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kat_tomasco's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dorothy_callahan's review against another edition
A young woman who has grown up knowing she is the fairest of them all avows to alter her looks to make her less of a prize to any man intent on winning her hand at the tournament her father is running to marry her off. The hero, having lived under a fairy queen's curse for generations, fears that marrying the beauty he met during one stolen moment would doom him, so he decides to take his chances instead to win the haggard bride. His only solace is the fact she has the same stunning eyes as the one who captured his heart during a stolen midnight kiss.....
kelpie85's review against another edition
5.0
The Gavenmores of Wales have been cursed for as long as anyone can remember. They are doomed to fall in love with beautiful women and to kill those women in a jealous rage. Despite this curse, Sir Austyn has traveled to win the hand of Lady Holly de Chastel - the most beautiful woman in the world. So when he wins the hand of Lady Holly, he is surprised to find an ugly little troll with a fiery temper. Little does he know, Lady Holly has disguised herself in an ill-fated attempt to avoid the marriage her father insisted upon.
This is a great tale about falling in love with the beauty inside of someone. Though it takes a while for Austyn to realize he loves his homely wife, he does eventually figure it out before he finds out she's been lying to him about her appearance.
The only thing that bothers me about this story is how she fools him for so long, even when she starts forgetting about parts of her disguise. It kind of makes me wonder if Austyn was just blinded by his own initial perceptions or if he's just that dumb. It kind of became a Clark Kent/Superman level of stupid when it came to the disguise. Then again, it certainly served the plot well, so I suppose I'll allow Austyn's stupidity for the sake of a good curse breaking.
This is a great tale about falling in love with the beauty inside of someone. Though it takes a while for Austyn to realize he loves his homely wife, he does eventually figure it out before he finds out she's been lying to him about her appearance.
The only thing that bothers me about this story is how she fools him for so long, even when she starts forgetting about parts of her disguise. It kind of makes me wonder if Austyn was just blinded by his own initial perceptions or if he's just that dumb. It kind of became a Clark Kent/Superman level of stupid when it came to the disguise. Then again, it certainly served the plot well, so I suppose I'll allow Austyn's stupidity for the sake of a good curse breaking.
mj414's review against another edition
3.0
This could have been a light and fluffy romance about a beautiful woman who falls in love and disguises her beauty to make her husband fall in love with her.
-Until
-Until
-Until
-Until
This book is ruined by Austyn's demons which are too close to that of domestic abusers. A romance turned into a tragedy. I'm sorry but this is not why I read romance. It's scary how normalized the abuse was in this book (written in 1995). I believe Medeiros would not write it the same today knowing what we do about domestic violence.
-Until
Spoiler
her husband violently holds her head under water to "wash away" the disguise. She even thinks he's trying to kill her.-Until
Spoiler
he has to have sex with her to prove she's not a wh*re-Until
Spoiler
he locks her in a tower for months but visits her every night to have sex with her-Until
Spoiler
Austyn's dad tries to r*pe and ch*ke Holly to deathThis book is ruined by Austyn's demons which are too close to that of domestic abusers. A romance turned into a tragedy. I'm sorry but this is not why I read romance. It's scary how normalized the abuse was in this book (written in 1995). I believe Medeiros would not write it the same today knowing what we do about domestic violence.
eyre_apparent's review against another edition
3.0
Giving it at least 1 star for nostalgia. I unfortunately can't remember what the first romance I read was, but this was definitely one of them. I really enjoyed rereading this. It's a bit old school crazy sauce, but that can be fun.
khrb's review against another edition
2.5
This one missed the mark. Indeed, it thwacked itself firmly into a different continent from the mark.
A Kiss to Remember easily walked the tightrope of comedy (amnesia! Kittens! Moppets attempting to commit murder!) and genuine emotion (a mother, at a time when she was considered the property of her husband, forced to give up her child; that same child, hurt and betrayed, refusing a reconciliation with her until her death) while The Bride and the Beast and Charming the Prince were delightful farces which happened to feature tragic backstories.
But a curse, real or imagined, that leads to the imprisonment, rape, and/or death of generations of women at the hands of their husbands (including the heroine!) makes for uncomfortable reading.
A Kiss to Remember easily walked the tightrope of comedy (amnesia! Kittens! Moppets attempting to commit murder!) and genuine emotion (a mother, at a time when she was considered the property of her husband, forced to give up her child; that same child, hurt and betrayed, refusing a reconciliation with her until her death) while The Bride and the Beast and Charming the Prince were delightful farces which happened to feature tragic backstories.
But a curse, real or imagined, that leads to the imprisonment, rape, and/or death of generations of women at the hands of their husbands (including the heroine!) makes for uncomfortable reading.
fareee_dah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
3.0
What should the most beautiful woman in all of England do to thwart her fathers determination to marry her off:
1. Convince possible suitors that
A. That the firstborn son of your line will have webbed feet
B. That the full moon provokes murderous rage in every other generation of females in your line
C. Feign blindness
D. Paint spots on your visage, claim you have the pic and are barren.
And when you push your father to the end of his patience and he sets up a tournament with you as the prize, you cut your hair, blacken your teeth, and disguise all other attributes that you are lauded for.
Listen, this book firmly falls into old school romance. You have phrases such as “fragile cup of her womb already overflowed with nectar for him,” “the scalding bounty of her husbands seed””, and “the love of his lifetime spilled from his lions.”
However, I must admit to still being entertained by the lengths that Holly goes to to hide the beauty that has plagued her for all her life.
1995 me ate this prose with a spoon and enjoyed every bite. 2023 me acknowledges that there are issues but setting that aside, I enjoyed the beats of the story. The curse, the stubbornness, the determination.
1. Convince possible suitors that
A. That the firstborn son of your line will have webbed feet
B. That the full moon provokes murderous rage in every other generation of females in your line
C. Feign blindness
D. Paint spots on your visage, claim you have the pic and are barren.
And when you push your father to the end of his patience and he sets up a tournament with you as the prize, you cut your hair, blacken your teeth, and disguise all other attributes that you are lauded for.
Listen, this book firmly falls into old school romance. You have phrases such as “fragile cup of her womb already overflowed with nectar for him,” “the scalding bounty of her husbands seed””, and “the love of his lifetime spilled from his lions.”
However, I must admit to still being entertained by the lengths that Holly goes to to hide the beauty that has plagued her for all her life.
1995 me ate this prose with a spoon and enjoyed every bite. 2023 me acknowledges that there are issues but setting that aside, I enjoyed the beats of the story. The curse, the stubbornness, the determination.
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
3.0
I am really enjoying my forage through Teresa Medeiros's back catalogue. She has a nice style, successfully grounding some fairly ridiculous romance tropes and crafting a believable bond between her central pair. I liked the idea behind Fairest of Them All, asking questions about beauty, faith and fidelity, though I wish some aspects had been explored a little more deeply. Nevertheless, this book was charming as always and I eagerly await my next dose of Ms Medeiros's writing.