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bookishplantmom's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I like the initial premise of this story. Following an older single woman who decides to hire a sex worker for her 30th birthday to take control of her life is right up my alley. But the heroine rapidly undergoes what I can only describe as a reverse character arc where she goes from a self possessed sassy independent author to an infantilized, indecisive girl who needs men to make major decisions for her. I found there were several instances of dubious consent which I believe are meant to add a « bdsm flare » to some of the steamy scenes but that plays into harmful and incorrect stigma around bdsm which in truth centres around consent so that bothered me quite a bit. I found the male MC intriguing but really disliked his constant disregard of Amanda’s hesitations and outright refusals. I also did not at all enjoy the way she chose to handle the twist at the end. Especially knowing what she does about Jack’s life. And THEN to have the story end the way it did. Nope. Overall this was a disappointment for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexism, and Misogyny
sydapel's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is a little ranty so I apologize. This was legitimately going to be a solid 3 star read. I loved Amanda's character! I thought she was such a refreshing take on a regency woman! She was strong, she was independent, she didn't want to get married for solid reasons. Yes, she had self-image issues that the book exploits to a ridiculous amount but she was a good character and I liked her a lot. I was behind Jack too I thought he was a good foil for Amanda. CHOICES WERE MADE HOWEVER. Without getting into any spoilers, Jack exerts pressure on Amanda, assuming that her choices in the latter half of the book are not the correct ones and basically forcing her into the life that he thinks that she should have. And of course she comes around to it because duh. Which to me completely erases all of that independent woman stuff Lisa Kleypas set up at the beginning of the book. Not to mention there are so many instances in this book where Amanda says "no" to a sexual encounter and Jack just proceeds to keep going because of course he knows better.
I understand a lot of these tropes are common in regency romance novels, and to some degree I'm getting into them simply by reading the book but they've never bothered me as deeply as they did when I was reading this.
I understand a lot of these tropes are common in regency romance novels, and to some degree I'm getting into them simply by reading the book but they've never bothered me as deeply as they did when I was reading this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
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