The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
by Julia QuinnBook 1 of Bevelstoke
~ Goodreads ~
Rating: 3.0 Stars
2 March 1810... Today, I fell in love.
At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.
But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers...
At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.
But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers...
To be honest, I think I had really hoped that a cutesy, humorous historical romance would help bring me out of the ongoing reading slump I've had since the beginning of the year. But the truth is that this story wasn't as cutesy or humorous as I'd expected. That's on me. I should have figured that it would end up being quite angst-filled based on the fact that our hero is already starting the book off as a "lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss."
Truth is, I found Turner to be a bit of an ass, and nothing he did managed to redeem himself in my eyes. He was pushy and barbaric, and I wish that Miranda had been able to stand up for herself a bit more rather than letting her ten-year crush/love dictate her emotions.
But otherwise, I really DID like Miranda.
It was everyone else in the book that made me a little upset. And as much as I loved the friendship and the banter between Miranda and Olivia, I sometimes felt that Olivia needed a good slap upside the head to make her stop and think about her best friend before she chose to interfere in said best friend's life without any thought for said best friend's welfare. Olivia came off pretty selfish, to be honest.
The book itself was enjoyable, and I may or may not continue the rest of the series.
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