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mayenk's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Dry. the sex scenes were so boring that I missed one of them and has to go back. I didn't care about the romance; rather I was more interested in the family drama.
rissahoo's review
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.0
I’m not going back to double-check, but I don’t think there was any dialog at all in the first chapter - it was mainly a detailed description of the grounds around the house, and a little bit about the family. I actually enjoyed that quite a bit, but I read the unabridged version of Moby Dick, too. Lots of exposition, lots of introspection, surprisingly little story. As a romance novel, I would call it unconventional but solid.
am_59942's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elspethm's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed Balogh's "Slightly.." series so I was looking forward to reading this book to see if I would like it as well. I enjoyed the characters, but the pacing of the book was a bit odd. There was "insta-love", as they call it, between Gwyneth and Devlin, then his father screws up and Devlin is banished from the family. Six years later he comes back as the Earl and has to deal with the fallout of his and his father's actions and what has become of his family. Ultimately there was a HEA, but it wasn't as well described or plotted out or handled as I felt like the "Slightly..." series was. It was more about the word versus the feeling of "love" and also dealing with PTSD from war as well as the family drama. I'm not as compelled to complete the series as I was with the previous one I read, but I did enjoy a lot of the characters and if I find the time might check out what happens with Ben, in particular and maybe Stephanie and Pippa.
I read this as an ARC on NetGalley and am providing an honest review.
I read this as an ARC on NetGalley and am providing an honest review.
hellodiana's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
3.5
booksalacarte's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The handsome and charismatic earl was exposed for his secret affairs— by his own son.
Devin public ally called his family to account and was exiled. After enlisting to fight against Napoleon, he returns home after his father’s death. With the help of Gwyneth, the women he loved and left when he was banished by his family, he tries to piece together his broken family.
This was very obviously the first book in a series involving each of the children of the Ravenswood estate. The first 10 pages explained each of the 6 children as well as what the manor looked like (in GREAT detail.) My preference is to jump straight into the action of a book, so it was a slow start for me. I thought that one of the main characters, Devin, felt a little “meh”, searching for validation of his actions in every conversation he has, making the self-righteous anger he had when he exposed his father’s affairs seem really out of character, not like character growth. I wish the angst between Devlin and Gwyneth would have been drawn out just a little bit more… deliciously. But all in all, it was a nice, easy read. I think the following books in this series will be played out nicely!
notesfromthebookdrop's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
ceng1018's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Lovely simple story. Hard truths spoken about life and love.