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wordsaftermidnight's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rkoz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ank1983's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed this book. It was mysterious, it was fast paced, and beautifully spicy and delicious. Mr. Markham was dark, and mysterious, and sexy as hell.
The only thing that pissed me off about this book is that ended on a cliffhanger, and there are 5 other books to read. Which means, I hope to read them one day, but I probably won't.
The only thing that pissed me off about this book is that ended on a cliffhanger, and there are 5 other books to read. Which means, I hope to read them one day, but I probably won't.
eboucha's review against another edition
4.0
If you want an erotica with a gothic feel, this is it. I will always love Sierra Simone’s writing. If you can get past the insta-lust/love, that is. But I like how it’s a short book that doesn’t have the slow pace of a typical gothic tale.
sage3's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Meh
twentysixarias's review against another edition
4.0
This is pure trash-spice-smut but in a good way. I could deal with the characters and the story was a definite retelling of Jane Eyre. The main character, Ivy, didn't have much personality and there was a repetitive "oh no, I can't! It's too SINFUL" thing going on, but it was a nice, quick fluttery read.
__saint__'s review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
carringtonshaw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This was recommended after a discussion with a romance-loving friend in which I expressed my inability to find any romance novels I actually enjoy. Said friend thought I would enjoy something more like other books I read (i.e., Rebecca or Jane Eyre). And this one was really short (more novella-length than anything), so I figured I may as well give it a shot. While I can't deny that this book had a similar vibe and setting, the writing quality was just not there.
For one thing, it was clearly self-published. There's absolutely nothing wrong with self-publishing, but unfortunately the industry gets a bad rap due to the oversaturation of books like this where the author clearly didn't bother with a proofreader before hitting that "Publish" button. So when I say "clearly self-published", I mean it fell into that embarrassing stereotype. I found myself repeatedly cringing at the lack of professionalism in the finished copy.
Something else that made me cringe was the overuse of the nickname "Wildcat" for our heroine. Ivy is "wild" only in the sense that she is too anachronistic for this book's time period. And when Mr. Markham keeps using that nickname over and over again, it has the feeling of someone clinging to an inside joke that was only funny in the first five minutes for days, maybe weeks, after the fact.
I enjoyed the setting. In the beginning, the story showed promise. Unfortunately, the characters just left too much to be desired. They were completely uninteresting. There were some side characters I really liked--Molly in particular--whom I would have loved to see more of. In fact, I might actually enjoy a series that was entirely about Molly, rather than Ivy. She was intriguing and probably the best thing about this book. And I was interested in Mr. Markham's little collection of friends he had made while traveling. That story could actually make for a fascinating series.
Also, I don't know if I missed something, but how and why did the two main characters fall in love with each other after...what, a day? At their very first meeting? It made no sense.
Probably the worst thing about this, though, was the way everyone spoke. Everything they said sounded like something a person would say in modern times, not in the late 1800s. Again, this kept bringing me, cringing, out of the story to reflect on the lack of realism.
So this had potential, but just couldn't live up to it.
For one thing, it was clearly self-published. There's absolutely nothing wrong with self-publishing, but unfortunately the industry gets a bad rap due to the oversaturation of books like this where the author clearly didn't bother with a proofreader before hitting that "Publish" button. So when I say "clearly self-published", I mean it fell into that embarrassing stereotype. I found myself repeatedly cringing at the lack of professionalism in the finished copy.
Something else that made me cringe was the overuse of the nickname "Wildcat" for our heroine. Ivy is "wild" only in the sense that she is too anachronistic for this book's time period. And when Mr. Markham keeps using that nickname over and over again, it has the feeling of someone clinging to an inside joke that was only funny in the first five minutes for days, maybe weeks, after the fact.
I enjoyed the setting. In the beginning, the story showed promise. Unfortunately, the characters just left too much to be desired. They were completely uninteresting. There were some side characters I really liked--Molly in particular--whom I would have loved to see more of. In fact, I might actually enjoy a series that was entirely about Molly, rather than Ivy. She was intriguing and probably the best thing about this book. And I was interested in Mr. Markham's little collection of friends he had made while traveling. That story could actually make for a fascinating series.
Also, I don't know if I missed something, but how and why did the two main characters fall in love with each other after...what, a day? At their very first meeting? It made no sense.
Probably the worst thing about this, though, was the way everyone spoke. Everything they said sounded like something a person would say in modern times, not in the late 1800s. Again, this kept bringing me, cringing, out of the story to reflect on the lack of realism.
So this had potential, but just couldn't live up to it.
samlykes2read's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
this book was kinda boring. it leaves on a cliff hanger! i didn’t really understand the story. it was weird
jhv_1984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75