Oooops. two Carole post up by mistake! My bad
Author: Marion Shepherd
Author: Marion Shepherd
Title: Mask of Innocence
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: ebook
Published: Feb. 2017
Where I Got It: Netgalley
The Marchant family live in Cedar Grove, a majestic Tudor manor house nestled within the rolling Cotswolds hills.
Upon the untimely death of their tyrannical father, Richard and Francesca Marchant are caught up in a web of dark family secrets, manipulation, murder, abduction and obsessive desires.
Francesca is a rebellious and spirited young girl, despised by her stepmother Catherine, and relentlessly pursued by the obsessive Rufus Donaldson. She becomes the subject of a dangerous conspiracy to force her into an unwanted marriage, jeopardising her future with the man to whom she has given her heart. Can her brother, Richard, rise above his own lustful desires and save his beloved sister?
I instantly fell in love with the cover and it seemed to be very interesting, so I decided I had to read this.
The Marchant family seems to be perfect on the outside, but it is all a lie. When the mean dad dies, they hope it will get better, but it doesn't. There are so many family secrets and manipulation going on. Poor Francesca is being harassed and stalked by the nasty Rufus. Evil man. Stinks to be her.
There were a lot of twists and turns and I found that refreshing. I had a hard time staying hooked though. Along with the twists and turns, there were a lot of slow parts that I skimmed over. I honestly felt like I was on a roller coaster. I was drinking in every word one moment and then the next moment I was yawning and waiting for the next exciting thing.
The only character I could stand was Francesca at times. Isobel and Sanjay weren't bad either. However, I had a hard time connecting with anyone really, so it made it hard to stay hooked and curious what was going to happen next.
The ending was really good! It was a nice way to tie everything together. So yes, this ended on a good note.
In the end, this was okay. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and staying hooked with the story. There were a lot of good twists and the ending was done well. I do recommend it if you like historical fiction. I'll give this three stars.
I love a story that has some great twists and turns. Sorry to hear it didn't meet up with your expectations like you wanted though.
ReplyDeleteSeems like one to ponder before reading, I like the cover though, gives it a nice feel even before the actual reading. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTwists are always fun. I can see why you liked the cover, it's a great cover.
ReplyDeletestory full of twists are great source of fun.I like the story and it's cover is awesome..!!
ReplyDeleteI think the setting would draw me in.
ReplyDeleteBummer that the story alternated from absorbing twists and turns to boredom. Glad to hear you enjoyed it overall. Great review, Carole! :)
ReplyDeleteThe cover really is lovely. Hard when you just aren't totally hooked.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
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