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dododenise's review
Valentine is made to feel bad because he doesn’t see the point in marriage and is doing it for societal reasons, and is open about that. Reading his perspective just implied to me that he might be aro and neurodivergent. And it made me feel bad seeing him treated that way.
I was hoping the book would be on his side on this, but other reviews have said that the other characters keep treating him badly so I’m not doing this to myself any longer.
I was hoping the book would be on his side on this, but other reviews have said that the other characters keep treating him badly so I’m not doing this to myself any longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
jjjreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Death of parent, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Infidelity
ohheyitskaitlin's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Gun violence and Gaslighting
Minor: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Blood, Violence, Confinement, and Misogyny
maregred's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The Tarleton twins are insufferable and humorless and Catherine Moreland would NEVER.
Also I just felt bad for Valentine the whole time. He was victim blamed for getting shot, and for breaking a chair he was tied up in… that poor dude deserved so much better.
Also I just felt bad for Valentine the whole time. He was victim blamed for getting shot, and for breaking a chair he was tied up in… that poor dude deserved so much better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Confinement
Moderate: Kidnapping, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, and Gun violence
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
As a farce, this was ridiculously funny and camp and over the top. As a romance... it just wasn't quite there for me. Valentine was an idiot one too many times and the twins verged on too mean one too many times as well (especially Arabella). If both of those aspects were pared back just a touch then I think I'd have loved this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
violet_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
I liked Valentine but I didn't care for the other characters. Valentine read as ace or demi-ace whether the author intended that or not. And it felt awful to read characters constantly asking what was wrong with him when he just didn't have any romantic feelings for people he hasn't seen since his childhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
purplepenning's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
When Alexis Hall describes his book as "a big gay regency romp about a overly dramatic beautiful rainbow sunshine unicorn + a overly dramatic demisexual grumpy duke, going on a cross-country chase" and adds that the unofficial subtitle is "Dude, Where's My Curricle?" and it's the "campiest and silliest and most fun thing" he's ever written — believe him.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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 spidersanxiousnachos's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
This book is the most camp, melodramatic, over the top, utterly nonsensical book I’ve ever read and I fucking loved every single minute of it. It is an absolute delight and was exactly what my struggling brain needed. I laughed so so much, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed aloud so much at a book. Wonderful depiction of a demisexual achillean man falling in love, so much banter, so much delightful regency hilarity, it’s sexy, I loved the romance, I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
I know other readers disagree with me and feel Valentine was picked on by the twins too much and had too little power, but I feel the power struggle was well balanced for Valentine’s position as a Duke (and a man) versus his naivety about life. And this is meant to be a melodrama: it’s supposed to be over the top and dramatic. The character’s actions made perfect sense to me. I also wonder if it’s a culture thing? Bonny / Valentine’s relationship was very full of banter and bickering, but it’s something I’ve often had non-British people question about my relationship, ask why we’re fighting when nothing could be further from the truth. So perhaps there’s an element of misunderstanding that kind of humour between them also?
Anyway all this to say, I loved this, I thought it was hilarious and over the top and melodramatic and wonderful.
Content warnings: gun violence, arranged marriage (attempt), internalised homophobia and acephobia, graphic sex, death of parents (past), confinement
I know other readers disagree with me and feel Valentine was picked on by the twins too much and had too little power, but I feel the power struggle was well balanced for Valentine’s position as a Duke (and a man) versus his naivety about life. And this is meant to be a melodrama: it’s supposed to be over the top and dramatic. The character’s actions made perfect sense to me. I also wonder if it’s a culture thing? Bonny / Valentine’s relationship was very full of banter and bickering, but it’s something I’ve often had non-British people question about my relationship, ask why we’re fighting when nothing could be further from the truth. So perhaps there’s an element of misunderstanding that kind of humour between them also?
Anyway all this to say, I loved this, I thought it was hilarious and over the top and melodramatic and wonderful.
Content warnings: gun violence, arranged marriage (attempt), internalised homophobia and acephobia, graphic sex, death of parents (past), confinement
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Confinement, Gun violence, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Death of parent
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I aspire to be as funny as Alexis Hall. Which is probably part of why this felt like a loving parody of historical romance with favorite tropes stripped of their gravitas and smolder to leave only the slightly ridiculous. Prepare for awkward encounters, social missteps, and perilous situations like an incompetent duel and a hostage scenario.
Part of my excitement for this release (in addition to the obvious Alexis Hall factor) was the demi representation in Valentine. While I think seeing his experience included in the genre is inherently valuable, I did end up with complicated feelings towards his characterization. I love the sunshine/grump trope, but ace curmudgeons are becoming tiresome to me, even though I might be a bit of one myself. Valentine not only comes to terms with his sexuality on page but also must address his general inability to empathize or have patience with others' points of view. While I think this is more an area of growth for him due to the way he was raised and the immense, unquestioned power he holds as a duke, I am frustrated with how some of these qualities seem to be conflated with being ace in fiction or general social perception. I don't appreciate the feeling that my sexuality is anticipated to come hand-in-hand with general social uncomfortability or a struggle to make emotional connections of any stripe. It didn't feel pointed here but more like a symptom of a larger unfortunate pattern or even an unhappy coincidence. To shift from that broader critique, I did personally struggle with seeing Valentine's feelings of being unloveable as a result of his demi identity. He worries about being too odd even for the queer community he is just coming to learn exists. There's nothing wrong with it; tis but a flesh wound for this reviewer.
In terms of the romance, the banter was predictably 10/10, especially in conjunction with Valentine's very confused thoughts about what is going on re: flirting, innuendo, and social subtext. It's decidedly less amusing when he is harmful to other people due to the toxic concoction of his ignorance and sense of inherent, expected authority that perhaps only a duke can so completely personify. The emotional connection grows to be something sweet and pleasant in the latter half of the book, and the rejection of social expectations in favor of personal happiness was very satisfying to behold.
Thanks to Montlake for my copy to read and review!
Part of my excitement for this release (in addition to the obvious Alexis Hall factor) was the demi representation in Valentine. While I think seeing his experience included in the genre is inherently valuable, I did end up with complicated feelings towards his characterization. I love the sunshine/grump trope, but ace curmudgeons are becoming tiresome to me, even though I might be a bit of one myself. Valentine not only comes to terms with his sexuality on page but also must address his general inability to empathize or have patience with others' points of view. While I think this is more an area of growth for him due to the way he was raised and the immense, unquestioned power he holds as a duke, I am frustrated with how some of these qualities seem to be conflated with being ace in fiction or general social perception. I don't appreciate the feeling that my sexuality is anticipated to come hand-in-hand with general social uncomfortability or a struggle to make emotional connections of any stripe. It didn't feel pointed here but more like a symptom of a larger unfortunate pattern or even an unhappy coincidence. To shift from that broader critique, I did personally struggle with seeing Valentine's feelings of being unloveable as a result of his demi identity. He worries about being too odd even for the queer community he is just coming to learn exists. There's nothing wrong with it; tis but a flesh wound for this reviewer.
In terms of the romance, the banter was predictably 10/10, especially in conjunction with Valentine's very confused thoughts about what is going on re: flirting, innuendo, and social subtext. It's decidedly less amusing when he is harmful to other people due to the toxic concoction of his ignorance and sense of inherent, expected authority that perhaps only a duke can so completely personify. The emotional connection grows to be something sweet and pleasant in the latter half of the book, and the rejection of social expectations in favor of personal happiness was very satisfying to behold.
Thanks to Montlake for my copy to read and review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Classism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Gun violence
nickoliver's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was absolutely delightful! I'm stil not entirely sure what to make of the age gap (they were 28 and 20 respectfully and had grown up together, which made it a bit uncomfortable for me at times), and especially Belle got on my nerves sometimes, but it was so funny I actually laughed out loud sometimes (during lunch at work, to my mortification). I wasn't aware when I started the book that Valentine, the main character, was demisexual, but it made my heart warm. The fact that he was a virgin who didn't even know that men could be attracted to men gave the story an interesting twist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Death of parent