Book Review: Legacy by Hannah Fielding

The palegacy-picISBN-10: 0993291732
ISBN-13: 978-0993291739
Publisher: London Wall Publishing (August 25, 2016)

Blurb:
A troubled young journalist finds her loyalties tested when love and desire unearth dark secrets from the past.
Spring, 2010. When Luna Ward, a science journalist from New York, travels halfway across the world to work undercover at an alternative health clinic in Cadiz, her ordered life is thrown into turmoil.
The doctor she is to investigate, the controversial Rodrigo Rueda de Calderon, is not what she expected. With his wild gypsy looks and devilish sense of humour, he is intent upon drawing her to him. But how can she surrender to a passion that threatens all reason; and how could he ever learn to trust her when he discovers her true identity? Then Luna finds that Ruy is carrying a corrosive secret of his own…
Luna’s native Spanish blood begins to fire in this land of exotic legends, flamboyant gypsies and seductive flamenco guitars, as dazzling Cadiz weaves its own magic on her heart. Can Luna and Ruy’s love survive their families’ legacy of feuding and tragedy, and rise like the phoenix from the ashes of the past? 
Legacy is a story of truth, dreams and desire. But in a world of secrets you need to be careful what you wish for…

Review:

One problem I usually don’t have is giving my opinion. I know what I like and how I like it. Although I’m open-minded enough to give concessions, I’m pretty clear about my feelings…usually.

I’m at an impasse when it comes to this book.

Is the writing good? Yes
Are the characters fully developed? Yes
Is the plot clear and concise? Yes

The problem? The pace. The first chapter is steady. I was interested in the conversation, and the flow was smooth. I had no problem imagining what was going on because the author uses very vivid descriptions. However, this is also the problem. I’m all for being immersed into each scene. I like using my five senses, and I’ve read books that failed in this. There was no doubt that the details in this book set a beautiful scene; however, there has to be a limit. It takes forever to get to anything exciting because of the lengthy details. I’m sure it took 10 pages to get her from one location to the next, during which time not much of anything was going on. This bothered me and led me to skimming and skipping. I- personally- don’t need to know every single smell, every single sound, and every single sight. That may seem strange to some avid readers; but unless condensed at some point, I grow bored, and the sights lose their beauty because I’m anxious to get too some kind of action or interesting dialogue. While reading this, I would forget the last thing said and I’d have to go back and refresh my memory. I don’t like doing that.

Now, the story itself – the plot- is on point. The delivery just didn’t work for me. There was nothing left to the imagination, which is strange when reading. But that works for me. For instance if someone sees something that makes them cry (whether happy tears or sad ones), I don’t want the whole explanation and history right then and there. I like to piece it together. Remember something already read, or find out some of it a little later. Also, I don’t need the full details of what the person looks like crying. The tears fell onto her red shirt, blah blah blah. Simply say tears trailed down her cheeks, or something like “her voice hitched” or “she discarded the tissue”. This what not a part of this story, I just wanted to use it as an example.

One thing I learned from this book is that there is a such thing as too much detail.

Now, some people really like that- actually prefer it. If that’s you, I think you should read the story.

I don’t think I should give a negative review of this book just because the writing style itself didn’t appeal to me. The fact is, the story itself is pretty good. So I’m going to pass on the rating this time.

Buy: Amazon

About the Author

Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, she lives the dream: writing full time at her homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breath-taking views of the Mediterranean.
Hannah is a multi-award-winning novelist, and to date she has published five novels: Burning Embers, ‘romance like Hollywood used to make’, set in Kenya; The Echoes of Love, ‘an epic love story that is beautifully told’ set in Italy; and the Andalusian Nights Trilogy – Indiscretion, Masquerade and Legacy – her fieriest novels yet, set in sunny, sultry Spain.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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