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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
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
DNF at 62%. This simply wasn't for me. I was super hyped to read a historical romance, and I enjoyed the first bit, but the characters and the writing style really let me down. I wanted a flirty and appropriately tense battle of wits, I wanted gradual understanding and mutual trust to be earned, but what I got was... two people lusting over one another with severely limited emotional development.
(Warning: I guess I had a lot of feelings about this book, so I wrote a review that ended up being super wordy and way more of a roast than I expected. Whoops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I did enjoy parts of the book but those got overshadowed by my frustration, which is why I left out the good bits. To save yourself from a long rant, know that the first paragraph pretty much sums it all up!)
I'm pretty picky, so this might just be me, but it bothered me how the author described men and women. For example, "masculine," and "feminine" are used as adjectives when it's totally unnecessary -- like, "feminine warmth"?? I also think I remember reading "masculine elegance" and like wtf is that and how is it different from... elegance? I also wasn't a fan of the phrase "all that was female in her" included in a scene where they're making out. (*bleh*) That being said, I can overlook some awkward or reductive descriptions if they're not overused, but it definitely affects my enjoyment of the story.
I feel like all the protagonists really knew about each other was that the other is 1) hot and 2) smart. Same goes for what I, as a reader, got to see from both of them, which made it hard to like them as individuals once I realized that it was basically all I knew about them. Annabelle, despite knowing that Sebastian is working for the Tory campaign (*barf*), STILL has a crush on him! Like, I get it, hot man is hot, but I really would've liked her as a character much more if she had developed her crush AFTER getting to know the duke and understanding his motivations for working on the campaign.
In all of their interactions, they're limited to being either sorta witty or straight-up horny, and there just wasn't enough buildup, like ACTUAL TALKING AND UNDERSTANDING, for me to believe that these two people could actually fall in love. Like, even in scenes when they're talking about their lives and their beliefs, they mostly talk around the important bits or make shallow, "insightful" comments that don't feel meaningful and earned because, again, they barely know each other. So... what is it that they see in each other??
My breaking point, however, (slight spoilers ahead, but it's really not that important) was a scene where Sebastian gets jealous seeing Annabelle casually talking to another man, so then they have a fight about liking each other but not being able to be in a relationship cause he's a duke and she's an ordinary, non-titled girl. I'm sorry, but that was so stupid. If I was invested in the characters and their relationship at this point, I maybe could've kept reading (debatable, but still possible) to see how their ~forbidden love~ ends up despite the ABSURD and unnecessary jealousy plot point, but then after thinking about it, I realized that at some point, I started to actively dislike both of them and just couldn't root for them to end up together.
Why is that? Well, if you really want to know, Sebastian is portrayed as a prince because he has bare minimum control over his sexual urges, and as a man, that's practically unheard of (um tf?) -- this being despite the fact that he repeatedly crowds Annabelle against walls and doors and manhandles her (there's a moment when she puts her hands out infront of her to stop him from kissing her, but he still does and she's into it because idk passion, I guess? but because she's attracted to him and he doesn't outright attack her, that makes the lack of clear consent okay???). The glaring difference between the way he's described and the way he acts on page was becoming a real problem for me, and I was hoping that he would stop being weirdly possessive and aggressive or that his behaviour would at least be addressed, BUT THEN we get a stunning moment where he's reflecting on his feelings (read: sexual attraction) for Annabelle that sounds *insane*. He, a man, felt like he was "on the brink of losing his self-control" (meaning, he was on the verge of having sex with Annabelle) all because of "the power she has over him"... I MEAN, COME ON! (sarcasm incoming:) Of course, any attraction he feels for her and any poor decisions that *he* makes as a result must naturally be the woman's fault... because a man can't possibly be responsible for his own feelings and actions if a pretty woman is concerned. (Full quote, from chapter 19, here:"He had been an inch from taking her against the library door, like a drunk using a wench behind a tavern. He had never treated a woman thus before. But the truth was, a shocking emotion had held him in its clutches that night--to be inside her, or die. // No one should have that much power over him." ...like, am I crazy or is he???) Ok, sure, he was down bad, I get that, but I just cannot stand it when a woman is portrayed as being to blame for a man's feelings or desires. Just grosses me out.
so yeah, I couldn't take it anymore T_T
(Warning: I guess I had a lot of feelings about this book, so I wrote a review that ended up being super wordy and way more of a roast than I expected. Whoops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I did enjoy parts of the book but those got overshadowed by my frustration, which is why I left out the good bits. To save yourself from a long rant, know that the first paragraph pretty much sums it all up!)
I'm pretty picky, so this might just be me, but it bothered me how the author described men and women. For example, "masculine," and "feminine" are used as adjectives when it's totally unnecessary -- like, "feminine warmth"?? I also think I remember reading "masculine elegance" and like wtf is that and how is it different from... elegance? I also wasn't a fan of the phrase "all that was female in her" included in a scene where they're making out. (*bleh*) That being said, I can overlook some awkward or reductive descriptions if they're not overused, but it definitely affects my enjoyment of the story.
I feel like all the protagonists really knew about each other was that the other is 1) hot and 2) smart. Same goes for what I, as a reader, got to see from both of them, which made it hard to like them as individuals once I realized that it was basically all I knew about them. Annabelle, despite knowing that Sebastian is working for the Tory campaign (*barf*), STILL has a crush on him! Like, I get it, hot man is hot, but I really would've liked her as a character much more if she had developed her crush AFTER getting to know the duke and understanding his motivations for working on the campaign.
In all of their interactions, they're limited to being either sorta witty or straight-up horny, and there just wasn't enough buildup, like ACTUAL TALKING AND UNDERSTANDING, for me to believe that these two people could actually fall in love. Like, even in scenes when they're talking about their lives and their beliefs, they mostly talk around the important bits or make shallow, "insightful" comments that don't feel meaningful and earned because, again, they barely know each other. So... what is it that they see in each other??
My breaking point, however, (slight spoilers ahead, but it's really not that important) was a scene where Sebastian gets jealous seeing Annabelle casually talking to another man, so then they have a fight about liking each other but not being able to be in a relationship cause he's a duke and she's an ordinary, non-titled girl. I'm sorry, but that was so stupid. If I was invested in the characters and their relationship at this point, I maybe could've kept reading (debatable, but still possible) to see how their ~forbidden love~ ends up despite the ABSURD and unnecessary jealousy plot point, but then after thinking about it, I realized that at some point, I started to actively dislike both of them and just couldn't root for them to end up together.
Why is that? Well, if you really want to know, Sebastian is portrayed as a prince because he has bare minimum control over his sexual urges, and as a man, that's practically unheard of (um tf?) -- this being despite the fact that he repeatedly crowds Annabelle against walls and doors and manhandles her (there's a moment when she puts her hands out infront of her to stop him from kissing her, but he still does and she's into it because idk passion, I guess? but because she's attracted to him and he doesn't outright attack her, that makes the lack of clear consent okay???). The glaring difference between the way he's described and the way he acts on page was becoming a real problem for me, and I was hoping that he would stop being weirdly possessive and aggressive or that his behaviour would at least be addressed, BUT THEN we get a stunning moment where he's reflecting on his feelings (read: sexual attraction) for Annabelle that sounds *insane*. He, a man, felt like he was "on the brink of losing his self-control" (meaning, he was on the verge of having sex with Annabelle) all because of "the power she has over him"... I MEAN, COME ON! (sarcasm incoming:) Of course, any attraction he feels for her and any poor decisions that *he* makes as a result must naturally be the woman's fault... because a man can't possibly be responsible for his own feelings and actions if a pretty woman is concerned. (Full quote, from chapter 19, here:
so yeah, I couldn't take it anymore T_T
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Zero chemistry between Annabelle and Sebastian, but I do love me some late 19th century Britain
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
It was cute, nothing too special but cute
funny
lighthearted
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
Historical romances are not my fave, but this was a modern take on them. The FMC and MMC are both likeable (I can't say I always love both in a romance, with MMCs being really hot or miss for me). There's an intentional political and feminist layer to this book which I appreciated and didn't find to be too on the nose or forced.
This book does lead into a series with some of the other supporting characters who you don't get enough time with in this book. From what I hear, those are stronger than this book.
Overall, it was a fun book club read, but nothing special. Historical romance fans may have a stronger opinion, though!
This book does lead into a series with some of the other supporting characters who you don't get enough time with in this book. From what I hear, those are stronger than this book.
Overall, it was a fun book club read, but nothing special. Historical romance fans may have a stronger opinion, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Police brutality
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dafür, was das Buch ist (eine Lovestory mit historischem Setting), mochte ich es sehr. Dafür, was ich mir von dem Buch erhofft habe (eine Geschichte über Frauenrechte und Rebellinnen mit kleiner Lovestory), hat mir einfach etwas gefehlt. Der Titel ist da sehr irreführend. Die Rebellinnen-Thematik geht stark unter, sobald der Herzog auftritt. Er überschattet jegliche weibliche Nebenfigur und durch ihn agiert Annabelle teilweise „out of character“ und verliert den Fokus auf ihre eigenen Ziele. Die führende Thematik „Mätresse sein oder nicht sein“ war für mich zu weit entfernt von meiner Vorstellung von taffen spionierenden und manipulierenden Frauen. Für eine Liebesgeschichte ist es zwar klischeehaft, aber super süß, intensiv und mit schönem Setting, leider wurde einem da aber etwas anderes verkauft, weshalb ich minimal enttäuscht bin. Als Lovestory aber empfehlenswert!
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
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