This book was exactly as described. Full of romance and mystery. If you go in expecting it to be a mystery you will be disappointed because of the romance. And if you go in expecting a straight forward romance you will again be disappointed by the mystery that is weaved throughout the story. 

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn’t necessarily pick up up again to re-read.

I felt that this story was a bit too steamy and not enough character build up. I was expecting a good murder mystery but An Oxford Revenge fell flat for me. The plot was pretty basic and I did not enjoy the over dramatic romance settings.

AN OXFORD REVENGE
by FAITH MARTIN writing as MAXINE BARRY

This is a book set in Oxford where there revenge supposedly is the order of the day just what I need for a Change of pace alas this was not meant to be.

 Very watery storyline it could have melded together well but this didn’t .Starts as revenge,then Loveland lust. I’m by no means a prude regarding novels but this book is racy when it’s not necessary and is almost off putting. If you don’t like sexual content this book is not for you. 

The upside for me was the beautiful description of the areas covered in the book which were beautiful and gave me pleasure as some of my favourite.

More Romance Than Mystery.....
Davina Granger is seeking revenge. Firmly blaming Dr Gareth Lacey for her brothers’ death she attends his  college at Oxford with a desire for retribution. But is revenge as sweet as it may appear? When romance becomes the order of the day revenge may not be the top of her list. More romance than mystery here with a rather weak and cheesy plot.

I found the plot was good but a lot of the content was taken up with very graphic sex scenes. Sorry I did not enjoy the book because of this.

Delightful and engrossing mystery set in Oxford that makes the reader wonder just how far can they themselves be pushed before revenge becomes all consuming.  The book is wonderfully written with characters and a plotline you won't soon forget.

This was an interesting, suspenseful novel by Faith Martin set in the atmospheric surroundings of Oxford University. I was drawn into the story by Davina's quest for revenge, wanting to know what had happened to her brother and how she would exact her toll. However, I thought her ultimate choice of path fell a bit flat and despite the conflict she felt, I didn't buy into her decision to proceed with her plan given her clear feelings for and relationship with her target.

I was also intrigued by Alicia Norman's story in the same Oxford college, but as it was never connected to Davina's plot line and they never intersected in a meaningful way that furthered both plots, it felt like Alicia's plot line was extraneous and could have been left out of the novel. Overall, an interesting read but Davina's story was not as dramatic or twisty as I had hoped based on the book description..

I was really looking forward to reading An Oxford Revenge. I wanted a good, old fashioned murder mystery. What I got was a mild porno decorated with a too neat, cheesy murder plot. Additionally, all the characters seemed to have problems with sensitive nipples.

The story goes like this: brilliant poet, Davina Granger heads to Oxford University to exact revenge on the person she blames for her brother’s death – Dr Gareth Lacey. Things get complicated when she begins to have feelings for him.

The issue I had with An Oxford Revenge – besides the rogue nippular attacks – was that everything was too neat and clean. There was a problem, a confrontation and bam the problem was fixed with a happy ending. It just didn’t work. Furthermore, Barry was over descriptive in everything. Whilst this worked well when describing Oxford and the Cotswolds, it failed to have the same impact when describing the characters because it was used too frequently. It is okay for a character’s eyes to be noticeable and sparkle like diamonds but if every person notices them then it becomes extremely tedious for the reader.

Overall, An Oxford Revenge promised a lot but failed to deliver anything special.

An Oxford Revenge by Maxine Barry is available now.

For more information regarding Faith Martin (@MaxineBbooks) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Joffe Books (@JoffeBooks) please visit www.joffebooks.com.

As it’s my first book by the author, I didn’t knew what to expect. 
Overall it’s a great story that is reliable for nowadays times and couples in my opinion. What I didn’t expect was the steamy scenes in this book, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and they are very well done, I just didn’t see it coming from the book description but I loved it.

This was definitely not my favorite book by this author, but I did finish it. I was expecting more suspense but for me this was a romance. I was intrigued by the premise of the book but it just fell a little short for me.

The mystery in this story is interesting.  The characters and their stories are engaging.  However, for me, I felt that the two stories that are being told do not sufficiently connect to each other.  It feels as though they were two short stories combined into the one narrative.

I don’t want to spoil the stories for you, but story one is about Davina Granger and her plan to exact revenge on the person she believes responsible for her brother’s untimely demise.  But just how far is she willing to go?  I was slightly perturbed, or maybe just confused, about the pace of this story and the development of the relationship in this one.  There were parts of this story where I was left thinking, ‘why doesn’t she just do this?’, ‘why didn’t just she just break into this and check this?’.

Story 2 for me was better developed and the pacing of the relationship seemed more realistic, young and reckless love etc. being what it is.  Again, though, I had thoughts of wondering why Alicia and Jared wouldn’t handle things a little differently.  However, adopting the young lovers mindset and it’s easy to overlook these small issues.

Overall I did enjoy the individual stories, but I’m not sure I enjoyed them combined together.

Received a copy of this book.
Plot seems a bit thin, the main character wants revenge on an Oxford Don without doing any research if he was to blame for her stepbrother suicide. 
It's about love, list, revenge, and has a twist at the end. 
Personally found some of the characters shallow such as Rupert.

As a huge fan of Faith Martin, I was eager to read this one published under the name of Maxine Barry. Sadly, the plot was thin, and the characters never jelled for me.  It is about revenge, lovingly set in Martin's favorite locale - the city and university of Oxford, but the revenge is overshadowed by an emphasis on lust and romance.  A talented poet, a surprisingly unsympathetic character, seeks revenge on a dishy Oxford don for her student brother's suicide. And her plan for total destruction of this man was decided upon with no research into what really happened with her brother. The romantic subplot with students is also contrived. When the ending is revealed, it just makes everthing and everyone look shallow and foolish, especially the main character!

Something different from this crime fiction author that may surprise her readership. If you're expecting murder mystery, you'll be disappointed. This story set in an Oxford college, in the early twenty-first century, is about obsession, passion and revenge. These are all motivation for murder, but here the focus is more on romance and suspense.

Davina, a successful poet, gains an honorary fellowship at St Bede's Oxford college, to compile and write a forward, for a poetry anthology. She has an ulterior motive for being there, but her quest for revenge is convoluted by physical attraction and passion.

The plot is complex with elements of psychological suspense. The characters are flawed and emotionally vulnerable as a consequence of life events, family and social class. There is good suspense building throughout the story. The exploration of the Oxford establishment and family, peer and societal expectations is insightful. An atmospheric and claustrophobic romantic suspense.

I received a copy of this book from Joffe Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Dr. Gareth Dacey, one of three lauded and venerated English Dons of modern poetry.  Davina believes that Dr. Lacey was the cause of her brother's suicide.  However, she didn't plan with the idea that he is very attractive, and Davina and Gareth would become obsessed with each other at their first meeting.   In spite of this, Davina still tries to undermine him.   

In the mean time, first year student Alicia, from a prominent family, and Jared, an upper classman from a poor family, have become smitten with each other as well.   Jared is directing the Easter play, and he and Alicia's friend Emily convince Alicia to write the play.  However, Alicia's brother would like her to marry Rupert,  the only son of the Earl of Warrington who is also enamored with Alicia and is one of the lead actors in the play.   

It becomes very exciting as the relationships develop

An Oxford revenge by Faith Martin writing as Maxine Barry. 
Davina Granger wants revenge. She blames Dr Gareth Lacey for her brother’s suicide. When she gets a fellowship at his Oxford college, she finally has her chance to punish him. But her plan never included falling in love with him.
Very good read. Good story. I wasnt sure how I felt about Davina. I did enjoy the ending.  Faith is one of my favourite authors. I hope there is more to come.  4*.

This ended up being quite different to what I had expected, having only read a couple of Faith Martin "Monica Noble" books. Those are a series of cozy mysteries; the amateur detecting done by a vicar's wife, with some (odd to me) interjections of lusty thoughts from a senior detective and Monica. 
This was a tale of a woman poet who seeks revenge on the man, an Oxford don, she believes led her step-brother to suicide. There is also a sister-plot about a young woman hailing from a wealthy and academic family who whips up an original play for a boy she likes, and then works with him to produce it. 
Umm... I thought the author's writing in the Monica Noble series could be rather repetitive and awkwardly phrased, but she does write a page turning plot. This one reads more like... fan fiction? Bodice ripper? 
Hyperbolic physical descriptions of super, super, dazzlingly attractive women and men, and their sexual encounters just doesn't do it for me. Apologies.

I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley.

An Oxford Revenge by Faith Martin, writing as Maxine Barry, was very different than her other books. Thank you Netgalley for the early access. The book's main theme, as the title hints, is about revenge. There were a few different plots intertwined. The idea of a writer who gets to write the introduction for an anthology of poems was pretty neat, but her main focus seemed to be revenge. It was kinda hard to relate to, as that's not who I am. It wasn't really my style of writing, but I'm sure others would like it.

Faith Martin's new book as Maxine Barry, An Oxford Revenge is a light, breezy read. Davina Granger, an acclaimed poet, gorgeous woman is distraught. Her beloved step-brother has committed suicide and in one of his letters to her, had mentioned how Dr. Gareth Lacey,  his English professor at Oxford was tormenting him.

Granger relocates to Oxford on a fellowship with the sole intention of taking revenge on Dr Gareth Lacey. Will she succeed in this mission of hers forms the rest of the story. In a substantial sub plot, the author takes us through the story of Alicia Norman, a shy girl from a sheltered, privileged family as she navigates her way and finds her own path in Oxford. 

Romance with a touch of mystery is what this book offers to give and it does very well. The pace is fast and the author doesn't waste time in too many digressions. I picked up this book expecting to read a Faith Martin book. While the author's characteristic flair of writing comes through, it is still not what I was expecting, mainly because. it is leaning more towards romance than mystery, 

An overall light, quick, pleasant time-pass read.

I like Faith Martin's books and this re-issue of an older title was enjoyable if predictable.  There are two plot strands which could perhaps have been more intertwined but they were both interesting.  The author's real strength here is in her characterisation.  Davina and Alicia are very different personalities and their development makes for a good story.