Feb

Book Review: The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

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THE RELUCTANT HEIRESS by Eva Ibbotson
Publication Date: April 30th 2009 by Speak
Rating:

Summary: Being an heiress in 1920s Austria with nothing but a broken-down castle to your name and nary a penny in your purse could be frustrating for anyone but the Princess Theresa-Maria of Pfaffenstein. “Tessa,” however, is thrilled with her situation, as it allows her to concentrate on her love of the arts—and no one in the Viennese opera company need know that their delightful and charming under-wardrobe mistress is really a princess. But when the dashing self-made millionaire Guy Farne arrives at the opera in search of suitable entertainment for his high society guests, Tessa realizes that there may be more to life—and love—than just music. But while the attraction between them is undeniable, Guy’s insufferable snob of a fiancée only solidifies Tessa’s determination to keep her true identity a secret. Yet, after a chance meeting with the handsome Englishman, Tessa’s reserve begins to melt, and she starts to wonder if it’s not too late for a fairytale ending…

Review Overview:

Rich, captivating story but writing is tough to get into
Leaves you with an appreciation for the opera
Romance was lacking but overall a sweet novel

A Princess undercover, a beautiful castle, and a self-made male protagonist. It sounds like the perfect fairy tale. THE RELUCTANT HEIRESS is a charming story of Tess, Princess of Pfaffenstein, who wants nothing more to serve the arts, and Guy, the self-made millionaire who wants his chance at true love.

I didn’t think I was going to make it through this book, to be quite honest. The beginning was agonizingly slow, and Eva Ibbotson’s writing style was tough to get used to. I did not like how I was presented with each character’s background from the very beginning. There was no joy in peeling the layers to the characters when they were just handed over to me. It almost felt like the story was going off tangent and I wanted to get the story going already.

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Permalink Category Book Review, Three Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Eva Ibbotson, Book: The Reluctant Heiress, Genre: Historical, Genre: Romance, Publisher: Speak | Words 448 words

Jan

Top of the Shelf #16

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A weekly meme on the books on the top of my list to read and books recently acquired, borrowed, or bought. Inspired by the Story Siren’s In My Mailbox.

Top of the Shelf / Currently Reading
What’s next on my to-read list for the upcoming week. I ended up switching around the books I read this past week, so The Reluctant Heiress is making its second appearance at the top of my to-read.

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Permalink Category Top of the Shelf - Author: Ally Condie, Author: Andrea Cremer, Author: Eva Ibbotson, Author: Sara Shepard, Book: Matched, Book: Nightshade, Book: The Lying Game, Book: The Reluctant Heiress, Series: Matched, Series: Nightshade | Words 140 words

Jan

Top of the Shelf #15

You are here: Home » Book: The Reluctant Heiress

A weekly meme on the books on the top of my list to read and books recently acquired, borrowed, or bought. Inspired by the Story Siren’s In My Mailbox.

I unfortunately have been neglecting this meme for a while because I really wasn’t acquiring new books. For the last two weeks, I’ve been really good; I read almost all the books that have been gathering dust on my shelf! I rewarded myself a few days ago and bought a few ebooks. I also went to the library today for the first time in months (tragic, I know).

Top of the Shelf / Currently Reading
What’s next on my to-read list for the upcoming week. It seems that I’m caught up with my TBR pile that I own so I can actually tackle new purchases and recently borrowed straight away. Fantastic!