Wonderful characters & great historical references

I really enjoyed this story. The reading made it even more enjoyable.

Well done !

2 people found this helpful

Frivolous

I kept expecting the story to have some merit., it never happens. The audio performance was good but storyline fell flat.

Sophomore Slump?

I greatly enjoyed Ms. Blalock’s “The Other Windsor Girl” and so I was happy to see “The Last Debutantes” pop up in my recommended feed. Sadly, I didn’t find it as enjoyable as the author’s first effort. It wasn’t until the author’s note at the end that I discovered why. While the protagonist Valerie was a real person, very little is known about her, which is unfortunate given the momentous events she must have observed. But it also hinders her character development and the plot line as the author only had a few details and the dates. Being able to invent and embellish the only known details of a historical personage’s life would be a boon for many authors but Ms. Blalock’s narrative suffered as a result. Valerie was not a very compelling heroine. In fact, she could be downright whiny and obsessive. While her origin story was sad, the fear that her supposedly dark secret would be discovered was ridiculous and overwrought. In the end, Valerie was overshadowed by more dynamic and interesting historic figures. There were many times I had to push through this one because the plot was just boring.

I have not given up on Ms. Blalock. Her next book is due out in September and features the Princess Louise, the rebellious daughter of Queen Victoria. Hopefully with a character that is better documented, her third book will be the charm.