| Title | : | Beguiled (Regency Trilogy, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0373771312 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780373771318 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published December 1, 2006 |
But when Mark, her burdensome fianc�, is revealed to be none other than the rogue of her dreams, Ally must make a choice: plunge into a world of murder and deceit without a protector, or place her trust in the man who lies to her but makes her heart sing.
Beguiled (Regency Trilogy, #3) Reviews
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2.5 stars
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I think I would consider this more of a mystery than a true romance. There was a great story going on here, but most of the book was centered around a murder investigation. I loved the premise of the highwayman, and Mark and Ally's characters, but I wish the author would have based the novel more on their relationship. Otherwise, it was a good read and kept you on the edge of your seat wondering who the killer was.
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Too obviously derivative of Sleeping Beauty--a blond, beautiful (secretly) princess living in "the forest" in a charming cottage with three aunts. Did not interest me, but I finished it hoping it'd get better. Blah.
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All I have to say is that if I ever get kidnapped I hope it would turn out something like this book!
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When I first read the book, I bought it by mistake. It had the title of another book I was looking for. But since then, it's remained a favorite to fall back on.
In my reread, which I do every few years, I found a lot that I didn't like. Makes sense given that this book was written nearly 15 years ago and I was a different person back then lol. The parts I hated this time around was the blatant monarchist, actually royalist (Queen Victoria) of the main characters and the occasional controlling aspect of the hero, though the latter is often combated by the heroine's rebellious side so not too annoying. It made the reread less enjoyable given where I am now. Also something that takes me out is the heroine's name during that era.
I still loved the parts that were my favorite: highwayman, Sleeping Beauty AU, triangle for two and the mystery—which seems to be more forefront than the romance and actually may have been what won me over for this book. Maybe it was nostalgia and hitting all the other right notes in favorite tropes, but I still really like the book because it's a lot of fun. I tend to like romances where it's not heavily a romance? Some of my favorite romances aren't the main story. -
The story was itself was whimsical and the level of intensity was flat up until the end. I would call this CPD or Can't put down. You can easily read it and leave it then come back. Although the story had a great amount of mystery and puzzle solving and murders the writing just didn't really bring it to life. The Protagonist the Heroine was a lot of fun interaction as they bicker but I thought the Author got lazy in the love scenes, the description didn't really make the read understand what the lovers where thinking. It felt like a quick pass over. I know it can get tedious when a couple has sex constantly but in this case they didn't. In which case the first time they came together should have felt more profound which is why I rated at 3 stars. It also felt as if the Author was playing it to save with the main characters such as all (spoiler) her guardians and godparents. Too much goodness which could have been counter balances with another set of characters with problems. Shall I read the previous two? Mmm not sure.
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4.5 stars. I don’t normally like it when a book has long chapters (424 pages and 18 chapters) and wasn’t sure what to expect but I really enjoyed this book. It is a Sleeping Beauty retelling with a heroine, Ally, who was raised in a cottage in the woods by three elderly women she calls her aunts. Our hero, Mark, disguised as a highwayman, stops her coach one night only to learn she is the girl he had been betrothed to since childhood. Ally is unaware she was betrothed to anyone until her wedding is announced at a gathering the following night. Ally also secretly writes a newspaper column under a pseudonym supporting the monarchy in a time of political unrest, making her a target for anti-monarchists. Oh, and did I mention there is also a string of murders? Mark and Ally figure out each other’s secrets early on, but it takes several chapters before they reveal to each other that they’re on to each other, which is why I knocked off half a star, but I still really enjoyed it.
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[Mark] was laughing at her, [Ally] was certain. And yet, she was going to marry the man. And her decision had nothing to do with honor.
Rather... all she could think of was his touch. Was this feeling, this thing like desperation, falling in love? Was love a simple hunger, a need...?
She lifted her chin. She was going to marry him. She might well be falling in love.
But she wasn't going to make it easy for him.
(Shannon Drake, Beguiled, p.249)
The romance is actually bumped to the secondary plot very quickly. The main plot is a cozy mystery about a serial murderer making martyrs of anti-monarchist authors during a period of political unrest under Queen Victoria. It’s very interesting and more enjoyable than the romance, because the tiresome mistaken-identity-but-not-really issue lasts so long that the two don’t have a lot of time to let their guard down and learn about each other before the wedding. Mark, the fiancé, first meets Ally while in disguise, and while it tries to subvert this plot device by having her recognize him their first meeting as themselves, Shannon Drake decides to drag out this subterfuge where Ally teases him about his other identity and he hems and haws about if she knows or not. But he acts as if he knows she does, otherwise he should be livid over how shamelessly she’s throwing herself at his other identity. Once that bothersome pseudo-roleplaying junk has passed they have an interesting and intellectually combative dynamic. She’s very smart and quick to put clues together after Mark’s taken ages to draw the same conclusions with firsthand knowledge.
Ally is strong-willed, driven, and dogged, and I thought she was a great, flawed character. As an occasional writer myself I totally understand her need to put pen to paper in the face of her own death. When it’s in you it has to come out, be it in ink or in blood. Mark is pretty interesting, too. He’s one of a hundred other Victorian-era wealthy amateur detectives I’ve come across over the years but I was fascinated to find him in a romance novel of all places.
The sex scenes are skippable. I wish the flirting/mistaken identity scenes were too, but it’s their only one-on-one interaction for some time so it’s our only chance to see any relationship development.
CHARACTERS:
I really liked the two main characters, and I wish there were more with the three spinster sisters, but everyone else was meh. This is the third book in a trilogy so reading the first two probably could have charmed me to them a little more.
ROMANCE:
Theirs is going to be a turbulent relationship of stubborn intellectual equals, and I wish the mistaken identity nonsense had been rethought so we could have spent more time enjoying their relationship development.
PLOT/SOLUTION:
The romance plot is nothing special but the murder mystery is fantastic and engaging. Luckily it takes the most room in the book. I’m on the fence about changing the avatar to the mystery icon, but it’s marketed as a romance so I’m going to stick with that.
OTHER ASPECTS:
+
So now I’ve learned that Shannon Drake does mystery very well, romance moderately well, and should stay away from comedy. When we learn that Ally was raised by her three spinster sisters in a cottage in the woods naturally your brain jumps to Sleeping Beauty. At that point, it’s funny. But the author doesn’t trust us to get the reference and starts throwing comparisons at us like bricks, each more blatant than the last. It would be totally excusable if there were enough to call it a retelling, but it’s not, it’s just tiresome. And things are kept from Ally for uncomfortably long times for no reason but suspense (example: she asks multiple people throughout the initial party what’s going on/what everyone is so excited about but everyone clumsily changes the subject when confronted).
But I'm actually going to bring this section up to a half star, because I’m in love with the cover art and it's worth more to me than the above nitpicking. Jon Paul’s work is amazing and he does a lot of romance cover-type works.
THE VERDICT?
I enjoyed it, but it’s not a favorite romance. If that whole side of the plot had been downplayed some more it would make an excellent mystery novel. -
I love Heather Graham and this was my first time trying out Shannon Drake. It was not a bad read but I do prefer the Graham novels better, perhaps due to being a different genre. I did enjoy the characters that were added to this book such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Queen Victoria. Even though this was a fictional book it was nice to see that the author actually knew enough about the location and the time to be able to incorporate actual people into the story line.
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In this series each book was better than the last. Unfortunately the entire series focuses on something I've never been interested in. Mystery. I hate mystery novels. I always have. I enjoyed how independent each woman was, and how their men had to learn to adjust. Mr. Mark had to learn that you shouldn't marry someone just to control them. That's messed up.
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An awesome novel
This novel has a really good story. An orphan marrying the son of an earl, whom is secretly a highway man that investigates murder. This has a shocking twist to keep you guessing. I recommend this book. -
It was ok. I liked the mystery part of this book
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Unnecessary editing errors - for example, how did Lord Wittburg end up in Lord Farrow's carriage (p. 251).
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5 de 5
Leer reseña de Ladrón de Corazones, aquí:
Cami's Blog
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https://enlamentedecam.blogspot.com/2...) -
"Strano, pensò. Solo poche settimane prima Ally non era che una vaga promessa fatta a suo padre. Ora invece… Era tutto per lui. Nessuno doveva farle del male. Non riusciva più a immaginare la sua vita senza di lei."
Terzo e ultimo libro che chiude più che degnamente questa bella trilogia! ;D Il secondo libro mi aveva un po' delusa, ma con questo siamo tornati ai livelli del primo, con cui tra l'altro ha in comune il richiamo ad una fiaba (mentre sparisce l'ambientazione egizia) che nel primo era la bella e la bestia mentre qui è chiaramente la bella addormentata nel bosco! *ç* infatti nella prima metà del libro abbiamo una giovane bellissima e gentile, allevata da tre dolci anziane in una casetta in mezzo ai boschi. Un giorno la ragazza (che in realtà è una principessa) viene invitata ad un ballo, le tre "nonne" le cuciono un bellissimo vestito e le tre madrine le fanno ognuna un dono per il grande annuncio: è stato combinato il suo matrimonio con un ragazzo nobile e bellissimo...ma sconosciuto. La ragazza però è innamorata di un giovane che ha incontrato nel bosco e con cui ha danzato a piedi nudi...potrebbero essere la stessa persona? Favola a parte, anche qui abbiamo una bella parte gialla, stavolta l'assassino (almeno per me) è stato impossibile da individuare considerando il gran numero di vittime e le varie teorie XD Ritroviamo tutte le coppie e i vari personaggi degli altri volumi e i due protagonisti, Ally e Mark, riescono a tenere viva l'attenzione, finalmente abbiamo una lei che non si lascia infinocchiare da una maschera e che è determinata a non farsi trattare come una bambolina di porcellana (certo, qualche colpo di testa un po' da scemotta ce lo regala ma non si può avere tutto! XD) e un lui altrettanto determinato e fascinoso! ;D -
Un libro interesante... he leído varios libros históricos, pero este es el primero ambientado durante la regencia. Fue interesante ver la pelea de Monárquicos y antimonárquicos por hacer oír sus voces. Realmente, ignoraba esa parte de la historia de Inglaterra, es agradable que un libro nos enseñe cosas nuevas.
Mark es encantador, ya sea como bandido, como investigador o en su papel de caballero hijo de un conde. Fue divertido ver a Mark celoso porque Ally prefiriera más a su alter ego bandido que a él mismo.
Ally es un personaje atractivo, una mujer moderna que quiere perseguir sus sueños y no está pensando solamente en un matrimonio beneficioso, como suele suceder en este tipo de novelas.
No me gusto mucho como se revela la “verdad” sobre Ally, me pareció un poco tirado de los pelos y sin muchas más consecuencias. Falto la verdadera reflexión de la protagonista y sus reacciones al saber la noticia que, para mi gusto, tomo con demasiada liviandad.
También me hubiera gustado un poco más de romance entre los protagonistas. Me parece que el libro se centro demasiado en los asesinatos y el misterio, dejando de la lado el romance. Mark se desaparecía o llegaba tarde a todas sus citas con Ally y eso ya era bastante exasperante.
De todos modos, me gusto el libro y lo recomendaría como novela histórica de suspenso/misterio con algo de romance.
3.5 -
I ♥ Queen Victoria
...y los libros ambientados en la época.
Al estilo de La Bella Durmiente, Ally es una huerfana criada en el bosque por sus tres tías hasta el día en que, ajá, sus mentores le anuncian un compromiso pactado desde su nacimiento. Como toda chica moderna, Ally lo último que necesita es un marido que le impida labrar su propio futuro, además anda por ahí un ladronzuelo sensual acosandola. ¿Qué será de nuestra ocupada protagonista?
Ya lo sabemos todo.
Shannon Drake, aka Heather Grahamm, o al revés ¿a quién le importa? tiene una manera muy digerible de contar sus romances, a la vez que se da tiempo para enriquecerlos con datos de la época. Lo cierto es que acabas transportada.
Sí es verdad, que como en muchas de estas novelas el instalove es el gran protagonista y todo lo demás le rinde culto. Pero qué importa si tenemos crimen, misterio y diálogos filosos para desviarnos la mente hacia conjeturas que sí, acaban por ser ciertas y que lectora tan inteligente soy.Lo siento, últimamente me da por el sarcasmo feminista. Pero soy una chica y mis hormonas se rinden.
El caso es que, fans de Nora Roberts and Co., acá hay una buena opción para seguir intoxicándonos con estrogénos. -
**** "Beguiled" is how Lady Ally and Lord Mark, affianced in childhood, respond to each other, and the reader responds to the sparkling dialogue and fast action. Author Shannon Drake twists a historical romance into a royal espionage thriller, a complex multi-layer whodunit to the very last pages, a galloping carriage kidnap finale. Both her protagonists have secret lives. Mark uses disguises, outward flighty gambler about town and secret daring highwayman, to help Scotland Yard and Queen Victoria solve murders and uphold the monarchy. Ally, apparently an orphan, stubbornly refuses to believe she endangers herself and her loved ones, who have hidden her royal heritage, by personally delivering anonymous opinions to the newspaper, about the murders and for the monarchy. Ally carries her independence too far for me, but ahh, beauty, and love thereof, conquers all.
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This book is the last in her trilogy. The first being “Wicked” and the second being “Reckless.” While “Wicked” was not one of Shannon Drake’s better books, I do have to say that both “Reckless” and “Beguiled” are must reads for any historical romance or Shannon Drake fan. Critics of this book ask how the hero and heroine are able to fall in love when they never seem to be together. First of all, I have to say that they are together plenty, but for the murder mystery plot to keep developing, the hero and heroine are separated also. This is a very nice change from the hero and heroine NEVER leaving one another’s sides. The hero and heroine have great chemistry, and I just love this book!
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I know That Shannon Drake is the psuedonym for Heather Graham... so I picked up a book, I LOVE Heather Graham, but this was no good, The story just was non-existent, and i know many of you are asking me what I expected from a bodice ripper, but so many times there actually is a story line to these that actually is interesting and actually makes sense. I finished this book a few days ago and I honestly couldn't go back and give you a good synopsis of it. Very dissapointing for fans of Heather Graham
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This is the worst book I've read in a very long time. It is anachronistic, stilted, peopled with terribly unrealistic and unsympathetic characters, and overall wretched. As annoyingly stubborn as the female lead is, she cannot even come close to the "hero", whose behavior is perplexingly obtuse and pointless. Even the "mystery" ending is a complete cop-out (BOTH of the obvious suspects committed the crime together?! Oh PLEASE.) Drake/Graham insults her readers' intelligence from start to finish in this awful novel, which is actually deserving of no stars at all.
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I love Shannon Drake's work and was not disappointed. Her way of writing mystery and romance into history is captivating and enjoyable. However, if I were her, I would not use this same editor again, since there were multiple places where characters' names were where they shouldn't have been. (Who said that? I don't know, but Maggie's not there, so it wasn't really her, though that's what the text read...)
I highly recommend if you enjoy historical romance and mystery. -
Ally Grayson & Mark Farrow
Anti-Monarchists are killing each other to try to turn people against the crown. Mark is dressing as a highwayman to try and catch the killer - dangerous for a future Earl. Ally is an anonymous writer whose causing a frenzy and has the murderers after her. They were engaged as children and Ally was raised by 3 Aunts. They discover each other's secret. -
For the full review (and the last entry in the Disney Princess Look-Alike Series), visit
That's What She Read. -
3.5 stars. It had been many years since I read the first two books in this series. I had forgotten most of what had happened in those books. I may have enjoyed this more if I had read it closer to the others.
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boring and dry, not very interesting
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longish, standard regency. Not bad.
he's a highway man AND lord, and she's engaged to him.
you figure out the details. -
Regency
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historical romance
