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bumblebae0606's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
ksenia_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
hotdogmother's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun and took a different direction than I thought; was expecting a generic revenge plot where the duke seduces his enemy's sister and accidentally falls in love with her in the process. Sure, that's it at the book's core, but it has a surprising amount of depth and nuance.
I saw this on a list of 'Books with the best witty banter'. While it wasn't quite what I was expecting, I think the banter was fun if a little blunt. That said, I appreciate the 'no-nonsense, I'm a grown man and I'm not flirting like a 20-year old' angle.
I saw this on a list of 'Books with the best witty banter'. While it wasn't quite what I was expecting, I think the banter was fun if a little blunt. That said, I appreciate the 'no-nonsense, I'm a grown man and I'm not flirting like a 20-year old' angle.
ymckendry's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars - the ending really bumped it up. It was headed for a 4 stars before I hit the last 20 pages.
What I did for a Duke was one of those stories that took me by surprise. I can’t say I loved it at the beginning although it was interesting for sure and kept me reading I felt like some of the banter was a little off and I was having trouble seeing the point of it all. Maybe it was just me and the mood I was in while reading. This book starts off as a revenge plot as Alex the Duke of Falconbridge sets out to seduce and ruin the youngest sister of his ‘enemy’ Ian Eversea, a young cad who crossed the fearsome Duke. I was waiting for that inevitable moment when Genevieve – the object of the revenge plot would find out about the Duke’s intentions – usually this happens once they’ve both done the deed and have fallen for one another, one or both parties has or is about to declare their love when secrets are revealed. Although I won’t go into detail and ruin it, the most I will say is that I was very surprised and also very intrigued and happy to see that Julie Ann Long did not go down the overused although effective route. She carved a path all her own and flipped this story on its head. What transpires after the flip is what really endeared me to the story. The characters were really fun and the progression of the love between hero and heroine felt very real and had a beautiful and quiet subtlety which I really loved. It’s not often that you aren’t beaten over the head with internal monologue in romance novels as heroine and hero both try to sort out their muddled feeling for one another. This characteristic was another change in the book. Neither party was in too much of a hurry to declare or even acknowledge their love for the other and when those words were finally revealed it was done in a very touching and heartfelt way and made you think as a reader that these two really were perfect for each other.
Things I loved:
- The Heroes age: Falconbridge is almost 40 and Genevieve is 21 I think. I loved that they were so far apart in age. Aside from the fact that I love older hero, younger heroine stories, even in fiction, the age gap provided some really fun banter scenes between the two, with Genevieve making comments about his health and perhaps he needed a cane to walk. There was even a joke made during their love making which I thought was pretty cute.
- The Hero and Heroine torture her brother Ian: This was hilarious and really cute I thought. Ian Eversea is the whole reason these two come together and when Genevieve discovers that there is something going on between Ian and Alex, some reason why the Duke is trying to keep her brother scared and on his toes, Genevieve joins in the fun. It made her seem a lot lighter hearted and gave h/h something to bond over.
- The Ending: I admit that I am not a crier when it comes to romance books. I think it would have to be a pretty angsty read and have a lot of heartbreak to get to me, but the last few pages of this book had me with tears in my eyes. I don’t know why but the last 20 pages or so really flew by and I loved every minute. The Duke does something really selfless ultimately that could have backfired on him had things gone differently. It is a romance so there wasn’t a huge chance it wouldn’t have worked but still it was sweet and tender and really showed a softer sweeter and more vulnerable side to the Duke. Perfect way to end the book for me.
- The Subtlety of the Love Story: This was not a romance that came and swatted you over the head with flowery moments and angsty withdrawals and heartaches. It was a heartfelt subtle progression of feelings between two people who developed a friendship with each other first. I really enjoyed seeing how these two slowly came to trust one another and confide in one another. They got to know each other in ways no one else around them ever could or had and it made the love between Alex and Genevieve seem all the more real. Really well done.
The hero was great in this book. He was serious at times but his age and experience made him such an interesting and likeable character. He’s had some heartbreak and some rough times, but I like that he didn’t let all the pain consume him. I love tortured heroes but in this case it was lovely to see a mature and thoughtful man play the lead role.
Genevieve was an all around likeable character but was also my only source of upset in the book. Her constant insistence that she loved her friend Harry was irritating and repetitive. I know she’s heartbroken and thinks she’ll never survive the loss of Harry but seriously? Get over it, it was at times grating and like I was reading about some silly fourteen year old who has a major crush on a guy who actually likes some else and thinks her whole world will come to an end. I was a teenager and know what this is like but it’s only tolerable when you are a teenager, not when you’re a grown woman who in every other case is rational and mature. When it came to Harry it seems like Genevieve was really blind and it got annoying. She kept going on about when Harry would propose to another woman and it was mentioned at least 10 times throughout the book if not more. If I had one complaint about the story it would be this – that Genevieve spends way too much time focusing on stupid, useless, blind and insecure Harry, which actually made it take so much longer for her to realize her feelings for the Duke.
Because of this issue I had I was going to give this book a solid 4 star along with the fact that I didn’t love the beginning of it and it took me a little bit to really make up my mind if I loved the progress of the love story or not. The ending sealed it for me though, loved it, so I will give this another ½ star. This isn’t a 5 star read for me because I did have some irritations and although I kept reading and was interested to see how this book would unfold – never once got bored, I did have some hesitation at the beginning about really loving it.
A very enjoyable read all around though and one that has some very unique and compelling characteristics and plot devices. Julie Ann Long has a very humorous way of writing which I really enjoyed. The books love story was subtle and progressed naturally which I really loved and the requisite clichés were pared down to nil.
What I did for a Duke was one of those stories that took me by surprise. I can’t say I loved it at the beginning although it was interesting for sure and kept me reading I felt like some of the banter was a little off and I was having trouble seeing the point of it all. Maybe it was just me and the mood I was in while reading. This book starts off as a revenge plot as Alex the Duke of Falconbridge sets out to seduce and ruin the youngest sister of his ‘enemy’ Ian Eversea, a young cad who crossed the fearsome Duke. I was waiting for that inevitable moment when Genevieve – the object of the revenge plot would find out about the Duke’s intentions – usually this happens once they’ve both done the deed and have fallen for one another, one or both parties has or is about to declare their love when secrets are revealed. Although I won’t go into detail and ruin it, the most I will say is that I was very surprised and also very intrigued and happy to see that Julie Ann Long did not go down the overused although effective route. She carved a path all her own and flipped this story on its head. What transpires after the flip is what really endeared me to the story. The characters were really fun and the progression of the love between hero and heroine felt very real and had a beautiful and quiet subtlety which I really loved. It’s not often that you aren’t beaten over the head with internal monologue in romance novels as heroine and hero both try to sort out their muddled feeling for one another. This characteristic was another change in the book. Neither party was in too much of a hurry to declare or even acknowledge their love for the other and when those words were finally revealed it was done in a very touching and heartfelt way and made you think as a reader that these two really were perfect for each other.
Things I loved:
- The Heroes age: Falconbridge is almost 40 and Genevieve is 21 I think. I loved that they were so far apart in age. Aside from the fact that I love older hero, younger heroine stories, even in fiction, the age gap provided some really fun banter scenes between the two, with Genevieve making comments about his health and perhaps he needed a cane to walk. There was even a joke made during their love making which I thought was pretty cute.
- The Hero and Heroine torture her brother Ian: This was hilarious and really cute I thought. Ian Eversea is the whole reason these two come together and when Genevieve discovers that there is something going on between Ian and Alex, some reason why the Duke is trying to keep her brother scared and on his toes, Genevieve joins in the fun. It made her seem a lot lighter hearted and gave h/h something to bond over.
- The Ending: I admit that I am not a crier when it comes to romance books. I think it would have to be a pretty angsty read and have a lot of heartbreak to get to me, but the last few pages of this book had me with tears in my eyes. I don’t know why but the last 20 pages or so really flew by and I loved every minute. The Duke does something really selfless ultimately that could have backfired on him had things gone differently. It is a romance so there wasn’t a huge chance it wouldn’t have worked but still it was sweet and tender and really showed a softer sweeter and more vulnerable side to the Duke. Perfect way to end the book for me.
- The Subtlety of the Love Story: This was not a romance that came and swatted you over the head with flowery moments and angsty withdrawals and heartaches. It was a heartfelt subtle progression of feelings between two people who developed a friendship with each other first. I really enjoyed seeing how these two slowly came to trust one another and confide in one another. They got to know each other in ways no one else around them ever could or had and it made the love between Alex and Genevieve seem all the more real. Really well done.
The hero was great in this book. He was serious at times but his age and experience made him such an interesting and likeable character. He’s had some heartbreak and some rough times, but I like that he didn’t let all the pain consume him. I love tortured heroes but in this case it was lovely to see a mature and thoughtful man play the lead role.
Genevieve was an all around likeable character but was also my only source of upset in the book. Her constant insistence that she loved her friend Harry was irritating and repetitive. I know she’s heartbroken and thinks she’ll never survive the loss of Harry but seriously? Get over it, it was at times grating and like I was reading about some silly fourteen year old who has a major crush on a guy who actually likes some else and thinks her whole world will come to an end. I was a teenager and know what this is like but it’s only tolerable when you are a teenager, not when you’re a grown woman who in every other case is rational and mature. When it came to Harry it seems like Genevieve was really blind and it got annoying. She kept going on about when Harry would propose to another woman and it was mentioned at least 10 times throughout the book if not more. If I had one complaint about the story it would be this – that Genevieve spends way too much time focusing on stupid, useless, blind and insecure Harry, which actually made it take so much longer for her to realize her feelings for the Duke.
Because of this issue I had I was going to give this book a solid 4 star along with the fact that I didn’t love the beginning of it and it took me a little bit to really make up my mind if I loved the progress of the love story or not. The ending sealed it for me though, loved it, so I will give this another ½ star. This isn’t a 5 star read for me because I did have some irritations and although I kept reading and was interested to see how this book would unfold – never once got bored, I did have some hesitation at the beginning about really loving it.
A very enjoyable read all around though and one that has some very unique and compelling characteristics and plot devices. Julie Ann Long has a very humorous way of writing which I really enjoyed. The books love story was subtle and progressed naturally which I really loved and the requisite clichés were pared down to nil.
mermaid914's review against another edition
2.0
I had a huge problem with this book - the hero. He was not a good person. I'm so surprised as to how the hero was portrayed in this book and that this book was enjoyed by so many. The premise of the book is that the hero wants to take revenge against the heroine's brother for being found in bed with the hero's fiance. The revenge is to seduce the heroine and then dump her. Yet the hero mentions how he has seduced married women and seems proud of it. He continues to think about other women and their "shape" while with the heroine. The heroine found out about the plan and called him out on it. But she still is interested in him. And the hero continues to seduce her and then sleeps with her, knowing she is a virgin. He tells here that her body is made for desire. Also knowing that the whole time, the heroine is in love with someone else and wants to marry someone else. But the hero doesn't care. He is selfish and only cares about what he wants and what his desires are. I actually was rooting for Harry, the person the heroine was in love with for almost the entire book. And at the end, the hero is happy because he got what he wanted. The hero doesn't care that Harry's heart will be broken once the heroine calls off her engagement to Harry. The hero says "everything has a cost". It's not about what the heroine wants or deserves. The hero is probably the least liked hero I have ever read about in a romance/erotic novel.
plumfable's review against another edition
4.0
beautiful prose and use of metaphor. it took me a little longer to finish this one but overall it was enjoyable
lechepatito's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite of this series, and in my top 2 JAL (with Beast Takes a Bride) - she does a swing for the fences with the FMC figuring out the game the MMC is playing with her brother Ian and pulls it off so well. The way they come together and really see each other in a way no one else does is incredible. Also, how dare the MMC give the FMC exactly what she wanted at the end?!
bergedevon's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
happysoxdonkey's review against another edition
5.0
I give this one 4.5 stars because I really did tear up at the HEA.
delaneyyyw's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.75