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booksandfomo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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
5.0
Diana Quincy has officially become one of my favorite authors. From the first page, I was immediately transported into the world she created. It felt like I was watching an episode of Bridgerton.
The chemistry between Leela and Elliot jumped off the page. With one-night stand tropes, you don’t always see what happened between the MCs during that one night. It can be difficult to believe their chemistry development when the reader is simply told a one-night stand occurred. So it was refreshing to see how their mundane conversations stemmed from their one night together. And the TENSION!!! Whew, chile, historical romances hit differently when it comes to tension.
Leela is one of the best FMCs I’ve read in a while. If you want a definition of a boss, read this story. She was not going to let anyone tell her what to do or how to act. I also loved the relationships she had with both sides of her family. And um, I’m gonna need me a man like Elliot/Hunt. I was a bit worried his character was going to be a little dull, but in the end, he did everything he could to be with Leela. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t swoon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, and Infertility
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
In this regency romance, instant chemistry and some dagger-waving (literally) lead to a one-night stand that's going to become inconvenient fast. Hunt is shocked when he shows up at the house of the girl he intends to court and discovers the mysterious woman from last night is Tori's stepmother, Leela. The forbidden/off-limits nature of Hunt and Leela's attraction could have resulted in a slow burn, but it was all-out pining with no sparks of escalation to keep the game afoot. I found their instalove perplexing (as usual) since the only basis is their mutual attraction and one night together. Not much conversation or shared experiences pass between them. It's mostly fights where they push each other away for various reasons.
Leela as a person? Love her. Leela desperately trying to convince Hunt and her stepdaughter, Tori, to be together? Annoying as hell. Leela's a travelogue writer, using her relative freedom as a widow to see the world and get to know her mother's Levantine homeland better. As someone with both Arab and English parents, she feels pulled in different directions and wants to connect with the roots her mother kept from her when she was alive. I ALWAYS get excited to see Arabic on the page, and I learned some excellent curse words that I shall endeavor to remember always. I should have taken notes. The book calls out racist, xenophobic, and sexist experiences Leela has, and she dares to carve out the space she wants in the world despite them. The frustrating part was her role in the romance. She's so deep in her self-inflicted suffering in pushing Hunt and Tori together that she doesn't notice her stepdaughter's affections engaged elsewhere. Leela's weirdly confident that Hunt would make Tori happy as if it's a universal skill he possesses. And while he has basic human decency, he doesn't have any characteristic so transcendent that I would buy into that level of hype about him.
As soon as the (dubious) social obstacles are removed re:Tori's engagement elsewhere, Leela and Hunt alternate who is angry and who is attempting to reconcile to keep the drama alive. May I suggest conversation rather than throwing a golf ball at someone's head? There are many scenes where someone storms off to pine in solitude.
So basically, I like Leela as a person. Hunt's meh but fundamentally ok. I was just so completely bewildered and/or frustrated by their romance almost from the start that this wasn't a good read for me. I know some people like this style of back and forth romantic temper, and I think they will appreciate the drama.
Leela as a person? Love her. Leela desperately trying to convince Hunt and her stepdaughter, Tori, to be together? Annoying as hell. Leela's a travelogue writer, using her relative freedom as a widow to see the world and get to know her mother's Levantine homeland better. As someone with both Arab and English parents, she feels pulled in different directions and wants to connect with the roots her mother kept from her when she was alive. I ALWAYS get excited to see Arabic on the page, and I learned some excellent curse words that I shall endeavor to remember always. I should have taken notes. The book calls out racist, xenophobic, and sexist experiences Leela has, and she dares to carve out the space she wants in the world despite them. The frustrating part was her role in the romance. She's so deep in her self-inflicted suffering in pushing Hunt and Tori together that she doesn't notice her stepdaughter's affections engaged elsewhere. Leela's weirdly confident that Hunt would make Tori happy as if it's a universal skill he possesses. And while he has basic human decency, he doesn't have any characteristic so transcendent that I would buy into that level of hype about him.
As soon as the (dubious) social obstacles are removed re:Tori's engagement elsewhere, Leela and Hunt alternate who is angry and who is attempting to reconcile to keep the drama alive. May I suggest conversation rather than throwing a golf ball at someone's head? There are many scenes where someone storms off to pine in solitude.
So basically, I like Leela as a person. Hunt's meh but fundamentally ok. I was just so completely bewildered and/or frustrated by their romance almost from the start that this wasn't a good read for me. I know some people like this style of back and forth romantic temper, and I think they will appreciate the drama.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infertility, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
aemsea26's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
naika's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed "Her Night with the Duke", though sadly I was left with some disappointments that impacted my reception of the story. Delilah "Leela" Chambers, upon returning from her travels abroad, finds herself stuck in a storm that forces her to seek shelter in a very unaccommodating inn. Due to her skin tone, the inn keeper and many of the guests make lewd and racists comments towards her.
Upset with her mistreatment, Duke Elliot Townsend sets them all in their place and offers up his room to Leela. Having spent years taking care of herself, Delilah doesn't take kindly to Elliot's chivalry, but being left with little options, she agrees. What was supposed to be a quick layover, turns into a fiery dalliance. Neither knows of their true identity, nor do they know that their agreement for a one night affair will soon be more than they bargained for.
What I enjoyed: Leela's determination and independence. She is well aware of her rights as a Lady and a widow and often challenges the accepted norms of society. She has traveled extensively and has written well-received travelogues (even though she is presumed to be a male author). She has little interest in remarrying or settling down in the traditional sense. This is particularly admirable, given her identity as a half-English, half-Arab titled woman and the challenges she faces existing in her environment.
Elliot was quite the opposite; he was determined to be regarded as respectable in an attempt to shake the rake reputation of all the previous male relatives, particularly his brother. He had a lot of internal battles between following what is proper and following his heart. I appreciated seeing the male love interest be the one to do the pining.
What I did not enjoy: For such a formidable character, I could not help but feel as though there was significant discourse about Leela's darker features that felt exoticized, rather than a challenge to the biases or discriminations of the time period. However, I fully recognize that I am not an own-voices reviewer and cannot speak to whether the Arab representation was sensitively addressed. All I can say was that those parts of the story were awkward to me as a Black reader.
I also was not always a fan of how Elliot seemed eager to bed Leela after she would express her fears and insecurities about being in a relationship with him. Leela often jumped to conclusions. It also felt like they had the same argument over and over again with very little resolution until the end. This resulted in some pacing issues and a waning interest. The ending left much to be desired.
Throughout the story we are told that Leela is barren. I was pretty excited to read a historical romance with the female love interest being not just barren, but also completely uninterested in the idea of having children. But at the very end we see that she gave birth to a child. It's fairly typical to have a wedding or baby in an epilogue of a romance, I get it. But it was quite the letdown to have this be the HEA for the couple when Leela didn't really seem to care for motherhood and often used this as a way to justify why she and Elliot could never work.
Even though I had my own gripes with the story, it is unique and I can see why others enjoyed it. There is angst, banter, and forbidden love. It may not have delivered everything I thought it would, but I am not opposed to reading something else from the author.
Upset with her mistreatment, Duke Elliot Townsend sets them all in their place and offers up his room to Leela. Having spent years taking care of herself, Delilah doesn't take kindly to Elliot's chivalry, but being left with little options, she agrees. What was supposed to be a quick layover, turns into a fiery dalliance. Neither knows of their true identity, nor do they know that their agreement for a one night affair will soon be more than they bargained for.
What I enjoyed: Leela's determination and independence. She is well aware of her rights as a Lady and a widow and often challenges the accepted norms of society. She has traveled extensively and has written well-received travelogues (even though she is presumed to be a male author). She has little interest in remarrying or settling down in the traditional sense. This is particularly admirable, given her identity as a half-English, half-Arab titled woman and the challenges she faces existing in her environment.
Elliot was quite the opposite; he was determined to be regarded as respectable in an attempt to shake the rake reputation of all the previous male relatives, particularly his brother. He had a lot of internal battles between following what is proper and following his heart. I appreciated seeing the male love interest be the one to do the pining.
What I did not enjoy: For such a formidable character, I could not help but feel as though there was significant discourse about Leela's darker features that felt exoticized, rather than a challenge to the biases or discriminations of the time period. However, I fully recognize that I am not an own-voices reviewer and cannot speak to whether the Arab representation was sensitively addressed. All I can say was that those parts of the story were awkward to me as a Black reader.
I also was not always a fan of how Elliot seemed eager to bed Leela after she would express her fears and insecurities about being in a relationship with him. Leela often jumped to conclusions. It also felt like they had the same argument over and over again with very little resolution until the end. This resulted in some pacing issues and a waning interest. The ending left much to be desired.
Even though I had my own gripes with the story, it is unique and I can see why others enjoyed it. There is angst, banter, and forbidden love. It may not have delivered everything I thought it would, but I am not opposed to reading something else from the author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
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