The Husband List by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: Based on the family from the bestselling Love In A Nutshell, the story of an heiress longing to marry for love or not at all

From The New York Times bestselling writing duo Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly, comes the story of a young woman’s search for true love. Caroline Maxwell would like nothing more than to join her brother, Eddie, and his friend, Jack Culhane, on their adventures. While Jack and Eddie are off seeing the world, buying up businesses and building wildly successful careers, Caroline's stuck at home frightening off the men her mother hopes will ask for her hand in marriage.  When her mother sets her sights on the questionable Lord Bremerton as a possible suitor, Caroline struggles with her instincts and the true nature of her heart.  She longs for adventure, passion, love, and most of all . . . Jack Culhane, an unconventional Irish-American bachelor with new money and no title. A completely unacceptable suitor in the eyes of Caroline's mother. But Caroline's dark hair, brilliant eyes and quick wit have Jack understanding just why it is people fall in love and get married.

Set in New York City in 1894, The Husband List is an American gilded age romantic mystery. It evokes memories of the lavish lifestyles and social expectations of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers—a time when new money from the Americas married Old World social prestige and privilege. Dresses by Worth, transcontinental ocean voyages, lavish parties, a little intrigue, and a lot of romance await in, The Husband List.

Number of pages: 309

My review: When I read the synopsis of this, I thought it would be something along the lines of The Luxe series (they sound a LOT alike) but once I started reading I realized just how wrong I was. 

While The Luxe series has good quality writing, and plot and character build up, The Husband List completely lacked in all aspects. It was just so bland. What surprised me most was I typically really like historical fiction, especially stories like these, but it just had no build up. From the very beginning it was so boring and I kept thinking, "Just keep reading it will get better." It didn't. 

Do I feel that everyone would dislike this book? No. I think people who really enjoy Harlequin romances would like The Husband List extremely. Me on the other hand? It just wasn't working. And even my mom read the book and I asked her a couple of times if it would ever get better and she kept saying no that it stays the same and is so predictable. 

To be honest, I didn't even read the whole book. I got to about page 60 and gave up and read the last couple of chapters and pretty much pieced the rest of the story together myself. My mom called the middle of the book "fluff." It was only there to make the story longer and to attempt to make it more interesting. 

This is considered an adult book (or I guess now it would be "New Adult," a name which I just abhor, but that's something I'll save for another post) but I can still see older teens reading this and maybe enjoying it. It all really depends on your different tastes and preferences. 

So I would say try it for yourself and see but don't put a lot of faith in it.

See you soon!