Birdie’s review of A Groom of One’s Own, (Writing Girls, Book 1) by Maya Rodale
Historical Romance published by Avon 29 June 10
Original Review posted 5 Jul 10
Sometimes I pick up a book and I really want to love it. I’m excited by the premise, I love the prose, and the plot is engaging. And then … it happens. It, the moment when suddenly the story you are loving becomes not so sparkly.
It happened in A Groom of One’s Own. The setup is good. Sophie is left at the altar by her fiancee and the moment is at once heartbreaking and hysterically funny. I knew I was in for a good read from the very first pages. Rodale has managed to take Historical Romance and successfully spin it around to read a little bit like Chick Lit. Chick Lit has gotten a bad wrap since its initial explosion, but listen up, readers, Maya Rodale does it and does it well.
So our dear Spunky Sophie packs her bags and leaves her family behind for the bright (candle) lights of London with her friend, Julianna, who has a story of her own in Rodale’s upcoming book. Sophia and Julianna have landed jobs as Writing Girls for a wildly popular, and scandalous, newspaper.
There are four girls in total and so, I assume, four books in the series. Sophie writes about weddings. Yes, the girl jilted at the altar attends hundreds of weddings a year and has become the go-to source for what’s hot in weddings. So, of course, her services are requested by the wedding-of-the-year couple, Lady Clarissa Richmond and her intended, the double Duke of Hamilton and Brandon (who, thankfully, is called Brandon for short). Unfortunately for Sophie, she’s a bit in love with the double duke.
The moment Brandon walked into the room and Sophie is about to realize that her mysterious man is, in fact, engaged, I literally wiggled in my seat thinking, “Oh, this is going to be so good.” And it … wasn’t. The interesting characters – Spunky Sophie and Stuck-Up-But-Reformable Brandon turned on me. I’m all for the premise that love conquers all, but Sophie didn’t even attempt to stem her growing feelings for Brandon, even when her job is at stake (which she laments often) and, um, guys, she was left at the altar for another woman!
Julianna made all the arguments I wanted to make and Sophie ignored them all – even putting her friendship in jeporady because, guess what? Julianna’s good-for-nothing, dead husband was a cheater. Now, to be fair, neither Clarissa nor Brandon actually wanted to marry each other, but flirting openly in front of the future in-laws was a bit over the line for me.
The plot, then, started to unwind. I was at once fascinated by Sophie’s behavior and wanted to shake her too. What kept me going was Brandon and the hard choices he had to make. He’s torn between honor and love and his character struggle is a bit more sympathetic.
However, toward the end, I did actually throw the book across the room in frustration. I just wanted him to step up and be a man and put poor Sophie and Clarissa out of their miseries. But through it all, I kept reading. I couldn’t put the book down and actually finished it in two sittings. Why?
Excellent pacing, funny lines, memorable secondary characters (honestly, I was more interested in Clarissa’s story than Sophie’s). And although I didn’t truly like their actions, I really could not wait to see what happened to Sophie and Brandon. It turned out fine in the end, with everyone completely happy, but getting to that part had me groaning more often than not.
Overall, I will definitely buy Rodale again because I want to know about the other Writing Girls. I just hope none of them are in love with an already-engaged man.
Grade: C
Summary:
Miss Harlow’s Marriage In High Life
London, 1823A handsome duke. His beautiful soon-to-be duchess. A whirlwind courtship. It is this author’s privilege to report on the event all of London is talking about: the upcoming wedding of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon to the only daughter of the Duke of Richmond. Every details of the “Wedding of the Year” will be reported in these pages as a London Weekly exclusive.
But I, Miss Sophie Harlow, must confess to a secret infatuation with this “double duke” that can only lead to trouble. It is impossible that this notoriously upstanding gentleman would ever jilt his bride for a scandalous female newspaper writer. And yet…the arrival of a foreign prince, the discovery of a shocking secret, and one passionate kiss could change everything. Will this perfect duke risk the scandal of the year to marry the woman his heart desires?
There are only just three more weeks until the wedding…
