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cratesso's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
winterreader40's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know if it's just this series or if it's her historical's that I just don't tend to love, because her Devil's Rock series was great, I'm a bit leery of trying any of her other historical series at this point though.
Olivia is a herbalist, Constantine has been elevated to heir to a dukedom due to all 3 of his cousins passing away. She has been corresponding with him for years under her deceased father's name and he comes in search of him only to find he's been lied to over the years and he feels betrayed. He wants to find help for his aunt the Duchess who has chronic pain issues.
Their first meeting is fun she's up a tree collecting samples for her work until she notices a man in her pond, startled she falls into the water. She quickly tells him he is trespassing and to get out, so he does, stark naked.
The story overall fell a bit flat for me, like most of the rest of the series, though at least this heroine doesn't become less at any point like most of the others did.
Olivia is a herbalist, Constantine has been elevated to heir to a dukedom due to all 3 of his cousins passing away. She has been corresponding with him for years under her deceased father's name and he comes in search of him only to find he's been lied to over the years and he feels betrayed. He wants to find help for his aunt the Duchess who has chronic pain issues.
Their first meeting is fun she's up a tree collecting samples for her work until she notices a man in her pond, startled she falls into the water. She quickly tells him he is trespassing and to get out, so he does, stark naked.
The story overall fell a bit flat for me, like most of the rest of the series, though at least this heroine doesn't become less at any point like most of the others did.
megs004's review against another edition
3.0
The Duke Effect is the seventh and final book in The Rogue Files series. This was the first book I read by Sophia Jordan and I was not disappointed. Nora is an aspiring female doctor and have been fascinated by medicine and experiments since she was a little girl. Constantine is a military man who is now a heir to a dukedom. Nora has been secretly corresponding with Constantine for years under a false identity and now she needs to prove her trust. I loved this book but I do think the romance between Nora and Constantine felt rushed and it was weird that they hated each other for most of the book. I would try reading more books in the series though!
Thank you to Goodreads giveaways and to Avon books for giving me an advance copy of the book for my honest review.
yesididbringabook's review against another edition
3.0
It was hard for me to get in to this, because it has been a while since I read the last book. As best as I can tell from that review, I felt very similarly about both of them.
Spoiler
I don't get the tonic thing. I just don't. It didn't make sense to me in the last book, and it doesn't make sense to me in this book. My harshest assessment is that it's a lazy choice to facilitate a relationship when the plot feels stuck.Spoiler
whatallisonreads's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve been extremely scrupulous in my consumption of historicals, because the fact is that I know how ridiculous they can be. I decided to expand from my reliables (SM, JQ, JG, LK) And after this one... I’m very conflicted.
Are we to believe that she... invented... viagra? The first half of the book had so much promise and i loved the idea of her having to prove herself a competent physician. The way the two met was so fun! But the doctor plot line seems only have been introduced so that the heroine could drug the hero with a “lust-inducing” tonic. I
Also - the two supposedly corresponded for years (albeit with her under an assumed name). I would have loved to read more about the intimacy they may have felt, the things they knew about each other as a result. It would have made the love story feel more genuine. The end felt sudden, and not natural.
In a way it feels like the author realized she wrote two completely unsexual characters, and had to invent a way to get them naked instead of something occurring organically.
Maybe I’m naive, but I do believe that not all romances have to have “ruination.” Why not develop the romance more slowly and have them actually realize their feelings over time instead of the idea happening so suddenly, and only after she broke into his rooms to “fix” him. I was reminded of boys who used to say “but it hurts if I don’t finish”.
Normally two stars is reserved for my “didnt like” books, and it’s not that I didn’t like this - I finished the book after all. But I was scratching my head so many times that I just couldn’t give 3 stars. Maybe I need to take a break from romances but the premise was just... too too much for me.
Are we to believe that she... invented... viagra? The first half of the book had so much promise and i loved the idea of her having to prove herself a competent physician. The way the two met was so fun! But the doctor plot line seems only have been introduced so that the heroine could drug the hero with a “lust-inducing” tonic. I
Also - the two supposedly corresponded for years (albeit with her under an assumed name). I would have loved to read more about the intimacy they may have felt, the things they knew about each other as a result. It would have made the love story feel more genuine. The end felt sudden, and not natural.
In a way it feels like the author realized she wrote two completely unsexual characters, and had to invent a way to get them naked instead of something occurring organically.
Maybe I’m naive, but I do believe that not all romances have to have “ruination.” Why not develop the romance more slowly and have them actually realize their feelings over time instead of the idea happening so suddenly, and only after she broke into his rooms to “fix” him. I was reminded of boys who used to say “but it hurts if I don’t finish”.
Normally two stars is reserved for my “didnt like” books, and it’s not that I didn’t like this - I finished the book after all. But I was scratching my head so many times that I just couldn’t give 3 stars. Maybe I need to take a break from romances but the premise was just... too too much for me.
virgo_reader's review against another edition
1.0
This one started out strong but fizzled pretty quickly for me.
Constantine is a military man who has become the heir to a duke who raised him after his parents passed. When he goes back to England and realizes the duchess is ill (likely with depression) he seeks out the physician he’s corresponded with for years. Only the physician has been dead 5 years and it turns out he’s been corresponding with the man’s youngest daughter.
So I thought, yay! A past epistolary romance, perhaps? They have this big history from writing letters but he didn’t know her identity. But the letters are NEVER MENTIONED.
And then the heroine Nora goes to the duke and duchesses home to care for the duchess without being invited, and there’s a quasi-love triangle bc the duke and duchess want Con to marry Lady Elise… but
1 Lady Elise is lovely and uninterested in Con anyway
2 Con is kind of a total prig who thinks he’s too good for Nora
3 The duke sucks
4 Nora never does any medicine except make the duchess tea and tout around her Viagra potion??!
The story wrapped super quickly and it felt abrupt and short. Like a part of the relationship building was missing? This is my second from Sophie Jordan and I just think maybe she’s not for me.
Constantine is a military man who has become the heir to a duke who raised him after his parents passed. When he goes back to England and realizes the duchess is ill (likely with depression) he seeks out the physician he’s corresponded with for years. Only the physician has been dead 5 years and it turns out he’s been corresponding with the man’s youngest daughter.
So I thought, yay! A past epistolary romance, perhaps? They have this big history from writing letters but he didn’t know her identity. But the letters are NEVER MENTIONED.
And then the heroine Nora goes to the duke and duchesses home to care for the duchess without being invited, and there’s a quasi-love triangle bc the duke and duchess want Con to marry Lady Elise… but
1 Lady Elise is lovely and uninterested in Con anyway
2 Con is kind of a total prig who thinks he’s too good for Nora
3 The duke sucks
4 Nora never does any medicine except make the duchess tea and tout around her Viagra potion??!
The story wrapped super quickly and it felt abrupt and short. Like a part of the relationship building was missing? This is my second from Sophie Jordan and I just think maybe she’s not for me.