[.ca] Avon True Romance: Nicola and the Viscount, an (ISBN 0060005521)

Wonderful!:
This book is a great read. It is perfect for teenage girls. The wonderful, witty, sarcastic writing style of Meg Cabot brings the well developed charecters to life. Nicola Sparks dreams of nothing but having the 'God' (Lord Sebastian Bartholomew) propose to her. She is the typical 16 year old girl. Idealistic, excitable, and seeems to have a wonderful fashion sense that brings much humor to the book. Especially Nicola's thought on the daily attire of her not so cherised cousin, Harold, whom she nicknamed 'Milksop'. Nathaniel Sheridan is... very... surprising. Some of the things he does in the story are very sudden unexpected, and some of them even made me embarassed for him. The witty hater of poetry casts doubts on Nicola's engagement to Lord Sebastian and infuriates Nicola to no end with his remarks and critisism. Nicola is annoyed by Nathaniel's doubts on Lord Sebastian and sets out to prove him wrong. In the process, she discovers a few things that change her mind about her engagement and Nathaniel... It is a wonderful read. I highly recommend it to any fans of Meg Cabot. Craftily written, it combines romance, humor, mystery, and even a little bit of action and adventure in one intriguing story that will hold you till the end. Very sweet ending. The ending I must admit, left me kind of hanging. It made me wonder what would happen next. It is only probably because I enjoyed it very much. Highly recommended.

Not one of the best:
I recently got interested in Avon True Romance books by my best friend, who's quite a romantic. She recommended me Anna and the Duke, Emily and the Scot, and Victoria and the Rogue. I bought this book because, when I read the back, it sounded quite good and also because it is written by Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries series and Victoria and the Rogue. I personally thought that Victoria and the Rogue was one of the best books in the Avon True Romance series thus far, and because Meg Cabot is such a great writer I thought Nicola and the Viscount would be a good read, too. I was wrong. Nicola did not have a personality whatsoever, and the plot wasn't as good as Victoria and the Rogue. However, you may think otherwise. Buy Nicola and the Viscount (if you have not already done so) and read for yourself. Enjoy!

Not Cabot's Best, but Not Bad Either:
Being a huge fan of Cabot's other books (The Princess Diaries, 1-800-Where-R-U, and the Mediator - both written under pseudonames), I was tempted to check this one out too. It isn't as great as her other books, because of it's setting (1810, London) it lacks Meg's funny, pointed sarcasm. Nicola Sparks is an orphan, but she thinks it's okay (because she never met her parents, she can't feel as bad about missing them, as she puts it). Her and her best friend Elenor both think Lord Sebastian "The God" is dashing, and Nicola gets to meet him during a stay at his familys house. Soon enough, Nicola and Sebastian are head over heels in love. But Nathaniel, Elenor's brother, feels that he's up to no good, and tells Nicola so. Even though she doesn't believe him, she checks things out for herself, and sure enough, he isn't who she thought he was. This book's good, but I recommend The Princess Diaries or When Lightning Strikes more than this book.

Nicola and the Viscount:
The year is 1810 in the city of London. Sixteen-year-old orphan Nicola Sparks has just finished her schooling at a young lady's academy. She's ready for her first London Season and though other young girls would be searching for a husband, Nicola's not worried. She has already decided she will marry the young and handsome viscount, Lord Sebastian Bartholomew. She loves poetry, he loves poetry. And he seems to be as much in lover with her as she is with him. So Nicola feels everything is going well when Lord Sebastian proposes to her. That is, until Nathaniel Sheridan, Nicola's best friend's brother, questions the viscount's character and motivation in marrying her. Nicola is convinced though that Nathaniel is just making pointless accusations. But, what if Nathaniel is right, and Lord Sebastian has an ulterior motive for marrying her? It's up to Nicola is piece together the facts and find the truth, and to also search her heart to figure out who she really is in love with... The fifth book of the series, "Nicola and the Viscount" is an Avon True Romance for teenage girls. And even though this book is first and foremost a romance novel, there is plenty of intrigue, humor, and excitement to entertain a variety of teens. Nicola is a very interesting character, far from being perfect. I thought that Meg Cabot made Nicola's fascination and infatuation with the viscount very realistic. It's very often that many young woman mistake love with a physical attraction. Yes, Lord Sebastian was handsome but it was not until later on that Nicola truly poses the important questions. Besides his physical appearance, what dis she REALLY love about him? As we go through the book, we can see a change come through Nicola as she realizes that the truth is that she and the viscount had very little in common. Then there's Nathaniel who's such a tease and much like an annoying brother, but later on Nicola comes to realize that they just might be perfect for each other. The ending is so sweet and I assure you that you'll like it! If all the other Avon True Romance novels for teens are anything like "Nicola and the Viscount", I'm definitely picking up another in the series! So far, "Catherine and the Pirate" and "Victoria and the Rogue" are my favorites.

It's cute but not as good as Meg's other books.:
This one was ok but it wasn't really anything to get excited over. The romantic plot line was a lot like the one in The Princess Diaries which was ok with me. I wanted to smack the heroine a couple of times but I did like the overall plot of the book. It's worth a read if you like Meg Cabot or the Avon True Romance line.