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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Full disclosure: I received this as a free NetGalley download in return for my review as a librarian.
The premise of this book was what drew me in. I enjoyed the main character, Lucy, and her talent and strong will. Unfortunately, the novel had several stereotypical love scenes that interrupted the flow of the story. I found myself flipping past them to get back to the real mysteries and motivations in the story. All in all, I enjoyed this novel, but if you aren't a fan of love scenes, you'll have to get past them.
It was a very well researched story that dealt with issues from the Victorian era that we still deal with today in some way as women. 3.5/5 stars.
The premise of this book was what drew me in. I enjoyed the main character, Lucy, and her talent and strong will. Unfortunately, the novel had several stereotypical love scenes that interrupted the flow of the story. I found myself flipping past them to get back to the real mysteries and motivations in the story. All in all, I enjoyed this novel, but if you aren't a fan of love scenes, you'll have to get past them.
It was a very well researched story that dealt with issues from the Victorian era that we still deal with today in some way as women. 3.5/5 stars.
The cover is my favorite part of the whole thing. I have not read this author, but I love historical romance and the plot sounded interesting.
I really wanted to DNF this so many times. I kept saying, maybe if I finish this chapter, it'll be better. Reader, it was not. It was also so much longer than it needed to be. There were about 5 subplots, with varying degrees of relevance to the story.
I am not usually one to fault a book for inaccuracies, but I can't abide character inaccuracies. They abound in this book and it was so frustrating. Example... This book is about a woman who finds a naked man (Duke) in an alley, and draws his naked form (for art!). Is this kinda terrible? Yes, but, she leaves a shawl over him, so it's fine. Next, she sells the naked picture (high art!) without his consent. Awful? Yes, buuuut, no one sees it because the Duke gets to it first. It's as if the author has decided to make her characters flawed, and make unlikeable choices, but pulls back from it to save their likeability. Its incredibly frustrating.
Now the Duke. He gets so blindingly blackout drunk he loses his clothes, misses appointments and hides his Breakfast liquor. Is he an alcoholic? No, obvs. You know, war, it's fine. He gets along with animals, children and every drunk at the bar. Somehow he's going to save the heroine's home from being condemned. How? Duke-ness? Honestly, I don't follow. There are a lot of discussions about the planning boards. Like, more than two.
I also want to talk about Kate... She's the heroine's BFF, but consistently dresses as a man. This was an opportunity to have some kind of sapphic, nonbinary or transgender representation, but, again, came to nothing. It's just a fun quirk of her personality.
I really wanted to DNF this so many times. I kept saying, maybe if I finish this chapter, it'll be better. Reader, it was not. It was also so much longer than it needed to be. There were about 5 subplots, with varying degrees of relevance to the story.
I am not usually one to fault a book for inaccuracies, but I can't abide character inaccuracies. They abound in this book and it was so frustrating. Example... This book is about a woman who finds a naked man (Duke) in an alley, and draws his naked form (for art!). Is this kinda terrible? Yes, but, she leaves a shawl over him, so it's fine. Next, she sells the naked picture (high art!) without his consent. Awful? Yes, buuuut, no one sees it because the Duke gets to it first. It's as if the author has decided to make her characters flawed, and make unlikeable choices, but pulls back from it to save their likeability. Its incredibly frustrating.
Now the Duke. He gets so blindingly blackout drunk he loses his clothes, misses appointments and hides his Breakfast liquor. Is he an alcoholic? No, obvs. You know, war, it's fine. He gets along with animals, children and every drunk at the bar. Somehow he's going to save the heroine's home from being condemned. How? Duke-ness? Honestly, I don't follow. There are a lot of discussions about the planning boards. Like, more than two.
I also want to talk about Kate... She's the heroine's BFF, but consistently dresses as a man. This was an opportunity to have some kind of sapphic, nonbinary or transgender representation, but, again, came to nothing. It's just a fun quirk of her personality.
I really liked this book - there were some real stakes and I felt like both characters changed for knowing each other. My one real quibble is that Anthony's alcoholism was fully glossed over at the end, which was disappointing because it was a big part of the story. There was nothing about how he overcame it, although it was hinted that it went away because of the love of a woman (blech).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Anthony Philby, the Duke of Weston, is undone. He is undone by the horrors of war he witnessed. He is undone by the unrealistic expectations heaped on his broad shoulders by his father. He is undone by the pressure to deny every vital part of himself.
But most of all, he is undone by L. Coover.
All Anthony needs to do is hang on by his fingernails. He has Humphreys to help him escape detection, and a secret stash that numbs the pain and anger and memories. But Lucy Coover sneaks under his defenses. She has no regard for his rank. She thinks him a wastrel.
The Duke of Weston is unexpected. He is unexpectedly earnest. Unexpectedly tempting. Unexpectedly wry and unexpectedly vulnerable. Most of all, he is unexpected because Lucy senses that the beauty of his form is only an echo of the beauty of his soul. When she came across his perfectly hewn naked body on the cobblestoned street of Shoreditch, she was entranced. As a female artist she has never had the opportunity to study the nude form – and she wants to accurately portray it. It is an opportunity, And even after she makes sure he is breathing, and covers him with a strategically placed shaw, she cannot forget the impression she made.
Lucy takes a scandalous commission and paints his beauty from memory. Lucy’s scandalous painting could ruin everything Anthony has worked for if it is discovered. He is determined to snatch up every drawing in her possession.
The fireworks between them are undeniable from the very beginning. She makes him laugh and hope for more. He gives her the sense of self she didn’t know she needed. This is an exquisite character driven historical romance that is not afraid to explore the dark depths of the soul, or expose the corrupt underbelly of polite society.
If you love the authors Evie Dunmore, Elizabeth Everett, Joanna Bourne or Laura Kinsale, you will love this book!
But most of all, he is undone by L. Coover.
All Anthony needs to do is hang on by his fingernails. He has Humphreys to help him escape detection, and a secret stash that numbs the pain and anger and memories. But Lucy Coover sneaks under his defenses. She has no regard for his rank. She thinks him a wastrel.
The Duke of Weston is unexpected. He is unexpectedly earnest. Unexpectedly tempting. Unexpectedly wry and unexpectedly vulnerable. Most of all, he is unexpected because Lucy senses that the beauty of his form is only an echo of the beauty of his soul. When she came across his perfectly hewn naked body on the cobblestoned street of Shoreditch, she was entranced. As a female artist she has never had the opportunity to study the nude form – and she wants to accurately portray it. It is an opportunity, And even after she makes sure he is breathing, and covers him with a strategically placed shaw, she cannot forget the impression she made.
Lucy takes a scandalous commission and paints his beauty from memory. Lucy’s scandalous painting could ruin everything Anthony has worked for if it is discovered. He is determined to snatch up every drawing in her possession.
The fireworks between them are undeniable from the very beginning. She makes him laugh and hope for more. He gives her the sense of self she didn’t know she needed. This is an exquisite character driven historical romance that is not afraid to explore the dark depths of the soul, or expose the corrupt underbelly of polite society.
If you love the authors Evie Dunmore, Elizabeth Everett, Joanna Bourne or Laura Kinsale, you will love this book!
✨My Corpse!✨
What a wild Victorian ride with a gothic flare for theatrics. I loved the premise of this novel, as it screamed “draw me like one of your French girls” in big, bold letters. It wasn’t overly light-hearted and the characters weren’t always perfect. There’s also a very well crafted sickly sweet villain. Deliciously terrible.
Anthony was a total Byronic hero with many flaws and much swoon. He struggled with PTSD and alcoholism, and it took a lot for him to earn the trust and heart of Lucy. For me, it was peaks and valleys with him. He had a lot of inner demons to wrestle with and I appreciated the candor, but he let them start to impact Lucy one two many times and it got frustrating.
At times I was like holy shit he’s sex on a stick, deep fried and covered in chocolate and then others I was like good gawd man get. it. TOGETHER. When will you learn that your actions have ᶜᵒⁿˢᵉᵠᵘᵉⁿᶜᵉˢ! Your fantasies will never be ᵩᵤₑₙ
What a wild Victorian ride with a gothic flare for theatrics. I loved the premise of this novel, as it screamed “draw me like one of your French girls” in big, bold letters. It wasn’t overly light-hearted and the characters weren’t always perfect. There’s also a very well crafted sickly sweet villain. Deliciously terrible.
Anthony was a total Byronic hero with many flaws and much swoon. He struggled with PTSD and alcoholism, and it took a lot for him to earn the trust and heart of Lucy. For me, it was peaks and valleys with him. He had a lot of inner demons to wrestle with and I appreciated the candor, but he let them start to impact Lucy one two many times and it got frustrating.
At times I was like holy shit he’s sex on a stick, deep fried and covered in chocolate and then others I was like good gawd man get. it. TOGETHER. When will you learn that your actions have ᶜᵒⁿˢᵉᵠᵘᵉⁿᶜᵉˢ! Your fantasies will never be ᵩᵤₑₙ
Sometimes a book comes along and totally breaks you. This is that book. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was certainly not to be knocked on my ass from the very first lines. The cover makes no sense in relation to the contents of this book. Cover= light and sassy lil novel that will tweak your nose - maybe she paints cute watercolors? This novel= female art prodigy, broken hero, multigenerational alcoholism and mental illness, war, depression. Romancelandia is definitely going through some things when it comes to covers, I hope they figure it out (aka just bring back the damn illustrated clinch covers already it's what we truly want).
Anthony arrived into my ear holes fully formed, even before he uttered his first words or even opened his eyes (MY CORPSE!) I could see and feel and hear this man, it was spooky and bizarre how fully wrought he was and gives me a shiver even as I write this. Lucy was a delight, just the quintessential spunky romance heroine trying and failing to avoid falling in love with the hero. But the true magic was in Joanna Lowell's prose, she is a master craftsman, I found myself wanting to stop and rewind and just listen to the words roll over me again and again, some passages were just pure magic. The audiobook being narrated by Mary Jane Wells helps take this into another pleasure dimension as well. You really get to be inside these two people's minds. Not many romance novels make me cry but I was definitely sobbing at the black moment of this one, oof
The only hiccup came in the finale, which very much switched into 'we're wrapping everything up now' mode - almost fully plot driven and the character development got switched to the back burner. That was a disappointment, because I think if those book was edited a little differently, it could've truly been my favorite read of the year. I loved watching these two goofballs fall in love and I now want to read everything Joanna Lowell has/will ever write.
Anthony arrived into my ear holes fully formed, even before he uttered his first words or even opened his eyes (MY CORPSE!) I could see and feel and hear this man, it was spooky and bizarre how fully wrought he was and gives me a shiver even as I write this. Lucy was a delight, just the quintessential spunky romance heroine trying and failing to avoid falling in love with the hero. But the true magic was in Joanna Lowell's prose, she is a master craftsman, I found myself wanting to stop and rewind and just listen to the words roll over me again and again, some passages were just pure magic. The audiobook being narrated by Mary Jane Wells helps take this into another pleasure dimension as well. You really get to be inside these two people's minds. Not many romance novels make me cry but I was definitely sobbing at the black moment of this one, oof
The only hiccup came in the finale, which very much switched into 'we're wrapping everything up now' mode - almost fully plot driven and the character development got switched to the back burner. That was a disappointment, because I think if those book was edited a little differently, it could've truly been my favorite read of the year. I loved watching these two goofballs fall in love and I now want to read everything Joanna Lowell has/will ever write.
The relationship between the protagonists was perfect. Not exactly enemies but they could match wits to keep each other at bay. I love that kind of banter.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol