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ruthlessreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Bella running away from him repeatedly and refusing to even have a conversation so that they could work all this out was the thing that cinched this up (for me) as just a bad book. It's a shitty plot device and made the book last 200 pages longer than it needed to.
Finally, I've read a lot of queer romance but the flowery asshole talk was absolutely horrible and entirely too much. The only reason I would consider reading the second book is because it's about Peggy (my favorite character of the book, followed by the valet--so that should tell you something about the quality of the main characters) and I believe that Bella will get her comeuppance by the end of it.
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Classism and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent
anniereads221's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Homophobia, and Sexism
breadbees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Classism, Cursing, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Misogyny
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Grief, Blood, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Outing, and Abandonment
pey333's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Sexism
purplepenning's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
The grumpy/sunshine combo is gold. I disagree with reviewers who felt Bonny Mr. Sunshine was overly mean to His Grace Valentine Grumpy Pants, but he was certainly in an unenviable position between his best friend and sister, His Grace, and his own, you know, precarious existence. And while a zero to 100 relationship for a demisexual main character doesn't quite work for me, I also disagree that His Grace was "just fine the way he was, oh em gee, just leave him alone already." He was not quietly content — he was miserably unaware and misguided and headed for further misery. Most of the side characters are great, though the satirized gothic heroine sister is just grating. And the plot is, well, a careening mess that's somewhat too driven by the bullying sexism of the day, anachronistic overcorrections, and aro understandings clashing with gothic dramatics, but mostly it's just a vehicle for fun shenanigans in the countryside. It's all undeniably over the top, British, queer, chaotic, funny, annoying, graphic, and sometimes genuinely touching and lovely.
Graphic: Sexual content and Gun violence
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Cursing, Kidnapping, Bullying, Confinement, and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming, Classism, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Animal death
There are also a couple of key scenes (very sweet) that feature bees, and some brief talk/imaginings of spidersreadingelli's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Death of parent