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ivegotyourpaperback's review against another edition
3.75
I quite enjoyed this story, mostly due to the hero, Alexander. While he could play the part of the brash and crass Duke, this seemed to mostly be a mask that he put on for society, hiding his sweet and adoring nature beneath. He was an emotionally complex character whose POV I loved being in.
Our heroine, Kitty, seemed to fall a bit flat in comparison. She didn’t feel as fully fleshed out. I would have liked a heroine who would have challenged him a bit more rather than the Little Miss Prim & Proper.
And then came the narrator. Good god, I could barely stand her. I almost DNF’d the audiobook at 4% because of her strange over-pronunciation of words (I wouldn’t be surprised if she was an American putting on a British accent) and the melodramatic performance of the text which constantly brought me out of the story.
But I forced myself to keep going through her weird breathless tone, the sound akin to someone trying, unsuccessfully, to whistle but only able to blow air out of their mouth. The only character whose voice I enjoyed was the minor Russian side character
Content warnings:
⚠️implication of SA
⚠️physical impairment due to injury
⚠️mention of impotence
⚠️mention of past drug addiction
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Infertility
Minor: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
eckajay's review
1.0
Bruh! I think I’m gonna start writing romance novels because it seems like any hack can have a go and be published.
First off, no one wants to hear someone complaining about how poor and low off they are when they have servants.
None of the characters were believable.
The relationship between the duke and the plain (and yet somehow beautiful all at once) lady is completely contrived.
You know the writing is terrible when you can skip a few pages and you can gather what’s going on. This was mostly because the author repeated the same thoughts of the character over and over. It’s no longer turmoil at that point it’s insanity.
One final thought... you know, as an author, you can write dialogue without the description? For instance, “You’re a terrible rake Duke of Whatever.” No need to include “she spat at him with a scowl”. The reader can project that she is insulting him and the rest is redundant.
There is no need to breakdown the huge plot holes and character contradictions because it would take up too much of my time and I’ve already spent enough of it reading this “novel”.
One other thing, it took over 200 pages to get to the “romance”. Honestly anyone reading it for anything more than that is a lunatic.
What I’m trying to say ultimately is as women writing soft core/romance we’ve got to do better.
(Yes I finished the book. No I will not read the rest of the series.)
First off, no one wants to hear someone complaining about how poor and low off they are when they have servants.
None of the characters were believable.
The relationship between the duke and the plain (and yet somehow beautiful all at once) lady is completely contrived.
You know the writing is terrible when you can skip a few pages and you can gather what’s going on. This was mostly because the author repeated the same thoughts of the character over and over. It’s no longer turmoil at that point it’s insanity.
One final thought... you know, as an author, you can write dialogue without the description? For instance, “You’re a terrible rake Duke of Whatever.” No need to include “she spat at him with a scowl”. The reader can project that she is insulting him and the rest is redundant.
There is no need to breakdown the huge plot holes and character contradictions because it would take up too much of my time and I’ve already spent enough of it reading this “novel”.
One other thing, it took over 200 pages to get to the “romance”. Honestly anyone reading it for anything more than that is a lunatic.
What I’m trying to say ultimately is as women writing soft core/romance we’ve got to do better.
(Yes I finished the book. No I will not read the rest of the series.)
avsreads13's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
lifeand100books's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. The angst I felt during the last several chapters was INTENSE. What a beautiful story.
speakmorehoe's review
2.0
2.5
nothing was wrong with the book per se but it struggled to hold my attention, towards the end i was skimming a little.
not a bad book, no but not a great book either.
nothing was wrong with the book per se but it struggled to hold my attention, towards the end i was skimming a little.
not a bad book, no but not a great book either.
bookishmya's review
5.0
I listened to this beautiful story in audiobook for a Bookclub. I may not have read it otherwise due to my schedule. It would have been an absolute shame to have missed this story. I absolutely loved it. It is a beautiful blend of anguish, despair and passionate love. It is easy to see why Alexander is closed off, having been injured and struggling to walk for the past 7 years, it would be easy to fall captive to despair. Kitty’s boldness in declaring her engagement to a man she’s never met was an audacious starting point and I thrilled in every progression of their alliance. The side characters made for delightful side story. The supportive and helpful friends, their wonderfully supportive families and even the endearing staff (caring for Alexander as family) were a wonderful new element to the story. Some of my favorite quotes were all side characters. The truest element of beauty though was in the intimacy between Kitty and Alexander. There was so much fear, nervousness and desire to make each scene more endearing while still providing the spice of a romance novel. The representation of disability being handled in a realistic manner was wonderfully touching. Understanding that there are no miracles, but work and acceptance of limitations. I truly could not have loved this story more!
mmardybum's review
accidental reread, i would say. (i dont think this is the first time its happened to me, which makes it even funnier.)
i had no memory of reading this book, and goodreads said i havent, and my kobo said i havent, but with every scene, i was like, dude, youve read this book before. and then i ran into a highlight from past me, and it confirmed i wasnt going insane, and i have indeed read this before. phew.
dont remember what i thought the first time around, but now i was a bit bored, to be honest. sad to say.
i had no memory of reading this book, and goodreads said i havent, and my kobo said i havent, but with every scene, i was like, dude, youve read this book before. and then i ran into a highlight from past me, and it confirmed i wasnt going insane, and i have indeed read this before. phew.
dont remember what i thought the first time around, but now i was a bit bored, to be honest. sad to say.
nellesnightstand1's review
5.0
This was a great start to a series about Wallflowers who are tired of depending on men for their future and make plans to be "wicked".
Kitty Danvers is such a courageous woman! I couldn't resist reading about how she fake engages herself to a reclusive duke.
Definite Beauty & the Beast vibes but Alexander was no beast. God, that man was so lonely! I loved how he handled the situation.
I loved them together! Such a delightfully done story! Can't wait to read about the others!
Kitty Danvers is such a courageous woman! I couldn't resist reading about how she fake engages herself to a reclusive duke.
Definite Beauty & the Beast vibes but Alexander was no beast. God, that man was so lonely! I loved how he handled the situation.
I loved them together! Such a delightfully done story! Can't wait to read about the others!