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juliereadsromance's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
~~ REVIEW ~~ โฃ
โฃ
๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ตโฃ
๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ปโฃ
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโฃ
โฃ
Sometimes you read a book and it makes you wonder about the architecture of a story. As I read ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ, I thought about all the little facets of this plot that combined into a gorgeous whole. Like one of those houses built so well into the natural landscape that itโs as though the landscape chose the house and not the other way around. โฃ
โฃ
Meredith Duran is brilliant. This is a medium angst (which given MDโs baseline, makes it low angst for her), Regency England, FIVE STAR romance ๐ฅฐ .โฃ
โฃ
โฃ
๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ตโฃ
๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ปโฃ
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโฃ
โฃ
Sometimes you read a book and it makes you wonder about the architecture of a story. As I read ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ, I thought about all the little facets of this plot that combined into a gorgeous whole. Like one of those houses built so well into the natural landscape that itโs as though the landscape chose the house and not the other way around. โฃ
โฃ
Meredith Duran is brilliant. This is a medium angst (which given MDโs baseline, makes it low angst for her), Regency England, FIVE STAR romance ๐ฅฐ .โฃ
โฃ
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
This one was a lot of fun! Though strangely, I kept envisioning the heroine as Evie, the heroine from The Mummy. But whatever, it worked for me.
The odd thing is, despite the fact that I'd guess 65% or so of the book was told from the heroine's POV, I felt more involved in the hero. His life just seemed to have so much more depth. Hers was... I don't know. Dutiful. She really had never strayed outside of her role. And I know that's not atypical of HR, but usually the heroine has some thing - a quirk, or an event in their past, or something - that flavors their life and personality with something that makes it uniquely theirs. But I feel like you could swap Lydia out for a dozen other people and the story would be the same.
That sounds like I don't like it, but that's not true - I thought it was a fun, fast read. And I really liked James's story. It was not what I expected it to be. His father, his sister, they weren't who you think they are.
Definitely enjoyable, and I am looking forward to more Meredith Duran. :)
The odd thing is, despite the fact that I'd guess 65% or so of the book was told from the heroine's POV, I felt more involved in the hero. His life just seemed to have so much more depth. Hers was... I don't know. Dutiful. She really had never strayed outside of her role. And I know that's not atypical of HR, but usually the heroine has some thing - a quirk, or an event in their past, or something - that flavors their life and personality with something that makes it uniquely theirs. But I feel like you could swap Lydia out for a dozen other people and the story would be the same.
That sounds like I don't like it, but that's not true - I thought it was a fun, fast read. And I really liked James's story. It was not what I expected it to be. His father, his sister, they weren't who you think they are.
Definitely enjoyable, and I am looking forward to more Meredith Duran. :)
ltennant09's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ashleyreadsanything's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bamamelereads's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
So hard to go wrong with Duran. While ultimately, this isnโt god tier, itโs still so well written and handles tough themes beautifully.
It starts off with a banger of a prologue! I basically wanted to fight for Lydia from page 2 and that never abated. Lydia is an FMC I actually relate to so hard that it hurts.
โShe had liked once to think of herself as passionate, in love with her books, drunk on history, enamored of the wide world, of all the peoples within it. To be studious was to be the opposite of boring, she had believed; it was to be so interested, so madly curious, that one simply could not wait for the answers to arrive on their own: one had to go chase them in the only manner available.โ
โIโm a woman. If I donโt think highly of my intellect, who will?โ
Sheโs so fierce and passionate and yet so on the shelf as a disregarded spinster and bluestocking. And then James is so deliberately dissolute to try to bury the pain of how he thinks he failed his sister.
Within the Egyptian side of the plot, thereโs great commentary on the spoils the English have taken, what it means for the involvement in Egypt and colonialist views of home rule. (See also Evie Dunmoreโs Gentlemanโs Gambit for another fantastic take).
Ultimately I actually got much more emotional about the storyline with James and his sister and father than I did about the romance or the side of the plot with Lydia and her father. There was an incredibly beautiful passage about Stella having to understand herself that I wonโt spoil.
But the last scene with the proposal had me very emotional again. It was so perfect for the characters and capped the story beautifully.
Iโll never not recommend a Duran, though this is on the lower angst and spice end of the spectrum
It starts off with a banger of a prologue! I basically wanted to fight for Lydia from page 2 and that never abated. Lydia is an FMC I actually relate to so hard that it hurts.
โShe had liked once to think of herself as passionate, in love with her books, drunk on history, enamored of the wide world, of all the peoples within it. To be studious was to be the opposite of boring, she had believed; it was to be so interested, so madly curious, that one simply could not wait for the answers to arrive on their own: one had to go chase them in the only manner available.โ
โIโm a woman. If I donโt think highly of my intellect, who will?โ
Sheโs so fierce and passionate and yet so on the shelf as a disregarded spinster and bluestocking. And then James is so deliberately dissolute to try to bury the pain of how he thinks he failed his sister.
Within the Egyptian side of the plot, thereโs great commentary on the spoils the English have taken, what it means for the involvement in Egypt and colonialist views of home rule. (See also Evie Dunmoreโs Gentlemanโs Gambit for another fantastic take).
Ultimately I actually got much more emotional about the storyline with James and his sister and father than I did about the romance or the side of the plot with Lydia and her father. There was an incredibly beautiful passage about Stella having to understand herself that I wonโt spoil.
But the last scene with the proposal had me very emotional again. It was so perfect for the characters and capped the story beautifully.
Iโll never not recommend a Duran, though this is on the lower angst and spice end of the spectrum
pea_che's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
Ah, such a pleasure to discover a new author whose style and character development take one's breath away... 4.5
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Violence
somasunshine's review against another edition
4.0
The writing was great, and the plot was exciting. However, sometimes the characters understood each other so well but I didn't understand where they were coming from or why they said certain things and came to certain conclusions.