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wolvenheart's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Child death
leonora's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
5.0
I don't usually write reviews for historical romance novels. I don't know if you're aware of this, but they're a little formulaic. It's a formula I tend to like! A lot! And making something fun and memorable within a formula is a challenge in and of itself! I'm not trying to shit on historical romances or anything.
The fact is, though, I feel like there's only so much I can say about most historical romances. It was sexy. It was fun. It was sweet. I read it very quickly. My criticism is almost always the same thing. I'm tired of virginal heroines who discover themselves and their wants and charm the jaded rake with a sad backstory with their capacity of love and puppylike enthusiasm and willingness to put anything in their mouth.
I understand why those characters are appealing, but, as someone with a body count that would make many red pilled podcast bros compare me to various kinds of worn out trash you might find on the street, I'm just tired that they're the only kinds of heroines that historical romance as a genre seems to have space for. I don't see myself in them. I'm not like them. I tend to relate more to the male characters, or (maybe more accurately) the mistress the male character likes and treats well but doesn't love who he quickly dismisses to go fall in love with a woman whose knowledge of anatomy is comparable to a preteen's.
EXCEPT IN THIS BOOK! Lorraine Heath, you absolute legend. Portia is the historical romance heroine I have been WAITING FOR my entire life. She's experienced. She's jaded. She's Locke's equal in every way. She has a past and it's complicated and left her just as messy and complicated as he is. She's had sex before -- a lot of it, actually -- and, while obviously society does not approve of that, the book not only doesn't judge her, the male lead very quickly has the realization that sometimes it's nice to have sex with someone who actually knows what they're doing. What a SHOCKER! Who would have THOUGHT IT!
Portia comes in with the most mercenary intentions and fully knows what she's doing. She's damn competent and I love her. And I love her story. She's been told by so many people that she doesn't deserve love. She's been treated so badly. It was incredibly cathartic to read a story about her falling in love, being valued, having the struggles she's been through acknowledged.
I also appreciated that Lorraine Heath didn't make Locke an impossibly perfect paragon of a proto-feminist man. He's clearly unlearning a lot of what he's been taught by society, but he's putting in the work and changing. I liked that he was initially a little disbelieving that Portia's experiences were quite as bad as they sounded -- not cause he disbelieved her, but because surely nobody would be that horrid! Surely there had to be some sort of misunderstanding! It felt very true to life compared to the way a lot of my male friends and family members react to when I tell them about some of my experiences. Seeing him open his eyes and apologize for some of his comments and behaviour when he didn't know better was way more meaningful to me as a reader than having him give the perfect response out of the gate.
I've dipped my toe into Lorraine Heath's catalogue here and there, but this book has completely sold me. I'm a die hard fan. This is, without a doubt, one of my favourite historical romances I've ever read. In addition to being sexy and heartwarming, it was surprisingly meaningful and made me feel seen in a way I don't expect from my little bodice rippers. I hope I'll see more books like it going forward.
The fact is, though, I feel like there's only so much I can say about most historical romances. It was sexy. It was fun. It was sweet. I read it very quickly. My criticism is almost always the same thing. I'm tired of virginal heroines who discover themselves and their wants and charm the jaded rake with a sad backstory with their capacity of love and puppylike enthusiasm and willingness to put anything in their mouth.
I understand why those characters are appealing, but, as someone with a body count that would make many red pilled podcast bros compare me to various kinds of worn out trash you might find on the street, I'm just tired that they're the only kinds of heroines that historical romance as a genre seems to have space for. I don't see myself in them. I'm not like them. I tend to relate more to the male characters, or (maybe more accurately) the mistress the male character likes and treats well but doesn't love who he quickly dismisses to go fall in love with a woman whose knowledge of anatomy is comparable to a preteen's.
EXCEPT IN THIS BOOK! Lorraine Heath, you absolute legend. Portia is the historical romance heroine I have been WAITING FOR my entire life. She's experienced. She's jaded. She's Locke's equal in every way. She has a past and it's complicated and left her just as messy and complicated as he is. She's had sex before -- a lot of it, actually -- and, while obviously society does not approve of that, the book not only doesn't judge her, the male lead very quickly has the realization that sometimes it's nice to have sex with someone who actually knows what they're doing. What a SHOCKER! Who would have THOUGHT IT!
Portia comes in with the most mercenary intentions and fully knows what she's doing. She's damn competent and I love her. And I love her story. She's been told by so many people that she doesn't deserve love. She's been treated so badly. It was incredibly cathartic to read a story about her falling in love, being valued, having the struggles she's been through acknowledged.
I also appreciated that Lorraine Heath didn't make Locke an impossibly perfect paragon of a proto-feminist man. He's clearly unlearning a lot of what he's been taught by society, but he's putting in the work and changing. I liked that he was initially a little disbelieving that Portia's experiences were quite as bad as they sounded -- not cause he disbelieved her, but because surely nobody would be that horrid! Surely there had to be some sort of misunderstanding! It felt very true to life compared to the way a lot of my male friends and family members react to when I tell them about some of my experiences. Seeing him open his eyes and apologize for some of his comments and behaviour when he didn't know better was way more meaningful to me as a reader than having him give the perfect response out of the gate.
I've dipped my toe into Lorraine Heath's catalogue here and there, but this book has completely sold me. I'm a die hard fan. This is, without a doubt, one of my favourite historical romances I've ever read. In addition to being sexy and heartwarming, it was surprisingly meaningful and made me feel seen in a way I don't expect from my little bodice rippers. I hope I'll see more books like it going forward.
jody_diou's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
somasunshine's review against another edition
In hindsight, Portia's secret was pretty obvious. Now, why was I still super suprised? Lmao
ameretet's review against another edition
1.0
Just not good. I skimmed most of it just to get to the "big reveal" and the end.
sharonwb's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a great emotional read. I loved the involvement of the father, Marsden in his son's relationship. Heath creates some morally gray characters which I enjoy how she works in acceptance and love into the story. Great ending to the trilogy.