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sabree's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
planetarypan's review
3.0
I think the writing is fine, but I don't like all these wide-eyed, innocent females. I want a novel about Angelique!
squishies's review
2.0
I feel like you have to be in the mood for indecisive protagonists to enjoy this book (was a bit surprised I wasn't, but could be because it's been a while since I've read a regency trashy romance).
Arabella flip flopped quite often, almost as often as flipping a page - one page she says she can't tell Pembroke something, then on another she does. It could have been quite infuriating.
Perhaps it was saved by Pembroke's former mistress, Titania, and Angelique. I found them quite enjoyable to read and their camaraderie rather lovely.
I didn't realise it was a retelling of A Midsummer's Night Dream. Even knowing that now, I don't really see the similarities? Feeling kinda dumb.
Pretty interested in what's happening with Angelique.
Arabella flip flopped quite often, almost as often as flipping a page - one page she says she can't tell Pembroke something, then on another she does. It could have been quite infuriating.
Perhaps it was saved by Pembroke's former mistress, Titania, and Angelique. I found them quite enjoyable to read and their camaraderie rather lovely.
I didn't realise it was a retelling of A Midsummer's Night Dream. Even knowing that now, I don't really see the similarities? Feeling kinda dumb.
Pretty interested in what's happening with Angelique.
i_hype_romance's review
3.0
This book provided a diversion when I needed one. However, not one of my favorites. The villian seemed a little too contrived and sprung from aether. The heroine was a little too helpless, and while it seems the author was insinuating that her reticence was the result of her terrible childhood, I just found it irritating. I thought Raymond's character was the most fully developed, and even his transformation from rake to rescuer wasn't very thorough. This book was mostly gloss, with very little depth.
doorasbookshelf's review
5.0
A sweet lovestory about two former lovers finding together again after years apart.
We follow the protagonist, Arabella Darlington - Duchess of Hawthorne, newly widowed and wanting to escape London after a not-so-nice experience with her late husbands nephew.
What I liked:
The romance
A sweet lovestory between our protagonists Arabella and Raymond. Even if they've spend the last 10 years apart, they still remember each others quirks from before then. Also a very well written romance. I could really feel the chemistry between the two of them.
The friendships
I really liked how both Raymond's friend and Arabella's best friend came together in support.
The build-up
I really liked how Christy English kept the suspense of where Arabella would end up, through the book.
We follow the protagonist, Arabella Darlington - Duchess of Hawthorne, newly widowed and wanting to escape London after a not-so-nice experience with her late husbands nephew.
What I liked:
The romance
A sweet lovestory between our protagonists Arabella and Raymond. Even if they've spend the last 10 years apart, they still remember each others quirks from before then. Also a very well written romance. I could really feel the chemistry between the two of them.
The friendships
I really liked how both Raymond's friend and Arabella's best friend came together in support.
The build-up
I really liked how Christy English kept the suspense of where Arabella would end up, through the book.
piepieb's review
3.0
I loved the character of Arabella ... she was a very good, very strong, intelligent heroine. I liked Raymond Olivier, the Earl of Pembroke, as well, except for the fact that he tried to forget his childhood love with Arabella by whoring with other women. How can you do that??
Both Raymond and Arabella brought a lot of emotional baggage with them from their pasts to a potential relationship, and yet Raymond fell in love with Arabella once again - actually, he had never stopped loving her - and protected her from a deadly and dangerous suitor. He was a great protector for Arabella, and these two hearts fit perfectly together.
The beginning and middle of this book I felt were both written very strongly, but I felt like the ending - though it had its good points - was slightly weak and tapered off. At least Raymond and Arabella received a very happy, very passionate ending :)
Both Raymond and Arabella brought a lot of emotional baggage with them from their pasts to a potential relationship, and yet Raymond fell in love with Arabella once again - actually, he had never stopped loving her - and protected her from a deadly and dangerous suitor. He was a great protector for Arabella, and these two hearts fit perfectly together.
The beginning and middle of this book I felt were both written very strongly, but I felt like the ending - though it had its good points - was slightly weak and tapered off. At least Raymond and Arabella received a very happy, very passionate ending :)
perusewithcoffee's review
3.0
(3.5 stars) the first half of this was dreadfully boring and while I did enjoy the second half and seeing the couple finally get together, this was a whole lot of build up to some dramatic event that never really occurred until the last few pages and even that wasn’t much of a payoff. I do have high hopes for other books I read from this author however.
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