Private Arrangements

Hard to enjoy a book when everyone in it is so distasteful. Really did not like this, to the extent that I found myself skimming instead of reading! Donation bin.

This book was a pleasure to read. The author's talent is incredible, I don't think there can be any quibbles about that. What some people are turned off by, are the characters themselves. I loved both Cam and Gigi; yes they were both unfaithful during their decade apart, but it only highlighted their human frailty. Cam was especially haunting..here is an exceptional man, with incredibly high standards. You can really believe that, as opposed to the standard romantic novel, which drones on about how virile,dashing, rich and perfect a hero is, but leaves you unconvinced in the end. When Gigi fails to live up to Cam's standards initially, the way he reacts is convincing. Yes he takes it too far, but I loved the journey inside his head the author takes us on. I did have some problems with the book,the part with the Duke of Perrin and GiGi's mom is just distracting, while doing nothing for me; I would have liked it better if Cam and Gigi had had more time together, especially in the end. But all in all these are characters you will remember, and this is a book to treasure. the excellent writing also makes it eminently re-readable!

If you are in need of a refreshing historical romance to read, then you don't want to miss Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas. This story is a breath of fresh air in both its plot structure and delivery. As a young woman, Gigi Rowland makes a dreadful choice to secure the marriage of her dreams to Camden Saybrook. Her plan backfires and Camden abandons her the morning after the wedding. Fast-forward ten years. Gigi wishes to marry again, but to do so she needs Camden to grant her a divorce, a request that forces him back into her life. She insists they have nothing left between them, but Camden refuses to give her up without something in return. Ms. Thomas kept me on a roller coaster of emotion throughout the novel. With her humor and rich vocabulary, she drew me into the story from page one. I admit at times I hated both Gigi and Camden for their behaviors, but still I devoured the book, eager to watch their love story unfold when I was so convinced it could never happen. Thankfully, Ms. Thomas didn't disappoint me. With this amazing debut, Sherry Thomas is surely an author on the rise. Don't miss her Private Arrangements!

I read through several of the reviews of this book after I'd finished reading it - and frankly I was surprised that it had ANY bad reviews. I'm a pretty fast reader, so I'm constanly looking for new authors to read. Sherry Thomas is definitely one of the best! She's great at painting a great picture and I thought her characters were a lot more real than in most romance novels. Her characters actually had FEELINGS - bad and good, not just the sappy, pining, pitiful stuff found in most long-separation stories. If you're looking for something a little different, I definitely recommed this book!

There's a fine line between love and hate and Camden knows it all too well. On the eve of marrying a woman who seems perfect for him, he finds out about her deceit and vows to make her pay by marrying her anyway, giving her one night of passion and then disappearing from her life. Yet he still loves her and the torment he hoped to leave Gigi with follows him everywhere he goes. Gigi has remained in love with him too but she's given up the hope of getting him back and now wants to get on with her life by marrying someone else. Poor Camden can't let her until he rids himself of his demons, and he's finding that impossible to do. The more he hates her, the more he wants her and vice versa. And this makes him hate himself too. His healing is long in coming, but when he decides to let her go on to her new life, you know he's almost there. I'll admit I wouldn't have liked Camden had I not seen him in his earlier years--before his anger and need for revenge consumed him. But Gigi, I loved Gigi from the start. She was a woman ahead of her times, strong and determined to get what she wanted at any cost. Whenever I think of her I remember the scene where she sees Camden unexpectantly on a boat that passes hers and she runs along the length of the boat unable to look away from him. Even when she trips and falls headlong, she gets up and keeps running to the end of the boat until he's out of sight. This isn't the typical historical romance and Sherry Thomas isn't the typical writer; she's one of the freshest voices in historical romance. I can't wait for her next one!

I'm exhausted an it's all Sherry Thomas's fault. I ran out last night and picked this up. It started in the drive through line for my dinner. "I'm just going to read a page," I thought. A page turned into a chapter, which turned into "Just a few minutes more," and then the next thing I knew I was finishing the book at 1am and sleeping with it on the bed next to me. There's no Ehvil Villan, there's no spies, there's no killer after them. There's just Cam and Gigi and how they and their love grow up. It's lovely and sexy and I even cried a bit (which is saying a whole lot for me.) Both are flawed, human creatures who desperately want to be happy. I loved the time period as well. The entire world was changing in the late 1800s and that knowledge blends seamlessly into this book. Cam and Gigi were entirely beings of and in their time, not modern characters who're just plunked down in a different time so they can wear pretty clothes. At this point, I'm just sighing and smiling wistfully about Private Arrangements, so it's hard to come up with a comprehensive review. Just go read it. Now.