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uvglopanda's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.75
I desperately needed something to fill my time with while awaiting the release of season 3 part 2 of Bridgerton on Netflix. What better way than to seek out Regency books surrounding the Ton?
I breezed through this book with ease, it's speed much quicker than the books I usually enjoy but it filled the desire to find something spicy, queer and still within the era I am enjoying in other media.
On occasion I found that the emotional development of our main men was quick and almost akin to whiplash at times. You have to understand that these gentlemen have known eachothe for years and we are merely seeing the culmination of that time together.
The intrigue was honestly well thought out and kept me feeling invested and sympathetic to poor Warry.
A good quick read if you, like me, needed a fix of the Ton while you wait.
I breezed through this book with ease, it's speed much quicker than the books I usually enjoy but it filled the desire to find something spicy, queer and still within the era I am enjoying in other media.
On occasion I found that the emotional development of our main men was quick and almost akin to whiplash at times. You have to understand that these gentlemen have known eachothe for years and we are merely seeing the culmination of that time together.
The intrigue was honestly well thought out and kept me feeling invested and sympathetic to poor Warry.
A good quick read if you, like me, needed a fix of the Ton while you wait.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Outing, and Physical abuse
ahobbitsreadinglist's review
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
heychickadee's review
3.75
Ignore how long it says it took me to read this; I read a chapter of it and then put it down for uh a month I guess but really have just been devouring it since the start of this week. I have a lot to say...
The first half of this book I was absolutely suckered in. I imprinted on Warry to the point that I held him nearly as dear to me as Clem from An Unseen Attraction (chalk another autistic romance novel lead up on the board) and Hartwell's cowardice as supposed self preservation schtick was at that point still satisfying. However, at the halfway point my sympathies for Hartwell were wearing more than thin and from then until the climax I was so over the back and forth and not actually getting anywhere. Hartwell's cruelty and idiocy was just tiring after a while.
I had forgotten all about the synopsis and found it for the better because the reveal of the heart of the blackmail plot was almost comically melodramatic and I was eating it up.
That said the weight given to Warry's purity and potential moral depravity felt a little gross after a while. As well I'm sick to death of romance novels putting so much emphasis on how thin everyone is. Definitely didn't need the little dig of 'wow good thing they didn't turn out short and fat like their father'. Very not cool.
Becca is wonderful but I think she is almost underutilized. With how much she is described as bold and no nonsense it's weird that she didn'tdo any more than slap Hartwell and didn't confront her brother more forcefully about Balfour when she was clearly concerned. I get it she's got her bit at the end with how afraid she is really but she should have had a little more presence between breaking off their engagement and the finale, I think.
But then I was suckered back in and fell head over heels for the last two chapters. And I really enjoyed Gale's interjections in the end. I love Gale.
The first half of this book I was absolutely suckered in. I imprinted on Warry to the point that I held him nearly as dear to me as Clem from An Unseen Attraction (chalk another autistic romance novel lead up on the board) and Hartwell's cowardice as supposed self preservation schtick was at that point still satisfying. However, at the halfway point my sympathies for Hartwell were wearing more than thin and from then until the climax I was so over the back and forth and not actually getting anywhere. Hartwell's cruelty and idiocy was just tiring after a while.
I had forgotten all about the synopsis and found it for the better because the reveal of the heart of the blackmail plot was almost comically melodramatic and I was eating it up.
That said the weight given to Warry's purity and potential moral depravity felt a little gross after a while. As well I'm sick to death of romance novels putting so much emphasis on how thin everyone is. Definitely didn't need the little dig of 'wow good thing they didn't turn out short and fat like their father'. Very not cool.
Becca is wonderful but I think she is almost underutilized. With how much she is described as bold and no nonsense it's weird that she didn't
But then I was suckered back in and fell head over heels for the last two chapters. And I really enjoyed Gale's interjections in the end. I love Gale.
gillianw's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up
Fluffy stuff with an alternate history angle. Hartwell should’ve been made to grovel more obviously because Warry deserved better, but I’m willing to overlook that in favour of it being a fun read. Plus, the sun was shining and I was sitting outside while reading so I was inclined to be generous :)
Fluffy stuff with an alternate history angle. Hartwell should’ve been made to grovel more obviously because Warry deserved better, but I’m willing to overlook that in favour of it being a fun read. Plus, the sun was shining and I was sitting outside while reading so I was inclined to be generous :)
dorin_love's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
albaaca's review
fast-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
teenykins's review against another edition
DNF @ 79% aka 6hrs and 2mins out of 7hrs and 37mins.
Lisa Henry is a hit or miss author for me, with her hits being dead center and her misses usually being just bland to me stories. But her collabs with J.A. Rock, the 2 times I tried (not including this one), were definitely misses of the DNF kind. So yeah that was my last try.
As you can understand I've actually listened to the audiobook, but since the edition isn't on GR -and I have no desire nor the patience to request and wait for when a librarian might add- here we are, reviewing in the wrong one.
Cornell Collins is an amazing narrator and I have no issues with him, except maybe that I'd love to listen to someone else narrating books set in UK (yes I know there's Joel Leslie as well but let's try more narrators ok?)
I actually I'm astounded with myself for sticking till then when I knew from half way through the audiobook that I didn't like any of the characters, especially Hartwell, who is one of the MCs. Joseph, or Worry as he is called throughout, up till midway through was a secondary character to his own story with Becca, his sister and BFF of Hartwell's taking up much more space than she should.
Hartfell was awful to Worry, Becca his sister was awful to him, and I really wish that Worry wasn't such a doormat and had send both of them to f**k themselves. Read in Ay's review why. She said it better than I ever could.
Lisa Henry is a hit or miss author for me, with her hits being dead center and her misses usually being just bland to me stories. But her collabs with J.A. Rock, the 2 times I tried (not including this one), were definitely misses of the DNF kind. So yeah that was my last try.
As you can understand I've actually listened to the audiobook, but since the edition isn't on GR -and I have no desire nor the patience to request and wait for when a librarian might add- here we are, reviewing in the wrong one.
Cornell Collins is an amazing narrator and I have no issues with him, except maybe that I'd love to listen to someone else narrating books set in UK (yes I know there's Joel Leslie as well but let's try more narrators ok?)
I actually I'm astounded with myself for sticking till then when I knew from half way through the audiobook that I didn't like any of the characters, especially Hartwell, who is one of the MCs. Joseph, or Worry as he is called throughout, up till midway through was a secondary character to his own story with Becca, his sister and BFF of Hartwell's taking up much more space than she should.
Hartfell was awful to Worry, Becca his sister was awful to him, and I really wish that Worry wasn't such a doormat and had send both of them to f**k themselves. Read in Ay's review why. She said it better than I ever could.
rosska22's review against another edition
3.0
Wm Hartwell and his best friend's little brother have always existed in relative harmony, if not friendship, exactly. But recently Hartwell's been a tit, and Warry's made friends with an Older Gentleman, and these two things may be connected. But with Hartwell's parents pressuring him to get married, and a blackmailer afoot in Warry's life, the two of them find themselves tangled in a web of confusion and bad decisions.
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Okay. It was good. It was! I liked it. I just...didn't...love it. Hartwell was a right idiot, Warry's the epitome of dumb teenage boy, and nobody in this book talked to anyone else nearly as much as they should have. I struggled with the fact that Hartwell was supposedly 23, but acted like he was like, 40. Whereas Warry was very clearly 19. "I must do everything on my own! No one can ever know! No one can help me! Alas!" Hartwell was a little bit too serious, and Warry a little bit too stupid, Becca started out very fun and then abruptly retreated into a strange aloofness for the rest of the book. I liked Hartwell's good friend Christmas Gale.
The premise of this series is basically, 'It's regency England! But! Wait for it! Gay marriage is legal!' which, is, like, not a bad premise, exactly, but you lose some of the tension of a historical gay romance when it's all pretty easily solvable. I don't know. Hartwell and Warry's case was clear and truly easy to settle if only the two of them had spoken to their families before making rash decisions. Which rather made listening to the two of them whinge about their problems with a stiff upper lip the whole time sort of...draining.
-------------------------------------------------
Okay. It was good. It was! I liked it. I just...didn't...love it. Hartwell was a right idiot, Warry's the epitome of dumb teenage boy, and nobody in this book talked to anyone else nearly as much as they should have. I struggled with the fact that Hartwell was supposedly 23, but acted like he was like, 40. Whereas Warry was very clearly 19. "I must do everything on my own! No one can ever know! No one can help me! Alas!" Hartwell was a little bit too serious, and Warry a little bit too stupid, Becca started out very fun and then abruptly retreated into a strange aloofness for the rest of the book. I liked Hartwell's good friend Christmas Gale.
The premise of this series is basically, 'It's regency England! But! Wait for it! Gay marriage is legal!' which, is, like, not a bad premise, exactly, but you lose some of the tension of a historical gay romance when it's all pretty easily solvable. I don't know. Hartwell and Warry's case was clear and truly easy to settle if only the two of them had spoken to their families before making rash decisions. Which rather made listening to the two of them whinge about their problems with a stiff upper lip the whole time sort of...draining.
bookstosoothethesoul's review
3.0
Awww this was very cute! This was a very quick, short read. I enjoyed that it was set in a queernormative world (while still being a historical). Gay marriage being an option for our main characters was a really lovely addition. I enjoyed that Hartwell wasn't the perfect hero. He was a little more cruel to poor Warry than deserved but he did a fair amount of groveling so I came around to him in the end. I had a good time overall with this book. If you're looking for a queernormative historical this could be the book for.