The Guardian Duke (Forgotten Castles Novels)

by Jamie Carie

[ladygrey]

I so want to give this book one star just out of spite. And it's not that it isn't well written. The characters are actually (mostly) pretty good and the plot is interesting and moves along nicely, even as it sort of degenerates. But for two things this is actually a very decently written story.

Here's the two (massive) problems. 1) I like Lady Alexandria Featherstone less and less as the story progressed. She started out as smart and naive but clever and independent and fun. But then she keeps making the wrong choices and trusting complete strangers again and again instead of the one person she should trust. Her character lost all that made her enjoyable and became just childish so that by the last third I just kept wanting to smack her at nearly every turn. (And really, you pour out your story to everyone you meet when you're on a very dangerous mission to track down a valuable secret?)

And because she becomes such an infuriating character this book has a TERRIBLE ending. I can endure stupid characters when it's obvious they're stupid to further the plot because I expect everything is going to turn out well in the end and their stupidity is just delaying that. But when the book ends on the most stupid of her stupid choices, you know what, no I will not follow you into a second book to get to the happily ever after. I don't care. I don't like her anyway. I now don't trust you [a:Jamie Carie|292562|Jamie Carie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1296324394p2/292562.jpg]. I'm done. And none too happy about it.