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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
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
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