Kissing Shakespeare

I'm not sure why I ever decided to read this book in the first place. Maybe I wanted to stray from what I normally read? Whatever it was that pushed me to make that decision, I'll be wary of it next time. It's not that the book was horrible (trust me, I've read worse), I just could not for the life of me enjoy reading it.

First of all, the story felt rushed. Just as I was starting to understand what was happening in one situation, I was thrown into another in a way that made me think that the author couldn't grasp how to make fluid transitions. Not to mention the fact that I could never stay focused on what was going on.

Character-wise, I did not favor anyone more than another. If someone's personality stood out, it was barely. It bothers me that Miranda just goes along with whatever Stephen wants her to do. Her motivation to get back home, her anger towards her mother, and her "affections" were flimsy and barely there. Mingle tried to make her a stubborn person, but the portrayal was poor. Stephen got on my nerves a lot, though. He first had the audacity to transport Miranda to another time period without her permission and then tell her that he COULDN'T send her back? Not to mention that he bossed her around like he owned her, or that she owed him something for putting her in unnecessary trouble. The other supporting characters, including Shakespeare, are not really worth mentioning.

There are a couple of parts that I liked about the book. One includes the glimpses about the conflict of religions (Catholic, Puritan, Protestant) that were part of every day life in William Shakespeare's time. The other thing is how that somehow twisted itself into the story. Miranda wasn't expecting the horrors that brought at all, especially since she was used to a world where you are free to practice and/or not practice anything you want.

Overall, Kissing Shakespeare lacked the amount of details I look forward to in books. With the lack of details came the feeling that the story was hurried. It could have had more emotion to it, both with the characters and the writing in general. I tried really hard to get through this book, made an effort to like it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

http://f-of-words.blogspot.com/

First I want to start off by saying this book isn't what I would normally read. I am one of those people that HATES history. I have to be honest and admit, the only reason I read this was because of the title... I mean the thought of kissing the man who wrote "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and better yet, "Romeo and Juliet"?! *SWOONNNNNNNN* So I gave it a chance.... And I'm so glad I did.
Shakespeare has been a part of Miranda's life as long as she can remember. She is the daughter of two extremely talented, world known actors and hopes to one day become one as well. Then one day after performing in the play "The Taming of the Shrew," she feels that she didn't do a good enough job so she hides from the cast. But one of the members finds her, and changes her world upside down. He tells her she is the one who must save the world's greatest play wright, by seducing him.
For the story to have such an exciting plot though, it moved slowly to me. Granted I was moved right to 16th century England from Mingle's words, but it seemed a little boring. I felt like a real girl during that time, doing nothing. I understand it was a romance novel, but a little plot twists or something would have made it a little more interesting.
I was awed by the way Mingle was able to pull me into Miranda and Stephen's world. By the way they characters talk and act shows that she definitely did her research for her story. I like when it is evident in the story that the author did their homework. It shows that they wanted every detail covered and really wanted to transport the reader to the time their story is set.
Overall, it turned out to be less than what I thought it was about, which kind of disappointed me. I guess I'll leave it there to avoid spoilers.