I've decided for this short series of books to review them as a whole. I read them one after the other in about a 24 hour time period, so they all sort of seem like one really long book to me, and I am not at all sure that I could review them separately.My plan is to copy and past the review to each of the four books, so I will post most all of the review under a spoiler cut, because I am sure that I will mention things that would be considered spoilerish.My overall rating for the series is 3.75 stars...ok, actually it was 3.63, but I rounded it up.The books are all light, breezy, and very quick reads--all of them clocking in at just under 225 pages. I enjoyed the books as a whole, the characters (while sometimes extremely frustrating to me) were engaging, the writing style was pleasing, and while the books were mostly lighthearted and amusing, there were a few tense moments as well. The mysteries were pretty easy to figure out, and therefore didn't require much thought...which is something that I sometimes look for in a book.(view spoiler)[I think the thing that frustrated me the most was the back and forth between Lady Rose and Captain Harry. They both loved each other, but neither could admit it to themselves, much less the other. The on again/off again engagement of convenience between the two grew very tedious very quickly as did the 'I love you but am to scared to show it so I act as if I hate you' trope that the author employed througout the series to create conflict between the two. One would see or hear something about the other that they'd misunderstand and then go off in a snit until they found out they were wrong. I could see that happening in the first book since they didn't know each other that well, but by the time the fourth book rolled around there really should have been some other means of conflict between the two or just have them get together and acknowledge their feelings for each other . I don't know...maybe it wouldn't have bothered me so badly if I hadn't read all four of them so quickly.I liked both Harry and Rose, though both--at times--made me wish I could shake them, for the reasons mentioned above as well as for other things. Though both did show some emotional growth and maturity during the series...Rose especially.I liked the secondary storyline between Harry's manservant, Becket, and Rose's lady's maid/later companion, Daisy.Two characters I could hardly find any redeeming qualities in at all were Rose's parents. OH MY WORD what an insufferable pair they were!I've read that the author isn't planning on writing anymore books in this series, preferring instead to concentrate on her two other series, so I'm glad that this one ended the way it did. The implied happy ending is there, but it is also open ended enough to pick the series back up should the author ever change her mind. (hide spoiler)]
This final book in the series features a role reversal, because it's Harry Cathcart whose thoughtless actions cause a social scandal when he's seen spending time with his latest client, an infamous courtesan. Since everyone is supposed to believe that their engagement is real, Lady Rose is a likely suspect when she's found over the woman's dead body.This book is a bit of a mess. On the plus side, it isn't full of those goofy accidents that the earlier ones used to quickly resolve aspects of the mystery. But both the investigation and the personal side of the story are really scattered.The idea of Rose's parents sending her off for her own good is reused, with a nunnery standing in for the madhouse that she visited before. The romance is awkward, because the "constant arguments" style of courtship is difficult to make believable. Daisy and Beckett were great in the previous books, but apparently they work better in the background. Their drama got too many pages that would have been better spent developing more of a real relationship between Harry and Rose.The mystery was too full of coincidence, and honestly, the less said of it the better.
What do You think about Our Lady Of Pain (2007)?
After finishing this book, I can't think what made me continue to read this series. Everything's too short (like this is the outline for a real book?), and the characters are all irritating, except maybe Sup't Kerridge who didn't appear as much as usual. So how is it I still wanted to know what happened next? On the up side, I can't think of any other ways Chesney can manage to keep apart the hero and heroine, and the series must have wrapped up here. Like Number One Ladies Detective Agency without the charm or wit...
—Kate
This is the second time I've read this book, as well as the series it is the final part of. And as much as I love MC Beaton's work I do have a problem with this book. It is the usual fun, easy read she is renowned for and the light Edwardian setting was its usual delight of descriptive fashion and fads. However the editing of this book really let it down.It comes across as if it was written with gaps in between where the author possibly went off to work on other projects and then came back to it, so it was full of contradicting statements (Miss Friendly made Daisy’s wedding dress and then seemed surprised when they met for tea and Daisy informed her she had been married) as well as conversations repeated and each time appearing to be the first time the characters are discussing it. This is not necessarily the authors fault, as the editor should have picked these minor flaws up and fixed them.It is an okay book and a vaguely enjoyable end to the series… though it also came across as ending so suddenly it came across as “oooh, I’ve written the required word count, one or two quick sentences and I’m free of it!” Not saying this is the case, I am a cynic. This series started really well, but other books in it had similar hiccups (see the engagement ring given by the Captain in book two turning into something Rose had to buy with her own pin money come book three)… but this won’t stop me from enjoying MC Beaton’s work as they are really tiny blemishes to stories created by a witty, smart and highly enjoyable author.
—Janis Hill
This is the last of 4 books in this series. Lady Rose is a rebel who does not want to marry; and who also gets herself in the midst of murders. She is engaged in name only to Captain Harry Cathcart, because she does not want to be sent to India to be married off. Captain Cathcart is, of course, in love with her; and she with him, but neither will admit it. Add in Daisy, Lady Rose's companion and Beckett, Captain Cathcart's man, and you have another romance. A good story that continues the story of Lady Rose et al. Marion Chesney also writes as M C Beaton, and she has said that this will be the last in this series so that she can concentrate on the Hamish MacBeth and Agatha Raisin books. Too bad, I wanted more about these characters.
—Anne
