Reviews

I'll just say, right off the bat, the regency romance is not my thing. However, I did enjoy elements of this. I loved Raya as a character. She was eager to learn, determined, and resilient. I loved reading from her perspective, and I think I would have preferred if the book was solely from her perspective. Anthony was...fine. I totally understood his reasoning for irritation. I also liked that he wasn't completely unlikeable to where it would be irredeemable. However, I was not a fan of the male audiobook narrator. He sounded stuffy and so much older than the female narrator who was FANTASTIC. The back and forth was disorienting and unenjoyable. There was also an interesting mystery to follow. I won't continue the series, but that is not a negative.

notesonbookmarks's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Oooh! The steam! The diversity! The business savvy in Victorian England!

anyawats's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

chaosdemonmonster's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.0

I had high hopes for this book since it was a strong female main character and the MCs had to work together for both their happiness and success. That said, the characters were very single faceted (she liked business, he likes antiquities - and sex/innuendo but that isn't a personality trait I count in a romance novel), there were multiple instances of communication issues making me scream at my book JUST FRIGGIN TALK TO EACH OTHER WITH YOUR WORDS YOU PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE IDIOTS, and the one track mind of the MMC always turning everything to a dirty reference really grated on me after a while because the timing was just annoying (especially when the FMC was actually trying to have a serious conversation). A random other note is the hyperfixation on the FMC's body under her clothes which, to be fair, annoyed me more than it should because of my knowledge of historical fashion. Curves in the late 1800s were manufactured with corsets and padding but that was only remembered when it was convenient (like when playing with the FMC's breasts over the top edge of the corset she was wearing).

ghostingarden's review

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3.75

what can I say I had a great time! that being said we might need to invest in a belt with a lock for Strickland. that dude CANNOT keep it in his pants like we get it you’re HORNY omg

(also I did not need the visual of them fucking when they're gray and old I could've done without that thanks (😭)

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