I've been a long time fan of Faith Martin's murder mysteries so when I saw "An Oxford revenge" described as a mix of romance and mystery/suspense I decided to give it a go in spite of romance not being one of my favorite genres (and let's be honest, if the word "revenge" is in the title I'm always down for it. I'm that easy). I was even warned by the author on Twitter that the emphasis on this one was on romance and was she right! There's no mystery/suspense at all but a revenge driven love affair plot that was quite predictable from the beginning and, at some points, quite implausible.

One of the motives I don't like so much the romance genre is because I think it tends to be riddled with cheesy dialogue that would never occur in real life and there were some lines here that certainly made my eyes roll sooo bad.

Once again I found a bit disconcerting not being able to date the time period the story is taking place in (I encountered this same problem with some previous novels from this author). As soon as it reads as it could be set today there are some descriptions that makes you think it could be set in the 80s or even the 60s (there were some quite old fashioned ways of thinking). So confusing!

Although not being quite my cup of tea I was able to finish it in just a few hours so at least the story managed to catch my attention all the way till the end. From now on I think I will stick to her murder mysteries.

2,5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this really didn't work for me.

I usually enjoy Faith Martin's books, which are the definition of cosy mystery: classic whodunnits set ostensibly in modern times but with a distinctly old-fashioned sensibility. They're perfect for when one is in an Agatha Christie reading mood but can remember all the Christie plots too well.

Under this pseudonym, however, Ms Martin seems to have turned to 'modern' romantic suspense. Now, I'm fine with explicit sex scenes but in this case I really found them jarring with the continued old-fashionedness of the rest of it (everyone writes letters rather than emails, despite it being the 21st century, and there's literally an insane member of the nobility).

Both the romances are incredibly underdeveloped and happen too fast, relying on the couples basically looking at each other and 'just knowing' (I mean, two teenagers still at university end up engaged, for heaven's sake). Meanwhile I really didn't like the aforementioned insanity plot, which relies on the very dangerous 'mental illness = murderer" trope.

I couldn't in all conscience recommend this book to anyone – which is disappointing since, as I said, I do enjoy Faith Martin.

Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe books for the arc

Normally Faith Martin's books are a very gripping read in one sitting cant put down but this one is not in that category
A well known poet receives a fellow ship at an Oxford College but still reeling from the death of her brother who committed suicide following the treatment at the hands of his professor, she is more interested in revenge than the actual reason she has been granted this

I did finish this but was not as enthralled as normal

Davina Granger, a well-known poet, receives a fellowship at the Oxford college. She has an agenda that has nothing to do with education. Her brother David committed suicide because of his treatment by one of his professors ... Dr. Gareth Lacey.

Alicia Norman is a student at the same college. She comes from a wealthy family and she's really excited to be on her own to do the things she wants. However, her older brother and his friends are willing to do anything to stop her from being with anyone they don't deem as deserving of her.

When Alicia becomes very attracted to another student, will murder be the plan to separate them?

This is a Romantic Suspense by Faith Martin writing as Maxine Barry. I've read most, if not all, of her mysteries and found them to be well written with solid plots and unforgettable characters. Unfortunately, this one did not live up to my expectations. Well written --yes. Mystery / Suspense --not so much. I didn't find it balanced between the romance and the mystery. Here's hoping the continuation of this series gets better.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this romantic suspense. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Davina is still reeling from the death of her step-brother and manages to secure a fellowship to Oxford University to seek out the tutor who was responsible.

As I expect from Faith Martin/ Maxine Barry the characters develop well and the detailed descriptions of the area puts the reader at the scene very effectively.

As Davina settles in to Oxford and puts her plan into action more characters and their lives play a part in what happens next.

This is more romance than suspense but a good read.

The plot seemed to have potential but but certain things made it uninteresting. The story of Alicia and Jared was comparatively better than Davina and Gareth's.

I picked this read by the author but found that it wasn't my preferred genre. Great for the college age crowd looking for more of a graphic sort of hook-up with twists. Wish I could say something better.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley.

Love books based in colleges have read books by the same author but under the name of Faith think I prefer this book

First time reading this author and I can honestly say it won’t be my last. The story was pretty fast paced and I read this book in one sitting. It had two stories running parallel but were both linked by the setting, love and revenge. The characters were relatable and the storyline simple enough that you could sit and read it without too much thought needed to work out the plot. There was some trigger subjects (suicide and mental health) touched on but again not with a lot of depth to them. Not that this was a negative as I found that it suited me for what I wanted to read at the time.

I have read and enjoyed a police procedural series by this author so I thought the chances were pretty good that this would be a good read for me. I did not realize this would be a graphic romance book, and since this is not a genre I would normally read I can't give a favorable review of the book.. There were some components I enjoyed including descriptions of Oxford. The descriptions of the characters were focused on physical attributes in relation to sexual attraction or functions. Everything was in the extreme including a Lord of the realm studying at Oxford who acts out in the most unbelievable way. We are to believe that accomplished, successful people are capable of disturbed and immature thinking and motivations whilst appearing to the world as mature, successful individuals. It was not a sound, believable story for me, but perhaps people who enjoy romances of this type will be delighted..