Amanda
Written on Jan 16, 2016
Theresa Romain is a new-to-me author, but one whose name isn't completely unfamiliar. And although this was my first Theresa Romain historical romance, it certainly won't be my last.
A Gentleman's Game was slow to start, but once it gained speed and traction, it was difficult to stop. (Possibly why I finished it in an afternoon.) I had to see the story through, figure out who was behind the mysterious illness of Nathaniel's horses, and read the conclusion to Rosalind and Nathaniel's romance.
Perhaps part of why A Gentleman's Game felt slow to start was that the characters' back stories unfolded over time, so the focus was on learning more about the characters in addition to figuring out what was going on with the horses. From the start, it was easy to see that Rosalind was hiding something, but we don't learn the extent of it until a good portion of the way into the book. I would have preferred a bit more tension right away, but that's me...
The presence of family is woven throughout A Gentleman's Game, both in Nathaniel's interactions with his father (which influenced who his character was and how he acted) and in Rosalind's family. There's something special about books with a strong family presence or complicated family relationships a character strives to patch up.
The mystery behind the horses' illnesses wasn't exactly a complete mystery, but still, I would have liked to see the culprit play a larger role earlier (or rather, play a steady role throughout the book) so that some things that happened at the end didn't seem so rushed together. (The slow start to the book could have affected my feelings of this, too.)
As the first book in a new series, A Gentleman's Game has me interested in future books -- as well as the prequel novella. Looking forward to more!