Book Review: Loving Julia

Author: Karen Robards
Title: Loving Julia
Publisher: Warner
Publish Date: December 1986
Rating: 4 Stars
Book Blurb: "Fate brings cockney commoner Jewel Combs to the mansion on Grosvenor Square to face the icy demeanor of Sebastian Peyton, Earl of Mooreland. She doesn't know why blue-blooded Sebastian accepts the sudden challenge to transform her into "Julia Stratham"--to turn a diamond in the rough into a glittering gem--but she knows his plans will give her a home where she will never be hungry, shivering or frightened again. And "Julia" has a little surprise of her own in store for this breathtaking man: she'll show him that although she isn't a lady, she is all woman. "

Review: This is the second book by Robards that I've read recently and I started this one with much trepidation. Green Eyes was by no means a favorite book of mine, but I didn't want one bad story to cloud my judgment.

This book, redeemed the author in my eyes. It was a twist on "My Fair Lady" and it worked well, though there were holes in the story that could have been better filled, particularly when it came to Sebastian's back story.

Jewel/Julia was a sweet character, a pickpocket with a heart. It was fun to watch her transformation from a "guttersnipe" to a "lady." There is only one thing in the story that involved Julia that really bugged me and that was her treatment of Oliver towards the end, and Oliver's behavior towards her in return, just didn't suit his character at all. I didn't think it was necessary to make a character that seemed likable and kind into something vicious and ugly to be necessary.

Sebastian was an interesting hero. For the most part, he wasn't exactly nice, but as the reader comes to know him, there are plenty of reasons for him to be the way he is. He has a mother that didn't love him and wife that was cold. (Uh, why is this always the case in historicals?) Oh and he is thought to be the murderer of his wife, though there's no evidence to prove that he was.

The ending seemed a little hurried to me, resolving some of Julia's past and making sure everyone was happy. I think the story could have gone on about 50 pages more so that things would have been closed properly.

Overall, I did enjoy Loving Julia. I won't hesitate to try another by Robards, especially a more recent book.

Book Review: Green Eyes

Author: Karen Robards
Title: Green Eyes
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: Jan 1991
Rating: 2 Stars

When Anna Traverne, discovers a housebreaker her world is turned upside down. She's a widow staying with her brother in law and his wife, only he wants to make her his mistress in exchange for a roof over her head.

Thankfully the housebreaker leaves her with the emeralds he was stealing and she manages to make her way to Ceylon. A few months later, her housebreaker finds her, intent on getting the emeralds back and getting Anna in his bed.

This book just didn't click with me. There were just too many things that didn't sit write with me and made this book a bit too hard to finish. First, the housebreaker, Julian Chase. I can understand his jealousy of his half-brothers but he seems to take it a bit too far. I can perhaps understand hating Graham, because he wasn't exactly the nicest guy, but Paul is dead, and he never did anything to hurt anyone.

Anna is another confounding character. There's no explanation for why she took the charity of her brother-in-law after her husband's death. Though it is safe to assume that it was a result of too much debt on the plantation her husband had in Ceylon. Plus, why does she call her daughter, Chelsea, chicken? It makes no sense at all.

There's a lot about this story that bugged me, particularly at the end. How does Julian claim his title when he was supposedly hanged for theft? Plus, how is it that Julian found Anna so quickly but Graham took so much longer? One would think that her abrupt departure, when she was without funds would make her an obvious suspect, when it came to the theft of the emeralds.

I won't even begin with my feelings on the sex scenes, because I think the two characters should have spent a little more time out of bed then doing it might have made the story a bit easier to handle.

This book wasn't 100% awful, but there was very little to recommend it.