"Hero of My Heart" Author Megan Frampton
A Bad BM by Nakeesha J. Seneb
I
really liked the idea of these two characters. Vicar's daughter in need
of rescuing plus opium addict Marquis in need of some saving himself. The
recovering addict behavior was at times intriguing and page-turning,
and at other times conveniently pushed aside for the love arc plotting.
This
entire work happened in real time: first from the hero's perspective
and then the heroine's. If they were apart for any reason, the author
would go back and retell it from the other's POV. It was quite
unexpected. And my fear came true -the ending was super rushed.
In
revision, writers are often advised to employ a Seek and Destroy Word
List. Frampton continually used certain words over and over and over
again and I soon began anticipating their arrival. Ignoring this rule
caused me to start skimming.
That aside, my biggest issue with
this book was the "big misunderstanding." I hate BMs -get it: bowel
movements! They so often seem unnecessary and stupid. But they are a
staple of this genre that I love so much. Writing-World dot com's Anne Marble agrees with me that most big understanding's are silly or SBMP (Silly Big Misunderstanding Plots). According to Marble, the first signs of a SBMP is the absence of logic. If the characters appear forced in their actions; or you realize a simple 60-second conversation would clear matters up; or the case of mistaken identity goes on for pages too long, well then you might be in the middle of a BM!
Mary and Alasdaire's BM was
believable -in the beginning. Alasdaire was aiming to commit suicide by opium overdose because everyone he ever loved died. Mary, who lately discovered she was illegitimate, feels unlovable and wants to slink away off the grid of society. They were two very damaged characters, but
by working together they conquered so many of their literal and figurative
demons by finding each other, learning to trust and depend on each other, and having each others backs against all enemies. By 50% of the eBook I thought the BM got cleared up. Frampton
even started raising the stakes, which kept me turning the pages. But the
main characters were still hanging on to their SBMPs. I was befuddled. And
then, literally, in the last two lines of the work they finally "got it,"
reminding me that big misunderstandings are often messy and smelly!
ARC provided by Netgalley.
Messy and smelly. tee hee
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