Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Duke and I

I was determined to read this before watching the show that everyone raves about. But now I don't know if I want to ever watch the show...

WARNING some mild spoilers and TW

At first I was drawn in. I loved Violet Bridgerton and the whole family. I loved their dynamics. Yes, there was misogyny, sexism, and other common issues for the era. Being a historical romance I went in expecting these. But the family dynamic made me happy. The way Anthony was set on making sure Daphne was okay with her future husband and how Violet interacted with her children was fantastic.

Daphne started losing her appeal almost halfway in. I think it was about the time that she kept pressing Simon to do things that she knew would put them on unstable ground. Like chasing her into the garden. But I forgave these things, even after she manipulated him into a marriage. I had a hope that she would turn around as a character.

But then this book broke me, and not in a good way.
I am not one to say that rape as a plot device doesn't have a place, and obviously being a traditionally published book there are no trigger warnings to warn us. My issue isn't with the plot device chosen but with how the author chose to resolve the issue.

Daphne never shows true remorse for essentially raping her husband when he was drunk so that she could have a chance at pregnancy. She gaslights him and rugsweeps the whole damn thing. She allows him to blame their breakup on his stuttering and never ever takes responsibility for her deplorable behavior in manipulating and raping him.

It's not ok. The story could have still had that conflict without it. OR even with it but with Daphne truly taking responsibility. But no.

It is rare that I want to take a character away from the author and wrap them in bubble wrap. But I want to steal Simon and shake him and tell him to find someone else. Daphne doesn't deserve Simon.

Daphne doesn't really evolve as a character for me. Simon goes through so much and his character has great development but Daphne just falls flat. Simon acknowledges how his anger towards his father affected Daphne and works to change. The whole thing left me aggravated and upset even after they got their HEA.

So 3 stars. It would have easily been 4 stars but the way the conflict was handled makes 3 stars a generous rating from me.

Content Warnings

ocha10x's review against another edition

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medium-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

1.0

This was actually good until

Spoiler

they got married.

I honestly have no words for how painfully problematic their relationship is. This is just so awful, after watching the show first, it’s beyond me how they decided to make this series into a TV show. Just so bad and so problematic.

Content Warnings

kb33's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I don’t usually read historical romance, but I enjoyed the tv series and decided to give this a try. I enjoyed the book, but it did have some problematic parts, including the rape scene and both characters’ handling of it. If you haven’t seen the tv series, it wasn’t forced intercourse, it was

Spoiler

consensual sex, with Simon’s expectation that he can pull out, and Daphne doesn’t allow him to.

Minus that, it was an enjoyable book.

Content Warnings

sillyduckie's review against another edition

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slow-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

cdoubet's review against another edition

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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

4.0

Content Warnings

refrejarator's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

kayalovesb00ks_'s review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

This is the one book I would say that I enjoyed the movie adaptation much better. The only reason I finished this book to be honest, is because I bought it due to my impatience on waiting several months on Libby. This book was going to be a 3 because it was very meh, the writing confused me with the mix of archaic words and then modern sayings thrown in. This was until I reached a certain part in the book that has *trigger warning* actual rape. <spoiler> Which can be fine to talk about when bringing awareness to the topic however, Bridgerton does not do this. Daphne literally rapes her husband, Simon, and then the rest of the book there is little to no mention of what she did as being wrong. In fact, in the end she gets what she wanted all along.

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