First Thoughts when I closed the book: "Just not my cup of tea."
I'm always open to reading outside my preferred genre so that's why I requested this one to read from Sourcebooks. I thought the story sounded interesting because I love the circus and was looking forward to an insider's glimpse of that time in the 19th century. The circus aspect of the story was fun to read and I did enjoy all of that. But the characters just didn't come to life for me and I thought at times that their choices were silly. Yes, I know you need to advance the story but I shook my head more than once at the improbable ways of thinking. The other aspect that fell short for me was the relationship between Calliope and Brian. I didn't believe one bit of it and felt that it needed more attention of their friendship and less on the physical side.
Recommend? With hesitation! I really didn't like this one very much, but everyone has different tastes so what didn't work for me may work for another reader. As always, I like to leave my readers with other viewpoints so that they can get a well-rounded opinion about a book before they decide to read or not-to-read. Please check out what other bloggers are saying about this one!
Rating: 6/10
Long and Short Reviews: "This is a wonderful story, and readers who like adventurous historical romance set in exotic settings will probably enjoy this book. Highly recommended. "
In the Hammock: "It was fun to read about the circus acts and performers though. It reminded me just a tiny bit of the travelling show in "Annie Get Your Gun." The author excels at the other areas of the story besides the romance."
Author: Mary Ellen Dennis
Published: August 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Historical FictionPages: 448
* Uncorrected ARC

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.