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ameydireads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
“It was strange, to find a woman who could make him happy just with her mere presence. He didn't even have to see her, or hear her voice, or even smell her scent. He just had to know that she was there. If that wasn't love, he didn't know what was.”
Very much like Cinderella, Sophie grows up with her stepmother and stepsisters who treat her very badly. Luckily, she gets the chance to go to a masked ball and takes it. This is where she meets Benedict and they fall in love. While she knew exactly who Benedict was, he didn’t know who the masked lady was who stole his heart. Years fly by and unexpectedly they meet again but under different circumstances.
Unlike the lords and ladies, servants have no freedom to do as they please. This story shows how badly they get treated by some people. From rape to becoming a gentleman’s mistress. It’s not easy, especially if you’re a woman on your own.
I loved Benedict and Sophie’s story! Even though Sophie experienced many hardships in life, her heart remains pure and I was so happy that she met some good people through Benedict. Again Violet was such a pleasant character. The way she loves her children and supports them is amazing. Also Eloise is a lovely character. She stands up for herself and demands to be treated equally.
“Just because we of the female gender are not allowed to study at places like Eton and Cambridge doesn't mean our educations are any less precious,” Eloise ranted, completely ignoring her brother's weak “I know.”
“I am of the opinion that the reason we are not allowed access is that if we were, we would trounce you men in all subjects!”
Overall, an easy read. There were moments where Julia Quinn’s writing puts me off, for example when she writes: “He seized the moment, tasting her, drinking her, breathing her.” Okay, calm down…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Alcohol
kasialipa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
its_erin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Death of parent
charlieiniso's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape and Slavery
vievef's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
jodiexmae's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Pregnancy
marylinaris's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
The story was great, the romance meh.
The author couldn’t really sell me the ‘love at first sight’ story she tried to tell, so romance lacked development for me afterwards. Adding to that we have a villain character who sexually harasses out female main character, Sophie, from whom Benedict saves her from. The interesting choice of storytelling came after that though, with Benedict also overly pushing Sophie’s sexual boundaries. Just because he didn’t resort to straight up assault, his actions didn’t feel less scummy.
Generally Benedict had no real trait about him that made me like him or root for him. He had a nice relationship with his mother but besides that he felt bland, if he wasn’t obsessing over Sophie.
I did however enjoyed most of the female characters in this book. Sophie had clear motivation (though she lacked some long-term goals), was witty, and a backstory packed with trauma that you just want her to catch a break and have a good life. Penelope shows up only for a couple of short scenes, but between putting Colin down and recognizing Sophie she managed to be memorable. Seriously though, she had met Sophie for half a second at a masked ball two years ago and STILL remembered her, while Benedict couldn’t even remember the color of her eyes the day after that ball, even though he was already half-way into being in love and straight up obsessed with her. Men a weak, water is wet.
One of my favorites in this book must be Violet though. She was just wonderfully nice and supportive. We really got to see her caring side but I also immensely enjoyed her set-down of Araminta during the final chapters, where she showed just how clever and how willing she is to protect those she deems as family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
spiritualeigh's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape
insanebookperson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
melaniies's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape