| Title | : | Seeking Persephone (The Lancaster Family, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1608617963 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781608617968 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published November 7, 2008 |
Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke’s castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke’s steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride.
With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke’s armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll.
But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.
A regency romance novel you won't want to put down.
Seeking Persephone (The Lancaster Family, #1) Reviews
-
AY, SANTA CACHUCHA, QUE ESTO VA DE LOBOS!
Bueno, de lobos y de algo más🤭, y ese algo más es una pasada!
Pero empecemos por el principio, que me conozco y me pierdo solita🥴. ¿A quién no le apetece leer un retelling de La bella y la Bestia ambientado en la regencia😍? Vamos, a mí muchísimo, y si además le añadimos un duque arrisco, una mansión oscura y silenciosa, un bosque tenebroso y una Bella increíble, pues ya tenemos montado el sarao del siglo.
Y qué sarao! De esos que te calientan el corazón mientras los lees, de los que te dibujan una sonrisa en los labios y te hacen suspirar y reír. Es más, si esto es una muestra de lo que nos espera en el siguiente libro de esta bilogía, pa´mañana es tarde! Y es que estoy deseando leer más historias de esta autora❤️! -
spoiler-free, mainly (no big suspense give-aways)
Wonderfully written "Beauty and the Beast" Regency Romance, set in 1805 in Northumberland, near the Scottish border. Despite the "clean" factor, Eden manages to engender sexual tension, imbuing her characters with emotional depth. This is not a Christian romance, despite the publisher. No mention of scriptures and Eden does not evangelize.
The POV shifts from Adam to Persephone. Internal musings are limited to brief digressions so it does not hinder the flow of the story. Eden writes flowing dialogue peppered with humor and angst, creating a mounting sense of emotional urgency.
I ♥ the lonely hero, Adam Boyce, Duke of Kielder, aka The Dangerous Duke (and by the end of book 2, I was swooning for him). He hides his tender and intensely loyal heart behind a biting sarcasm and a deadly reputation. His birth defect resulted in numerous bumbled surgeries, leaving the right side of his face a mess. Knowing that his son's ear-less and cross-hatched face would incite cruelty in the kids at Harrow -- and all through life -- the old Duke taught young Adam how to fight dirty. When Adam went to Harrow at age 7, he immediately slew every Goliath. He did the same at Oxford and at The House of Lords.
When the story begins, Adam is giving his spineless heir-presumptive cousin the boot and deciding to marry ASAP, to beget an heir. He tells his man of affairs to find him a poor and plain Jane of gentle birth, for "Adam severely disliked beautiful people." But his solicitor arranges the marriage, sight unseen, so Adam finds himself at the altar with Persephone Lancaster, a baron's impoverished granddaughter, eldest of six kids, and fairly pretty, but not beautiful.
For the sum of 110,000 pounds -- plenty to feed her hungry family -- Persephone marries her Hades, and what a cold, austere, grumpy grouch he is! Heartless, at least for a while. Yet funny, too -- grumbling under his breath at the wedding service when he realizes she's not homely, mocking her mythologically-based name (so she cheekily mocks his horses' names, Atlas and Zeus). But there are reasons for his distance. He's been hurt badly by the one who should have loved him most, his mother.
(I didn't buy his mother's sob story, not fully. Eden let this useless excuse for a parent off too easily).
Gradually, Adam learns to trust and respect Persephone. Without realizing that he is in love, he finally allows her to her see his face, fully, not just the good side. (Eden vividly portrays his insecurity about his scars and his gradual trust.) Adam starts plotting ways to make her want to stay at his immense castle in bleak Northumberland, far from her beloved family.
And Persephone? It takes time, but she learns to love him, by ignoring his contradicting words and demeanor, and attending instead to his actions. Persephone slowly wins him over with her courage (he despises cowards), companionship, and intelligence.
Best scenes: The whole book! (Ok, not quite). I could not believe what an emotionally gripping tale this unknown Eden has penned. This sometimes sad and angsty tale is lightened by snarky humor, often provided by the immensely charming Harry Windover, Adam's friend (the hero of book 2). The story suddenly darkens when death occurs, bringing grieving and loss. It drastically changes tempo and tension when Adam -- in a superior bit of daring-do -- saves Persephone. And always, the author portrays Adam, confused, striving to stay apart, but yearning. The bedtime scenes. ツ The scene when Adam played doctor. ツ Could it get any sweeter? The ending is totally delicious. Perfect.
Flaws: Umm...how we gonna beget that heir?? Get to it. Get naked. And the villain? Seemed like an extreme action to take, but not beyond credulity. I wanted just a little more physical expression of love. Also, the e-book price is questionably high, since printing, shipping, and warehousing costs are eliminated. $10.36 for the kindle version! (But the sequel,
Courting Miss Lancaster, was only $3.99, so the two ebooks averaged at about $7.18.). Plus, Adam plays a fairly big role in the sequel. (See
my review.)
FOOTNOTE: At her website, Eden provides
a rebuttal to criticism that some aspects do not align with English history, rules of succession, and the flora and fauna of Regency-era Northumberland. (I dunno, but her defense sounded reasonable to me. I'm just glad to know Eden takes her readers seriously enough to TRY to get it right.) -
Reseña completa:
https://masromance.blogspot.com/2022/...
Es un no😅
No me ha gustado ni el estilo, ni la historia ni los personajes 🤷♀️
No voy a juzgar la calidad o no de la autora, que para eso hay gente más cualificada que yo simplemente es una novela que no es para mí
Me ha parecido aburrida, sin construcción de personajes, la historia es una adaptación de una que ya conocemos y hemos leído muchas veces, pero sin ningún tipo de chispa
Me ha costado muchísimo terminarla porque prácticamente no pasa nada y cada uno por su lado no deja de darle vueltas al mismo tema y no hay interrelación romántica entre ellos
Un gran chasco🤷♀️
Me sabe muy mal porque lo he empezado con muchas ganas pero no a todas nos puede gustar lo mismo -
When I saw a friend had reviewed this the other day it of course got me thinking about it again and so I thought I'd just pick it up and read a bit, and of course got sucked in and ended up reading the whole thing! This is one of my favorite regencies, I've read it quite a few times. I realized when I went to review it, that I had actually read it the past couple summers, always in June - this seems to be a summer favorite of mine. I'll of course have to pick up
Courting Miss Lancaster because they just have to be read together. I can't wait for more books in the Lancaster series, I can't wait for Persephone's siblings to each have their own books!!!
The story was great, had a marriage-of-convenience storyline which I’m always a sucker for. It was a bit like Beauty and the Beast, but also the Greek myth of Persephone and Hedes was mixed in. I really liked our main characters Adam and Persephone. They don’t meet until the day of their wedding and they couldn’t be more opposite. Persephone comes from a big loving family, is used to being social and running her family household from a young age. Adam is an only child, being born without an ear and enduring (pointless) surgery's leaving him scared he has built up strong tall walls around his heart. While Persephone loves people and social gatherings, Adam despises them - he'd rather enjoy his quiet routine.
Persephone really wants to get to know her husband and has hope that maybe one day theirs will be a love match. Adam didn't want a beautiful wife and is upset when he sees how pretty his new wife is, only reminding him of his own physical imperfections, deciding to keep his distance. They have good interactions together and it was fun to watch their story unfold. I like that they grew to love each other slowly and accepted each other for who they were. To me it felt like they really fell in love. They had good chemistry. I especially loved Adam’s best friend Harry. He is really light-hearted and totally loyal to Adam, even though Adam is kind of mean to him. I guess Harry has known him for so long he sees Adam's sarcasm for what it is. I also liked how Persephone and Harry became friends as well. There is also some excitement and touch of mystery in the series. While what happens to Persephone is upsetting, it was a great way for Adam to come out of his shell and really care for her. Those scenes are some of my favorite!
Overall, I just really enjoy this one. I love the gothic-like castle and secluded setting. The characters are fun and well developed. One I would easily recommend to any regency fan.
Content
Romance: Squeaky clean - kissing
Language: None
Violence: Mild - a planned attack on Persephone, she is injured. Mild fight scene.
Religious: None
Series: Book one, but each book can standalone
Similar Books You May Enjoy...
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I so love the 'beauty and the beast' trope. And this book has all its fundamentals right, admixing in the Persephone/Hades tale as well - have to be the original beauty and the beast.
It's sweet, charming, leisurely and (too) clean.
The h is a sweet, biddable girl doing her duty to her family by marrying - sight unseen - a man who seems quite perfect on paper. A wealthy duke, not even thirty yet.
The H is a grumpy loner, a physically and emotionally scarred person who doesn't believe that any woman would willingly marry him or then stay on. So he asks his secretary to 'buy' a poor and plain spinster with a dependent family. Poor she is, plain not so much. Spinster she thinks she is/will be because of her dismal prospects - but at 20, isn't it a tad premature?
His doubts and mistrust only grow as he expects her to bolt just like his mother had done when he was a little boy - deserting her husband and her son. So he resides within emotional and physical walls - of his heart and his castle (yes he has one) in Northumberland. Very Beast-y!
All rolls on well and good, and some very endearing moments but...
The H-bff bromance wore on my nerves. The bff is oh-so-loyal that he refuses to leave the H's side even on the h-H honeymoon. I disliked this infringement with a fervor. And his silly, unfunny prattling made my teeth ache. He's used for fillers, very skim-able fillers.
“If you’re trying to tell me to make myself scarce now that you’re married, I completely understand, Adam.” Do you? Really?
(He's the H of the next book - a book I've decided now, to not read.)
The h/H were much more intersting during his rare absences. Left to their own non-verbose devices, the h/H patch up an understanding of sorts with sweet, hesitant (hers) and gruff (his) gestures.
Would today be a friendly-Adam day or a grumpy-Adam day? It was almost impossible to predict. -
4.5 💛
No esperaba disfrutarlo tantísimo pero es que a pesar de ser poco original HE VIVIDO ESTA HISTORIA A FUEGOOOOOO -
4.75 stars - pg/mild pg13
Love this story! Love Adam, the Duke of Kielder and Harry, his best and only friend! The two of them are hysterical together. (I enjoyed book two, which is Harry's story, but, truly, I liked Harry even more in this book.) Love this author! I rarely re-read books; Sarah Eden's books are one of the exceptions (along with Georgette Heyer) -- I will gladly re-read hers for years to come. So far I've read this one twice and loved it just as much both times.
Another reviewer listed a great link in her review to Sarah Eden's website where she addresses some of the historical research she did for this book. I'm not very good with this, but I'll try to include a link as well, since it's quite interesting. -
Adam was born with his right ear missing. Several surgeons believed that his ear was just under the surface and with surgery they could dig it out of hiding. Several unsuccessful surgeries later, his parents finally gave up hope that the ear would ever make an appearance. But all this left Adam even more disfigured and scarred both physically and emotionally. Feeling rejected by his mother, dealing with his father's untimely death and then being shipped off to school was just too much for little 7 year old Adam. He became cross and grumpy. Everyone feared and coward away from him. He never felt accepted or loved and did everything he could to hide his feelings from the world. When he discovers who the heir presumptive to his fortune is he will do anything to make sure the idiot never inherits his title. Even if it's paying for a desperate bride whose family is in need of financial security.
At the age of 12, Persephone's mother passed away giving birth to her youngest sister. From that moment on she could not longer be a child, she had to grow up and take care of several responsibilities. She was the mother, the cook, the maid, the bookkeeper, you name it and she did it. She was the glue that kept her family together. So when a letter arrived with a marriage proposal that would give her family the financial security they had always longed for, she was torn on what to do. She did not like the fact that she was being purchased and really wanted to turn it down. But, as always, she put her family first and accepted the proposal.
Adam and Persephone's marriage got off to a pretty rocky start. But with help from Adam's life long friend, Harry, Persephone will get some of the insight she needs to understand and connect with her husband. She knows there is something in his past that has caused him to shut himself off from the world. The more she tries to figure out what it is, the more she grows to care for her husband. But will he ever return her feelings? Or will he just keep rejecting her?
When tragedy strikes Falstone Castle, Adam is forced to open his eyes and see what's right in front of him. Will he choose to continue to keep the world at bay? Or will he open up and learn to not only live but love as well.
I absolutely adored Seeking Persephone! Even though I had read it once before, years ago, I was still sucked in from the very beginning and did not want to stop until I had finished it. I was very upset that real life got in the way of my reading time! I enjoyed getting to know Adam, Persephone and Harry all over again. I found myself laughing at the witty banter, getting teary eyed during the sad parts, growling in frustration and letting out little sighs throughout the book. My only complaint was the ending felt a bit rushed. I would have loved a little less of the misunderstanding/lack of communication and more of them together as a real couple. Other than that I LOVED it! :) Definitely a must read if you are a fan of Beauty and the Beast or Regency. ;)
I do have to admit that the casting for this one was a bit hard for me. But I love it! :)
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3.5, un romance histórico totalmente blanco, no esperéis escenas calientes ni duques despendolados, aquí hay una historia preciosa, muy bonita.
Hay un momento que se pierde el Duque en sus pensamientos,en su manera de ver las cosas,sus dudas y se me ha venido un poco abajo y de pronto llega un final muy muy muy precipitado
La parte inicial iba para un cuatro pero el final ha sido muy precipitado y y algo más de desarrollo le hubiera sumado
Me parece que en junio viene la historia de Harry en castellano , va a ser un personaje muy interesante ,aquí ha dado mucho juego
Los diálogos son buenísimos -
Seeking Persephone was entertaining and quick. I read through it in one day and enjoyed it. If you are looking for a cute love story that is clean, fun, and short, this a good pick. If you are looking for something more, look elsewhere.
There are two reasons I didn't rate it higher. First, I didn't enjoy it as much as other books I've read. Frankly, I thought the main character Adam was annoying. His character was defined by exactly one characteristic and emotion. Later in the book he kind of develops a second one, but even then he's a really weak character. And I kept wishing that Persephone and Adam wouldn't work out so she could end up marrying Harry.
2. The second issue (made more glaring in comparison with Pride and Prejudice which I recently read) is that I don't feel like the author was true to human nature. When you read a great book, you walk away having learned something about human nature. It teaches you something about yourself. It's inspiring and enlightening. I don't expect that of every book I read, but there were a few moments in Seeking Persephone where I was pulled completely out of the story by the thought, no one is really like this. No one actually thinks this way.
I didn't chose to read this book for it's insight into the soul, but occasionally it was so contrary to what I understand of human nature that it was distracting. I'm not talking about sappy love. The major character flaws that are the main conflict of the book are not solved so much as superseded by convenient external emergencies. Thank the wolf/dog pack the marriage worked out at all.
I don't want to belabor this as I think the author's purpose was to write a casual cute love story. She nailed that. I just think it could have been much more. -
Perséfone Lancaster recibe la propuesta de matrimonio del frío y distante Adam Boyce, duque de Kielder y pese a que en un principio la rechaza, sabe que es la mejor solución para el bienestar de su familia. Allí intentarán convivir tanto el uno como la otra, pero no será nada fácil.
Esta novela llamó poderosamente mi atención y es cierto que me arriesgué pues no sabía si se trataba de un libro cristiano. Os puedo afirmar con total rotundidad que no lo es, eso sí, es un clean romance, cosa que no me molesta, es más, a veces encuentro que estas novelas desarrollan mejor varios aspectos.
En busca de Perséfone es el primero de los libros de la serie “The Lancaster family” y tiene toques de “La bella y la bestia” y del mito de “Hades y Perséfone”.
La historia parte de los motivos de Adam, duque de Kielder que no son otros, sino de evitar que su fortuna pase a manos de su odiado primo, por ello busca una esposa que le dé un heredero. Su fortuna es tan atractiva y generosa que Perséfone no puede rechazarla, pues sabe que su familia está en graves aprietos y esta sería la mejor salida.
Así que tenemos un matrimonio de convivencia y un protagonista masculino realmente atrayente.
Adam sufre unas cicatrices en su cara desde muy pequeño, pero en vez de traumatizarlo le han hecho ser un hombre que se enfrenta sin problemas, es además duque con lo cual lo frío y distante están garantizados. El toque de la autora es que Adam tiene un humor irónico que no dan ese carácter de hombre enojado. Adam está acostumbrado a la soledad...
https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2... -
Wow I loved this book! I was engrossed in the first page and couldn't put it down. Not that it is a fast passed action packed adventurer, far from it. This is a English romance that was a joy to read! Edan creates great complex characters and explains why they do the things they do and why it is logical to do them. In so many romance novels the heroines are very changeable and you wonder why they do the things they do but not Edan's characters. I just love a sweet, complicated love story and you get it all here. Her books are so clean! No references to sex at all, yet they hold such passion! This is they way to write a romance novel! I just can't say enough good. And the best part.....there is more to come! The story of the friend in this book is continued in Courting Miss Lancaster and other characters in Kiss of a Stranger! Both excellent books!
Reread_ 6-7-17. I think this is one of my favorite Eden regency books. I read it quickly to remember before I read Daphne's story. I just love these two and I love the way this one was written. It is so fun to go back and read them in order. -
Enjoyed. I had already read books 2 & 3 in the series. Fun to go back and read how these two came together.
content: clean -
This book made me laugh a lot. Adam's comments and gruff attitude were comical to say the least. Honestly, I don't know how Persephone even put up with him. I found her devotion to him quite admirable! I would have easily given this five stars if the couple would have communicated more openly earlier in the book. (I have never done well with books where the characters have a lack of understanding, or communication until the very end.) It had a very sweet ending though. I thought this was a very fun read.
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I adore Beauty and the Beast retellings, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read one set in Regency England and woven with elements from the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. I’d heard a lot of wonderful things about this particular version, and I’m pleased to say I was not disappointed.
I loved our two protagonists. Persephone was adorable— so kind, cheerful, sensitive, and optimistic— while Adam, the Duke of Kielder, was wonderfully complex. While he was often fierce and intimidating, his powerful role and harsh demeanor was a mask to hide his pain, shyness, loneliness, and vulnerabilities.
Despite Adam and Persephone being opposites and first coming together as strangers in a marriage-of-convenience, together they slowly develop a deep relationship, which developed slowly and realistically. Together, they learn to accept one another, heal their internal weaknesses, and develop deeper feelings for one another. I loved watching Persephone gradually learn to trust Adam and come to recognize his more tender feelings hidden beneath his actions. In turn, Adam learned to open up to Persephone as she softened him and broke down the walls surrounding his heart brick by brick.
The couple's romantic scenes were all very sweet and clean, while still containing a delightful sexual tension. Their conflicting feelings of yearning and reluctance in the relationship created a nice balance, and much of their banter was witty while also containing a lot of depth and emotion. I love how they grew to love each other gradually and accepted each other for who they were; it made their love feel more real.
I thought Adam's hardened voice while reading from his perspective was very well written and often quite humorous, especially in his banter with his only friend, the easygoing Harry. I also loved the descriptions of the gothic castle in the secluded Northumberland, near the Scottish border. Not only was it the perfect setting for this more gothic feeling romance, but it sounds like a place that would be fantastic to visit.
Overall, a fantastic and unique Beauty and the Beast retelling that was adorable and very sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it. -
*I have now listened to this novel two times and I loved it even more the second time!*
This was such a fun, moving, and entertaining story to listen to. I loved listening as these characters married for convenience and worked to try to figure each other out. Sweet and clean story that I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a good job of creating different voices for the characters. -
Bueno, un retelling muuuuuy suave y blando de Hades y Persefone.
-
I love Sarah's books they are full of wit and great banter between her lead characters. This book was no different. Persephone what a name, and fitting at that. I really liked Persephone she was courageous, that Duke Kielder(sounds like killed her), now would that not be intimidating! Persephone is intimidated, but stands strong and tries not to show it, she is witty, happy, kind,and sensitive. Duke Kielder (Adam), is over barring, egotistical in a good way, ornery, brooding, intimidating, and harsh, and yet he is flawed, lonely, and misunderstood. He is one of those guys you love to hate, but in the end love. Persephone and Adams' is a marriage of convenience. Persephone wishes and hopes for more. Is Adam capable of healing from his physical and emotional scars to give her more. This was a fun regency romance with lots of witty banter, and a very brooding hero.
language clean
clean romance -
4/10/20 - I was in a reading funk so pulled out the big guns. Still love it even though I've read it 5 times!
1-15-18 - I was in the mood for a really good book so thought I'd go back to the tried and true and read a bunch of Sarah Eden's books. They don't disappoint! And can I say how much I love her hero's? Adam is awesome.
12/25/13 - Another re-read...just as great the third time around.
12/19/12 - Rereading all of hers, LOVE THEM!!! They make me happy when skies are gray.
9/19/11 - So good! I am so glad they republished this. I stayed up till 2:00 in the morning to finish it. I hope they redo more of hers!!! -
NO SEX PEOPLE!! NO SEX!!
And 2 virgins besides…
Man, if I knew there was only 2 BRIEF kisses (I mean not even a mention of TONGUE!) I likely wouldn’t have picked this up.
But I did read it, and it was well written and I suppose I have to treat it like watching Sense and Sensibility or something. Ugh… -
Si quiere evitar que su herencia caiga en manos de un primo lejano al que detesta, el arisco y gruñón duque de Kielder debe casarse, de ahí que su hombre de confianza le señale a Perséfone Lancaster, a quien la delicada situación financiera de su familia hace aceptar, a pesar de no conocerlo. Al llegar al castillo, un lugar frío, oscuro, rodeado de un bosque lleno de lobos, descubre que su marido tiene media cara desfigurada... y cicatrices en el alma. Sin embargo, ella espera ser capaz de llegar a su corazón, aunque los rechazos no cesen de llegar... y un peligro la aceche de cerca.
Lo dicho, desde luego, si disfrutasteis los libros de Julia Quinn, u otros como Nunca te enamores de tu prometida o Conquistar a un duque, este es el libro que andabais buscando.
Como todas las novelas de este estilo, no se puede decir que sea especialmente original, pero aquí la magia viene de la forma en que todo está narrado, de los personajes, su evolución, y la capacidad que tienen para transmitir sus emociones. Y desde luego que en esta ocasión Sarah lo consigue de sobra: los nervios de Perséfone, su deseo de hacer feliz al duque, y el miedo de él, sus inseguridades, cubiertas bajo esa horrible fachada de hombre desagradable y borde (admito que sus conversaciones con su amigo, quien no se dejaba amedrentar, me hacían una gracia infinita).
¿El romance? Slow burn del que nos gusta, es decir, que avanza poco a poco, y los sentimientos van creciendo a lo largo de la novela, ¡y es que al duque le cuesta mucho dar su brazo a torcer y aceptar que alguien pueda quererle! Estoy living con este tropo.
Reseña completa:
http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202... -
I enjoyed the relationships and dialogue.
Adam has facial scars. He doesn’t like to be around people. He is a Duke. He realizes he needs a wife and heir so his cousins won’t inherit his lands. He pays a large sum of money to a family with money problems in return for Persephone becoming his wife. He hopes she is ugly. He does not see her until the wedding. He is surprised that she is prettier than he wanted.
I enjoyed the way Adam insulted his best friend Harry but Harry laughed at every insult.
I liked the way Persephone fell in love/like with Adam even though he kept distance between them.
The mystery is how and when will Adam fall for Persephone and how he will communicate his feelings.
No sex scenes.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 280 pages. Swearing language: none. Sexual content: none. Setting: 1805 mostly Northumberland, England. Copyright: 2011. Genre: historical romance. -
Reread 6/9/23: I just love this book so much. It feels like a comfort read I could read OVER and OVER! Adam is so grumpy and I love him! I even shed a few tears this time!
Original review:
ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!! Adam is so stinking grumpy and I just loved him so much! Seeing him thaw towards Persephone even when he didn't want to made my heart swoon SO HARD. I mean marriage of convenience+ grumpy/sunshine is my FAV COMBO!
This was just so perfect. I never wanted it to end and even teared up a couple times at how much I was loving it! I adored Persephone, Adam and Harry so much! Their banter was so good! The friendship between Adam and Harry was adorable! This is a new fav in the proper romance genre! Did I mention it had some damsel in distress scenes which in a sucker for! -
2.5 estrellitas.
Y no llega a 3 porque me ha faltado algo en ese final. Necesitaba un poco más de dosis de romanticismo entre Adam y Perséfone y aunque sí que lo tuve, fue un poco soso.
Podría decirse que En busca de Perséfone nos da lo que nos vende; Un retelling de la Bella y la Bestia y además en todo su esplendor, porque el personaje masculino no empieza a caerme en gracia hasta bien entrada la historia.
Adam es un duque que vive prácticamente marginado en un castillo. Solamente los sirvientes, su madre y su mejor amigo son los que se atreven a dirigirle la palabra e ir a visitarle. El resto del pueblo le teme por todas las historias y rumores que corren sobre él y porque bueno...el hombre no tiene el mejor de los caracteres.
Odiando la posibilidad de que un primo suyo al que considera corto de mente herede todo lo que su familia ha logrado durante generaciones, decide hacer caso del consejo de su administrador y casarse. Pero no puede ser una mujer cualquiera. Tiene que ser una joven que no tenga prácticamente ningún recurso económico (para que no pueda decir que no a la cantidad de dinero que va a darle como dote) y a ser posible normalilla tirando a fea; de ese modo, ella no querrá darse la vuelta y correr cuando vea las cicatrices que le recorren el rostro.
Pero ya sabemos cómo son siempre estas cosas en la romántica. Perséfone, la chica elegida por el administrador, ni es fea, ni es tonta y ni mucho menos es una persona que se rinde fácilmente.
Dedicada por completo al cuidado de su familia desde que tenía 12 años de edad y con unos hermanos y un padre de lo más variopintos, acepta la proposición de Adam sin conocerle porque piensa que es lo mejor para sus hermanos.
Y aquí es cuando comienza una historia un poco desesperante desde mi punto de vista. Cuando ambos se casan, es la primera vez que se ven, puesto que Adam en ningún momento fue a verla o la invitó siquiera a conocerle, lo que hace que Penélope el primer día de su nueva vida se encuentre como pez fuera del agua e incluso intimidada por las contestaciones de su marido, que la verdad, apenas son 4 palabras y casi son ladradas más que habladas.
Con el paso de los días, la rutina no cambia; ella está completamente sola en ese lúgubre castillo y Adam si quiera la dirige la palabra o la mira, y las pocas veces que lo hace, es para ofenderla de la peor manera (meterse con su nombre es una de las perlas que le suelta) Vamos, que es un personaje al que no le tenía nada de cariño, no nos vamos a engañar.
Sin embargo, a medida que la historia avanza y dejas de lado un poco las acciones de Adam, podemos ver por qué Adam es como es y qué es lo que le está llevando a prácticamente rechazar a Perséfone todo el rato. Y es el miedo al RECHAZO.
Adam se ha sentido rechazado desde niño por todas las personas que supuestamente deberían haberle protegido y además, como tiene cicatrices en la cara, piensa que cada vez que se le acercan es para tenerle lástima o pena, lo que ha hecho que haya formado una armadura a su alrededor y solamente preste atención a aquellas personas que no se amilanan ante él. Esto lo sabemos nosotros como lectores, pero no lo sabe Perséfone y es hace que, debido a esa falta de comunicación, tengamos a una protagonista casi al borde de la depresión y con un sentimiento de inferioridad en prácticamente todo el libro.
Sin embargo, lo que me ha gustado de ella, es que a pesar de los rechazos y a pesar de las malas contestaciones, nunca se ha rendido, ha hablado siempre por sí misma a pesar del miedo que le provocaba su marido al principio y en definitiva, se ha convertido en una mujer valiente a su manera.
Los últimos capítulos del libro también me han gustado mucho, porque ya vemos a un Adam más relajado con Perséfone, más juguetón y tenemos el pico de la trama en relación al pasado de Adam, unos accidentes misteriosos con unos lobos en relación a Perséfone y, como no, una historia de amor cocida a muuuy fuego lento que va dando sus frutos.
Me ha gustado también el estilo de la autora, no es nada pesado y cuando te quieres dar cuenta ya has leído medio libro. Y eso es de agradecer sobre todo cuando tenemos a un personaje tan complejo como es Adam.
¿Podía haber estado mejor? Yo creo que sí, pero a ver, es un retelling de la Bella y la Bestia, y ya sabemos que en esta historia Adam no cambia de la noche a la mañana y sabemos también que Perséfone (Bella) es la que no se rinde en ninguna ocasión y va viendo a la persona por debajo de ese “monstruo” poco a poco. Así que en términos generales, es una historia bonita y con una muy buena moraleja; nunca sabes lo que tienes hasta que lo pierdes. Además si te gusta la mitología griega, al final del libro hay una mención bastante bonita a la relación Hades/Perséfone con la relación de Adam/Perséfone que es también muy aclaratoria con la situación de los personajes. -
Fui en busca de Perséfone y no la encontré a ni a ella ni a la coherencia, pero sí que me topé con la peor lectura del año.
Bien, vamos por partes:
1. Para empezar, el estilo de la autora es más bien pobre. Yo no soy ninguna experta, pero incluso una paleta como yo ha sido capaz de darse cuenta de que la historia no estaba precisamente bien contada. Durante gran parte del libro, tuve la sensación de que la autora no sabía que hacer con los personajes y simplemente hacía que hicieran "cosas" que no aportaban absolutamente nada, que aburrían y que además hacían que la historia perdiera ritmo. En todo libro, una acción debe tener una consecuencia para que de este modo la trama avance y el libro entretenga porque aquí, amiga Sarah, hemos venido a entretenernos. Bueno, pues en este libro no esperéis esto. Llegó un momento en el que me parecía estar leyendo una lista de la compra.
2. Los personajes no están bien construidos. Perséfone tiene la misma personalidad que una piedra que me encontré el otro día en el parque y poco más puedo decir de ella. Con Adam, la autora intentó currárselo un poco más, pero el intento se quedó en eso, en un mero intento. Es un hombre cascarrabias y borde de ganas, algo que esperaba y que en cierta forma me resultaba encantador y hasta divertido, pero su personalidad se diluye según iba leyendo hasta terminar siendo otra piedra del parque de enfrente de mi casa.
3. Ahora estoy traumado, ahora no me acuerdo de que debería estar traumado. Nada más empezar el libro se deja claro que a Adam sus defectos físicos le suponen un lastre. Durante el principio, es su mayor trauma y el principal escollo para su felicidad... hasta que a la autora se le olvida y se saca otro trauma de la manga que no tiene ningún sentido y que además se resuelve de forma chapucera. Real que llega un momento en el que esos defectos físicos tan llamativos ni se mencionan.
4. Es una novela romántica sin amor. No solo no he visto amor entre estos dos linces, sino que tampoco había ni pasión ni conexión ni atracción. No he visto ni cariño, si os soy sincera. Para mí, empezaron siendo dos desconocidos y terminaron siendo dos desconocidos. Hay un par de besos, es cierto, pero con la poca química que había entre ellos me resultó una experiencia de lo más desagradable. Comprendo que la autora quiso hacer un librito blanco como si fuera un encargo de Walt Disney, pero al menos ponme un poquitito de amor, yo qué sé.
5. Una subtrama de misterio que abochorna. No diré nada para no hacer spoiler, pero creo que es lo más ridículo que he leído en años.
6. Situaciones esperpenticas que ríete tú de Valle-Inclán. Los lobos mutantes, los caballos también mutantes que saltan a lobos mutantes, el tocino perdido, tijeras de costura que cortan una bota de invierno de cuero, el vicario respondón y podría seguir hasta hartarme, pero soy una mujer ocupada.
En definitiva y por si no se ha notado, he odiado cada página de este libro. Si queréis un retelling verdaderamente interesante de la bella y la bestia yo os recomiendo Siete noches juntos de Anna Campbell, libro que, por cierto, está en kindle unlimited. Que también digo que igual había que parar ya con los retellings de la bella y la bestia. -
Un romance muy bonito que se va cociendo a fuego lento
Me encanta la valentía de Perséfone y como poco a poco va eliminando las inseguridades de Adam. El amigo es un gran plus a la historia, da el toque de diversión que esta pareja necesitaba
La historia se va en un suspiro -
Seeking Persephone was a light,fluffy read. It was a little piece of brain candy, like all of Sarah M Eden's books are. Quick read, clean romance.
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REREAD, audiobook. I forgot how much I enjoyed this cute story. I'm bumping my rating up to 4 stars. The narrator was decent, but she kept pronouncing valet 'val-lay' instead of 'val-let' and they were in England. Silly peeve.
Adam is a curmudgeon who just needs lurve. He has scars and stuff. Persephone somehow pulls off the Mary Sue character without making you want to stab her. Maybe crawling into Adam's bed when the scary wolves howled at night was a bit of a stretch. She really thought he was dead asleep and never knew about the nightly slumber party? I just went with it. He calls her on it and it never lead to any funny business, so that helped. -
I loved the nods to Beauty and the Beast and the tension it made. Persephone, to save her family, must go to the Beast's castle and essentially get locked up there (well, it's remote, and he isn't friendly with his neighbors, so she ends up very secluded). Pretty soon we get to see that Adam is not quite so much a beast as he would like to appear, but refuses to open the door of his heart. Can Persephone ever find the key?
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Esos vibes de bella y bestia y las referencias a la historia de Hades y Persephone ameeeee
