That’s right. $23.95 for a novel of 186 pages. For that price, the book ought to be pretty darn good, right? Well, it’ll be up to the marketplace to decide, but it's not looking good to this reader.
Fairlee Lavalle is about to get married when her family has her kidnapped by Isaac Burnet the night before she is to become Mrs. Matthew Cheval. Isaac is one of three brothers who rescued Fairlee and her two sisters before the battle at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, at the behest of their father, an Army officer.
Isaac’s job now is to get Fairlee to her sister’s place in Louisiana while evading Matthew’s rescue. As one can imagine, Fairlee is incensed with this plan when she wakes up from the laudanum her family stealthily administered before she went to bed.
A battle of the wills ensues with Isaac sorely tempted just to leave Fairlee in the middle of nowhere and with Fairlee intent on punishing Isaac for his part in her kidnapping. She is somewhat mollified when they share a stagecoach with a couple of Matthew’s lowlife friends who, not knowing who she is, relate the story of Matthew’s plan to make a fortune by marrying a poor unsuspecting rich woman he plans to dump right after the ceremony.
While the period details are fine and the overall storyline is interesting, the book reads like a long synopsis rather than a fleshed out novel. And because so much time is lost with Fairlee complaining to Isaac and being incensed that she won’t be married—in general in her being so unlikeable from Isaac’s viewpoint—the romance angle is sorely missing. In the end, Isaac seems to love her because she’s beautiful, and she adores him because he didn’t abandon her on the journey. There’s not nearly enough here to convince anyone these two should be together.
Why people should spend nearly $24 on a mediocre book and why Avalon expects them to is beyond me.
Sensuality: Subtle
Publication Date: 2011/04
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