Prelude for a Lord by Camille Elliot

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me. BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

Prelude for a Lord by Camille Elliot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why must people insist on telling her what she could not do?

Before reading Prelude for a Lord, I never would’ve imagined that playing a violin would have been considered inappropriate for a woman in Regency England. But for Lady Alethea Sutherton to already be something of an outcast in her society–on account of her unmarried state at twenty-eight years, her tallness, and her independent ways of thinking–moving her body around so much in order to play a violin must have been quite the peculiar icing on the cake.

Now, in case you might not have guessed so by looking at the book cover, this novel includes quite a bit of action and suspense, and I was enthralled by the depth of passion author Camille Elliot infused into her portrayal of Alethea and Lord Dommick’s relationship. They aren’t two people who are merely attracted physically or are thrown into lovesick tizzies on account of each other, but they understand each other, they’re mutually strengthened by the thought and presence of one another. Then, not to mention the vivid and moving imagery wrapped up in this novel’s music, which drew my senses deeper into the story.

Some parts of the book did get a little tedious to me, and the mentioning of Alethea’s hurt and loneliness seemed repetitive at spots instead of revealing something new about her to progress the story, but the tension, the longing, the artistry, and the romance of the rest made up for that.

All in all, a superb read!