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english_lady03's review
4.0
3.5 Stars really, but can't put half! I did really like it, I just though there were a few bits that were a little far-fetched. I might write a more detailed review at some point.
districtreads's review against another edition
2.0
I love Vanessa Riley, but I just couldn't get into either one of these characters. I loved the deeper themes explored, but I often felt frustrated by the heroine - she was very fearful, sheltered, and stubborn. I do like that she was a flawed human who had a lot of growth, but it kept taking me out of the romance and feeling irritation instead, particularly because Ester and Bex have the same conversations over and over and over without really resolving them until the very end (and even then...not satisfactorily). It just didn't feel like a great match. But can't wait to read Frederica's story!
lanidacey's review against another edition
2.0
Rating adjusted after finishing the whole series. Ester is such an unlikable heroine. I appreciate that the author is aware of this and actually makes Ester's stubbornness a plot point that she had to overcome, but it was too little, too late for me. She was simply dreadful and I couldn't root for her or her love story.
solaana's review against another edition
I won’t say my high hopes are being dashed, but they are being lowered.
shannanh's review against another edition
4.0
I've been thoroughly enjoying this series. The theme of this book is the prodigal daughter. Ester Croome who is what's called a Blackamoor, is being forced to marry a philanderer to help save her father's fabric textile business. In order to escape, she runs off with Actor Arthur Bex ( who unbeknown to him, Ester has been infactuated with him for a while). They run off and trouble follows them. I kept going back and forth between liking the different characters, then not liking them or vice versa. Now on to read the next book in the series.
shameless505's review against another edition
3.0
I’m going to be honest and say I’m being generous with giving this book a 3 star rating. I really wanted to like it more, but I couldn’t get over the FMC. She was insufferable. She was very immature, stubborn and sheltered. I found it hard to cheer for her love story when she constantly pushed the hero away, ran hot and cold with him and couldn’t forgive anyone when they didn’t meet her standards. I couldn’t blame her for being upset at the secret the MMC kept from her, but honestly by the time that came out it felt like she would use anything to push him away.
I can’t figure out what the MMC saw in her. Speaking of the MMC I liked him. I would have loved more information about his life before he came to London and reinvented himself after his horrible past. I also loved the FMC’s mom. I wasn’t expecting to since we only saw her from the FMC eyes which was very skewed and biased. This author really has a gift with making some memorable and interesting side characters. I hope I like the next book as it features two characters from the first book that I really enjoyed.
I can’t figure out what the MMC saw in her. Speaking of the MMC I liked him. I would have loved more information about his life before he came to London and reinvented himself after his horrible past. I also loved the FMC’s mom. I wasn’t expecting to since we only saw her from the FMC eyes which was very skewed and biased. This author really has a gift with making some memorable and interesting side characters. I hope I like the next book as it features two characters from the first book that I really enjoyed.
anabelsbrother's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I just finished this book and I'M STRESSED-
This is so hard to review.
First of all, this book opened wonderfully. I love how Bex and Ester met, and it was adorable how Ester couldn't string a coherent sentence in Bex's presence because she's been crushing on him for two years. I even enjoyed the horrible road trip these two made to Scotland in order to elope. The banter is great, and Bex is really the hero of my heart, he charmed both me and Ester.
The only thing that didn't work for me turned out to be Ester, and since she's, well, the heroine, it really affected my enjoyment. I can't pinpoint exactly when it went wrong for me, because I truly adored her in the beginning. She was innocent and sweet, but also stubborn and determined to escape what would have been a horrible arranged marriage. But Ester also had this one-track mind of how things should be and if anything didn't go her way (read: Bex and his abolitionist efforts) then BYE. Her persistence in trying to get Bex to abandon the cause he had devoted his life to also didn't really sit well for me.
And then there was her reaction to Bex and his Past. I was a bit stressed when Bex didn't tell Ester about the truth of his past upfront because I knew it was going to be a source of conflict and I wasn't looking forward to it. But after what happened post-confession, I understood a bit of Bex's hesitation to open up about his past. It was a MAJOR conflict and there wasn't enough pages to deal with the aftermath, IMO, and in the end, I was left to wonder if Bex would be better off without her. Because really, she made him miserable and still the poor guy jumped through hoops to win her back, and she wouldn't even give him the chance to properly explain himself.
Overall, I came for the romance and I was disappointed that it didn't work out for me, but I liked Vanessa Riley's writing and I'm still going to check out her other works. This book just unfortunately didn't do it for me.
E-ARC is received thanks to the publisher via Netgalley.
I just finished this book and I'M STRESSED-
This is so hard to review.
First of all, this book opened wonderfully. I love how Bex and Ester met, and it was adorable how Ester couldn't string a coherent sentence in Bex's presence because she's been crushing on him for two years. I even enjoyed the horrible road trip these two made to Scotland in order to elope. The banter is great, and Bex is really the hero of my heart, he charmed both me and Ester.
The only thing that didn't work for me turned out to be Ester, and since she's, well, the heroine, it really affected my enjoyment. I can't pinpoint exactly when it went wrong for me, because I truly adored her in the beginning. She was innocent and sweet, but also stubborn and determined to escape what would have been a horrible arranged marriage. But Ester also had this one-track mind of how things should be and if anything didn't go her way (read: Bex and his abolitionist efforts) then BYE. Her persistence in trying to get Bex to abandon the cause he had devoted his life to also didn't really sit well for me.
And then there was her reaction to Bex and his Past. I was a bit stressed when Bex didn't tell Ester about the truth of his past upfront because I knew it was going to be a source of conflict and I wasn't looking forward to it. But after what happened post-confession, I understood a bit of Bex's hesitation to open up about his past. It was a MAJOR conflict and there wasn't enough pages to deal with the aftermath, IMO, and in the end, I was left to wonder if Bex would be better off without her. Because really, she made him miserable and still the poor guy jumped through hoops to win her back, and she wouldn't even give him the chance to properly explain himself.
Overall, I came for the romance and I was disappointed that it didn't work out for me, but I liked Vanessa Riley's writing and I'm still going to check out her other works. This book just unfortunately didn't do it for me.
E-ARC is received thanks to the publisher via Netgalley.
storieswithsoul's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
It's a great story and id beautifully interwoven. All the characters are great and I think the author has given them very interesting pasts, which has given them more depth. I really liked the characters in this novel.
Ester Croome is a sheltered young girl who judges her parents harshly based on what she knows. When her father decided to arrange a marriage for her she rebels. In her rebellion she eloped with someone she admires a lot, but he is not someone she knows well. There is very little that she actually knows about Bex, but to her it doesn't matter. She just wants to marry someone of her choosing rather than her father's. Soon she is going to realise that not everything she knows is true, and there is a lot that she doesn't even know....
Bex's past haunts him. However, he is determined to do better in the present as well as the future. He has secrets that he wants to keep well-hidden. But there are people who are becoming more and more interested in his past. So, he decides to find a bride. Someone who trusts him and vouches for him when the time comes. He is willing to settle with any level-headed woman, who believes in the cause he fights for. When he finds Ester he think that his prayers have been answered. She seems like the person he could build a happy life with... but he doesn't realise that sometimes things get complicated and logic becomes overrated...
They both are in over their heads, but will they survive in this world without losing their sanity is a different story entirely.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who loves historical romance. However, it's not usual story about the ton. It shows an entirely different side on London in early 1800s.
It's a great story and id beautifully interwoven. All the characters are great and I think the author has given them very interesting pasts, which has given them more depth. I really liked the characters in this novel.
Ester Croome is a sheltered young girl who judges her parents harshly based on what she knows. When her father decided to arrange a marriage for her she rebels. In her rebellion she eloped with someone she admires a lot, but he is not someone she knows well. There is very little that she actually knows about Bex, but to her it doesn't matter. She just wants to marry someone of her choosing rather than her father's. Soon she is going to realise that not everything she knows is true, and there is a lot that she doesn't even know....
Bex's past haunts him. However, he is determined to do better in the present as well as the future. He has secrets that he wants to keep well-hidden. But there are people who are becoming more and more interested in his past. So, he decides to find a bride. Someone who trusts him and vouches for him when the time comes. He is willing to settle with any level-headed woman, who believes in the cause he fights for. When he finds Ester he think that his prayers have been answered. She seems like the person he could build a happy life with... but he doesn't realise that sometimes things get complicated and logic becomes overrated...
They both are in over their heads, but will they survive in this world without losing their sanity is a different story entirely.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who loves historical romance. However, it's not usual story about the ton. It shows an entirely different side on London in early 1800s.
bookswithgab's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know what to say about this book except for it was a disappointment. I had high hopes going into this book but I just couldn’t seem to click with the heroine. I still might continue on with the series because I loved the history aspect.