Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

27 reviews

bzliz's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I never could have predicted how absolutely batshit this book was going to be. It started out slow and stereotypically Bridgerton-y but about halfway through, things start to speed up. By the 2/3 mark, shit is absolutely popping off. We’re talking hands being thrown, blackmail, treason, gunshots, and of course a little interrupting weddings to top it off. They don’t even get peace in the epilogues!

Gregory is not even 40 and they have NINE KIDS, including two newborn twins, and Lucy damn near bleeds out after giving birth.

I kind of loved the drama of it all but I can’t forgive how completely boring Lucy and Gregory are as people. They don’t really have personalities and I wasn’t able to invest in their love like I could for most of the other Bridgerton siblings. He only gets a tiny pass for busting into a church to stop a wedding and propose to the bride himself. And I guess Lucy has some OCD tendencies too. 

Unfortunately, I don’t know who I’d recommend this final book in the series to. Spice lovers will not be satisfied at all. I think maybe self deprecating messy gays could enjoy, since they finally have a little representation. That said: I had a good time and I’m ready to say goodbye to the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Pregnancy/medical trauma in the 2nd epilogue.

Lucy is pregnant with their 8th child which turns out to be twins. While they’re celebrating the surprise, she starts feeling faint and passes out. The midwife works hard to help her but Lucy is losing a lot of blood (semi-graphic description, if you’re squicky about blood) and there’s only so much she can do. Lucy starts to recover but that’s the end of the second epilogue.

Trafficking/kidnapping:

Lucy’s uncle brokered a marriage for her like 10 years prior so they’ve been waiting for her to grow up to marry this lord. His father has been blackmailing her family and she is the final piece of payment. She’s intended to be the lord’s beard and still continue the family line even if it means the dude’s creepy dad gets her pregnant.

applehawk's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Stalking and Pregnancy

carlyjoann's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

adiloretto's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

haleysversion's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Medical content

hayleyvem's review

emotional funny tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Rape

georgiaisreading's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Kidnapping

_evyn_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense

4.5

This book was well written and intriguing and satisfying but also upsetting. I was not expecting to be so surprised by the disgusting abusive behavior of some of the new characters based on the more predictable plots of previous books in the series. It wasn't an entirely unwelcome change because I imagine it was realistic, just disturbing and hard to reconcile. 
The second epilogue should have had a trigger warning about the very explicit though probably  realistic blood and bodily harm to a character I'm sure many readers, like myself, will have grown a significant amount of love and empathy for (which does make the events harder to stomach). I threw up and had to skip ahead enough to not risk seeing any more so I am not exactly sure what I missed but I'm sad that I won't know the whole truth about the ending even if I stayed shaking and faint for awhile after. 
Still, I give this book a 4.5 and tip my hat to Julia Quinn for writing a captivating series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Body horror

reddevil11's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was a mash up of many trops that don’t quite fit together.
The developments are a bit quick. It felt a bit like trying too hard to bring something new after the previous seven books.
And (without spoilers) the main characters behavior confused me at times and made it hard to grow attached to them.
The beginning was interesting, but afterwards it lost my interest more and more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Sexual violence

aklovekorn'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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Misogyny