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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
tessa_palomeque's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a delightful story! I think I expected your run of the mill regency story (which trust me, I enjoy), but this ended up being so much more than that!! Elizabeth’s story was one full of abuse and anguish, but one that blossomed into love and joy. I adored how Lizzie and Kit came together and how their love blossomed through unique experiences I don’t generally encounter in regency fiction. There were many sideline characters, including Aunt Margaret who I also adored. And of course the many horrid family members that got their comeuppance! Overall, a wonderful wonderful story!
Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC!
bookswithnopictures's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this story; the cover is beautiful and the summary is appealing. There are so many good reviews and I probably had higher expectations than I should have. This is my first book by this author and it was just not my cup of tea. The best parts of the book were the interactions between Kit and Elizabeth. I think Kit is set up to be the ideal hero. Kit is a great friend, responsible, understanding, supportive, and pushes others to excel.
I really struggled with Elizabeth and the supporting cast. Elizabeth makes me feel sad, for lack of a better word. A lot of conversations are repetitive and several times different characters say something along the lines of, "I've said too much", which bogged down the dialogue. The first several chapters have a lot of what felt like forced cant to me. I'm not opposed to regency slang - I've read several stories where it brings out humor and fun - but I appreciate it better when it flows within the story with ease. There are some editing issues too that should have been addressed like calling cousins "aunt and uncle" for a few chapters and then properly addressed as cousins later.
I don't love writing negative reviews, but I do appreciate the opportunity to try a new-to-me author. Thanks to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
I really struggled with Elizabeth and the supporting cast. Elizabeth makes me feel sad, for lack of a better word. A lot of conversations are repetitive and several times different characters say something along the lines of, "I've said too much", which bogged down the dialogue. The first several chapters have a lot of what felt like forced cant to me. I'm not opposed to regency slang - I've read several stories where it brings out humor and fun - but I appreciate it better when it flows within the story with ease. There are some editing issues too that should have been addressed like calling cousins "aunt and uncle" for a few chapters and then properly addressed as cousins later.
I don't love writing negative reviews, but I do appreciate the opportunity to try a new-to-me author. Thanks to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
nina2308's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
little_blue_penguin's review against another edition
4.0
Gentle. Heartfelt. Healing. A good read for a rainy, quiet day.
elisenm's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a_chickletz's review against another edition
4.0
This book was different and not a bad different.
All the time I read books of regencies where the main character is someone of excellent quality with a dead parent, family falling on hard times, or something else ... never have I encountered a girl whose parents disliked her outright because she was a female and the only heir.
Elizabeth is everything a family could want. Everyone that a Duke would want, after all she is a Dutchess. But the fact that she was born a female instead of a male, her mother and father dislike her outright.
A lot happens to Elizabeth in the first 25% of the book, it's a shock that she makes it out of her house alive. She does, and her life and herself is changed - for the better.
I guess I have to rate the book down a star that while I enjoyed the characters, the story, I felt there was something just a tad too... modern in tone about it? Maybe I'm spoiled with Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer in their writing and I truly understand that people have their own writing styles. ... I honestly wish I could put my finger on it, but maybe other people will?
Otherwise, the story felt even and flowed at a nice pace. It was nice watching Kit and Elizabeth work through everything and their slow burn was lovely.
All the time I read books of regencies where the main character is someone of excellent quality with a dead parent, family falling on hard times, or something else ... never have I encountered a girl whose parents disliked her outright because she was a female and the only heir.
Elizabeth is everything a family could want. Everyone that a Duke would want, after all she is a Dutchess. But the fact that she was born a female instead of a male, her mother and father dislike her outright.
A lot happens to Elizabeth in the first 25% of the book, it's a shock that she makes it out of her house alive. She does, and her life and herself is changed - for the better.
I guess I have to rate the book down a star that while I enjoyed the characters, the story, I felt there was something just a tad too... modern in tone about it? Maybe I'm spoiled with Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer in their writing and I truly understand that people have their own writing styles. ... I honestly wish I could put my finger on it, but maybe other people will?
Otherwise, the story felt even and flowed at a nice pace. It was nice watching Kit and Elizabeth work through everything and their slow burn was lovely.
thenovelbook's review against another edition
4.0
This was a refreshing take on the Regency romance genre, and I enjoyed the emotional depth of the story. The main characters were winning and the story was heartfelt.
Lady Elizabeth has always known that she is a disappointment to her parents. When she is unable to accomplish a marriage to either of the gentlemen they have picked out for her, her father's actions nearly ruin the entire family and Elizabeth is left with only her facade of being the perfect society lady.
Lady Walmsley, an elderly friend from London, decides that she needs to save Elizabeth from her own life. She spirits her away from the family's country estate with the help of Christopher "Kit," Lord Cantwell, an intriguing young earl who quickly makes it his mission to help Elizabeth break out of her perfect mold. The relationship that these two discover is very sweet. I like that they didn't have the major misunderstandings that often keep couples apart in this genre. A lot of the dramatic tension in this book comes more from Elizabeth's own emotional baggage and the work she has to do to recover. I can respect that kind of storyline, because it's realistic.
The book could have been just a little shorter and possibly been even more effective, but it was easy reading and didn't take too long to finish. Near the beginning in particular I noticed some clunky exposition-as-dialogue that didn't come off very naturally, but for the most part I enjoyed the writing and look forward to future works from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for this digital review copy.
Lady Elizabeth has always known that she is a disappointment to her parents. When she is unable to accomplish a marriage to either of the gentlemen they have picked out for her, her father's actions nearly ruin the entire family and Elizabeth is left with only her facade of being the perfect society lady.
Lady Walmsley, an elderly friend from London, decides that she needs to save Elizabeth from her own life. She spirits her away from the family's country estate with the help of Christopher "Kit," Lord Cantwell, an intriguing young earl who quickly makes it his mission to help Elizabeth break out of her perfect mold. The relationship that these two discover is very sweet. I like that they didn't have the major misunderstandings that often keep couples apart in this genre. A lot of the dramatic tension in this book comes more from Elizabeth's own emotional baggage and the work she has to do to recover. I can respect that kind of storyline, because it's realistic.
The book could have been just a little shorter and possibly been even more effective, but it was easy reading and didn't take too long to finish. Near the beginning in particular I noticed some clunky exposition-as-dialogue that didn't come off very naturally, but for the most part I enjoyed the writing and look forward to future works from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for this digital review copy.
elfbread's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is a romance set in Edwardian England, which to be fair, is a little outside my comfort zone as far as settings go.
Kit is like able and Elizabeth is pretty bland for most of the novel. I did enjoy her learning to stand up for herself as time went on though so she did get better over time. Up until that point she basically had zero personality whatsoever. I guess that was part of the storyline but meh.
If you are looking for any steamy scenes in a book, this is not the one for you. Personally that was a little bit of a let down for me but not enough to make me knock off a star or anything.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Kit is like able and Elizabeth is pretty bland for most of the novel. I did enjoy her learning to stand up for herself as time went on though so she did get better over time. Up until that point she basically had zero personality whatsoever. I guess that was part of the storyline but meh.
If you are looking for any steamy scenes in a book, this is not the one for you. Personally that was a little bit of a let down for me but not enough to make me knock off a star or anything.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!
lolovesbooks3's review against another edition
DNF.
I’m not going to rate this because at 50% in I just couldn’t get into it. It felt so wordy! This may just be my mood so I may try again another time.
I’m not going to rate this because at 50% in I just couldn’t get into it. It felt so wordy! This may just be my mood so I may try again another time.
janaya's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75