11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great, with only some disappointments, 11 Aug 2005
By D. Lane "Book lover" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Some Enchanted Evening (Mass Market Paperback)
I liked it for the most part. Robert was a perfect hero and Clarice is just the match for him. I found the characters to be multi-dimensional and the author weaves a mystery into the story without slowing it down or interrupting the romantic flow. I loved that were too lost souls who found each other. They healed each others wounds. Robert is handsome, sexy, intelligent, but embittered by life. I am always a sucker for stories with "heartless" heroes who find their souls through the love of a good woman. I really loved Robert's sister Millicent. Millicent MacKenzie, the spinster sister of Robert MacKenzie, Earl of Hepburn. Seeing her blossom was a joy to watch. But the ending of the book was not well thought out at all. I agree the other view about how Robert seemed upset before Clarice left, but afterward he was okay because she'd told him to "be happy". It seemed like he'd gotten over her pretty quick. But when she came back, he had all this powerful emotion again.That just didn't set well with me. If it weren't for the wonderful epilogue. I would have been quite upset. I do hope there are more stories about Clarice's sisters and hopefully Millicent.
A sexy hero, a feisty heroine, a mystery, and a passionate romance...put them all together and you get "Some Enchanted Evening", a historical romance you don't want to miss. Dodd developed Clarice and Robert's personalities and motivations very convincingly, to the point where you feel as though you know them well enough to be friends by the time you finish the book. The two meet and the sparks fly from page one. Ms. Dodd writes some of the wittiest dialogue around -- I was laughing out loud at times. One of the things I liked best about this book is the way the author wove the emotional storyline with such a light touch -- I was engrossed with the relationship between the hero and heroine and truly felt as if I knew them both. Some Enchanted Evening was an emotional roller coaster, and I felt all the pain and joy they did. I was so engrossed, I read it in a day. The love scenes are ample & steamy, and the plot is a good one. A fast paced book with an intricate plot that I cannot help but enjoy. Some Enchanted Evening has a strong (but not obnoxious) heroine who is in no way ordinary, a back story which is compelling but doesn't get in the way of the love story, and of course a wonderful hero.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breathtaking, 8 May 2005
By M. Lorenz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Some Enchanted Evening (Mass Market Paperback)
There's no denying it: I love this book. I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series. And this book affirmed my undying love for Christina Dodd.
First of all, I have a thing about names. Some romance authors use the most absurd names. Dodd (so far as I know) has done no such thing. Clarice is a splendid name, and there's just something manly about the name Robert.
With that said, SOME ENCHANTED EVENING was one of the greatest historical romances I have read, period. At first I was miffed by Clarice's entrance in the novel, and thought I would have written it a different way, but as I went along I realized that I was laboring under a misconception about the princess; I would just have written her entire character a different way. And I am pleased as punch with the way Dodd wrote her.
My favorite character in the novel is Millicent MacKenzie, the spinster sister of Robert MacKenzie, Earl of Hepburn. I dearly hope that there will be a spin-off novel about Millicent's belated love story. The way that Clarice nurtures Millicent's timid nature and turns her from a wallflower into a diamond of the first water merely by giving her confidence stole my heart.
I am also a big fan of truly obnoxious characters getting their comeuppance. Not only does it require an author to make a genuinely obnoxious character that the reader wants to throttle every step of the way, but then the author has to appropriately and efficiently take that character down a notch. Leaving the reader hurrah-ing loudly and getting odd looks from passersby.
I won't ruin the ending, but while it ties everything up nicely (what romance novel doesn't?), it also leaves the reader checking Amazon.com and ChristinaDodd.com obsessively to find out when Princess Amy's story is coming out.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A SWEETLY REGAL READING, 6 Sep 2004
By Gail Cooke - Published on Amazon.com
And you thought the princess and the pea had problems! . They were as nothing compared to challenges faced by the three young royals in Christina Dodd's period romance, the first in a planned trilogy.
Listeners learn quite quickly that being to the manor born is no guarantee of a cushy life as three sisters, princesses, are forced to leave their home country when revolution breaks out. However, they do not live in peace as they're chased by those who want to kill them. It's the 1700s, not a time for princesses to be alone. Nonetheless, Clarice attempts to take care of her sisters by starting a cosmetic business, selling face creams to women in the villages they pass through.
There's little hope for any other females who have designs on handsome hunk Robert MacKenzie when he sees the beautiful Clarice ride into town. He is smitten, and invites her to visit him at his manor house......need we say more? If you know Christina Dodd, you know that romance and intrigue ensue.
Elizabeth Sastre gives a sweetly regal performance as the story of Clarice and Robert unfolds. She has a breathy innocence in her voice that brings the young princess to life.
- Gail Cooke