"An Orgy of Perspectives" by Nakeesha J. Seneb
I really, REALLY enjoyed this story. It had everything that I look for in a romance. A moderately predictable plot with just enough unexpected twists to snap the reader back to attention. Likeable characters who I cared enough about to think about when I had to put down the book and returned to my own life. A satisfying HEA that made me daydream what happened after The End. I just had one problem: there were way too many perspectives going on this book. It suffered from an orgy of perspectives!
From the book "On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells" by Leigh Michaels tells that most romance novels are told with alternating perspectives by the hero and heroine in third person; first person is usually chick lit.
The book blurb of "A Most Sandalous Proposal" told me I was about to read the story of Julia, a young miss gunshy of love after witnessing the ill-affairs of her governess, and Benedict, her bestie bachelor who's reluctant to be amongst the marriage-minded of the ton. Benedict rescues Julia from the clutches of a rake who's all but purchased her from her debt-ridden father. During the "rescue" the two shed their prejudices of love and an HEA blossoms. That was wonderful! But-
As we're reading along inside Julia and Benedict's heads we jump into her sister, Sophia's, head. That threw me because there's no mention of Sophia on the back blurb whatsoever. Sophia is in love with the rake who has his eyes set on Julia. Sophia's stalking the rake at a ball and comes across him in a compromising situation with another woman. What does she do? Swoon, ofcourse. To her rescue comes Rufus, an older gentlemen with a bit of dark scandal in his past. When Rufus is found caring for Sophia alone the two are pushed into an engagement to avoid another scandal. That's when we jump into Rufus' head!
Now, I have to repeat that I really, thoroughly enjoyed this story. But four perspectives overwhelmed me. Macnamara handles the head-juggling well, but it still jarred me each time we'd leave Julia and Benedict's love story for Sophia and Rufus'. And if I'm honest, Sophia and Rufus' story out shined Julia and Benedict's, who were billed via the back blurb as the stars of the show.
ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group
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