Wednesday, March 24, 2010

So very charming.......

Remember when I told you in this post about my getting this book in the mail (FREE!) for the purpose of reading and reviewing on my blog?  Well that's my purpose today.  I finally finished the book ( I thought I would be able to finish it Spring Break, but I guess my nursing responsibilities for my son took more time than I thought!).  I really couldn't put it down during the last 1/3 of the book.

The book is by C. A. Belmond and is the third book in the "Rather charming" series....and I must say it is indeed "rather charming"!!!!  The main characters are Penny Nichols and her fiance' Jeremy Laidley.  Obviously, I have some catching up to do, as there are two books that come before this one that detail just how Penny came into an inheritance to make her an American  multi-millionaire, and how she comes to meet Jeremy and become engaged to him.  Normally, I don't like to read things out of order chronologically.....but when the offer to read the book was presented, I didn't even know the two books preceded this one.  I guess that's a rabbit trail , though, and I'll get back to the book review at hand.

A Rather Charming Invitation  was indeed a delightful read, rich in detail that made each scene literally come alive, made each emotion understandable and easily shared, made each intriguing twist of the plot thicker and more interesting.  It was the perfect balance of love and romance (without TOO MUCH detail), intrigue and mystery (without blood or gore) and picturesque tale-spinning  to make it enjoyable and able to sink right into.  I've never been to the French Riviera, Nice, Antibes, or seen the Cote d'Azur......but this book certainly evoked in me the desire to do so!!  It pulled me right in with its lovely descriptions of gorgeous scenery.  It even had me imagining that I could smell the scents of beautiful perfumes handcrafted by Penny's family, in their family perfumery business.  It was quite a romantic book, yet full of intrigue......and colorful characters!  Even the language was refreshing, with only one offensive word in the whole book, but placed in such a way that it totally fit the character and mood of the event.  The author did such a fine job of portraying the bad guy that you didn't mind at all "hating" his character!!!

I would highly recommend this series by C. A. Belmond, the "Rather"  Series!!!
I can see the possibility for  so many sequels to this series, that I surely hope the author is considering........when you read it you will no doubt understand......A Rather Memorable  Honeymoon,  A Rather Romantic Invitation (for when Honorine actually decides on her betrothed) and many other charming stories to follow!  Hope you will find the book and enjoy it as well!!!!  And so my task for today is to go find those other two books and do some catching up.....A Rather Lovely  Inheritance and A Rather Curious Engagement!  I've got some reading to do!!!

You can find the books here.....or at your local bookstore!

Oh, and this opportunity came to me when I joined Business2Blogger --you should check that out, too!!


11 comments:

Stacey said...

Sounds like my kind of books! Thanks for the review. :)

Love the Decor! said...

This looks like great reading thank you for sharing!!

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Sounds like a good read girl..Thanks for the information...Hope you have a GREAT day my friend...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Lisa said...

Sounds like a sweet read! I love the heroine's name.:)

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Good review! I'm always on the lookout for a good read. :)

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Sounds like a wonderful story! I am always on the lookout for a good book!

XXOO
Jen

Domestic Designer said...

Sounds like a great book. Hope your son is doing well.

April said...

Thanks for the recommendation, Suzanne...sounds like a good read!

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book. I am going to have to check it out. Thanks for sharing.

karen said...

Great review. Sounds like a great book and maybe a movie.

southerninspiration said...

Ooooooh, Karen it WOULD make a great movie!!! Great idea!

Suzanne