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I listened to the audiobook because it was free on Audible. The voice actor (Jenny Sterlin) definitely gave it an edge that I loved. It felt completely different from the bridgerton series. The characters definitely have their flaws, but I find they come together nicely.
emotional
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This started out well and unravelled for me midway through the book. I felt this book had so much promise but failed to live up to the expectations. Still, it is a far better read than some of latter Bridgerton romances and is an enjoyable read overall.
Miranda has been steadfastly in love/infatuated with Turner for years, which I thought was adorable considering they hardly met in those years. Meanwhile, Turner barely gave a thought to this quiet little miss. The development of their romance was interesting and Quinn gave these two plenty of opportunities for alone time to make up for those lost years.
Miranda's best friend, Olivia, is a strange character and there is something about her that rings false, despite the many attempts to show how loyal a friend she is to Miranda. There's a lot of focus on their friendship, but I just do not get a feeling of a genuine friendship between the two.
The bit that fails the most for me is Turner's inability to verbalise his love for Miranda. I find this obsession with getting him to SAY he loves her a bit ridiculous and rather typical of what I deem "Western culture". It is so easy to lie and say you love someone than it is to show someone you truly love that you adore and cherish him/her by all the everyday little actions that Turner obviously shows.
Not to say that it is not nice to hear someone say they love you but I felt that Miranda was being a little too silly about it all. I suppose that is to be expected from such a young, idealistic girl.
All in all, it was a good romance. It was nice to see these two characters with good supportive families.
Miranda has been steadfastly in love/infatuated with Turner for years, which I thought was adorable considering they hardly met in those years. Meanwhile, Turner barely gave a thought to this quiet little miss. The development of their romance was interesting and Quinn gave these two plenty of opportunities for alone time to make up for those lost years.
Miranda's best friend, Olivia, is a strange character and there is something about her that rings false, despite the many attempts to show how loyal a friend she is to Miranda. There's a lot of focus on their friendship, but I just do not get a feeling of a genuine friendship between the two.
The bit that fails the most for me is Turner's inability to verbalise his love for Miranda. I find this obsession with getting him to SAY he loves her a bit ridiculous and rather typical of what I deem "Western culture". It is so easy to lie and say you love someone than it is to show someone you truly love that you adore and cherish him/her by all the everyday little actions that Turner obviously shows.
Not to say that it is not nice to hear someone say they love you but I felt that Miranda was being a little too silly about it all. I suppose that is to be expected from such a young, idealistic girl.
All in all, it was a good romance. It was nice to see these two characters with good supportive families.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In my opinion this story romanticises abuse and violence against women. At some point later in the book the main male character holds a woman (his „love“) by her wrists, not letting her go and then shakes her so that parts of her pinned-up hair becomes loose. Soon after he states, that he could never imagine being violent or using force against a woman.
I have to say that I was very disappointed in Turner and how easily Miranda forgives him. She is so strong when she stands up to him but then suddenly she forgives him. He deserved a lot more reprimanding and some lessons on how to treat a lady. He was tiresome.
I really liked the first 20% of the book, but I felt like the characters devolved into very childish behavior that was often quite annoying, and the hero didn't really have enough of a reason to withhold emotionally from the relationship. I also don't like when it takes a near death encounter for someone to admit love.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a very educational reread. It showed me that this was a book I needed to grow into. I understood the characters so much better than the first time around so I upped my rating. Indulging ib the classic witty Julia Quinn characters was truly delightful.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes