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meggie82461's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this one. A lot. In fact, I have a new HR fave!
And for the first time in awhile, I loved it because of the FMC. Jessica Trent is an absolute LEGEND. She is hands down the only female that could have ever handled Sebastian.
As for him, he is an total baby with mommy AND daddy issues, to which I say... GIVE ME MORE. I loved him. I guess I'm used to that in this genre, and he did it well because he loved Jess so much. I also appreciate the way the author illustrated what it’s like to look and feel different, and how that can really shape your life experience.
There are a few reasons this story works so well. Jessica is strong enough where you don't feel like she's being taken advantage of, Sebastian's internal monologue admits a lot more than he ever does verbally, and finally, in the end, Jessica DOES take charge. She will not let him be a lesser man. I can't say too much without revealing spoilers, but there was a part where she said something along the lines of "He's a grown man, he can take care of himself. Maybe things would be different if he could actually communicate his needs, but he can't, and that's on him." The reader never doubts Jessica's love for him, but we also know that she won't choose him if that's the wrong choice to make. She won't choose a man above her morals, and I loved that about her.
So, yeah. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially someone like me who is slowly dipping their toe into the historical romance world. It's a great "intro to HR" novel.
And for the first time in awhile, I loved it because of the FMC. Jessica Trent is an absolute LEGEND. She is hands down the only female that could have ever handled Sebastian.
As for him, he is an total baby with mommy AND daddy issues, to which I say... GIVE ME MORE. I loved him. I guess I'm used to that in this genre, and he did it well because he loved Jess so much. I also appreciate the way the author illustrated what it’s like to look and feel different, and how that can really shape your life experience.
There are a few reasons this story works so well. Jessica is strong enough where you don't feel like she's being taken advantage of, Sebastian's internal monologue admits a lot more than he ever does verbally, and finally, in the end, Jessica DOES take charge. She will not let him be a lesser man. I can't say too much without revealing spoilers, but there was a part where she said something along the lines of "He's a grown man, he can take care of himself. Maybe things would be different if he could actually communicate his needs, but he can't, and that's on him." The reader never doubts Jessica's love for him, but we also know that she won't choose him if that's the wrong choice to make. She won't choose a man above her morals, and I loved that about her.
So, yeah. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially someone like me who is slowly dipping their toe into the historical romance world. It's a great "intro to HR" novel.
nushlovesdogs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
azahller's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Jessica Trent sets off to free her brother from the debt of his delinquent friend, Sebastian, the Marquess of Dain. She does NOT expect Dain to be so cute. She does NOT expect to have feelings for him. She CERTAINLY doesn't expect him to reciprocate those feelings. NEITHER of them anticipates being caught in a compromised position. You can see how well this plan went.
There were elements of this book that I absolutely love. Jessica and her grandmother are such BADASS women. They were silly and independent in a way their society didn't even know how to cope with. I also appreciated the loathing/passion between Dain and Jessica. I really wish that element had lasted 2/3 of the entire book because I was EATING it up.
Once they got married though, I lost a lot of interest. Somehow becoming allies killed the tension and chemistry they had? I felt like there would be sparks here and there but it was nothing compared to the HEAT earlier on in the book. There is also a lot of scheming and politics post-marriage that I really didn't care about at all. It just wasn't interesting to me personally. We also almost got a really cool alt ending that was quickly abandoned for a traditional HEA and 0 character development for our MMC. The ending left the worst taste in my mouth.
This is a good historical romance if you want a strong FMC and a romance book that doesn't end with JUST the wedding!
There were elements of this book that I absolutely love. Jessica and her grandmother are such BADASS women. They were silly and independent in a way their society didn't even know how to cope with. I also appreciated the loathing/passion between Dain and Jessica. I really wish that element had lasted 2/3 of the entire book because I was EATING it up.
Once they got married though, I lost a lot of interest. Somehow becoming allies killed the tension and chemistry they had? I felt like there would be sparks here and there but it was nothing compared to the HEAT earlier on in the book. There is also a lot of scheming and politics post-marriage that I really didn't care about at all. It just wasn't interesting to me personally. We also almost got a really cool alt ending that was quickly abandoned for a traditional HEA and 0 character development for our MMC. The ending left the worst taste in my mouth.
This is a good historical romance if you want a strong FMC and a romance book that doesn't end with JUST the wedding!
bethanyd_writer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
katievaughn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kyeruhh's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There was a lot that I loved about this book. The banter was great, I love a sad man, and for the most part I really liked Jessica. There are two things that are keeping me from rating it amongst my all time favorite HRs and it’s how annoyingly not-like-other-girls Jessica was and how I didn’t really feel like she had much of an arc. Like yes, she learned to love Dain, but compared to his major character development Jessica’s was very minor. Both MCs also spoke pretty poorly about almost every other women mentioned throughout, which was off-putting. That said, I’m definitely interested in reading more from Loretta Chase.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent and Misogyny
willa_reads_books's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i was not very invested in this book. i like their banter a lot and i like the FMC. i don’t like the toxicity of the MMC, i know it’s part of his character growth but i’ve dealt w too many people who act in similarly emotionally immature ways
deevarr's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What an absolute delight. This book was so entertaining. It kept me captivated from the very beginning until the end. I adored the characters, especially Jess z she is so smart, passionate and feisty. I love the way she manages people. Their love story was hard fought but beautiful