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penandpages's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Dementia
Minor: Grief, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
hsinjulit's review
3.0
Duchess of Rosebrook Clementine Fitzroy lost her ability to dream when her grandmother lost her fortune doing just that. When toy company CEO Evan Fox purchased her old home and dreamed to renovate the whole village, Clementine was dead set on not trusting this outsider. That the ever-exuberant Evan was exactly Clementine's type and also attracted to her did not help at all.
I liked this book. The romance and courting between Clementine and Evan were cute and their emotional obstacles so real. And though this was my first read of Jenny Frame's book, I would definitely read more of her works in the future, especially those involving contemporary royalties.
Throughout the story, I could see how Clementine and Evan were meant to be together. But that did not mean I was fully on board with this mutual instalove. And with Clementine as the damsel in distress and Evan being the incredible gentlewoman all the time, their relationship felt imbalanced. Still, The Duchess and the Dreamer was a very cute romance story. And that Evan's rebuilding plans were eco-friendly and inclusive to all communities was a plus to the overall plot.
Evan was too perfect and precious for this world. Her personality made this book more than worthwhile to read. Also, I now realize I need toy trains, trampolines, and mini basketball hoops in my future office. Evan brought fun and playfulness into life and I love that about her. I think while she wanted to "leave the world a little bit better than [she] found it," every reader would finish this book and dare to dream a little more than they did before. Evan had that effect on people.
The Duchess and the Dreamer is a good escapist romance where Evan's positivity and energy are infectious. It is an enjoyable story that will make you rethink passion and have a bit more fun in life. [4 May 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"Realistic? Oh, that word gives me shivers. I hate that word—people say that when they’ve forgotten to dare to dream." – Evan Fox
I liked this book. The romance and courting between Clementine and Evan were cute and their emotional obstacles so real. And though this was my first read of Jenny Frame's book, I would definitely read more of her works in the future, especially those involving contemporary royalties.
Throughout the story, I could see how Clementine and Evan were meant to be together. But that did not mean I was fully on board with this mutual instalove. And with Clementine as the damsel in distress and Evan being the incredible gentlewoman all the time, their relationship felt imbalanced. Still, The Duchess and the Dreamer was a very cute romance story. And that Evan's rebuilding plans were eco-friendly and inclusive to all communities was a plus to the overall plot.
Evan was too perfect and precious for this world. Her personality made this book more than worthwhile to read. Also, I now realize I need toy trains, trampolines, and mini basketball hoops in my future office. Evan brought fun and playfulness into life and I love that about her. I think while she wanted to "leave the world a little bit better than [she] found it," every reader would finish this book and dare to dream a little more than they did before. Evan had that effect on people.
"There are no problems, [...] only opportunities." – Evan Fox
The Duchess and the Dreamer is a good escapist romance where Evan's positivity and energy are infectious. It is an enjoyable story that will make you rethink passion and have a bit more fun in life. [4 May 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
jamietherebelliousreader's review
4.0
4 stars. This was so precious. Light and fluffy and romantic. I really enjoyed it. It features a lot of tropes that I absolutely love. There’s grumpy/sunshine, rich girl/poor girl, Ice Queen, small town, and it’s slow burn. We don’t get the first sex scene until like 70 something percent but it was worth it.
Clementine is a very stoic and reserved person. Whereas Evan is a bubbly ray of sunshine. I loved them both and I thought they were wonderful together. I loved that as soon as Evan meets Clementine she already starts calling her the future Mrs. Fox in her head. Adorable. I think both of them go through some solid character development, especially Clementine. I loved watching her open up and let her guard down.
The romance develops nicely, I loved the setting and the people in the town made it feel so lively. The writing was good and I think everything wrapped up really well. I’m excited to read book two.
Clementine is a very stoic and reserved person. Whereas Evan is a bubbly ray of sunshine. I loved them both and I thought they were wonderful together. I loved that as soon as Evan meets Clementine she already starts calling her the future Mrs. Fox in her head. Adorable. I think both of them go through some solid character development, especially Clementine. I loved watching her open up and let her guard down.
The romance develops nicely, I loved the setting and the people in the town made it feel so lively. The writing was good and I think everything wrapped up really well. I’m excited to read book two.
hhushaw's review
4.0
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I love Jenny Frame and don't think I have read one of her works that I didn't love. This book was fantastic, I loved Evan Fox. She was amazing and her dream for a better world one village at a time was very intriguing. Her relationship with Clem and how she just knew from the very beginning that she was her Mrs. Fox was adorable and I loved experiencing their story!
mollyan's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mjsam's review
4.0
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you’ve read a Jenny Frame book before, then you know going in what you’ll find. This is no different in that the MCs are butch/femme, and as with two of her past series, this features British aristocracy.
The mains here are Evan Fox, who runs a large toy manufacturing business and also has multiple side businesses, one of which is to take over an English village and make it eco friendly and a safe haven for minorities (the dreamer). The other MC is Clementine, a duchess whose family fortune was lost thanks to the larger than life dreams of her grandmother, leaving her living in the gardeners cottage on the edge of what was once her family estate and her village. Clem is also responsible for caring for her mother who has dementia, and is bitter and closed off from her many losses/struggles.
Evan has long admired Clem’s grandmother, Isadora, and is ecstatic to find out that the family estate and I guess the village are up for sale, she buys them and moves in to enact her utopian plan. The village doesn’t have much in the way of locals, and Clem and some of the farmers want nothing to do with Evan’s plans. Evan, however, is a big ball of positivity and soon starts to win everyone over. It doesn’t hurt that Clem also finds her attractive. For Evan’s part, it’s pretty much love at first sight after meeting Clem, so she’s even more determined to win her over.
Evan’s dream seems like a pipe dream to be honest, but it was fun reading about all the different things they were going to do and watching the villagers slowly get on board. And the ideology behind it sets up a setting where LGBTQIA people will feature, which removes one of the biggest obstacles to a series set in such a setting.
I could have lived without the endless repetition about Clem being a duchess, Evan being a ‘dapper dandy’, and the word ‘collywobbles’ has probably never featured so much in a book as it does here. The romance itself is pretty sweet though and the characters are fairly engaging. Some of the secondary characters were interesting, and I assume will be fleshed out further in the coming books, it’s not hard to work out who will feature in those.
Overall, it’s a nice, sweet romance. Frame fans will enjoy this. 4 stars.
If you’ve read a Jenny Frame book before, then you know going in what you’ll find. This is no different in that the MCs are butch/femme, and as with two of her past series, this features British aristocracy.
The mains here are Evan Fox, who runs a large toy manufacturing business and also has multiple side businesses, one of which is to take over an English village and make it eco friendly and a safe haven for minorities (the dreamer). The other MC is Clementine, a duchess whose family fortune was lost thanks to the larger than life dreams of her grandmother, leaving her living in the gardeners cottage on the edge of what was once her family estate and her village. Clem is also responsible for caring for her mother who has dementia, and is bitter and closed off from her many losses/struggles.
Evan has long admired Clem’s grandmother, Isadora, and is ecstatic to find out that the family estate and I guess the village are up for sale, she buys them and moves in to enact her utopian plan. The village doesn’t have much in the way of locals, and Clem and some of the farmers want nothing to do with Evan’s plans. Evan, however, is a big ball of positivity and soon starts to win everyone over. It doesn’t hurt that Clem also finds her attractive. For Evan’s part, it’s pretty much love at first sight after meeting Clem, so she’s even more determined to win her over.
Evan’s dream seems like a pipe dream to be honest, but it was fun reading about all the different things they were going to do and watching the villagers slowly get on board. And the ideology behind it sets up a setting where LGBTQIA people will feature, which removes one of the biggest obstacles to a series set in such a setting.
I could have lived without the endless repetition about Clem being a duchess, Evan being a ‘dapper dandy’, and the word ‘collywobbles’ has probably never featured so much in a book as it does here. The romance itself is pretty sweet though and the characters are fairly engaging. Some of the secondary characters were interesting, and I assume will be fleshed out further in the coming books, it’s not hard to work out who will feature in those.
Overall, it’s a nice, sweet romance. Frame fans will enjoy this. 4 stars.
theamandashelby's review
4.0
I would read anything Frame wrote. I love butch characters and she never disappoints. While this one wasn't one of my favorites of hers, it was still worth the read. Evan drove me a bit nuts, and I feel like immature is an understatement here. Hopefully we will see these two more in the series and Evan may grow on me. Frame does so well with settings and secondary characters, I always feel like she does a great job of setting us up to be invested if everyone's story. I am looking forward to the next in the series. 3.5 stars rounded up.
brennooth's review
5.0
I have no idea how Evan is still alive and well considering that banjo smacked her a couple times there. I loved her child-like nature and the Fox. Her calling Clem her wife in her head the second she met her. Mrs. Fox. Adorable and such a lovely couple. Also, my money is on Ash and Archie.
vixdag's review
5.0
Delightful, charming, and romantic. It’s Frame at her best. There’s definitely a formula but it’s exactly why I always pick up her books. I want to get swept up in a sweet, sexy love story and Frame never disappoints.
nonbinaryknight's review
5.0
Even after re-reading this book, I still love it. Evan Fox is an amazing character and I love her so much. I don’t know whether I want to be her or be friends with her. It took me longer to understand Clem as a character but eventually I did. I loved the way the author wrote the two character’s being set on each other’s paths. The pictures and Isadora show that the two were destined to meet or something. I also love that the author showed that people can view a historical figure differently depending on context. One loves her idealism and the other hates that she forgot about her family along the way. With the way the author wrote Clem it was easy to understand why she’s hesitant to trust dreamers and why she’s especially hesitant to start anything with Fox. I still absolutely love the way Frame wrote the mother’s death. It was peaceful and made sense. Her health was bad and continually deteriorating but at least she got to die somewhere she loved, somewhere she considered “home”. The characters were amazing even if character’s like Fox don’t exactly feel like someone, I could imagine meeting on the street anywhere. She just feels a bit too fantastical for it to feel really realistic. The author also did a good job with the drama in the story. Peter’s drama was the only one I could have done without but even that worked within the context given. The drama didn’t feel forced but rather made sense with the characters and situations that had been written about. I do still think that the characters may have jumped into a deep relationship quicker than usual, but I don’t mind it too much. I wanted the characters to have the best ending they could have, and each character had heard stories of “love-at-first-sight” style meetings (collywobbles and being smacked over the head with a banjo).