Secrets of a Summer Night

5 Responses to “Secrets of a Summer Night”

1. Jeannine Warner says:

   August 29, 2010 at 3:46 pm

   I’ve never written a review, particularly for a romance, but, I was so disappointed in Ms. Kleypas latest offering, I felt compelled. Many of the leader’s books are my “keepers”, she developes such compelling characters and sense of place. “Dreaming of You”, “Then Came You”, “Suddenly You”, “Weirder in My Arms”, all, in my opinion, perfectly written.
   
   This book, but, has a protagonists who leaves me cold. I don’t require a heroine to have a flawless character, (as many readers seem to demand that double standard) but, this one was downright unlikable. And the male protagonist lost his appeal to me as he seemed to doggedly persue a woman who establish him to be far beneath her.
   
   With each progressive novel, I seem to be enjoying them less and less. I’m wondering if the leader might not be edging towards contemporary fiction? I do wish she would return to her ex- style!
   
   At any rate, I much admire Ms. Kleypas talent, and thank her for the enjoyable hours I’ve spent lost her books when I should have been doing additional things. It’s a writer’s perogitive to pen books that speak to them, and I sincerely hope this finds an audience.
   Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
2. Mkath says:

   August 29, 2010 at 3:59 pm

   This was an okay read. It just wasn’t fantastic. I was disappointed, there was no mystery, no excitement. Just a tale about a country party and wealthy aristocrats.
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
3. S. Reader says:

   August 29, 2010 at 5:35 pm

   I was really geared up for a new novel from Lisa Kleypas,a dn the thought of the Wallflower series was excellent. Sorry to say the execution so far isn’t up to Kleypas’ usual standard.

   Annabelle is a hard heroine to like–she’s a snob and to some extent unethical, willing to do nearly anything to snare a rich spouse. Simon is okay, but not the dreamy heroes Kleypas usually conjurs up.

   Kleypas is usually steamy, but the like scenes here seemed forced. Worse, the entire books is shallow, superficial, much like the heroine. It’s slow and makes for a long read. A real disappointment. In fact, as I’ve written this review, I’ve lowered the rating. It’s only 2 & 1/2 and comparing it to some many additional, better works, I’m downgrading it from a 3 to a 2.
   Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
4. Zamari Zoe says:

   August 29, 2010 at 5:58 pm

   I bought this book on a whim at the book section of a store. This is the first Lisa Kleypas novel I have ever read. I liked the book a bit; it was reasonably appealing-following Annabelle and her friends as they rallied to get Annabelle a spouse.

   Annabelle is under a lot of pressure to get a spouse, more so as she watches her mother fall into grubby temptations for the sake of survival. At a ball, Annabelle manages to make friends with a bunch of additional wallflowers she was familiar with but had never bothered to become acquainted with before then. This point in the book is the pivot on which the additional events in the book rest. Annabelle and her friends start preparation and in some cases, scheming, to get her a spouse.

   It is an Ok- read.

   But, I am giving this book a just-above-average because this book is, in a word, shallow. It just does not have depth. Now, I have read some reviews that say it is probably because it is the first in a series that it is not worth 5 stars. That it is because all the characters were being introduced and that the personalities and characters of all four girls had to be customary and all that. But I establish that not to be right. The characters were all properly customary after the first 2 chapters or so. There were 24 more chapters for this book to earn its 5-star.

   Annabelle is simply a shallow character……and to reflect she is the heroine. I mean the whole book just lacked some depth and I establish it pretty annoying. Why does she keep being described with words to the effect of energetic and vivacious when she is clearly not that way? Persons words should have been saved for the book about Lilian Bowman. Persons words aptly clarify that character.

   Shallow book…….Ok-read but shallow. It just was not “forceful”. 3/5
   
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5
5. athensaudrey says:

   August 29, 2010 at 6:06 pm

   I didn’t have any feelings of rage towards the heroine in the end like additional readers, but all in all I wasn’t too tickled either.

   Don’t get me incorrect–this tale isn’t terrible. Kleypas has a talent for tale telling. Even though the characters were a small off-putting, the plot was basic, and the chemistry was ho-hum, I still felt compelled to keep reading.

   I reflect my main disappointment with the novel was the plot-line, which seemed far too much like something learned in “Romance 101.” Lacking giving too much away, suffice it to say that the characters wind up in every romance novel cliche there is, including the dramatic near-loss-of-life/confession-of-like scene. After having read another Lisa Kleypas novel with original characters and an unusual plot, I felt this one was a small bit of a let-down. I also agree with the additional reviewers who thought that the last quarter of the novel was anticlimatic and completely unneccessary.

   The chemistry in this novel also seemed to have less zing than her additional novels. While there certainly was a excellent amount of sizzle, I thought that the mundane plot dulled a lot of the chemistry between the two characters.

   All in all, this isn’t a terrible read, and is a nice break in the afternoon if you don’t start with your expectations too high. I’m really looking forwards to the tale of the earl and the American heiress–the two characters appear in this novel and seem to have everything their friends of “Secrets
   
   do not–entertaining personalities and lots of chemistry.
   Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5