The Jasmine Wife by Jane Coverdale - Bookin' It With Jen

This book is beautifully written. The imagery is top notch. I was absolutely transported and immersed in the sights and smells of Colonial India. The beginning is very reminiscent of The Secret Garden, which is one of my favorite books, so I was a little concerned that it was going to be a cheap knock off version but after Sarah was swept away to England by her aunt the parallels ended and the story began to stand on its own legs. 

Sarah is a likeable character that you want to root for, she may be a proper English lady but she isn't the pushover that society expects her to be, thank goodness, and as the story builds so does her self assurance and backbone. This is a love story of star crossed lovers, but it is also a tale of homecoming and destiny. 

Towards the end it seemed a bit hurried, I would have liked more drama in the (anti) climactic parts, but instead it sort of fizzles out. You get a mostly satisfactory ending but certain parts of story-line ended up a bit abandoned for some reason. The entire book there is a lot of emphasis placed on the terrible hatred between Charles and Ravi but you never really find out why, and there is no real conflict between them as you would expect based on the buildup. I also find it a little difficult to believe that Ravi would just turn tail and run to another country after Charles basically killed Maya, especially after being painted as such a tough guy (or hero) the whole time. That being said it is still a really good period read and any historic fiction fan will really enjoy this one. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.