Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Review of "One Enchanted Evening" by Lynn Kurland

One Enchanted EveningHoly cow, I was told I'd be getting this book to review back in May.. I received it earlier this month (November).

Disclaimer: I was sent this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. No funny business here.

Type: Historical Romance, Time Travel Romance, Faeries, "Paranormal Oddities," Castles then and now, This entire family is cool, I hate Cinderella, Total Fashion Domination

Why this book: Ever since I read "Outlander" I've been a little obsessed with Time travel romance.. so when I saw this book as something to request to review, I was like "YES!" - I was told to expect a copy.. I had just about given up hope when it showed up out of the blue.

About the book: Persephone, aka Pippa, is on her way to England to begin her total Fashion World Domination plan. A wealthy Englishman is interested in helping her with her design business, and her sister Tess has set up a meeting for the two. But like always, Pippa's oldest sister Cindi comes in to ruin the day, trying to keep Pippa from reaching her dream with a series of "mishaps" - one of which is "accidentally" shoving Pippa... right through a gate in time, and back to the 1200s. Lucky for her, the owner of the ramshackle castle, Montgomery, is there to catch her as she falls. Filled with evil sisters, amusing banter, battles between Montgomery and the castle's former owners, and a love that literally spans the ages, "One Enchanted Evening" is not a book you want to miss!

This is my first book by Lynn Kurland. But if this book is anything to go by, I will be needing to read the rest of this series, featuring more of Montgomery's amazing family. I should mention there there are indeed other books, and for the most part, "One Enchanted Evening" seems to be able to stand alone. Near the end, when Montgomery meets more of his family in both time zones, things can definitely get a little confusing. In the beginning, I found this book to be a little dry, but once Pippa lands in England, it's one thrill ride after the next. And beware, it's addicting.

Pippa and Montgomery are amazing characters. Pippa is resiliant, bright, and willing to work hard for her family and for her dreams. She's an excellent seamstress, and she has worked and planned for years to finally get the chance that Stephen, the Englishman, is offering her. Unfortunately, things get a little sidetracked when she gets thrown back into the past. Even more unfortunately, Cindi falls back in time too. While Pippa is such a shining character, Cindi is the evil wench. Cindi is the character readers will love to hate, and eagerly want to throttle. You have to hand it to the author, she wrote an excellent evil character, even if said character can get on your nerves. Montgomery had moments of modern-ness to him, but that can be explained by the odd-ness of his family and their history (and future). Montgomery was by far my favorite - witty, wise, and brave. Despite the turmoil occuring in his own home, he put Pippa, and even Cindi's life above his own.

As mentioned, the ending can get a little confusing, once different relations start showing up - it's just too many people at once. But don't let that stop you, the ending is worth it. I hope to see this series continued, and Pippa's sisters, or at least the good ones - Peaches and Tess, get their own happily ever afters. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical romance, and definitely time travel romance. I would probably recommend the whole series, despite not reading it - though now it's all added to my Wish list. Lynn Kurland knows how to weave a fantastic tale of adventure in both the past and present, and I cannot wait to see more from her.

I'm going to give "One Enchanted Evening" by Lynn Kurland a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). Loved it, can't wait to read more, and I want a Montgomery of my very own.. actually, if I could get a time gate of my own, that would be great. And a castle. This would be a perfect 5 out of 5 except for the confusion at the end, which would probably be avoided by reading the rest of the series first. But as I said, this can, and does pretty well, stand alone.

Have you read this or any other book by Lynn Kurland? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to pick up a copy? Find it at Amazon.com via the link on the left.

Up next: Whatcha Got Wednesday, then a break for the Thanksgiving Holidays!
Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow ~!~

2 comments:

bittenbyromance said...

Great review. I have this book as and need to get to it one day.

Amanda from Novel Addiction said...

Thank you! And I know what you mean. I see people review certain books, and I go "I have that! I should read it!"... and maybe eventually I will get to them. I will! Someday.