Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was a really fun romance. At first I found Merlin's lack of focus irritating but then I decided to just go with it and ended up enjoying it a lot.
At times I wished that Merlin would open her eyes and see what was going on around her. Because of her inattention it was pitifully easy for Ransom (or Mr. Duke to Merlin) to manipulate her into doing what he wanted her to. Truthfully I don't blame him for his schemes. It's human nature to seize an opportunity that would benefit you. I did like that a lot of his schemes backfired and he turned out worse for it. It made me feel like there wasn't quite as much of a power imbalance between the two as you would first assume.
There were quite a few interesting secondary characters. I never felt that they horned in on any time that should be devoted to Merlin and Ransom (which was nice for a change). I thought they added something special to the story and felt that some element which made me enjoy the story so much would be missing if we hadn't gotten to know them so well.
I do wish that a little more time had been spent on what exactly was going on with that salt. We, the reader, know what it was, but if you were in the story and didn't have a reader's perspective wouldn't you have been more concerned with what your Mutton was spiked with? I just expected it to matter more to Ransom. Even just a vague question after the fact of what exactly that was would have satisfied me. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal.
After a while of reading I started to love Merlin's quirkiness. I can't think of any other female character I've read that was like that, so it was very nice to have a unique heroine. At first I thought that it was odd that Merlin didn't really connect the dots with how babies are made, especially after we find out that Merlin knows anatomy. However, after thinking about it for a while I realized that it did make sense. I don't think she didn't know how babies were made so much as she just never really thought about it long enough to connect the dots. I mean look how she was the second time around with sex. She didn't really remember until it started happening again and then it all clicked for her. I kind of felt bad for Ransom because it was so easy for her to ignore him and focus on something else. He'd try to get her to eat or have a conversation and it was like she wasn't there with him.
I think one of my favorite aspects of the story was Merlin's interaction with the children. I cracked up at her first meeting with them. I loved when she defensively told them she didn't have any sweets. I felt bad for both Merlin and Ransom over their different views of the aviation machine. I could see both their sides and sympathized with both too. I was amused by Merlin's constant need to be rescued. I loved when they joked about it toward the end. I also liked how they made Ransom have a real fear that he couldn't get over even when he knew he wasn't being reasonable.
I definitely recommend this book, but I do have to warn you that if you're expecting another Flowers From the Storm as you open this book you will be disappointed. It's very good and show's the author's skill, but it's a much different style from Flowers From the Storm even though they're both good in their own way.
At times I wished that Merlin would open her eyes and see what was going on around her. Because of her inattention it was pitifully easy for Ransom (or Mr. Duke to Merlin) to manipulate her into doing what he wanted her to. Truthfully I don't blame him for his schemes. It's human nature to seize an opportunity that would benefit you. I did like that a lot of his schemes backfired and he turned out worse for it. It made me feel like there wasn't quite as much of a power imbalance between the two as you would first assume.
There were quite a few interesting secondary characters. I never felt that they horned in on any time that should be devoted to Merlin and Ransom (which was nice for a change). I thought they added something special to the story and felt that some element which made me enjoy the story so much would be missing if we hadn't gotten to know them so well.
I do wish that a little more time had been spent on what exactly was going on with that salt. We, the reader, know what it was, but if you were in the story and didn't have a reader's perspective wouldn't you have been more concerned with what your Mutton was spiked with? I just expected it to matter more to Ransom. Even just a vague question after the fact of what exactly that was would have satisfied me. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal.
After a while of reading I started to love Merlin's quirkiness. I can't think of any other female character I've read that was like that, so it was very nice to have a unique heroine. At first I thought that it was odd that Merlin didn't really connect the dots with how babies are made, especially after we find out that Merlin knows anatomy. However, after thinking about it for a while I realized that it did make sense. I don't think she didn't know how babies were made so much as she just never really thought about it long enough to connect the dots. I mean look how she was the second time around with sex. She didn't really remember until it started happening again and then it all clicked for her. I kind of felt bad for Ransom because it was so easy for her to ignore him and focus on something else. He'd try to get her to eat or have a conversation and it was like she wasn't there with him.
I think one of my favorite aspects of the story was Merlin's interaction with the children. I cracked up at her first meeting with them. I loved when she defensively told them she didn't have any sweets. I felt bad for both Merlin and Ransom over their different views of the aviation machine. I could see both their sides and sympathized with both too. I was amused by Merlin's constant need to be rescued. I loved when they joked about it toward the end. I also liked how they made Ransom have a real fear that he couldn't get over even when he knew he wasn't being reasonable.
I definitely recommend this book, but I do have to warn you that if you're expecting another Flowers From the Storm as you open this book you will be disappointed. It's very good and show's the author's skill, but it's a much different style from Flowers From the Storm even though they're both good in their own way.
