Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian

9 reviews

livruther's review

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emotional medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this is just the loveliest and most heartwarming story ever! the characters didn’t quite feel like they were written just for me as much as the characters from the previous book, but this is still such a delightful read! i will say, there was a brief description of animal cruelty/animal death toward the end of the book that i found pretty upsetting, as well as quite a few other triggers that other readers should keep in mind. 

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ramakn22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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immovabletype's review

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emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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pvbobrien's review against another edition

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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

3.75


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galleytrot's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

FIRST READ: Nov 2022 
SECOND READ: Sep 2023 
FORMAT: Audio 
 
BRIEF SUMMARY: 
In this historical romance set in the early 1800s, Georgie Turner is on the run from an angry and implacable associate after a crisis of conscience caused him to ruin their latest confidence scheme. Jack is in need of someone to go to Cornwall to investigate the mental state of one Lawrence Browne, Earl of Radnor, giving Georgie an opportunity to get far from London and lie low for a while. After he arrives at the dilapidated estate to act as secretary, it’s somewhere between sorting correspondence, taking inventory, assisting the Mad Earl with his inventions, and trying to restore the land to livable conditions before a surprise guest can arrive that Georgie’s conscience – and something else much stronger – keeps him from swindling Lawrence, too. 
 
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.25 / 5⭐ 
This story hits home harder than the previous one in the series, and I remember it much more fondly. It’s sort of an interesting take on the whole criminal-falls-in-love-with-nobleman trope, in that the nobleman is about the farthest thing from a gentleman, but not in the way you would expect from such a subversion within a romance novel. He’s not a knave or a rake or a scapegrace (we’ll save that for the next book!); he’s just a guy with anxiety and a scientific mind who never expected or wanted to be an Earl in the first place. 
 
Lawrence is an inventor/tinkerer prone to losing days at a time to his experimentation and fervor, all while having no interest in performing his duties as an Earl. A history of mental illness in his family combined with his own quirks of personality have him convinced that he’s walking a razor’s edge between sanity and the ‘madness’ that defined his father and brother’s lives. It’s his fear of turning mad, combined with crippling social anxiety, that has caused him to ignore Penkellis Estate, which is falling apart at the seams and has been abandoned by nearly all servants and attendants. His concerned Vicar needs a full understanding of Lawrence’s mental competence, so he reaches out to a friend to find someone to get the measure of the man while acting as secretary at Penkellis. 
 
Enter Georgie, who is on the run from London after he couldn’t follow through with a scheme once false pretenses crossed the line into friendship. Penkellis is falling apart, but filled to the brim with valuables that could set Georgie up for life, so once his job is complete, he has all the intentions to make tracks and solve his problems the normal way. However, after meeting the Earl, he grows fascinated by the peculiar man with strange habits, the science behind the communications device he’s working on, the strange rumors being spread around about him, the servants who stayed when everyone else left, and the strange noises in the night that speak of shady goings-on. 
 
Secretarial duties happen to suit Georgie extremely well, but he knows that the lines are blurring again and he’d be better off getting out while he still can – before attraction and friendship can complicate things further. Lawrence is smart enough to know that Georgie isn’t who he says he is, but the coming and going of employees is inevitable, and he would prefer it if Georgie would get scared off rather than be faced with the madness that’s just waiting to take hold of Lawrence. 
 
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4 / 5⭐ 
Sebastian does an excellent job of portraying a very modern disorder at a time when it would have been poorly understood or inaccurately diagnosed. Lawrence has no name for the spells or attacks he experiences, although he has found several measures that help him cope when he is at his worst. The characters in the book also never attempt to cure him or fix him, but instead strive to help him feel more secure in the midst of an attack. Maybe that’s not an especially realistic response for the time, but compassion without meddling is always refreshing. 
 
Much like my re-read of book one, there were plenty of plot points that I both could and could not remember, making it pleasant enough to consume for a second time. It was less of a mystery or adventure than book one was – less plot and more character growth – but there were still enough story beats and characters to flesh out the world that it takes place in. Georgie and Lawrence also have a smoother transition from attraction to commitment than Jack and Oliver do. All in all, this book is a better execution than the first one was, and more memorable as well. 
 
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.25 / 5⭐ 
I adore this story about two precious and brilliant idiots who both believe they are worse people than they are and don’t deserve each other because of it. I love how they find space for each other despite their perceived flaws. I like that they give each other outs so as never to pressure each other into something they don’t want. 
 
This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. A woman is portrayed positively in a scientific role that might have been controversial for the time. There is otherwise not much in the way of diversity.
 
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail. 

This book contains: panic attacks, anxiety; not really child abuse; past depression, suicide; past domestic violence, implied sexual assault/rape, alcoholism; blood, minor injury (cut); mentions of physical child discipline; past deaths of parents; past homophobia; mention of racism; implication of child neglect; alcohol use; past animal cruelty and death (graphic enough retelling of a past event,  potentially very upsetting); and, abduction and assault (off-page).
 

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ladythana's review

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emotional hopeful slow-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


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20sidedbi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75


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rumireads's review

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adventurous emotional funny tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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ticktock's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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