Once Upon a Marquess, by Courtney Milan

[rowyn]

Once Upon a Marquess was on sale for $0.99 (still is, as of this posting), probably because Milan just released the third installment in the series, so I picked it up and then actually read it for a change. Unlike most of the books that I pick up on sale and then ignore in the endless unsorted pile of kindle books.

It was typical of Milan's works: well-written characters, good banter, one of the protagonists has a Dark Secret, and a fast-paced plot. It was somewhat less intense than many of Milan's books, which honestly I prefer. I am not big on high intensity stories. But I still read it in one day because I wanted to know how it ended. I mean, it's a romance, obvious the protagonists get together and live happily ever after, but I was still impatient to see it happen.

The best part about Milan's works is that her protagonists are all different, with unique strengths and flaws and interesting quirks about their personalities. I have some quibbles about the story (I consciously notice the beats in her book and this annoys me, which is not really a valid complaint) but I liked it enough that I plan to read the next one soon too. So I'm not gonna take this up with gripes. It's a solid 8.

Comments

[archangelbeth]

...I need to figure out how to consciously notice beats, one of these days.

[rowyn]

I can't really recommend it. Like I'm sure it's educational and all but it kind of ruins stories when I'm thinking about how they're made instead of just, you know, experiencing them. ;|

[archangelbeth]

People say that about editing constantly, too, but it never works that way for me! (I mean, if I have to be fixing errors in my head all the time, yeah, I can't read a really terribly copy-edited book... But other than that!)

Being able to notice beats might make writing easier... *wist*