Book 26: Midsummer Moon

This book comes highly recommended by the Smart Bitches. I will warn you, it is very long, even by historical romance standards. Also, it is jam packed with historical science-- even more esoteric than the regular science. I liked the science though. And as I was on vacation the length was not an issue. The heroine was pretty much a total dork, which should be right up my alley. However. . .remember Shine? Yeah, the romance in Midsummer Moon was about as hot as the one in Shine.

The hero was not very interesting or appealing. I recall he had a ridiculously long name but I don't recall what the hell it was. Rather high-handed fellow, with some sort of government involvement that was never properly explained but which was apparently ESSENTIAL to the defeat of Bonaparte.

There are a good many side characters to keep straight. The mother of the hero popped in so late in the story I had to go back, as I imagined she had died. Turns out that was the hero's first wife. Actually, the enormous cast of characters reminds me somewhat of Bleak House. The child characters were particularly shallowly drawn. Least annoying minor character would have to be the nameless animal sidekick: a hedgehog.

There is a thing in books I refer to as King Syndrome-- it comes of an editor who is too timid with Ye Olde Red Pen. See Also: The Stand.