Elegant prose that dances off the page. The first 30 pages promised an elegant follow up to Anton’s first novel, but I struggled a little with this second instalment.
The deco decoration at the start of each chapter sets the scene for the ball room and grand hotel where all the action occurs. I enjoyed reading about Raymond de Guise in his first outing and had been looking forward to this follow up, however this second novel felt somewhat rushed and I didn’t feel much for any of the characters this time around.
Set in the build up to war, I think the microcosm of the Buckingham hotel is a little too pronounced and more could have been done to establish a sense of the historical setting of this novel.
Raymond de Guise and Nancy’s relationship develops in what could have been a hug of a love story, but by the end I couldn’t muster any care for either of them.
I would have liked to know more about Helene, our of all the characters she seemed the most real, with an interesting past and a history of an interracial relationship during a time when this was still somewhat taboo.
There was so much more potential to explore in this book, perhaps there will be a third novel which will fill in the gaps and reflect more on the build up of war.
The deco decoration at the start of each chapter sets the scene for the ball room and grand hotel where all the action occurs. I enjoyed reading about Raymond de Guise in his first outing and had been looking forward to this follow up, however this second novel felt somewhat rushed and I didn’t feel much for any of the characters this time around.
Set in the build up to war, I think the microcosm of the Buckingham hotel is a little too pronounced and more could have been done to establish a sense of the historical setting of this novel.
Raymond de Guise and Nancy’s relationship develops in what could have been a hug of a love story, but by the end I couldn’t muster any care for either of them.
I would have liked to know more about Helene, our of all the characters she seemed the most real, with an interesting past and a history of an interracial relationship during a time when this was still somewhat taboo.
There was so much more potential to explore in this book, perhaps there will be a third novel which will fill in the gaps and reflect more on the build up of war.