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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
So this is the last book for the Spies Discord book club. I read all three in the series, and literally each one is an amazing heroine with an absolute garbage human being "hero."
Seriously. The heroes all hate their heroines and they all seek to humiliate and degrade the heroines via coercive sex.
Vere didn't deserve forgiveness from friends, family, or his wife. He loves to punish people for perceived slights. He's selfish, immature, petty, ableist, misogynistic, hypocritical, judgemental, and vengeful. He is pretty r*pey to boot. Literally two of their three sexual encounters are r*pe. And after the third he treats her like dirt. After seeing her get beat by her uncle, he deliberately physically intimidates her because he loves to "torment her." He constantly hates himself got being attracted to her and hates her for liking him, calling her Eve - characterized as a deliberately deceitful femme fatale - more than once, contrasted by the Madonna imaginary companion he constantly compares her to.
Literally none of this is a romance.
And at the end, his sob story past isn't enough to earn my sympathy - compared to what Ellisande had lived with her entire life, he had a cake walk.
The traumatic brain injury played for laughs is deeply uncomfortable, ableist, and messed up, plus a really really weak plot point.
Vere's utter irredeemable trash.
Going to take a break from Sherry Thomas for a while. I don't even ever want to read a book by the authors she mentions in her acknowledgments. Ugh.
Seriously. The heroes all hate their heroines and they all seek to humiliate and degrade the heroines via coercive sex.
Vere didn't deserve forgiveness from friends, family, or his wife. He loves to punish people for perceived slights. He's selfish, immature, petty, ableist, misogynistic, hypocritical, judgemental, and vengeful. He is pretty r*pey to boot. Literally two of their three sexual encounters are r*pe. And after the third he treats her like dirt. After seeing her get beat by her uncle, he deliberately physically intimidates her because he loves to "torment her." He constantly hates himself got being attracted to her and hates her for liking him, calling her Eve - characterized as a deliberately deceitful femme fatale - more than once, contrasted by the Madonna imaginary companion he constantly compares her to.
Literally none of this is a romance.
And at the end, his sob story past isn't enough to earn my sympathy - compared to what Ellisande had lived with her entire life, he had a cake walk.
The traumatic brain injury played for laughs is deeply uncomfortable, ableist, and messed up, plus a really really weak plot point.
Vere's utter irredeemable trash.
Going to take a break from Sherry Thomas for a while. I don't even ever want to read a book by the authors she mentions in her acknowledgments. Ugh.
hopeful
mysterious
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:
No
All the more impressive for being written by someone with English as her second language.
God, I'd forgotten
how I love Thomas. The swoon!
The sex! The research!
how I love Thomas. The swoon!
The sex! The research!
As pitch-perfect as an historical romance can be - insightful, sensual, emotionally engaging, lovely. Both the hero and heroine felt like main characters; sometimes one or the other is treated as more important to the narrative (She finds love versus he finds love).
I love it when a book feels so supremely satisfying upon finishing.
One of my favorites!
I love it when a book feels so supremely satisfying upon finishing.
One of my favorites!
If you like a goofy spy novel and don't mind a good romance, then you'll like this book. Lord Vere faked a brain injury at age 16 in order to fool the world into thinking him an "idiot". He's really a spy for the crown. The faking is super fun to read at the beginning. It doesn't tire for the reader -- it tires for the character, and that becomes interesting to read as well. He falters when he falls for a woman at first sight, or so he thinks... Imagine -- he doesn't want HER to think he's an "idiot".
I kept waiting for this to take a super-natural turn. I won't say anything more than that, because I think a few folks on my Goodreads list might want to read this.
I think this book has appeal to folks who don't read paperback romances (like me... mostly...), but the cover and title are hideous. The cover and title ensure this book only appeals to one audience, but the book itself has a slightly larger appeal. Check it out. Tear the cover off if it annoys you (unless it's a library book).
I kept waiting for this to take a super-natural turn. I won't say anything more than that, because I think a few folks on my Goodreads list might want to read this.
I think this book has appeal to folks who don't read paperback romances (like me... mostly...), but the cover and title are hideous. The cover and title ensure this book only appeals to one audience, but the book itself has a slightly larger appeal. Check it out. Tear the cover off if it annoys you (unless it's a library book).
I didn't particularly care for this story. I listened to the audiobook version (so excuse my spelling), and Kate Reading is one of my favorite narrators for HR. However, I will say that I didn't care for the tone/pitch of how she read Angelica's voice.
The reason I didn't care for this book is Lord Vere. He was a total jerk. There were many moments that I almost stopped reading. After Elissande had been a victim of abuse by her uncle, he takes pleasure in (and relishes) tormenting her further with his physically imposing presence. He says horribly cruel and disgusting things to her. At one point she apologizes and says she would make it up to him, and he responds by telling her that she can repay him by taking off her clothes, that it wouldn't actually make up for it, but it would make the marriage more manageable. Then tells her to imagine that he is Freddie. I understood his his anger at being trapped, but his behavior was disgusting and no better.
There are inserts of Freddie and Angelica as a side love story. However I found these to be tedious and boring; and could have done without them.
And finally, maybe because I wasn't a super attentive listener, I never figured out one of the twists.
The reason I didn't care for this book is Lord Vere. He was a total jerk. There were many moments that I almost stopped reading. After Elissande had been a victim of abuse by her uncle, he takes pleasure in (and relishes) tormenting her further with his physically imposing presence. He says horribly cruel and disgusting things to her. At one point she apologizes and says she would make it up to him, and he responds by telling her that she can repay him by taking off her clothes, that it wouldn't actually make up for it, but it would make the marriage more manageable. Then tells her to imagine that he is Freddie. I understood his his anger at being trapped, but his behavior was disgusting and no better.
There are inserts of Freddie and Angelica as a side love story. However I found these to be tedious and boring; and could have done without them.
And finally, maybe because I wasn't a super attentive listener, I never figured out one of the twists.
Spoiler
I got that Elissande was actually the uncle's daughter, but how did he find out about the aunt's lie?
The premise was interesting, the actual novel... not so much. Character development was a bit shallow/odd, the plot jumped and stalled, overall not very well organized. Still, an easy quick, limited but open door romance, turn of the century/gilded age setting (which was a nice change, if you’re a bit sick of Regency). Nothing awful, nothing great.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Appears to have some mixed reviews, but rather enjoyed this one. It is a bit darker as HR romances go, bit gritty. Neither of the MC's were perfect, though I would argue the MMC was far more stubborn and had the power to do something about his issues, where as the FMC was trapped with few tools at her disposal. So a lot hung on his choice to do anything about it. That being said, the love story felt pretty natural and the end felt believable. Not overly sappy or cheesy. I really enjoyed that neither of these two were perfect.
Kate Reading also did a fantastic job as a narrator, and save a few issue with the audio quality it self.
I did find the side romance of Vere's brother a bit of a distraction, and maybe less time could have been spent on it.
Kate Reading also did a fantastic job as a narrator, and save a few issue with the audio quality it self.
I did find the side romance of Vere's brother a bit of a distraction, and maybe less time could have been spent on it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Murder
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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