Daring Miss Danvers

This was a new author to me but this definitely won't be my last time reading her stuff. Such a sweet endearing story! If you love Lisa Kleypas romances, you'll love this series.

On paper, I really liked the idea of two friends entering a pretend courtship to help one of them. We all know where it leads and it comes with a pre-built friendship (as opposed to insta-love) and the struggle of pushing past friendship for something deeper. A+ intriguing idea.

However, the execution was severely lacking. The entire book felt like tepid weak tea as problems were instantly solved, characters suffered from insta-lust without setting up the friendship (besides beating us over the head with "but we're friends!" Until I see it, no you're not), strong or interesting developments were instantly dropped and never created real problems, as well as no third act climax and any consequences to the main tension in the book. I had trouble reading the whole second half because of how weak the writing/plot was and unconvincing the characters were with their motivations. The writer decided early on these characters were in love...and thus decided to give them no arguments or flaws (well, no flaws labeled as flaws. They definitely had flaws that remained unaddressed the whole book). The two main characters were like weak tea. I could see where she was going with them and I would have liked it if she committed.

A lot of the motivations in the novel were weak and really difficult to accept. I'm not one to harp on character motivations but when the first few chapters introduces VERY solvable issues as the core of the plot, it's hard not to. One of the main characters lays out a predicament that is so easily solved, I just stared at the page for a full minute, not believing what I just read. Then the author had the gall to address it, effectively solving the very simple issue, before the character thought about it and completely discarded the idea with the lamest excuse put to paper (the writer practically said "this plot is happening because I said so."). The writing is also sorely lacking because there were at least a dozen interesting plot points or emotions that should have been explored: I.e. the traumatic death of a relative (discussed but not how it affected the character really), shame of secrets (mentioned but not explored - no emotional weight to it. Me saying the word "shame" is more than the author ever did), etc. But none of that happened because these characters are perfect and the only emotions ever displayed are lust, interest, or fear that the other may not love them.

Much of the last half of the book was robbed of drama. The writer would just begin to introduce a problem before she solved it. For example, a previous love interest is introduced through gossip, never met in person, never really acknowledged by the main characters. What could have been a conflict, and was set up to be one, fell completely flat. What the writer frames as a dramatic plot point is really just a few pages where you start to become intrigued before it's all wrapped up and put off to the side. The third act climax is a COMPLETE let down (Im not even sure there was one) with absolutely no consequences (definitely sure about that part). Why set up a conflict if it's not going to be fully explored...or even minimally explored!

I think it would have helped to make the book longer in order to flesh out character motivations and see them in more dramatic situation to set up strong voices for them. I keep using the word drama - I am not a dramatic person and I HATE books where the heroine is inconsolable over a non issue or something that can be solved with a conversation. But things that should have caused at least a bit of heightened emotions (other than getting hot and bothered) NEVER HAPPENED. As is, everything felt surface level. And I get not wanting your characters to have the stupid fights found in other novels. But real people argue, even about stupid things. Some of the things in this novel should have been argued about. But the characters just accepted it with a smile, so glad to be in love with each other. The writer wanted her characters to be so much in love and good that she tried to make them flawless. Which is not at all interesting to read when the real plot was brewing beneath the surface- sometimes hinted at but always glossed over in favor of this rose-glasses edition.

There also needed to be a cutting of the intense amount of overly repetitive internal dialogue driving home the same point page after page for nearly the whole book.

I like this writer (the only reason it got two stars but even the basics of her writing style wasn't great in this one). This was one of her lesser books, arguably the least from what I've read (I've read over at 10 at least). Most of the book felt like watching water boil. Every now and then you'd see a bubble and get really excited that something might be starting to happen- that you're finally getting to the good part- when you're disappointed that there were no bubbles afterward. Keeping with the metaphor, this plot never boiled. For me, it never even reached a simmer.