Search - Once a Dreamer (Ladies Fashionable Cabinet, Bk 1)

Ugh - Dislike is too mild a word for this hero and heroine. Simon is an unappealing, Pollyanna-ish, bad-poetry-writing male 'Dear Abby' columnist and Eleanor is a bitter, man-hating face-slapping shrew who I literally detested by the end of the book. The whole story is one long carriage ride with them in pursuit of Eleanor's niece who has run off to Gretna Green to elope with an unsuitable scoundrel as a result of Simon's lovelorn advice. They argue most of the way, how lovely. Or maybe I should say she belittles him the whole distance and he just sits and takes it (what a man). Also, the caricaturish pair of oddball Bow Street Runners hired to track the young couple turn out to be uncharacteristically competent. Their nonsensical slaughter of the language is also awkward to read and thrown in to manufacture humor where there is none. If this first book in the trilogy is any indication, I don't hold out much hope for the next two.

Number 1 of 3 books. I'm hoping the other 2 are better than this one. I really disliked the hero and heroine. At no point did I ever even think about liking those two. Hero is a bad poetry writing, everything is wonderful, romantic and the heroine is just a plain b....ummm, witch. What would normally take me 1-2 days to read took me 2-3 weeks. It's usually "I couldn't put it down." This one was "I couldn't pick it up." The only reason I finished it was because once I start, I have to finish.

This was the first Candace Hern book I've read. I really enjoyed the story. The hero is not your typical rough & tumble, daredevil, alpha male. He's romantic & passionate while the heroine is pragmatic & cynical. Don't let the crappy "bodice-ripper" style cover put you off. Avon Books insists on putting these terribly cheesy covers on novels by their romance authors.