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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this, I really did. A lot of it was entertaining, but it became really difficult to fully enjoy.
I thought it was a good length, and the writing was decent enough. I did become attached to the characters, and I did want to know what happened next. It was suitably steamy. I might have given this a three or four star rating if not for the things that I didn't enjoy.
As for those less enjoyable aspects, I will admit first and foremost that the more rape-y aspects put me off. A lot. It's hard to enjoy the sex scenes when she's all but physically fighting him off. Even the secondary plot was guilty of kidnap instead of conversation. Moments like these took me out of the book, and it took time to get back into it after. As much as I did enjoy the overall plot, I feel like parts of it got to be a bit empty, like there should have been more meat in places. I found myself losing interest in anything from the story to the sex as the book progressed.
There were things to like about this book, and the parts that I enjoyed were things I enjoyed a lot. But the things I didn't enjoy either pulled me out of the story altogether, or had me wishing it would just move along. I previously enjoyed Sylvia Day's works more than this, and I'm disappointed that this one didn't exactly knock my socks off.
I thought it was a good length, and the writing was decent enough. I did become attached to the characters, and I did want to know what happened next. It was suitably steamy. I might have given this a three or four star rating if not for the things that I didn't enjoy.
As for those less enjoyable aspects, I will admit first and foremost that the more rape-y aspects put me off. A lot. It's hard to enjoy the sex scenes when she's all but physically fighting him off. Even the secondary plot was guilty of kidnap instead of conversation. Moments like these took me out of the book, and it took time to get back into it after. As much as I did enjoy the overall plot, I feel like parts of it got to be a bit empty, like there should have been more meat in places. I found myself losing interest in anything from the story to the sex as the book progressed.
There were things to like about this book, and the parts that I enjoyed were things I enjoyed a lot. But the things I didn't enjoy either pulled me out of the story altogether, or had me wishing it would just move along. I previously enjoyed Sylvia Day's works more than this, and I'm disappointed that this one didn't exactly knock my socks off.
3.5/5 stars
"Time is precious I've learned. I see no point in squandering it when directness works so well." - Grayson
"I've found people tend to take for granted the things they see every day. But just because one fails to see something, does not mean it isn't there." - Grayson
Yes, falling out of love was a dreadful experience, but falling into it wasn't so bad.
"Why in the world would a man marry a woman who drives him insane if not for love?" - Rhys
"Please do not speak in riddles, Bella. I am a man. I lack comprehension of the female language." - Rhys
"I cannot imagine a woman finding anything more romantic than a family." - Rhys
Theirs was a union made for all the wrong reasons, but in the end, it was one that could not have been more right.
"Time is precious I've learned. I see no point in squandering it when directness works so well." - Grayson
"I've found people tend to take for granted the things they see every day. But just because one fails to see something, does not mean it isn't there." - Grayson
Yes, falling out of love was a dreadful experience, but falling into it wasn't so bad.
"Why in the world would a man marry a woman who drives him insane if not for love?" - Rhys
"Please do not speak in riddles, Bella. I am a man. I lack comprehension of the female language." - Rhys
"I cannot imagine a woman finding anything more romantic than a family." - Rhys
Theirs was a union made for all the wrong reasons, but in the end, it was one that could not have been more right.
3.5 stars
I'm on the fence a bit with this one.
though i did like the whole conquering your wife thing, im such a sucker for when the couple gets married first!
and grey was sexual and beyond idk about the story though wasn't as grabbing as i thought it would be.
i also really enjoyed the story with Isabel's brother Rhys and Abigail almost more than the central story!!! i wish they got their own book it was truly entertaining.
I'm on the fence a bit with this one.
though i did like the whole conquering your wife thing, im such a sucker for when the couple gets married first!
and grey was sexual and beyond idk about the story though wasn't as grabbing as i thought it would be.
i also really enjoyed the story with Isabel's brother Rhys and Abigail almost more than the central story!!! i wish they got their own book it was truly entertaining.
The pride and prejudice-likeness is there and I like the erotic parts - the thread through the story however is somewhat lost to me. I got no feel for what goal it strived towards and it ended as strange as it begun.
I LOVE historical romances because they mostly are slow burns. There’s a lot of spice in this story but it’s Sylvia Day
Sylvia Day is ridiculously easy to read. She has a superb sense of flow between character interactions, between scenes, and between points of view. There's never really a good stopping point, you just want to keep reading. A lull is hard to find.
I chuckled a couple of times while reading The Stranger I Married. Pel, Lady Grayson, was both witty, intelligent and somewhat brave. Her interactions with Gray are steamy and smart. Both were well thought out characters. I just didn't really happen to like them very much and for me their romance paled just a bit in comparison with the very small sub-romance of Trenton and Abby. I would have loved a whole book of those just those two -- they were seemingly more worthy of the page.
It was quick read, somewhat enjoyable (mostly because I didn't dig the beginning of their relationship, it's a bit...sticky) loaded with tons of steam. A nice piece of escapism.
I chuckled a couple of times while reading The Stranger I Married. Pel, Lady Grayson, was both witty, intelligent and somewhat brave. Her interactions with Gray are steamy and smart. Both were well thought out characters. I just didn't really happen to like them very much and for me their romance paled just a bit in comparison with the very small sub-romance of Trenton and Abby. I would have loved a whole book of those just those two -- they were seemingly more worthy of the page.
It was quick read, somewhat enjoyable (mostly because I didn't dig the beginning of their relationship, it's a bit...sticky) loaded with tons of steam. A nice piece of escapism.
lighthearted
medium-paced
I found this to be a bit too slow and I was bored for several parts of it. I didn't love the characters or their instalove . I just didn't connect with this book at all. Still, it wasn't bad to the point that I couldn't finish, so that's saying something, I guess.
Spoiler
(I'm looking at you, Rhys and Abby)
A disappointment really. I just did not get this story at all. There’s no connection between the H and h. They’re just having sex for about 90% of the book, another 5% thinking of their past (or being in the company of their lovers) and the remaining 5% is about a side couple (again having sex). This book is pretty much a porno. Start to finish, just sex. Like if I skipped paras blindly I would still end up on them having sex.
For a second I was beginning to question if I’ve lost interest in reading altogether or if the book just lacks the essential elements required to capture my interest. I mean, there’s nothing remotely worth remembering about this book. I’d actually dropped it at 19% long before but picked it up again as I was having a reading marathon, which now I’m positive was a bad decision. I put aside my assignments (my fault I know) for this and wasn’t even left satisfied or happy. I mean it covers a lot of things but it doesn’t go into them. Like just why did the H have to leave for four years. Why didn’t he reply to the h’s missives? Yes, these things are answered but it’s so surface level. It didn’t foster any feelings in me towards the characters. And what of the H’s brother? The purpose for having him stay in their house? Was it fulfilled? Like there are small things that aren’t answered the way I wanted and it’s a bit frustrating. And no epilogue.
The only reason I gave it a three is because I liked Isabel’s hair colour (red, mahogany). And her overall description. I had a wicked time visualising her because she’s not the typical slim mediocre blonde or brunette or redhead. I guess I liked the unconventionality of her conventional beauty.
For a second I was beginning to question if I’ve lost interest in reading altogether or if the book just lacks the essential elements required to capture my interest. I mean, there’s nothing remotely worth remembering about this book. I’d actually dropped it at 19% long before but picked it up again as I was having a reading marathon, which now I’m positive was a bad decision. I put aside my assignments (my fault I know) for this and wasn’t even left satisfied or happy. I mean it covers a lot of things but it doesn’t go into them. Like just why did the H have to leave for four years. Why didn’t he reply to the h’s missives? Yes, these things are answered but it’s so surface level. It didn’t foster any feelings in me towards the characters. And what of the H’s brother? The purpose for having him stay in their house? Was it fulfilled? Like there are small things that aren’t answered the way I wanted and it’s a bit frustrating. And no epilogue.
The only reason I gave it a three is because I liked Isabel’s hair colour (red, mahogany). And her overall description. I had a wicked time visualising her because she’s not the typical slim mediocre blonde or brunette or redhead. I guess I liked the unconventionality of her conventional beauty.