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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
A very damaged hero and heroine, with some unique touches that I enjoyed. I particularly loved that the heroine doesn't spend the whole book clueless. She actually figures stuff out and then does something about it, despite her background of terrible terrible emotional and psychological abuse. I'm already looking to read more by this author.
Delightful mystery meets historical romance. Excellent dialogue. Loved the story within a story as well :)
This was a lovely book, an intriguing and fresh story. O loved the characters and their independent difficulties with the world they live in. The journey these two characters make to get to the HEA is extremely well written, difficult and satisfying in the end.
I loved the premise of the idiot, it was an incredible trick. It created amazing moments between the characters, not to mention the moments when he is out of character, so to speak.
I loved the drunken midnight scenes, I love the fact that the alcohol is far from glamourized, but the treatment of his personality made for some incredibly powerful and meaningful scenes. It was wonderful how she was able to bring in this über personality to a character that already had two personalities to begin with. I absolutely adored this.
Overall I thought the book was well written, the dialog was good, there was a bit of the past info dump at the end, and I thought perhaps some of the info was completely useless, but it all worked well in the end regardless.
Never wanted to throw the book, no eye rolls, laughed out loud at least twice, and no WTFckry.
I loved the premise of the idiot, it was an incredible trick. It created amazing moments between the characters, not to mention the moments when he is out of character, so to speak.
I loved the drunken midnight scenes, I love the fact that the alcohol is far from glamourized, but the treatment of his personality made for some incredibly powerful and meaningful scenes. It was wonderful how she was able to bring in this über personality to a character that already had two personalities to begin with. I absolutely adored this.
Overall I thought the book was well written, the dialog was good, there was a bit of the past info dump at the end, and I thought perhaps some of the info was completely useless, but it all worked well in the end regardless.
Never wanted to throw the book, no eye rolls, laughed out loud at least twice, and no WTFckry.
Gonna have to say no to a book where the hero rapes -- yes, rapes -- the heroine on their wedding night.
Despite the fact that Vere was supposed to be an incredibly accomplished spy, what we as readers ended up with was a petty, childish and immature hero who -- as was stated in the narrative multiple times -- was not above tormenting the heroine, who, for her entire life, was gaslit and emotionally abused at the hands of her uncle. Even when Vere realizes that she's been treated badly, he continues on and causes her discomfort by insinuating that he may want to have sex with her, something she didn't enjoy. (And he's described as a big, imposing man.) Are we supposed to pretend that he isn't behaving a few shades removed from her uncle by playing some horrendous mental game with her for his own satisfaction? (What especially rankles is that he had an ah-ha! moment where he seemed to figure out that she was only looking for an escape from the tyranny of her uncle. He seemed sympathetic. And then, page after page, he continues to treat her poorly because he's unable to drum up even an ounce of sympathy. Okay, dude.)
Truthfully, I only read half of this book because there's no possible resolution that can make me root for their relationship -- not when Vere spends so much time terrorizing a woman who only wanted to get away from the very same.
Despite the fact that Vere was supposed to be an incredibly accomplished spy, what we as readers ended up with was a petty, childish and immature hero who -- as was stated in the narrative multiple times -- was not above tormenting the heroine, who, for her entire life, was gaslit and emotionally abused at the hands of her uncle. Even when Vere realizes that she's been treated badly, he continues on and causes her discomfort by insinuating that he may want to have sex with her, something she didn't enjoy. (And he's described as a big, imposing man.) Are we supposed to pretend that he isn't behaving a few shades removed from her uncle by playing some horrendous mental game with her for his own satisfaction? (What especially rankles is that he had an ah-ha! moment where he seemed to figure out that she was only looking for an escape from the tyranny of her uncle. He seemed sympathetic. And then, page after page, he continues to treat her poorly because he's unable to drum up even an ounce of sympathy. Okay, dude.)
Truthfully, I only read half of this book because there's no possible resolution that can make me root for their relationship -- not when Vere spends so much time terrorizing a woman who only wanted to get away from the very same.
I... have very mixed feelings about this.
The actual plot was quite interesting and there was a lot of "considering what our relationship actually is" but also, even though Thomas seemed to be really trying to navigate consent well, it was still kind of iffy. Largely because of lies/secrets between the couple, alcohol, anger, and other things?
IDK.
The actual plot was quite interesting and there was a lot of "considering what our relationship actually is" but also, even though Thomas seemed to be really trying to navigate consent well, it was still kind of iffy. Largely because of lies/secrets between the couple, alcohol, anger, and other things?
IDK.
This is my second Sherry Thomas book and I am walking into the same problem than I did with [b:Not Quite a Husband|5841500|Not Quite a Husband (The Marsdens, #2)|Sherry Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347729201s/5841500.jpg|6013640], slight lack of consent, enough to sour my enjoyment of the book.
There is a power imbalance and a woman completely at his mercy, which Lord Vere knows perfectly well, and he manages to be a complete asshole about it, and if being drunk is used as an excuse, all I have to say is, your not a horny drunk, you are just an asshole and you lose the sense to hide what an asshole you are when you are drunk.
I also felt no chemistry between these two at all. Was not interested in the side love story of Freddy and what's her name either.
There is a power imbalance and a woman completely at his mercy, which Lord Vere knows perfectly well, and he manages to be a complete asshole about it, and if being drunk is used as an excuse, all I have to say is, your not a horny drunk, you are just an asshole and you lose the sense to hide what an asshole you are when you are drunk.
I also felt no chemistry between these two at all. Was not interested in the side love story of Freddy and what's her name either.
I wanted to like this book because I love the trope of people hiding their true selves, but then the love interest sees through it. I did enjoy the first part of the book. But as soon as they got married, it all went down hill. I could not stand the very rape-y sexual relationship they had. The first time they get it on, Ellie is blind drunk. Vere acknowledges that he shouldn't have sex with her for a bunch of plot reasons, and as a side thought because she's stumbling drunk, and clearly desperate and in a position that makes her feel as if this is not a choice. Yet he still has sex with her because "he can't help himself." Nope. Stop right there. At no point should "have sex with someone that can't give meaningful consent" ever be a matter of "oh, well, she was just sooooo sexy, I couldn't stop."
At this point they both hate each other, but lust after one another's bodies. I'm aware (vaguely) that hate-sex is apparently a thing, but it was not what I was expecting out of what was being marketed to me as a fluffy romance.
Later, Vere essentially rapes her. He's angry and consciously chooses to take it out on her. She is rigid with fear, her entire body language is extremely "no". He notices this and takes pleasure in the fact that she clearly doesn't want to do this, but he's going to force her to do it anyway because he's her husband. A few moments later she says no out loud, and he completely ignores her. I think this is not supposed to be a rape scene in the author's mind because what she's explicitly saying no to is him going down on her, and then it turns out that she loves it and is completely turned on and super into everything. But I struggle to get past the fact that he was clearly ignoring her express wishes.
Every romance reader is different, but I like to look for the ways in which the main characters help the other person to become their best selves. That didn't really happen here. Vere is mean, hypocritical (he hates that she's playing a role, despite that he lies to his own brother about his role) and petty throughout the book (though of course he doesn't see it that way), up until the very end. Ellie doesn't really change that much. Her external circumstances change, but I can't think of how she personally has changed at all. And neither of them is really their true selves around the other person until very far into the book, almost the end. I read a romance to watch the characters fall in love, and I feel like I didn't get that experience.
At this point they both hate each other, but lust after one another's bodies. I'm aware (vaguely) that hate-sex is apparently a thing, but it was not what I was expecting out of what was being marketed to me as a fluffy romance.
Later, Vere essentially rapes her. He's angry and consciously chooses to take it out on her. She is rigid with fear, her entire body language is extremely "no". He notices this and takes pleasure in the fact that she clearly doesn't want to do this, but he's going to force her to do it anyway because he's her husband. A few moments later she says no out loud, and he completely ignores her. I think this is not supposed to be a rape scene in the author's mind because what she's explicitly saying no to is him going down on her, and then it turns out that she loves it and is completely turned on and super into everything. But I struggle to get past the fact that he was clearly ignoring her express wishes.
Every romance reader is different, but I like to look for the ways in which the main characters help the other person to become their best selves. That didn't really happen here. Vere is mean, hypocritical (he hates that she's playing a role, despite that he lies to his own brother about his role) and petty throughout the book (though of course he doesn't see it that way), up until the very end. Ellie doesn't really change that much. Her external circumstances change, but I can't think of how she personally has changed at all. And neither of them is really their true selves around the other person until very far into the book, almost the end. I read a romance to watch the characters fall in love, and I feel like I didn't get that experience.