Romance

A Prior Engagement by Karina Bliss

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Karina Bliss, but this is the first book I’ve read by her.  It’s always interesting to read a book set somewhere different – in this case, New Zealand.

A Prior Engagement by Karina Bliss
(2013, Contemporary Series)  5/18/13
Grade: 3.5

After two years, SAS soldier Lee Davis is finally coming home.  His family and friends thought he was dead.  Things have changed since he left, but the most surprising change is that his supposed fiancée, Juliet Browne, has become a part of his circle of friends – except that they broke up just before he left on his last mission.  Lee decides to feign amnesia to find out what’s really going on – but he finds himself drawn to Jules all over again.

I had mixed feelings about this book.  There were many moments that were emotional and lovely.  Karina Bliss is an excellent writer and she did a great job depicting Lee’s struggles to adjust to normal life again.  However, the fake amnesia storyline was a gimmick that went on too long.  And even after that part of the story was resolved, there were a lot of characters from other books that played a big part in the story.  I felt a little lost.  I enjoyed the book, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

If I’d written this review immediately after reading the book, I might have graded it a little more highly.  But a day later, I can barely remember the good parts, while the negatives stand out more.  So I downgraded it from 4 to 3.5.

Karen Wheless

I've been reading romance since I discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss at age 12. I love all kinds of romances, especially emotional and angsty stories. I finally cut back my TBR pile from 2000 books to only 400, but I still have lots of books left to read!

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