Search - Much Ado About You (Essex Sisters, Bk 1)

Once upon a time, I either read or heard an anecdote that allegedly, Umberto Eco makes the front half of his novels so difficult to read because he wants people to work for the payoff of the rest of the book. I told my husband this weekend that perhaps Eloisa James is the Eco of historical mass-market paperbacks.

IMO, the 1st 228 pages set up relationships, characters, et cetera, for what I presume is all four books. It is a lot. It is not always enjoyable. I put this book down 3 or 4 times, thinking I should give it up...

...And then, a magical thing happened - it got better - a LOT better. James decided she had about 160 pages of book left, and she'd best get Tess and Lucius interacting with each other. And I went from wondering if I'd made a huge mistake to wanting to read the remaining books, and really relishing the story.

Many readers of this book may disagree, and that is fine. For those who start the book and feel the same way, my advice is to stick to it, it is worth the wait.

My first book by this author . . . so glad I have the rest of this series on hand to read immediately. Enjoyed the book quite a bit. The story was light (for the most part) and fun to read . . . an interesting play of wondering who the hero will turn out to be (at least for a while).

Fans of regency historical romances will enjoy this book by James.

As with all Eloisa James books, it is hard to put it down.

Eloisa James does an excellent job bringing her characters to life in this book. The tangle between Tess and Lucius keeps you wanting to read more. Practical choices in life can sometimes be anything but that when emotions get involved. As the heroine in this book soon discovers.

I happened upon Eloisa James books and loved them. This is all good as ever. This is a 5 for me.