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Strathmere's Bride
Strathmere's Bride by Jacqueline Navin released on Aug 25, 1999 is available now for purchase.
297 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Navin
22 books19 followersJacqueline Navin currently lives in Maryland with her husband and three children. She is originally from Philadelphia and holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 21, 2020
This is a short Harlequin Historical romance novel but Ms. Navin’s writing sure packs a punch. There is a depth to her writing that is magical, and emotionally wrenching. There are a lot of passages or scenes in the book that demonstrates this. Her empathy towards her hero, Jareth, new Duke of Strathmere, is felt vividly in her writing of him. There is a love, an understanding to how human and infallible he is, thus making him a devastating and lovable character. His memories of his brother and their childhood together are painful twists to the heart. And heroine, Chloe, is the perfect foil to his tight rein on himself to fulfill the role of Duke. Chloe who is magical and free-spirited and dismisses rules and challenges limits. Their confrontations are always extraordinary. To buoy up the romance further are strong secondary characters. Toddler sisters, Rebecca and Sarah, are Jarrett and Chloe’s source of conflict and ultimately their deep bond. Helena, Jarrett’s fiancé, for the most part we do not know. She is just a subservient beautiful daughter to a rabid matchmaking mother but on the last pages, when she finds out just how rabid and murderous her mother is and she is forced to shoot the latter to prevent her from killing Jarrett and Chloe, we know that her story is just about to begin, her character just about to open and mature. I loved this book and I am an instant Navin fan. Saw that this was written way back in 1999. Need to research her other books and if she is still writing.
January 29, 2020
I loved the first part of this book. And then there was the second love scene and its aftermath. After that, even with a “happy” ending, the book was ruined for me. I found the ending rushed. It felt unfinished to me.
The story started off so promising but was disappointing in the end.
The story started off so promising but was disappointing in the end.
August 31, 2010
Pages survived: 210
Boy this one was a doosey. There were a total of 297 pages in this novel, I have read 210 of them...and yet I couldn't stomach one more page of this story! Such was extremely disappointing, for this novel had the makings of an excellently interesting story. That is, of course, until the reader finishes the first chapter of the novel.
Truthfully, I'm quite surprised I finished reading as much of the book as I did. However, such happened because I was very curious if the issues I had with the story would settle out. And, when it became obvious that such problems weren't going to evaporate with continued reading, my interested bombed.
The characters were down right impossible to connect with. The hero and heroine were written in such as way that their thoughts and actions were almost clinical. The emotion was almost none existent. And, even more irritating, what emotion did exist between them, both separately and as a couple, was dry as sandpaper.
And, what's more, the emotional voidness didn't just manifest itself between the hero and heroine romance, but independently of their romantic ties, as well. Even the subcharacters were mere words on paper, and never truly felt as if they took form as people in a story.
I have no criticisms against the plot, ironically enough. The storyline was very interesting. I so badly prayed that the characters would "find themselves," as it were, so that the story would become truly entertaining. But, as my favorite author Sherrilyn Kenyon says, readers will forgive a lot of things, but never bad characters. Such is the case for me. I would much prefer a crappy plot to boring characters.
The final issue I had with Strathmere's Bride was the fact that the writing style was very irritating. Strangely, whenever I read a book, very rarely does an author's particular style ever grate against my nerves. With Navin, however, that was not the case. Her down right excessive use of independent clauses was horribly annoying. And, even worse, in some cases it was even distracting.
So. Summed up? For me, this novel sucked, when I so badly didn't want it to suck at all.
Boy this one was a doosey. There were a total of 297 pages in this novel, I have read 210 of them...and yet I couldn't stomach one more page of this story! Such was extremely disappointing, for this novel had the makings of an excellently interesting story. That is, of course, until the reader finishes the first chapter of the novel.
Truthfully, I'm quite surprised I finished reading as much of the book as I did. However, such happened because I was very curious if the issues I had with the story would settle out. And, when it became obvious that such problems weren't going to evaporate with continued reading, my interested bombed.
The characters were down right impossible to connect with. The hero and heroine were written in such as way that their thoughts and actions were almost clinical. The emotion was almost none existent. And, even more irritating, what emotion did exist between them, both separately and as a couple, was dry as sandpaper.
And, what's more, the emotional voidness didn't just manifest itself between the hero and heroine romance, but independently of their romantic ties, as well. Even the subcharacters were mere words on paper, and never truly felt as if they took form as people in a story.
I have no criticisms against the plot, ironically enough. The storyline was very interesting. I so badly prayed that the characters would "find themselves," as it were, so that the story would become truly entertaining. But, as my favorite author Sherrilyn Kenyon says, readers will forgive a lot of things, but never bad characters. Such is the case for me. I would much prefer a crappy plot to boring characters.
The final issue I had with Strathmere's Bride was the fact that the writing style was very irritating. Strangely, whenever I read a book, very rarely does an author's particular style ever grate against my nerves. With Navin, however, that was not the case. Her down right excessive use of independent clauses was horribly annoying. And, even worse, in some cases it was even distracting.
So. Summed up? For me, this novel sucked, when I so badly didn't want it to suck at all.
December 2, 2014
Avete presente quando senza alcuna ragione plausibile detestate qualcuno? A me per esempio capita con Rodrigo Palacio. Tutte le sacrosante volte che lo vedo in TV mi viene voglia di fargli male fisico e poco importa se non mi ha fatto nulla di particolare o se lo stanno candidando alla beatificazione. Lo stesso mi è accaduto con la protagonista di questo libro, tale Chloe, personaggio monodimensionale che vediamo la prima volta mentre si rotola in un prato con le bambine alle quali fa da istitutrice.
Che poi io non trovo nulla di male nel rotolarsi sui prati, anzi. Il problema reale è che in questo libro abbondano le parole amore, cuore, sole, accento francese, inspiegabile attrazione, inaccettabile, cuore. Sì, lo so che ho scritto cuore due volte ed è voluto. Cuore – cuore – cuore. E che palle!!! Non leggo certo questi libri per sentire sproloquiare di buoni sentimenti. Li leggo per membri turgidi, erezioni granitiche, guaine incandescenti, passioni inarrestabili, capezzoli violentemente e dolorosamente eretti, gravidanze istantanee (ma su questo argomento posso ancora sperare), vuoluttuosità, calipposità leccabili, caramellone Rossana da scartare.
Qui siamo al 44% e a parte la stucchevolezza e la paranoia sentimentale delle due bambine traumatizzate, ci sono stati due sfioramenti di mano [peraltro noiosamente banali] e un paio di sguardi. Santa Madonna, che noia!!!!
continua su... http://laleggivora.wordpress.com/2014...
Che poi io non trovo nulla di male nel rotolarsi sui prati, anzi. Il problema reale è che in questo libro abbondano le parole amore, cuore, sole, accento francese, inspiegabile attrazione, inaccettabile, cuore. Sì, lo so che ho scritto cuore due volte ed è voluto. Cuore – cuore – cuore. E che palle!!! Non leggo certo questi libri per sentire sproloquiare di buoni sentimenti. Li leggo per membri turgidi, erezioni granitiche, guaine incandescenti, passioni inarrestabili, capezzoli violentemente e dolorosamente eretti, gravidanze istantanee (ma su questo argomento posso ancora sperare), vuoluttuosità, calipposità leccabili, caramellone Rossana da scartare.
Qui siamo al 44% e a parte la stucchevolezza e la paranoia sentimentale delle due bambine traumatizzate, ci sono stati due sfioramenti di mano [peraltro noiosamente banali] e un paio di sguardi. Santa Madonna, che noia!!!!
continua su... http://laleggivora.wordpress.com/2014...
November 29, 2014
Scoperto per caso su amazon, letto il capitolo di prova, comprato perché "dovevo sapere come continuava". Fino al 90% non mi ha deluso. Certo, trama ampiamente convenzionale: neoduca serioso si innamora della spensierata bambinaia delle sue due nipotine rimaste orfane, tentennante avvicinamento tra i due, happy ending; ma la convenzionalità dell'intreccio è riscattata da uno stile gradevole e, soprattutto, dalla personalità della protagonista. Chloe Passerat è davvero un personaggio di giovane donna fresca, speranzosa, ottimista, briosa: il cui anticonformismo, nella formalità della residenza ducale, non suonava né stantio né fuori luogo; insomma, fresca, incantevole. Inoltre, per una volta tanto anche le bambine, Rebecca e Sara (rimasta muta a causa di un grave trauma) erano deliziose e credibili come bambine di cinque e tre anni, e non insopportabili marmocchi.
In breve, ero pronta a considerarlo una piccola gemma quando purtroppo un finale orrendo e forzatissimo non ha distrutto l'incanto. Per favore, non leggete le ultime venti pagine e godetevi il resto.
(Ovviamente c'è un lieto fine, ma la risoluzione del mistero avviene con uno scoppio di violenza non giustificato dal resto del libro, e persino
***Spoiler***
con un matricidio, del tutto gratuito.
***fine spoiler***
In breve, ero pronta a considerarlo una piccola gemma quando purtroppo un finale orrendo e forzatissimo non ha distrutto l'incanto. Per favore, non leggete le ultime venti pagine e godetevi il resto.
(Ovviamente c'è un lieto fine, ma la risoluzione del mistero avviene con uno scoppio di violenza non giustificato dal resto del libro, e persino
***Spoiler***
con un matricidio, del tutto gratuito.
***fine spoiler***
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2012
What Sort of Governess Couldn't Govern Herself?
One who had the enigmatic Duke of Strathmere for an employer, Chloe Pesserat reflected wryly. The man drew her in with a private passion, then shut her out with a noble hauteur when propriety demanded. But what could be done about the decidedly improper feelings she knew they shared?
Jareth Hunt feared the ancient Strathmere title would consume him. Hadn't its rigid demands already left his life forever changed? And now, ironically, he was confronted daily with Chloe Pesserat, an ungovernable governess who, no doubt, could school him well in lessons of the heart!
The characters are well developed (much in the vein of a Heathcliff or Mr. Rochester from the Brontes). The depth of characterization is what Navin excels in. The book comes form 1997, but it is more sensuous than many of that time period.
One who had the enigmatic Duke of Strathmere for an employer, Chloe Pesserat reflected wryly. The man drew her in with a private passion, then shut her out with a noble hauteur when propriety demanded. But what could be done about the decidedly improper feelings she knew they shared?
Jareth Hunt feared the ancient Strathmere title would consume him. Hadn't its rigid demands already left his life forever changed? And now, ironically, he was confronted daily with Chloe Pesserat, an ungovernable governess who, no doubt, could school him well in lessons of the heart!
The characters are well developed (much in the vein of a Heathcliff or Mr. Rochester from the Brontes). The depth of characterization is what Navin excels in. The book comes form 1997, but it is more sensuous than many of that time period.
June 12, 2013
It was a good book. I enjoyed reading it.
August 6, 2014
Typical Harlequin historical romance.
January 11, 2015
Una bella storia anche se il protagonista si fa troppi problemi. Penso che lei sia un po' troppo fuori epoca per modo di parlare e agire. Non credo che lo rileggerei
August 5, 2015
I have to admit, I enjoyed this a LOT more than I thought I would. Perfect if you want a shorter, easier, historical Regency romance.
December 2, 2014
3,5
Molto carino ma finale troppo frettoloso!
Molto carino ma finale troppo frettoloso!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews