February 2009 – JenniElyse

Title: A Countess Below Stairs
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Paperback
Pages: 383
Reason Read: Recommended
Rating:

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS a lot. There wasn’t as much romance in this story as there was in A COMPANY OF SWANS. I did want a little more romance, but the story was still heart-warming and engaging, so it made up for the lack of romance.

Eva Ibbotson does a wonderful job of drawing you into the story. Once I reached a certain point, I didn’t want to put the book down because I wanted to know what happened to the characters and if all would become right in the world. And, once I finished, I had to read a couple of the more tender parts over again. *swoon*

As with A COMPANY OF SWANS, my only disappointment was that I wanted more. It ended too soon. The images of the book kept playing in my head like a movie. Unfortunately, it ended like a movie just as you got to the resolution or good part. I wanted to see the hero and heroine interact more together.

Title: A Company of Swans
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Paperback
Pages: 374
Reason Read: Recommended
Rating:

My Thoughts

I absolutely adored A COMPANY OF SWANS. The love story was so sweet and the heroine and hero were amazing. All the characters, even the ones I despised, were written so well. I thought they were so exciting and evoked every emotion I could feel based on their actions. I found myself laughing out loud at a few spots and grinning at others.

Harriet has become one of my favorite characters. I loved her courage and defiance. I especially loved watching her confidence grow the more time she was away from her father and aunt’s domineering and antiquated ideals. I adored Rom and I loved his and Harriet’s relationship. The sexual tension between them was so palpable. The anticipation of how their romance would work out in the end was so much fun to experience.

My only disappointment, as with many other stories, was that it ended too soon. I always want more.