It seems this book has received quite a bit of online love; which always makes me skeptical. Who publishes their views of novels online anyway? Can they be trusted?
I was not disappointed when I read this book. I was initially very skeptical, the premise seemed awfully convenient, and the characters had the potential to be very two-dimensional.
Jaime is a reliable man who is driven by the desire to please a dead parent. He is jaded by his parent’s love and his father’s heartbreak. Kenzie is trouble, essentially, wild and willful. A woman who stubbornly refuses to marry, afraid of losing her fragile position and identify. It seems Kenzie is defined by her lack of place in the world, while Jaime is defined by his expected role. One has not enough place, one too much. A simple convenient beginning.
Although Butler’s superb writing style carries her reader away.
I enjoyed this book, Butler carefully divulges information in a very natural way, not twists or awkward information drops. Kenzie and Jaime keep their secrets and their motivations close to their chests until they feel comfortable enough or concerned enough to divulge. I loved this. Her characters are realistic and relaxed. An interesting aspect of the novel is Butler’s writing, it is very clean. There is no awkward chunky description of quivery body parts of 50 synonyms for parts of the anatomy. She simply focuses on feelings. Kenzie mentions her body only when she recognizes it change; when she realizes she is attracted to him and her heart pounds. Jaime makes vague comments about her beautiful body or quickening pulse.
Although we take this description for granted as a staple in the romance genre it is not missed. I didn’t realise it was missing until after I finished reading. It was refreshing to have a novel more concerned with characters than sex, although Butler surely doesn’t ignore the latter.
Butler has created a wonderful character-based novel, driven by natural and realistic writing. Although not very focused on the historical details, well not as much as I would like. I don’t know much about Scotland at this time, so a little more detail for the unknowing would have been helpful.
4 Crowns – Princess of a Charming Story
(Reviewed by Countess Sarah)
HISTORICAL ROMANCE BOOKS 