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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I really liked this one, definitely a solid book in this great series.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
These books are goddamn delightful đ»đ»đ»
What a read!
Excellent book. Loved both Tav and Portia so much.
Absolute instant favourite, like all previous Alyssa Cole books I have read.
And here's why:
Portia is an extremely complex character and is dealing with a version of herself she needs to change. She is on the right path, self-improving, but sometimes the hardest thing to do is get rid of the perceptions of self that we or the people around us stick in our heads.
Tav on the contrary is a much more finished product, and that product is wanker.
He does get better once he stops sulking and the groveling is enough, if not quite satisfying, but I will take it.
I appreciate also that even though Tav helps Portia see a different version of herself, he is not her "other half", he does not "complete her" or any such bullshit.
Highly recommended, great second characters, hot sex with and a man that can locate a clitoris which is almost like a unicorn.
Excellent book. Loved both Tav and Portia so much.
Absolute instant favourite, like all previous Alyssa Cole books I have read.
And here's why:
Portia is an extremely complex character and is dealing with a version of herself she needs to change. She is on the right path, self-improving, but sometimes the hardest thing to do is get rid of the perceptions of self that we or the people around us stick in our heads.
Tav on the contrary is a much more finished product, and that product is wanker.
He does get better once he stops sulking and the groveling is enough, if not quite satisfying, but I will take it.
I appreciate also that even though Tav helps Portia see a different version of herself, he is not her "other half", he does not "complete her" or any such bullshit.
Highly recommended, great second characters, hot sex with and a man that can locate a clitoris which is almost like a unicorn.
Wooooowwwww I enjoyed this SO much!!
I listened to the audiobook version, and even the narrator's bad accents couldn't keep me from absolutely loving this book. You can read all of the super in-depth reviews to know that there's so much to this story (ex. diverse characters, heroine with ADHD, older hero, consent, refugee issues, etc.), but all I can do at this moment is just sigh. I know it seems so unrealistic for your handsome, rugged boss to be a surprise duke, but GOD, Portia is so damn relatable. True, she's a lot wealthier than most of us, but she has insecurities and thoughts about herself that are just so close that it hurts.
I was also super nervous about how the conflict would come about/be resolved, and I was happy with what happened! (Well, not really - what happened to Portia was terrible, and happens to women more often than we think it does.) I wish they had been able to spend more time on itI feel like they really only minimally touched on her getting DRUGGED at this ball and finding out because of the nail polish, so it was more of just something to move the plot rather than an opportunity to talk about how this is such a scary and prevalent practice - plus, I REALLY wanted to see David get pummeled for pulling that shit but I was expecting it to be more of a miscommunication issue rather than something out of their control.
I honestly expected this to be a 3-4 star read, but throughout the book I kept thinking about how important the messages in this book are, and I'm going to keep thinking about them for a while. I keep trying to write examples from the story and finding a way to express how I feel, but I don't think I can write a coherent review, tbh. I tried, but I just have so many FEELINGS that I can't make anything make sense.
I listened to the audiobook version, and even the narrator's bad accents couldn't keep me from absolutely loving this book. You can read all of the super in-depth reviews to know that there's so much to this story (ex. diverse characters, heroine with ADHD, older hero, consent, refugee issues, etc.), but all I can do at this moment is just sigh. I know it seems so unrealistic for your handsome, rugged boss to be a surprise duke, but GOD, Portia is so damn relatable. True, she's a lot wealthier than most of us, but she has insecurities and thoughts about herself that are just so close that it hurts.
I was also super nervous about how the conflict would come about/be resolved, and I was happy with what happened! (Well, not really - what happened to Portia was terrible, and happens to women more often than we think it does.) I wish they had been able to spend more time on it
I honestly expected this to be a 3-4 star read, but throughout the book I kept thinking about how important the messages in this book are, and I'm going to keep thinking about them for a while. I keep trying to write examples from the story and finding a way to express how I feel, but I don't think I can write a coherent review, tbh. I tried, but I just have so many FEELINGS that I can't make anything make sense.
Holy cow. I inhaled this book almost in a single gulp on the plane home from RWA. Delightful. Funny, heartfelt, and like a warm hug all at once. Maybe my favorite so far of Alyssa's.
This book was a delight from start to finish. I reallyyyy liked Portia so much. Her vulnerabilities were just so relatable and god I wanted to choke out her parents for making her feel anything less than enough.
We see Portia taking on this apprenticeship with the grumpy Scot who really doesnât want her around.
I got so emotional as Portia learns about her ADHD, and her feelings of inadequacy that have sunk deep into her thanks to her terrible parents (I really hated them). I loved that Tav apologizes for the careless comments he makes that added to these feelings. And once he realizes whatâs going on he constantly assures her she is enough.
Listen this book is riddled with sword puns/innuendos and I was cracking up so much! I loved ow fun and funny parts were. It also deals with issues of immigration. Tavâs mom was a Chilean immigrant to Scotland and his father, a duke, the latter which Portia discovers. Itâs a serious issue, particularly considering everything going on in the US right now.
This one is a slowwww burn but so worth the wait. Portia and Tav learn each other, and become sort of friendly first then give into their attraction. Their morning after scene is so funny because Portia is on a vid call with Ledi and Thabiso and that leads to a pretty funny moment.
Female friendships in books are so important to me and the online chats between Ledi, Portia and Nya were hilarious and golden!
Also hello Johan, a new fave and friend of Thabiso who comes to help ease Tav into is new role of duke. Johan seems like a complex guy and more than he appears at first glance so looking forward to his book! Wit Nya! :D
Both Portia and Tav are dealing with a lot. Tav is worried about taking care of his family and Portia is trying to find herself because she feels that she hasnât yet done so at almost 30. And all these expectations from her parents are overwhelming and I just wanted to hug her!!
And when Tav tell her this âFor exampleâyouâre bloody magnificent. Youâre smart as fuck, and you can do literally anything you put your mind to.â I just wanted to cry? Because no matter how much you try to give yourself that pep talk, sometimes it doesnât hurt to hear someone else tell you it. Iâve been there.
I was screaming at stuff kinda exploding near the end there but I trusted Alyssa to make it all better. Also friendship is the best ship cuz Ledi comes to Portia when stuff just was going downhill.
Also this took me out too. I was almooost in tears, again, I tell you: âMy name is Portia Hobbs, and Iâm bloody magnificent,â she murmured to herself. âI can do literally anything I put my mind to.â
Everyone just go read this!
We see Portia taking on this apprenticeship with the grumpy Scot who really doesnât want her around.
I got so emotional as Portia learns about her ADHD, and her feelings of inadequacy that have sunk deep into her thanks to her terrible parents (I really hated them). I loved that Tav apologizes for the careless comments he makes that added to these feelings. And once he realizes whatâs going on he constantly assures her she is enough.
Listen this book is riddled with sword puns/innuendos and I was cracking up so much! I loved ow fun and funny parts were. It also deals with issues of immigration. Tavâs mom was a Chilean immigrant to Scotland and his father, a duke, the latter which Portia discovers. Itâs a serious issue, particularly considering everything going on in the US right now.
This one is a slowwww burn but so worth the wait. Portia and Tav learn each other, and become sort of friendly first then give into their attraction. Their morning after scene is so funny because Portia is on a vid call with Ledi and Thabiso and that leads to a pretty funny moment.
Female friendships in books are so important to me and the online chats between Ledi, Portia and Nya were hilarious and golden!
Also hello Johan, a new fave and friend of Thabiso who comes to help ease Tav into is new role of duke. Johan seems like a complex guy and more than he appears at first glance so looking forward to his book! Wit Nya! :D
Both Portia and Tav are dealing with a lot. Tav is worried about taking care of his family and Portia is trying to find herself because she feels that she hasnât yet done so at almost 30. And all these expectations from her parents are overwhelming and I just wanted to hug her!!
And when Tav tell her this âFor exampleâyouâre bloody magnificent. Youâre smart as fuck, and you can do literally anything you put your mind to.â I just wanted to cry? Because no matter how much you try to give yourself that pep talk, sometimes it doesnât hurt to hear someone else tell you it. Iâve been there.
I was screaming at stuff kinda exploding near the end there but I trusted Alyssa to make it all better. Also friendship is the best ship cuz Ledi comes to Portia when stuff just was going downhill.
Also this took me out too. I was almooost in tears, again, I tell you: âMy name is Portia Hobbs, and Iâm bloody magnificent,â she murmured to herself. âI can do literally anything I put my mind to.â
Everyone just go read this!
I really liked this book! The ADHD the heroine has, and the way it affects her, and the feelings she has about it all felt really realistic. And I liked the way there was stuff she was really good at. I liked the way she and the hero got interested in the stuff the other was interested in. I liked the nerdy jokes. The biggest thing I didn't like was I thought the ending felt a little rushed.
Delightfully ...ahem, satisfying.
Here for the hot Scottish swordmaker turned Duke.
Here for the awesome take-charge but self-doubting American traveling to Scotland to find herself.
Here for the diversity of all the main characters and how that is not the focus but part of who they are.
Here for the many double entendres of sword.
Does the story follow a formula? Yes, of course you know that when happiness seems within grasp that something is going to turn it to "shite" until the lovers figure out how to fix it. That by no means lessens the enjoyment of the book. Sometimes its just good to read something knowing that it will of course end the way you want.
On a side note, the audiobook narrator, Karen Chilton, does a good job switching between Portia's American accent, Tav's Scottish accent, and his mom's Chilean accent.
Here for the hot Scottish swordmaker turned Duke.
Here for the awesome take-charge but self-doubting American traveling to Scotland to find herself.
Here for the diversity of all the main characters and how that is not the focus but part of who they are.
Here for the many double entendres of sword.
Does the story follow a formula? Yes, of course you know that when happiness seems within grasp that something is going to turn it to "shite" until the lovers figure out how to fix it. That by no means lessens the enjoyment of the book. Sometimes its just good to read something knowing that it will of course end the way you want.
On a side note, the audiobook narrator, Karen Chilton, does a good job switching between Portia's American accent, Tav's Scottish accent, and his mom's Chilean accent.
I loved the main character and the setting (a barely-disguised and lovingly lived-in Leith), but the plot seemed sort of all over the place and the ending felt very messy, rushed, and unresolved. A whole bunch of characters were introduced at the end seemingly just so they could feature in the next book, the drama of the ending was out of balance with the way the plot and characters operated for the first 3/4 of the book, and I wasn't convinced that the MCs had actually thought about or addressed the ways in which they were or weren't good for each other or the way their relationship would operate in the new circumstances that had *literally just* been introduced.