Average Customer Review: ( 13 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Oh, if only everything had been wrapped up... Jan 09, 2005
By S. Reader
"scibarfan"
Wow! That Publisher's Weekly review really had an ax to grind--and it bore little resemblance to the book. That reviewer seems to have forgotten the mores & laws of the day as well as the other factors involved.
Jack definitely has his problems, and there were times I was put off by them. Indeed, his character seemed so changeable--for example, his later anger problems seemed at odds with his more laid-back demeanor early in the book. But Jack has not completely overcome the horrors of his youth, and Amelia--or his surprising feelings for her--become the trigger for years of repression to fall away. Much like organizing your basement, it gets worse before it gets better. But Monk really makes you feel Jack's despair at the thought that Amelia might leave him and his inability to articulate what he feels for her. As for the charges of near rape, ah....no. Amelia was a full participant.
Speaking of Amelia, she's a pampered gal who gains a lot of wisdom after she meets Jack. Unfortunately, there also comes a time when she seems to lose her newfound backbone. The servants and Jack's family are terrific secondary characters--sometimes they nearly steal the show. Ha! And Jack as a doctor was excruciatingly funny.
On the charge of too many unanswered questions....that's a big Yes. It's the book's major downfall. So many threads are set up--very important ones--and they are never resolved. Very bad form that. Therefore, I'm rating it at 3 stars.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Facing Scandal; Finding Your Heart Apr 05, 2003
The Wedding Escape could have been no more than a runaway bride/reverse Cinderella story, but once again author Karyn Monk takes us below the surface, into the hearts and souls of her characters. The result is so much more satisfying this way! At first, we could consider Amelia and Jack a case of opposites attracting, but its the similarities and inverted aspects of their lives that I found most compelling. She, a pampered American heiress has to go into Cinderella-before-the-ball mode to find work and survive as her own person to discover her worthiness as a woman, not just a rich man's daughter. He, rescued from prison as a child of the streets and raised as the adopted son of good-hearted nobles, must overcome deep-rooted insecurity and disgust at his baseborn heritage to recognize his worthiness as a man.The journey of these two characters is anything but stodgy. Again, Ms. Monk imbues her stories with equal parts humor and intensity. There's no such thing as a smooth trip for readers as we go along for the ride. We laugh, cry, cheer and fear with these people. If we have to dive into some very dark lows, it only makes the bright triumphs that much more rewarding for Amelia, Jack and us. Ms. Monk always surrounds her main people with the most colorful clans of supporting characters. Jack's siblings, also all adopted from jails and the streets, return from the previous book The Prisoner, as do the funniest servant family you've ever read. These people make the landscape even richer and you'll fall in love all over again with each of them. (Thank goodness, the next book tells the story of sister Charlotte!)
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Awesome author! Read this! Mar 04, 2003
By Huntress Reviews
Set in England, 1883. Amelia Belford was an American heiress. Her parents arranged for her to marry Lord Whitcliffe. They wanted his title and he wanted their fortune. However, Amelia wanted none of it! Amelia and Whitcliffe found each other to be disgusting. Only minutes before she was to march down the aisle, Amelia leaped out of a church window and into the coach of Jack Kent. Jack Kent was a seafaring Scotsman who was only in town long enough to see his family and then take off again. The damsel in distress put a chink in his plans but he felt honor bound to help her out of her mess. Jack planned to keep his family OUT of it though. He would deal with it himself. Problem was his family was a lot like his servants, most wee thieves and orphans hired right out of prison and put to work. So of course they would stick their fingers into the mix. In addition, Jack was having trouble with his ships. A saboteur was at work and Jack needed to capture him before he lost his business. ***** Author Karyn Monk is a master at turning madness, mayhem, and chaos into an exciting story that readers are unable to put down. I read only for a few minutes and was surprised to look at the clock and find out that hours had flown by. Exciting story from an amazing author. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Criminal that the ending left so many ends Sep 07, 2003
By Unnamed
This book was great, and had (as in all her books) a large cast of interesting secondary characters. But the ending happened so fast, that I thought maybe my book was defective. There were so many loose ends left hanging, you could trip and kill yourself. I was hugely displeased with Ms. Monk over this one, ruining the fact that I liked it immensely until the end. The book should have been half again as long. The next book is a prequel, so no help there, either.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Apr 01, 2003
Another winner from Karyn Monk!
Amelia is an American heiress whose parents believe that it is in her best interest to marry an English title. Even if the groom attached to the title is an arrogant man who hates the bride. So Amelia takes matters into her own hands and climbs out the church window-and jumps into Jack's carriage.
Jack grew up on the streets of London and knows what it feels like to be trapped and desperate and is willing to help Amelia in her escape.
The only problem is the man she thought she was running to has found another heiress to marry. So Amelia must hide from her family to avoid her original marriage. Jack's siblings help Amelia get a job so she can support herself in her new life and they become great friends. But, of course, this happy scenario does not last long- in comes the evil fiance, intruige, old secrets and an plot against Jack.
Overall, it was a great read. Well-written with an interesting plot and characters I grew to love. I can't wait to see the next installment that has Jack's sister as the main character!
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
based on 13 reviews
