A FLAWED CUT . . .
The Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley has a secret: she's
been taking drama classes and longs to be an actress. Ladies of her standing
don't appear on stage, but Fenella has never been one for society's rules.
She's quite excited to take on the challenge of reading the leading role in a
new play -- until she meets the playwright. Toeing the line between infuriating
and irresistible, his first impression leaves a lot to be desired . . .
OR A RARE FIND?
Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton,
scorned the ton years ago, making his own way in the world, and pursuing his
literary gifts on the side. The only thing he misses from his old world is
Fenella. Since seeing her at a ball when she was a young debutante, he's never
forgotten her. Now that fate has reunited them, Edward's determined to make her
his leading lady -- in every way. But the only thing they see eye to eye on is
their intense passion for each other. And it just may take a massive
misunderstanding for their love to get on the same precious page . . .
This was a good book overall, though I did have a few
things that I looked at a bit cross-eyed. Both characters are well-born, but
not typical of their contemporaries. Their relationship is very volatile, as
both have tempers.
Fenella is the daughter of a baron, but one who doesn't
enjoy Society life, which she finds dreadfully dull. She is a modern woman who
is interested in world events, politics, and women's suffrage. She has a suitor
who takes the progress of their relationship for granted. She also has a
secret. She wants to be an actress and has been taking acting lessons in
pursuit of that goal. She is excited when the acting coach brings a new play to
class, and she reads the leading role. Things go downhill quickly when the
play's writer verbally attacks her interpretation of the character, and Fenella
fires back with her own opinion, then walks out.
Edward is the illegitimate son of an earl. After the age
of seven, he was raised with his legitimate siblings, who never let him forget
that he was an outsider. He received an excellent education but became persona
non grata with his family when he preferred to make his own way in the world. Edward
is happy with his job as a research assistant for an English professor, which
gives him time for his writing. The lead in his play is based on the girl who
fascinated him when he was younger - Fenella. The woman she is now is equally fascinating
but also incredibly frustrating.
The sparks flew between Fenella and Edward from the
moment they met. Fenella is independent and outspoken and has no problem
telling Edward precisely what she thinks. Edward is focused on his goal and
protective of his work. I will say that I didn't like Edward much at the
beginning. He is so volatile, flipping from angry to nice to angry again at the
drop of a hat. I would begin to think that he'd finally settled down when
something would set him off again. I understood why Fenella wasn't sure whether
she liked the man, even though she was attracted to him. She was interested
enough in the play to give him a second chance, but she was also wary. That
wariness, however, wasn't enough to stop the attraction she also felt.
I was surprised by the speed with which Fenella and
Edward became intimate. Those sparks burst into flame within a few days, and
from there on out, they could barely keep their hands off each other. The ease
with which Fenella was able to be alone with Edward was surprising. No one
seemed to care that she went off alone, came home in the wee hours, if at all, or
changed plans with no notice. There were a few instances where I saw some logic
in her actions. I liked that she was determined to keep their personal
relationship separate from their professional one, as she worried that he was
only interested in keeping her in her role as Rose.
There were several times when I thought Edward strayed too
close to abusive behavior. His frequent bursts of temper were disturbing,
especially when he didn't seem to know what set him off. He had some times of
being controlling, though Fenella did fairly well of pulling out of those when
she wanted to. The more I got to know Edward, the more I realized that some of
it was that he didn't know any better because of the way he was raised. There
were other times when he was charming and thoughtful, which gave me hope for
their future.
There was one point near the end when that future became
questionable. When Fenella impulsively does something she thinks will help
Edward, she doesn't think it all the way through. Edward blows up, saying some
unspeakably cruel things, rather than considering the spirit of the offer. I
ached for them both, as Fenella believes that everything is over between them,
and Edward wants to find a way to mend fences. The dinner scene before the ball
was painful for all, but especially for Fenella, stuck between Edward and
George. The ball scene was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing George get what was
coming to him. Edward and Fenella had a productive discussion before going on
to face down his nasty half-siblings. I loved the epilogue and seeing how the
play was received. I loved Edward's big moment at the end. Fenella described their
relationship perfectly when she said, "We're like pieces of a jigsaw; we
fit together, except sometimes when we seem to be in different puzzles."
I liked Fenella's friends, Diana and Petra. I will need
to go back and read Diana's story. I liked her and what I saw of her husband.
There was a sneak-peek into Petra's book at the end of this one, and I am
intrigued to read hers, too.
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