Life is a chessboard.
There is a freedom of the Georgian period, utter absence of bourgeois attitudes of propriety, ridiculous morality born out of class distinction, that is compelling to read. James does beautiful characters in the style of Dangerous Liaisons as the first book in this series begins.
I shall obfuscate the precise relationships in this book so as to avoid spoiling it. Safe to say that this is a game and persons are being moved around, alliances made, revenge sought, and shocking behaviors by our present standards engaged in. The beauty in the story is the game. Not the real chess games being played, but the metaphorical ones. And it is the chess masters who are in charge.
This fun, flirtatious, and reminds me of a perfect cocktail party where everyone is at their peak--witty and charming with double or triple entendres and innuendoes flawlessly delivered. It's sexy, like listening to Mozart. That said, there are things that might not appeal to all readers. It is written such that five different storylines are intertwined, and while one of the threads is tied off by the end the others are left incomplete. Readers will have to continue on with the series to find out the resolutions to characters who have peaked their interest.
I enjoy James' writing a great deal; I had just forgotten how much. It is seamless, well-researched, and entertaining. This is a romance by contemporary standards, so an HEA is requisite and readers will not be disappointed, merely taken on a diverting amusement ride. I shall continue on with the series because there are certain devilish characters herein that charm me.
Favorite quote: It was true that he hated—if momentarily—every person who beat him at a game of chess, but to have that person be a woman who seemed supremely insouciant about his offer to take her to bed was infuriating.
There is a freedom of the Georgian period, utter absence of bourgeois attitudes of propriety, ridiculous morality born out of class distinction, that is compelling to read. James does beautiful characters in the style of Dangerous Liaisons as the first book in this series begins.
I shall obfuscate the precise relationships in this book so as to avoid spoiling it. Safe to say that this is a game and persons are being moved around, alliances made, revenge sought, and shocking behaviors by our present standards engaged in. The beauty in the story is the game. Not the real chess games being played, but the metaphorical ones. And it is the chess masters who are in charge.
This fun, flirtatious, and reminds me of a perfect cocktail party where everyone is at their peak--witty and charming with double or triple entendres and innuendoes flawlessly delivered. It's sexy, like listening to Mozart. That said, there are things that might not appeal to all readers. It is written such that five different storylines are intertwined, and while one of the threads is tied off by the end the others are left incomplete. Readers will have to continue on with the series to find out the resolutions to characters who have peaked their interest.
I enjoy James' writing a great deal; I had just forgotten how much. It is seamless, well-researched, and entertaining. This is a romance by contemporary standards, so an HEA is requisite and readers will not be disappointed, merely taken on a diverting amusement ride. I shall continue on with the series because there are certain devilish characters herein that charm me.
Favorite quote: It was true that he hated—if momentarily—every person who beat him at a game of chess, but to have that person be a woman who seemed supremely insouciant about his offer to take her to bed was infuriating.
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