The Countess

This was my first Catherine Coulter book and I absolutley loved it! It gave me a deep, gothic-like feel to the book and I found the twists and character plots very sufficient. One thing that could've used some changes was the way the characters talked to the dog, George. I found that sort of weird. But other than that it was perfect! The sense of tension and lust between Andy and John was very romantic, but forbidding. I loved the quote from John "You see what you do to me? Jesus, it un-mans me," I found it desirable. I definatley reccomend this book. I would love it if it was adapted on screen. That would make a good movie.

Catherine Coulter admitted that her first book, a Regency romance, was really a "Gothic masquerading as a Regency." Now, she turns the tables by expanding the original novel and making it into a full-blown Gothic.Don't expect an earth-shattering romance, however. The heroine, Andie, marries an older man. (More insight into why she did this would've been nice.) Only later does she fall in love with his nephew, John. (Don't worry, there's no adultery.)I loved the Gothic elements -- I'm biased where those are concerned. Melodrama, mysterious suspects, atmosphere... However, I could have done without the Cute Quotient. Too much cute dialogue, combined with quips about Andie's dog peeing on the armor. Bleh.I gave this a B- at All About Romance.

I have read many of Coulter's historical romances and normally find myself wanting the stories to go on and on. The Bride Trilogy (Hellion Bride, Heiress Bride, and whatever the first one was) were by far my favorites and examples of my wanting the stories to continue. With The Countess, I was OK with the plot but agree that the characters could have been developed better. I got the best kick out of Andy's relationship with John's horse! Andy's character does come out with typical Coulter-style dialog which thankfully never portrays the female lead in the role of "airhead." Her heroines are whitty and of strong character and this was the perfect book for a long plane ride. Just what I needed before facing a week-long convention. Definitely not her finest work but still a pleasant read.

I really enjoyed reading The Countess. I liked the clean relationship between Andy and John, although I would have liked to read more about John, he seemed a mystery. I loved the little dog George, he stole the story! I will gladly recommend this book.

I have had mixed feelings about most of Coulter's writings, but this is an exception. I loved the clean romance between Andy and John and the firy dialogue as well. The mystery kept me guessing and I wanted more at the end which equals a good book for me.