Review: How The Marquess Was Won (Pennyroyal Green series) - ENG

Author: Julie Anne Long
Original Title: How The Marquess Was Won
Release Year: 2012
 
Literary Genre: Romance
Setting: England, regency
Series: 6° of Pennyroyal Green series

Vote: 8/10

I think the author should improve her novel starts: by what I've read so far, I have the impression that the stories beginning share a not particularly captivating factor, clearly isn't the same in every Long's romances. Truth be honest, when the plot increases, the opening dissatisfaction is forgotten, becoming much more interesting, more thrilling and surely more fascinating.

How the marquess was won is a good romance, Long's ironic style is quite interesting, she describes thoughts and embarrassing and tragicomic circumstances, creating really funny moments for the reader.

Phoebe Vale, beside her young age, is a teacher with and impressive culture and a remarkable inclination for foreign languages; grown up in a not particularly happy context, now she lives a lonely but gratifying life: she teaches in renowned school, she has a really good relationship with her pupils and she is going to fulfil her dream to go to Africa and work there. However Phoebe isn't quite the calm girl, she is exuberant, cheeky, smart and sharp, and when she meets the notorious “Lord Ice”, Julian Spenser, Marquess Dryden, she becomes involuntarily the subject of a wager between the above-mentioned lord and the Viscount Waterburn: the latter bets that Drydan can't get a kiss from the young teacher.

Review: It Happened One Midnight (Pennyroyal series) - ENG

Author: Julie Anne Long
Original Title: It Happened One Midnight
Release Year: 2013
 
Literary Genre: Romance
Setting: England, regency
Series: 8° of the Pennyroyal Green

Vote:  71/2/10

It's not bad, especially the second part and I liked the epilogue, however the first half of the story is not exactly amazing, not boring but neither captivating.

This is my second romance by Julie Anne Long, so I can't say things like “I expected more” etc.; what I can affirm for certain is that I truly enjoyed What I did for a duke, this one a bit less.

The characters are good but while I liked Jonathan from the beginning, it took a bit longer to appreciate Thomasina in the same way.

Jonathan Redmond is young, beautiful and willing to express his worth, especially in the eyes of a father who, on the contrary, is skeptical about his talent and he doesn't make a mystery out of that when his son comes to him with an original business proposition about a new process for colour printing. But Jonathan doesn't give up and decides to turn to the Duke of Greyfolk and it's because of that that he meets, in a louche circumstance, the well-known, charming and cherished Thomasina de Ballestros.

Commento: It Happened One Midnight (serie Pennyroyal Green)

Autore: Julie Anne Long
Titolo Originale: It Happened One Midnight
Titolo Italiano:  (inedito in Italia)
Anno di Pubblicazione: 2013
 
Genere: Romance
Ambientazione: Inghilterra, Regency
Serie: 8° della serie Pennyroyal Green


Giudizio: 71/2/10





 (To read the review in English click here)

Non è male, specialmente nella seconda parte e mi è piaciuto l'epilogo, però la prima metà non è stata esattamente scoppiettante, non noiosa ma neanche affascinante.
Questo è il secondo romanzo che leggo di Julie Anne Long, quindi non mi sembra il caso di dire cose tipo "mi aspettavo meglio" ecc. ecc., quello che posso affermare è che What I did for a duke mi è piaciuto moltissimo, questo un po' meno.
I personaggi non sono male ma mentre Jonathan mi è piaciuto sin dall'inizio, Thomassina ci ha messo più tempo a catturare la mia simpatia, cosa che poi comunque ha fatto quando il suo personaggio si è rivelato in tutti i suoi aspetti.


Jonathan Redmond è giovane, bellissimo e con una gran voglia di esprimere il suo valore, soprattutto agli occhi di un padre che al contrario si dimostra molto scettico riguardo le sue capacità e non ne fa mistero quando il figlio gli propone di investire in un'idea innovativa sviluppata con un suo amico, che consiste nella stampa a colori; ma Jonathan non si dà per vinto e decide di rivolgersi al Duca di Greyfolk ed è proprio per questo che incontra in un contesto piuttosto losco, nonostante già la conoscesse, l'affascinante e ricercata Thomasina de Ballesteros.