Reviews

My Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas

vickis's review against another edition

4.0

Totally love this book and have re-read it several times. Love the setting (China a century and a half ago and Victorian England), love the characters. So of the plot is a little unbelievable, hence the 4 stars, rather than 5. But still a great story.

liseplease's review against another edition

4.0

Sherry Thomas is my all-time favorite historical romance author.

megatza's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Angst-filled, wuxia inspired, Victorian Era romance. Largely closed door, but achingly romantic.
It's *not* for everyone, and it will likely make you cry. But so beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

beulah_devaney's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

4.25

Such a bizarre cover for such an action-packed book. 

Ying-ying is a Chinese-English woman, born and raised in 19th century China and now coming to England for the first time. Within the first chapter she battles an intruder on a boat, in a lightning storm, and defeats him through a combination of magical martial arts prowess and throwing a door at him. It's a great start to the book and the pace keeps up as Ying-ying is stalked through London by a mysterious man known as The Centipede. Oh, and she also runs into the love of her life, the man she thought was dead but who is very much alive and very much still in love with her.

The romance between Ying-ying and Leighton began 8 years prior in China and it's beautifully built in a series of flashbacks that add even more angst and yearning to the present day. While their relationship is fully front-and-centre, it never interrupts the action and the whole book had a kind of Mulanesq vibe that I didn't know I was craving.

bookfortbuilder's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Sexism, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Colonisation and Murder

Minor: Racism

nononanette's review against another edition

2.0

Like it but not nearly as much as the prequel

andromeda95's review

5.0

Don't expect to sleep until you finish!

Once again Ms. Thomas has produced a beautiful treasure of a romance that will sweep you along, make you cheer, at times make you cry and above all absorb you in an adventure that expands time,distance, and every emotional aspect of loves highs and lows. Simply an amazing story from one of the best authors I've read.

ankonyx's review against another edition

4.0

This was really good and really cute! It was super entertaining to flip back and forth between the past and present, and the fact that a historical romance was not solely focused on England was a godsend and made for such a fun read

cheermio's review against another edition

2.0

While I enjoyed the martial arts and elements of the lead's interactions, on the whole I felt it bogged down in some poor flashback integration, unreal romance, lackluster loyalty, dastardly villains' - plural - cheapness, unspeakable 2 week old baby plot device, etc. I didn't read the first one which may have helped me like them more? But since they never really meet in the first when they're children, I'm assuming, I doubt it.

fainting_couch's review against another edition

I really enjoyed the expansion of the world beyond like the UK and India and the specificity with which it was handled. I love the structure of historical romances and I love the rigidity of society as a dramatic constraint but it means frequently the world of the book is very narrow whereas here we explored so much more and the way that Sherry Thomas detailed the world was wonderful. Loved it. And spies??? Mr and Mrs smith vibes.