Kissing Shakespeare [Hardcover]

A gorgeously written, engaging novel for readers of all ages. Even though Miranda's mission is to seduce Shakespeare, the real love story between her and Stephen is so real you'll be rooting for them to eliminate the obstacles of time and space that may forever keep them apart. The setting is so realistic that this reader felt she'd been transported to 16th century England. A heady, heartfelt read rich with authentic detail and multidimensional characters.

Unfortunately, this book didn't please me.

Dislikes:

* Shakespeare wasn't present enough in the novel. From the title and synopsis, I expected him to play a much bigger role in the story than he actually did. Then there's the fact that when he was around, he was a little too peppy. He just didn't seem like who I'd expect a young Shakespeare to be. If he wasn't pawing at Miranda, he was naïvely following the prattling of Thomas Cook.

* Miranda was a little too dense for my tastes. I mean, how many times did Stephen have to explain his intentions to her? I think he reiterated it to the girl at least twenty times throughout the novel. Then there was the fact that she was so back and forth about whether or not she wanted to cooperate. Would you cooperate with a guy who kidnapped you & wants to, in a sense, prostitute you? Hmm, let me think... probably not. Miranda was flighty, shallow, and much too trusting considering the situation. I didn't like her much at all.

* The pace wasn't to my liking. There were several lulls and I even began to doze off while reading the book. I wanted to mark it DNF, to be frank. I didn't only because it was a review book.

* There was too much religious babble. I understand that it plays a part in the plot, but for me, it was too much. It could've been toned down a notch. This is a YA novel after all. It just seemed too heavy a subject for a book that, in the next chapter, has the protagonist battling with herself on whether or not to let Shakespeare get to third base just so she can one-up her snobby mother.

Likes:

* I appreciated very much that the author didn't take the most obvious route and make Shakespeare the real love interest of the tale. I think that would have been a disaster. Not that I think Stephen was a great love interest, but he was the better choice for the story.

* The plot is original. I think it could've been done so much better, but it's original none the less.

Overall:

Kissing Shakespeare is not my cup of tea. I think it has potential to be loved, but not by those who are nit-picky like myself. The pace was slow. The protagonist wasn't likable. The romance was off due to the fact that the guy kidnapped her and forced her to do things she shouldn't have to. There's a whole lot of Protestant vs. Catholic chatter mixed in with the story. It could potentially put you to sleep! This story was definitely an original idea and had great potential. For me, it just fell short.

Miranda acts in the plays at school in part because her parents are actors, but she doesn't feel as if she can live up to their expectations. After a performance she feels is lousy and would embarrass her parents, a mysterious guy (Stephen) abducts her and returns her to 1537 to seduce William Shakespeare so that Shakespeare doesn't join the Jesuit priesthood.

Miranda disguises herself as Stephen's sister to take on the role of the seductress. Meeting and sleeping with Shakespeare would one up her talented actress mother. There's some delightful scenes with Shakespeare and Stephen who eventually becomes jealous of her infatuation of Shakespeare and her teasing the poor guy. There are lots of great side characters that fill out this story and the pacing is good with plenty of suspense.

The author does an awesome job of taking us back to Shakespeare's time. I love the ambiance of the story and the details to make us feel as if we were there. Pam used just enough dialect from the time to make it feel authentic without overdoing it. This is a great premise for a story.

I hope to see Stephen and Miranda in another tale so that they can take up where their romance left off.