Persy and the Prince, by Jane Myers Perrine is being republished by Beyond the Page Publishing. This novel was originally published by Avalon in 2003. I became interested in reading this because I enjoyed Ms. Perrine's regency, The Mad Herringtons, which was a delightful read.
When Persy Marsh first meets Jordan Prince, a manager of a chain of upscale hotels, she is acting as a hotel's dog walker at their workplace, trying to prevent a dog from piddling onto Jordan's shoes. He requests to see her in his office, officially to give her a piece of his mind, but he is so physically attracted to her that he asks her out on a date with dishonourable intentions. Jordan starts moving too fast, and Persy puts the brakes on. She admits to Jordan that she is also deeply attracted to him and that she also behaved a bit inappropriately, but didn't mean to carry on as far as she did.
They agree that they shouldn't see each other again, however, in the following days, they can't seem to keep away from each other at the hotel. Persy seems to wear a few different hats at the hotel and assumes several different jobs there, so they frequently run into each other while she is acting as the housekeeping maid, waitress/server, lifeguard, and casino dealer. For people who have decided to stay away from each other, they end up kissing each other a fair bit too.
Persy's name comes up in a letter requesting a meeting with the hotel administration about improving safety conditions for hotel employees between the building and the neighbourhood where they live. This prompts Jordan to discover who and what Persy is: a caring neighbourhood organizer/reformer, educated at Stanford, who has a background in law, and who left the privileged society that Jordan is also a part of. Persy intrigues and infuriates Jordan at the same time because of the attraction between them, and because she won't defer to his position in society or at the hotel.
As for Persy, she finds her attraction to Jordan to be problematic; she is afraid that he will tempt her to leave the life that she has built for herself since she left her privileged background. However, her previous life had been a source of unhappiness for her and she loathes the idea of returning to it.
When Persy is attacked on the pathway between the hotel and the section of town where many of the employees live, Jordan begins to spend quality time with her and starts to change, becoming less of a pompous jerk and becoming more conscious of the welfare of his employees. Eventually, he realizes that he has fallen in love with Persy and desires a life with her, but she is not convinced that he can really love the person that she is now and not want to change her back into the type of person that she was before she got involved with the community that she lives with now.
Parts of this novel were quite funny. Persy is a bit of a smart mouth who ends up talking circles around Jordan. I loved the bit where she was frustrated at her cleaning supply cart which she had christened, "Jordan." Guess who was standing nearby when she cursed it by name?
As for sex, there isn't any. For a believing reader, that may come as a relief, but this is a secular type of novel. Jordan enters into a relationship with Persy hoping that once he has her body, that he will get her out of his system. He mentions to her several times that he wants to spend the night with her. One thing that I had appreciated about him was that he let Persy go in that first date when she refused to go all the way with him. Although he grows more marriage minded as the plot unfolds, he lets her know repeatedly that he's interested in her sexually, and she has to say no to him a few times. It isn't mentioned overtly that Persy is a Christian, other than a mention of her Calvinist background. In the story, as Persy realizes that she needs to make a decision about where she is going to go in her relationship with Jordan, it is implied that this decision will also involve a choice for her to become physically intimate with Jordan.
The book ends quite abruptly. When I reached the end, I asked myself, "That's it?" I would like to have known a little more about what happens to Persy and Jordan after the final scene. They confess their love for each other, but we are left hanging about what will actually happen. Will they get engaged and married? We don't actually find out for certain.
I found Persy and the Prince to be just okay. It's fairly clean, and there were a couple of thought provoking ideas through the challenges that Persy had to face, about waiting to have sex, and about needing to stop trying to please everyone else, and learning to do what is best for one's self. It was a fairly light read that can be finished in a couple of hours.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of Persy and the Prince from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Showing posts with label Jane Myers Perrine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Myers Perrine. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Monday, 26 May 2014
Review: The Mad Herringtons by Jane Myers Perrine
The Mad Herringtons, by Jane Myers Perrine, is a regency romance. It is published electronically by Beyond the Page Publishing. I think that it had been previously published in 2002 by Avalon, which had been bought out by Amazon. Anyways, at the present time, Beyond the Page is selling the Kindle version for about $2.99 US on Amazon. For the most part, I found the novel to be breezy, funny, and enjoyable to read. One might describe this as a fun regency romp. Certainly, it has the feel of chick lit done in regency style.
Aphrodite Herrington is the sensible and responsible daughter, born into a family whose members all exhibit passionate natures. They are collectively known to the ton as the Mad Herringtons and include Aphrodite's parents and 12 other siblings. Her parents have no problem making rather public displays of affection and procreating at such a fast rate and continually increasing their brood (indeed, in this story, there is another on the way). Her sister, Terpsichore, who dresses quite provocatively for regency standards, has established her own townhouse without a chaperone, with their parents' approval. Her oldest brother, Aeolus, is in Congo, Africa, searching for the source of the Nile based upon his own opinion. Her younger sister, Athena, is an accomplished flirt, enjoying the company of eligible and ineligible males, particularly in kissing them without thought or concern for her reputation.
Aphrodite is different; she wishes to conduct her life with propriety, without any hint of scandal. She also desires to be married, but to a husband who is sober, sensible and not prone to frivolity and passion. She finds herself betrothed to Frederick Horne, who exhibits a similar personality and compatible interests to her own. However, Frederick's mother is not convinced of Aphrodite's suitability, and so arrangements are made for a house party at Frederick's estate so that Aphrodite has the opportunity to get acquainted with her future mother-in-law.
Included in the house party are Aphrodite's sisters, Terpsichore and Athena, and another brother, Asklepios, who appears at the party under an alias in a scheme to temporarily escape being caught by a magistrate who is looking for the culprit who dug up his daughter's dead dog. Frederick's cousin, Viscount Thomas Warwick, heir to the Earl of Wharton, is also present to represent his branch of his family. At least, that's what he is telling himself and others.
Warwick decides that Aphrodite really needs to know what she is getting into if she marries Frederick; she will gain the atrocious Mrs. Horne as her mother-in-law, which would be a fate worse than death. Really, he's not helping Aphrodite because he can't forget the kiss that he stole from her two years previously, a kiss that he can't get out of his memory.
We also find out that even though Aphrodite says that she wants the predictable and dependable Frederick, it is the rogish Warwick who catches her eye, but she will not let her heart open to him because she doesn't trust that he would offer marriage to her because of his past dealings with her.
Thrown into the mix is the re-entrance of former suitor of Terpsichore's, Athena's indiscriminate flirting towards the male species, and preparations for a performance of a Midsummer's Night Dream. Will Aphrodite be able to keep all her siblings from social ruin? Will she be able to resist Warwick and keep her intentions to marry Frederick?
The novel has a touch of naughtiness in it, but this is expressed by characters other than Aphrodite, who is in all things proper and controlled. For instance, Athena makes reference to to Warwick looking at Aphrodite by saying, "When you weren't aware, he looked at your bosom. You have a lovely bosom. I've seen many men notice that," (typical talk from a flighty man-crazy teenager). Terpsichore also makes a couple of outrageous comments about how it would be worth it to be compromised by Warwick should the occasion arise. Her character appears to live to shock others with her outrageous talk and dress. However, there isn't really any actual descriptions of sex in this book, other than the implication of something that is to happen between a couple of minor married characters. By some standards, this novel would probably be considered sweet and clean, but it certainly doesn't match what you would find in a Harlequin Love Inspired novel.
There was one point in the story where I was a bit confused. In chapter 1, Aphrodite turns away from the Viscount Warwick, but he is referred to as a Marquis. At least, I think that the use of the word referred to Warwick, because otherwise, she is turning away from her father, who is known to be a Marquis. However, she is not dancing with her father; instead, she is dancing with Warwick.The other thing that I found confusing what that Terpsichore had her own townhouse, which I think would be unheard of for a single unmarried woman who would be considered under the protection of her living parents. However, it is explained in the story that the Marquis and Marchioness had encouraged the whims of their children and permitted Terpsichore to have her own establishment.
I'm not an expert on regencies, but I had a lot of fun reading this, so if there were major historical inaccuracies, I didn't notice them and I don't think that I would have really minded. This was an enjoyable book. I wish that there was more to read about the Mad Herringtons. Maybe Ms. Myers Perrine will write more about this delightful family; after all, there are ten (eleven!) other members that we haven't met yet!
Disclaimer: A free e-copy of The Mad Herringtons was provided by Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Aphrodite Herrington is the sensible and responsible daughter, born into a family whose members all exhibit passionate natures. They are collectively known to the ton as the Mad Herringtons and include Aphrodite's parents and 12 other siblings. Her parents have no problem making rather public displays of affection and procreating at such a fast rate and continually increasing their brood (indeed, in this story, there is another on the way). Her sister, Terpsichore, who dresses quite provocatively for regency standards, has established her own townhouse without a chaperone, with their parents' approval. Her oldest brother, Aeolus, is in Congo, Africa, searching for the source of the Nile based upon his own opinion. Her younger sister, Athena, is an accomplished flirt, enjoying the company of eligible and ineligible males, particularly in kissing them without thought or concern for her reputation.
Aphrodite is different; she wishes to conduct her life with propriety, without any hint of scandal. She also desires to be married, but to a husband who is sober, sensible and not prone to frivolity and passion. She finds herself betrothed to Frederick Horne, who exhibits a similar personality and compatible interests to her own. However, Frederick's mother is not convinced of Aphrodite's suitability, and so arrangements are made for a house party at Frederick's estate so that Aphrodite has the opportunity to get acquainted with her future mother-in-law.
Included in the house party are Aphrodite's sisters, Terpsichore and Athena, and another brother, Asklepios, who appears at the party under an alias in a scheme to temporarily escape being caught by a magistrate who is looking for the culprit who dug up his daughter's dead dog. Frederick's cousin, Viscount Thomas Warwick, heir to the Earl of Wharton, is also present to represent his branch of his family. At least, that's what he is telling himself and others.
Warwick decides that Aphrodite really needs to know what she is getting into if she marries Frederick; she will gain the atrocious Mrs. Horne as her mother-in-law, which would be a fate worse than death. Really, he's not helping Aphrodite because he can't forget the kiss that he stole from her two years previously, a kiss that he can't get out of his memory.
We also find out that even though Aphrodite says that she wants the predictable and dependable Frederick, it is the rogish Warwick who catches her eye, but she will not let her heart open to him because she doesn't trust that he would offer marriage to her because of his past dealings with her.
Thrown into the mix is the re-entrance of former suitor of Terpsichore's, Athena's indiscriminate flirting towards the male species, and preparations for a performance of a Midsummer's Night Dream. Will Aphrodite be able to keep all her siblings from social ruin? Will she be able to resist Warwick and keep her intentions to marry Frederick?
The novel has a touch of naughtiness in it, but this is expressed by characters other than Aphrodite, who is in all things proper and controlled. For instance, Athena makes reference to to Warwick looking at Aphrodite by saying, "When you weren't aware, he looked at your bosom. You have a lovely bosom. I've seen many men notice that," (typical talk from a flighty man-crazy teenager). Terpsichore also makes a couple of outrageous comments about how it would be worth it to be compromised by Warwick should the occasion arise. Her character appears to live to shock others with her outrageous talk and dress. However, there isn't really any actual descriptions of sex in this book, other than the implication of something that is to happen between a couple of minor married characters. By some standards, this novel would probably be considered sweet and clean, but it certainly doesn't match what you would find in a Harlequin Love Inspired novel.
There was one point in the story where I was a bit confused. In chapter 1, Aphrodite turns away from the Viscount Warwick, but he is referred to as a Marquis. At least, I think that the use of the word referred to Warwick, because otherwise, she is turning away from her father, who is known to be a Marquis. However, she is not dancing with her father; instead, she is dancing with Warwick.The other thing that I found confusing what that Terpsichore had her own townhouse, which I think would be unheard of for a single unmarried woman who would be considered under the protection of her living parents. However, it is explained in the story that the Marquis and Marchioness had encouraged the whims of their children and permitted Terpsichore to have her own establishment.
I'm not an expert on regencies, but I had a lot of fun reading this, so if there were major historical inaccuracies, I didn't notice them and I don't think that I would have really minded. This was an enjoyable book. I wish that there was more to read about the Mad Herringtons. Maybe Ms. Myers Perrine will write more about this delightful family; after all, there are ten (eleven!) other members that we haven't met yet!
Disclaimer: A free e-copy of The Mad Herringtons was provided by Net Galley in exchange for a review. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
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