to care what happened both during the flashbacks and when they ended.

That's why I gave the book 3 stars, because I did care by the end, but it took over 200 to get there.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too choppy and uninteresting for the first 200 pages
Review: I read in other reviews that there were a lot of flashbacks to in this book to 8 years ago. That's something that usually doesn't bother me; it creates suspense and another storyline. Not in this book. The flashbacks did not create an anxiousness to get back to the main storyline, they were just annoying interruptions to a story that was already barely holding my interests. It created a very choppy feeling in the book. I felt like I was reading two separate books and neither one was holding my attention well.

I persevered and finished the book and by the end the flashbacks felt more natural and the story had finally involved me enough to care what happened both during the flashbacks and when they ended.

That's why I gave the book 3 stars, because I did care by the end, but it took over 200 to get there.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Who Asked For An Encore Of The Price Of Innocence?
Review: On its own, ON A LONG AGO NIGHT is a pretty decent story of a long-ago-pirate-in-Middle-East-loves-me love story rekindled in Regency England. There are some great tender emotional scenes between the two, but frankly, it is too similar to previous book THE PRICE OF INNOCENCE for comfort.

Hero and heroine meet and have a very mad affair. Then they part and now they meet again in ballroom, each of them now rich and titled. He breaks into her bedroom, she screams at him to get out,.................

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A "Can't Put it down" story!
Review: Sizemore does a wonderful job weaving the hero & heroine's past and present stories together, resulting in a fast-paced story from beginning to end that you can't stop reading. Honoria is a strong heroine who aptly embodies the struggle between head and heart -- with the heart winning without compromising the character's intelligence and wit. Her hero, James, is a wonderful combination of strength, tenderness, and wit, with an intuitive understanding of the heoine that makes him both lovable and sexy!

I found the storyline and its subplots riveting from beginning to end, culminating nicely in an ending that left me smiling and ready to read more! Bravo, Susan!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A "Can't Put it down" story!
Review: Sizemore does a wonderful job weaving the hero & heroine's past and present stories together, resulting in a fast-paced story from beginning to end that you can't stop reading. Honoria is a strong heroine who aptly embodies the struggle between head and heart -- with the heart winning without compromising the character's intelligence and wit. Her hero, James, is a wonderful combination of strength, tenderness, and wit, with an intuitive understanding of the heoine that makes him both lovable and sexy!

I found the storyline and its subplots riveting from beginning to end, culminating nicely in an ending that left me smiling and ready to read more! Bravo, Susan!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great story
Review: The story begins with near sighted Lady Alexandra Margaret Frances Honoria Pyne preparing for a ball that her father the Duke of Pyneham was throwing... Little does she know that two of her sworn enemies (two lovers from her past) appear, trying to win her hand in marriage. And she has some problems to overcome...

Problem #1- The Honorable James Marbury (aka Diego Moresco), the ex-fisherman who became a galley slave, turned pirate... who just happens to be the long lost son of a viscount. Whom, Honoria happened to have a passionate love affair in Algiers, although she was kidnapped and bought by him. Who appears 8 years later to right the wrongs that he committed...

Problem #2- Russell Derrick, a spineless and greedy naval officer and Honoria's ex-fiancee from 8 years ago. When Derrick's ship was overtaken by the corsair pirates, he was more concerned for his own safety than Honoria's. Who only wanted to marry her for money in the first place. Then, cried off the engagement when there was any hint that Honoria's honor was compromised. And now he's back to claim her inheritance once again.

Problem #3- The Duke of Pyneham, who just happens to be her father, who is bent on finding her a husband. Whether Honoria wants one or not...

Well, throw these problems in and you find strong-willed, stubborn and control freak Honoria in a situation that is beyond her control. Who is blind to her own passion and love from a man that she can't quite trust.

There are some entertaining and witty dialogue betweeen Honoria and her suitors, and she definitely keeps them on their toes. James and Honoria in the "Rogues Gallery" is one of the funniest "I love you" scenes, if not classic for it is not the most typical of reconciliation scenes. I found the hero utterly charming, despite his pirate past (okay, it made him even more sexy) and the heroine for surviving a terrible scandal and a broken heart.

Susan Sizemore tells a clever love story, by fusing together the past and the present... switching back and forth the two to build tension and mystery. At times, I found the switching a bit tedious because I was so anxious to find out what happened in the past and how it was going to end... and had to peak ahead to appease my own curiosity. But still two days well spent reading this fun and romantic love story.

Julianne

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hard to follow and... dull
Review: This book began with a wonderful premise: Two lovers reunited in a different time and place, each holding strong memories of the other. What follows is a series of scenes written in the present and scenes written about their brief fling in the past. The result is two story lines going at once. Just about the time you get interested in one, you're jostled back to the other. I got to where I didn't care about either, since I was disoriented and kept feeling like I'd walked into a movie 20 minutes late. The worst part was Honoria claimed she was usually a quiet, logical sort. I NEVER saw any indication of that. From the first, she behaved like a teenager, always foot stomping and snapping at James/Diego. He wanted to marry her and undo the wrong he had done her years ago. She refused to even hear his reasons for his past behavior, despite the fact she still wanted him. The author indicates that Honoria can't trust James/Diego, but takes much too long to tell us why. The book ends up looking as if it's about a selfish, spoiled deb who is too busy reading books to listen to a man who genuinely desires and cares for her. I believe, from reading Ms. Sizemore's words, that she is capable of some wonderful storytelling. This just isn't it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hard to follow and... dull
Review: This book began with a wonderful premise: Two lovers reunited in a different time and place, each holding strong memories of the other. What follows is a series of scenes written in the present and scenes written about their brief fling in the past. The result is two story lines going at once. Just about the time you get interested in one, you're jostled back to the other. I got to where I didn't care about either, since I was disoriented and kept feeling like I'd walked into a movie 20 minutes late. The worst part was Honoria claimed she was usually a quiet, logical sort. I NEVER saw any indication of that. From the first, she behaved like a teenager, always foot stomping and snapping at James/Diego. He wanted to marry her and undo the wrong he had done her years ago. She refused to even hear his reasons for his past behavior, despite the fact she still wanted him. The author indicates that Honoria can't trust James/Diego, but takes much too long to tell us why. The book ends up looking as if it's about a selfish, spoiled deb who is too busy reading books to listen to a man who genuinely desires and cares for her. I believe, from reading Ms. Sizemore's words, that she is capable of some wonderful storytelling. This just isn't it.


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