APHRODITE: a humorous Regency Christmas novel (Regency Goddesses Series) Kindle Edition

As I said in my first review, DG Rampton is my new favorite author. April or Aphrodite in this series is a smart capable woman, with wit and charm to accompany her beauty. This is a fun story with more than enough to keep you engrossed for hours. Too bad I have to tear myself away to fix a meal or 2 and actually do more than sit and read all day.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this novel. The relationship between the two MCs was fun and engaging. I thought the whole thing went a bit long, though.

Engaging story! Engaging characters! I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover, and can’t wait to read another of DG Rampton’s books!

If you’re a fan of historical romances then this book is for you. Superb writing from the author and I enjoyed reading it.

Very entertaining.. The best of the 3 book series. Great characters. I totally enjoyed this numerous book.. A great break from more serious novels.

I’ve been too busy to do reviews for a long time, but decided in the age of AI that real authors deserve a vote of support. Since it’s been awhile and I’m a fan of Regency novels, I decided to write full reviews of a few stories in this genre.I had high hopes of Aphrodite, after reading Artemesia - a light, entertaining Regency romp with promise. Although that story leaned heavily on Austen and Heyer, I thought author DG Rampton might evolve her own style more in her next book. What evolved was her marketing, which we all know is as reliable an indication of quality as those two sentence 4 and 5-star reviews from people funneled through reviewing sites. But nice window-dressing!It’s 1820, and at age 28, April Hartwood leaves the rural obscurity of Cornwall for her first London Season. She’s a ravishing beauty who inspires gob-smacked reactions from every man who claps eyes on her. Clearly modelled on a mix of Jane Austen heroines, mostly Elizabeth Bennett, she has a well-told viewpoint yet never seems fully fleshed out. A few witticisms (frequently purloined from Heyer) can’t disguise a thinly-developed character. Overall, April came across to me as oddly cranky, and the complete opposite of an Elizabeth Bennett. Maybe she's relatable to younger readers more focused on style than substance.I found it hard to invest in a happy ending for her, but kept reading because I wanted to see where the story would lead. Enter hero, Hugh Royce, the nephew of a viscount. He meets April when she arrives in town with her mother. He’s already engaged to a woman with the same expectations of marriage as he has – love being irrelevant to a good match. He notices April’s exceptional looks, but he thinks most beautiful women are flirts who trade too much on their looks to get their way.There follows a battle of wills and verbal swordplay that was supposed to be funny but didn’t hit the spot for me (contrived conflict never does). The growing attraction between April and Hugh is communicated by an obvious physical chemistry any time they touch, and a few charming, tender moments that lift the romance and re-engage the reader.Hugh’s thoughts and motivations barely make it to the page. He’s attractive and a good dancer, smart, and sexy when he’s not being abrupt. But he seemed a bit out of focus. Some vivid and entertaining secondary characters save the day when the hero and heroine don’t wake up to their attraction.There are amusing twists and tangles around these minor players as the story moves toward Christmas, but unfortunately, Ms. Rampton wraps up this romance with one of the silliest endings I’ve seen in the genre. Without spoilers, I can say only that I felt ripped off and wondered which book the 5 and 4-star reviewers had read.For readers picky about detail, as I am: the editing left a lot to be desired. There were typos, wrong words, modernisms and Americanisms. For example, April exclaims “Poppycock” – slang not in use until over 30 years later, just one of many examples. While the dialogue and narrative were well crafted, the language itself was a poorly handled aspect of a paper-thin Regency setting.Regency romances are not documentaries, and a few liberties are nothing to complain about: Etty’s Triumph of Cleopatra was not exhibited until 1821, but Rampton had her couple viewing it in 1820. So what? Readers unfamiliar with Regency history won't pick up on errors, and probably feel perfectly at home with a few familiar references (the Quorn, for example) copied from blogs or other novels. It's easy to convince readers who have no idea what they are missing.I expect any historical novel - even a light romance - to serve some well-researched detail that helps me feel like I'm there, experiencing a slice of life. In 1820, affluent London homes were rapidly adopting gas lighting. You'd never know it was a hot topic among the people living back then, from Aphrodite. Despite a lot of fussing around beeswax candles, no one even mentions the prospect of gas – for the people living back then, it would have come up. That's just one example from the lackluster setting.I could not award more than 3 stars for Aphrodite. It was mediocre at best, sometimes enjoyable, and predictable enough to make plenty of readers happy. There are far better novels, better written by authors who don't borrow so heavily from other books, and who do basic research. After this disappointment, I’ve decided to focus on reviewing some of those undiscovered gems, instead of adding to the footprint of another well-marketed but highly overrated book. Like this one.

There’s a lot of humor to enjoy in this story. The characters were interesting and most of them were likable. Hugh and April finally achieved a happy ending after much resistance, stubbornness, and humorous conversation. With the matchmaking behind the scenes the story was a bit like a regency soup opera. I really enjoyed it. I gave it four stars because it moved a bit too slowly.

This is a delightful read though probably my least favorite of the three books in the series, mostly because the hero was forced to be disagreeable to the heroine for much of the book as he was engaged and they had to keep each other at a distance. It perhaps wasn’t handled as well as the conundrums in the other books. That said it was still had a whole set of witty characters and sparkling dialogue that is unusual and difficult to achieve. Definitely worth the time to take in the whole series.

This was a very enjoyable read. It was tame as romance novel but with all the fabulous characters and the witty banter, I was smiling throughout the story.

English is not my first language, and I would not pretend to know enough. But my oh my, have I read hundreds of books that, to put lightly, were far from engaging, even for me. I'm yet to finesse the level of reading the likes of Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, or Georgette Hayer, but I humbly believe I've come to appreciate the true talent. DG Rampton is my next best author. The humour, witt, beautifuly expressed English language, and much more. Absolutely gutted, I've finished all books and have to sulk in waiting for new ones to be published. I absolutely loved it

Rampton’s heroines are life-like, warm-blooded creatures of reason, spirit and eloquence.All her characters are convincingly and firmly set in their proper period.Delightfully told regency romp reminiscent of Heyer and Austen.

Could not help but leave housework aside to get to the ending! Truly captivating!looking forward to reading more about these characters.

Ne pas hésiter si vous aimez le genre. Madame Rampton a une très belle plume, les personnages et les dialogues sont élaborés et l'histoire est captivante. Bravo pour ce deuxième roman.