Scan barcode
lenanico's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
The Duke of Westmead proofs that consent indeed is very sexy.
- While his sister on the other hand is queen of overstepping boundaries...
And Poppy admittedly is embarrassingly relatable to me.
For something that isn't really my usual taste I enjoyed this A LOT. Maybe partly also for the aesthetic. The vibe feels the way the covers of the "Emily Wilde" books look like.
"The Duke and I" got nothing on this one!
- While his sister on the other hand is queen of overstepping boundaries...
And Poppy admittedly is embarrassingly relatable to me.
For something that isn't really my usual taste I enjoyed this A LOT. Maybe partly also for the aesthetic. The vibe feels the way the covers of the "Emily Wilde" books look like.
"The Duke and I" got nothing on this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Grief
Minor: Blood, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, and Cursing
potalian's review
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Child death, and Death
unsuccessfulbookclub's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Very angsty with a lot of conflict driven by miscommunication. The conflict between Poppy and Asher was very realistic and that’s what made it PAINFUL to read at times. This is a pretty slow burn, emotionally, but the payoff is VERY HOT. I loved how Poppy was fiercely independent and curious. I thought the way the author portrayed the evolution of their sexual relationship from her being a virgin to her being a Domme was really well done and believable (ie, it didn’t happen overnight!!). Excited to read the rest of this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
booksandteatime's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
vagrantheather's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I had zero intent to tell Goodreads I was reading this book. I picked it up on Libby looking for a smutty historic romance. It's not my usual genre but sometimes my brain is ISO serotonin and this gets 'er going. Most romance I've dabbled in has been abominably, intolerably poorly written (Hello, Bridgerton books), so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the writing here. It's not simply passable, but actually uses vocabulary a middle schooler would have to look up, and not in a scandalous way (well, not always in a scandalous way).
There is smut here, yes. Too little of it to some reviewers, but well balanced in my eyes. But what really captivated me was the way it toyed with my emotions. The ways they misunderstand each other and it breaks their hearts. The ways they misread cues and self-abuse. In my 30s I'm still an emotional wreck and this book landed so many blows.
> "I am not the kind of man with whom there is a future for you." Her blood ran cold. Suddenly she could see herself the way he saw her . . . Not a goddess. Just a spinster who forgot herself.
> She could still feel that child's fear, that primal urge to burrow into the darkest, smallest nooks. . . Only Bernadette had understood. . . She'd sensed innately what Poppy had really wanted when she had hidden herself away. To be found. For to be found was the only way of knowing you were wanted.
> And today he had been so polite and bloody sweet in letting her down gently that her foolishness was compounded, because he must have seen how she had hoped. It was mortifying, the amount of care he took. She would rather he had simply said 'thats not what I bought you for, cavendish,' and slapped her.
I was not expecting this book to be emotionally devastating. I need a dozen more like it.
PS this is still definitely sappy and definitely vivid in a mature audiences only kind of way.
There is smut here, yes. Too little of it to some reviewers, but well balanced in my eyes. But what really captivated me was the way it toyed with my emotions. The ways they misunderstand each other and it breaks their hearts. The ways they misread cues and self-abuse. In my 30s I'm still an emotional wreck and this book landed so many blows.
> "I am not the kind of man with whom there is a future for you." Her blood ran cold. Suddenly she could see herself the way he saw her . . . Not a goddess. Just a spinster who forgot herself.
> She could still feel that child's fear, that primal urge to burrow into the darkest, smallest nooks. . . Only Bernadette had understood. . . She'd sensed innately what Poppy had really wanted when she had hidden herself away. To be found. For to be found was the only way of knowing you were wanted.
> And today he had been so polite and bloody sweet in letting her down gently that her foolishness was compounded, because he must have seen how she had hoped. It was mortifying, the amount of care he took. She would rather he had simply said 'thats not what I bought you for, cavendish,' and slapped her.
I was not expecting this book to be emotionally devastating. I need a dozen more like it.
PS this is still definitely sappy and definitely vivid in a mature audiences only kind of way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Death
Minor: Classism, Alcohol, and Death of parent
sydapel's review
emotional
slow-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
3.5
It's possible this book is trying to do too much by combining grief, feminine independence, botany and the BDSM community in the regency era, but I - the ridiculous person I am - really really enjoyed this one. It's highly angsty but I'm of the opinion it works well here
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
More...