Luckily I knew from another review not to expect much regarding the last traitor's subplot. Even with the warning, I was surprised at how this subplot was handled. It did not feel right at all - the bright and evil genius turned suddenly into a crazed maniac. That was way too easy as a way out and not worthy of either opponents.However the almost entirety of the book dealt with the romance between Royce and Minerva, Royce's coming to grips with his inheritance, with the truth of his failed relationship with his parents and family, and with him trying to define from scratch his future life. There were a few very moving moments with much deeper and darker emotions filling him in that what Stephanie Laurens usually writes about. And to my surprise, those darker thoughts worked really well and felt real. Their romance has nothing really new in terms of story line, but for me, it just worked out right and I really could feel the growing feelings each felt for the other.Last qualms - this book could have done without the melodramatic swansong on the last traitor and I would also have appreciated less interventions from the awful haughty pretentious Letitia, that I hated so much in her previous book and hoped never to see again, just to stumble across her over and over again. This was the second book I tried to get through by this really popular author... I haven't been able to finish either completely. I read 13 chapters of this one and then skimmed the rest. It's so weird. I just cannot understand her popularity. Her writing style is super annoying to me - with lots of phrases - within phrases - that don't really add to the sentence - within the same loooong sentence, and I have to reread because I get lost within a phrase within a phrase...and don't get me started on the commas!! Plus, the H/h wax poetic about the same damn thing numerous times, and they're not very much dialogue. These books could be 100+ pages shorter. Anyway, this author is not for me. I just never have read a romance novel where the actual writing style annoys, but she has a lot of popular books, so obviously it must be my issue!
What do You think about Mastered By Love (2009)?
Pretty sure I have read this before. But its good anyway.
—ash
I really did try to finish it, I promise...
—arqsergio
