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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I’d love to know why the plot line to this book was so messy and convoluted. I have been known to read some intensive legal documents and I was very much struggling to comprehend what was happening most the time. Truly unfortunate because I love me a good British historical romance. Tons of potential that was unfortunately squandered away.
Really enjoyed this historical romance and its reference to art history. I read mostly contemporary romance, but am starting to see the appeal of the class-conscious English romances.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Here we find Victorian London in all its darkness. The plot is dramatic, but not in a sensational way that leans on penny dreadful ambience and girls with no agency. The author's note at the end confirmed my suspicion that this was a meticulously researched endeavor with an eye on showing us a fictional lived experience, bursting with dimension and detail. This is about living under the heel of a repressive, government with a corrupt social structure marginalizing all but a few, lucky at birth. Xenophobia, imperialistic war-mongering, asylums as means of controlling women, and corruption of all stripes play a role in the story. But it's also about art and romance, some of my favorite topics aside from social critique.
Lucy is an artist with an eye for beauty, and that includes the nude man she stumbles over on her way to class one day. She's an unusual heroine in the best way: ambitious without being power-hungry, of lower class background with a higher class of art training. She's plucky and proud, keen on her artistic calling. I'm also obsessed with her best friend/critic, Kate, who dresses in men's clothes and lives with verve. The feminism is intersectional and nuanced in the story rather than peddling an easy girl power message.
In terms of romance, we have an amusing beginning when Lucy's nude man turns out to be Anthony, Duke of Weston. Class difference is a real hindrance in their relationship, but it doesn't result in an uncomfortable power imbalance in their dynamic. Love doesn't fix the other problems in their lives in unrealistic ways, and there are many problems between the two of them. Corruption is paving the way for the eviction and demolition of Lucy's neighborhood while she struggles against sexism and classism in the art establishment, and Anthony is hemmed in by his late father's will and his own wartime PTSD as he searches for his missing sister. There's intriguing family drama with a keen emotional edge. The romantic plot is intentionally messy and I respect that stance, but it did make for a choppy pace in terms of how they grow as a couple. I wasn't as invested emotionally in that part of the story as I was in the other strands of plot, which had more even pacing and featured clear character growth.
Finally, a major trigger warning for this story is substance abuse, specifically alcoholism. As someone who isn't an ownvoices reviewer, I can't claim whether it was handled well or not. On the one hand, I think it's wise not to close out that plot as if substance abuse can simply be ended as we cue the happily ever after. However, for such a weighty topic, I felt more like that plot fizzled out when the time was right for the romantic arc rather than because of Anthony's particular, personal journey to confront that within himself. It was especially strange to see it so unconvincingly resolved when it was the source of major tension between the characters, Lucy's father having experienced similar struggles before his death.
In all, I appreciated the depth and breadth of this story. The historical setting is vivid, the social commentary biting. I became very attached to the characters and world, even if not all the emotional points hit the mark for me. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Lucy is an artist with an eye for beauty, and that includes the nude man she stumbles over on her way to class one day. She's an unusual heroine in the best way: ambitious without being power-hungry, of lower class background with a higher class of art training. She's plucky and proud, keen on her artistic calling. I'm also obsessed with her best friend/critic, Kate, who dresses in men's clothes and lives with verve. The feminism is intersectional and nuanced in the story rather than peddling an easy girl power message.
In terms of romance, we have an amusing beginning when Lucy's nude man turns out to be Anthony, Duke of Weston. Class difference is a real hindrance in their relationship, but it doesn't result in an uncomfortable power imbalance in their dynamic. Love doesn't fix the other problems in their lives in unrealistic ways, and there are many problems between the two of them. Corruption is paving the way for the eviction and demolition of Lucy's neighborhood while she struggles against sexism and classism in the art establishment, and Anthony is hemmed in by his late father's will and his own wartime PTSD as he searches for his missing sister. There's intriguing family drama with a keen emotional edge. The romantic plot is intentionally messy and I respect that stance, but it did make for a choppy pace in terms of how they grow as a couple. I wasn't as invested emotionally in that part of the story as I was in the other strands of plot, which had more even pacing and featured clear character growth.
Finally, a major trigger warning for this story is substance abuse, specifically alcoholism. As someone who isn't an ownvoices reviewer, I can't claim whether it was handled well or not. On the one hand, I think it's wise not to close out that plot as if substance abuse can simply be ended as we cue the happily ever after. However, for such a weighty topic, I felt more like that plot fizzled out when the time was right for the romantic arc rather than because of Anthony's particular, personal journey to confront that within himself. It was especially strange to see it so unconvincingly resolved when it was the source of major tension between the characters, Lucy's father having experienced similar struggles before his death.
In all, I appreciated the depth and breadth of this story. The historical setting is vivid, the social commentary biting. I became very attached to the characters and world, even if not all the emotional points hit the mark for me. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Animal death, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Great storyline, felt the beginning drug on a bit with build up but the finish made up for the slow start.
I MEAN, C’MON, SHE PAINTS A GORGEOUS NUDE PORTRAIT OF HIM BEFORE SHE EVEN KNOWS HIM AND THEN INSPIRES HIM TO BE A BETTER MAN
Beautiful prose, but a meandering and muddy story that felt distracted at times. The book tries to tackle way too many things, and there are so many separate threads that the author had to account for that the story overall wandered too far away from the actual romance of the characters. By the book's end, I felt unconvinced of their relationship beyond mutual physical attraction.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
DNF at 35%
I was really excited about this book, it was on my highly anticipated reads of 2021. The intro drew me in and had me hooked, I won't deny that. But after that intro this book felt like it screeched to a halt and went from a run to a walk. There's this weird instant attraction that takes place early on where the characters start making out after yelling at each other, and it didn't feel like there was enough of a build up for those two to start kissing in public (especially in those times and when both of their situations relied so heavily on discretion). Unfortunately I couldn't get invested in this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Lowell, and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited about this book, it was on my highly anticipated reads of 2021. The intro drew me in and had me hooked, I won't deny that. But after that intro this book felt like it screeched to a halt and went from a run to a walk. There's this weird instant attraction that takes place early on where the characters start making out after yelling at each other, and it didn't feel like there was enough of a build up for those two to start kissing in public (especially in those times and when both of their situations relied so heavily on discretion). Unfortunately I couldn't get invested in this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, Lowell, and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lucy Coover, a painting student at the Royal Academy in London, was taking her usual path to the Academy through alleyways when she stumbles across a naked man.
Startled and concerned, she makes sure the man is alive before covering him up and rushing to class.
Lucy is unable to get the image of the naked man out of her mind, so she paints him.
She assumes that the naked man would never see the painting, but he did see it.
Anthony Philby is the Duke of Weston only in name.
After numerous familial scandals, his father added provisions to his will that essentially makes him a dependent finically and legally to a trustee until his 30th birthday.
Anthony has to live a scandal-free life until then, but when he discovers that there's a naked painting of himself in London, his financial freedom is at risk.
He decides to finds the painter and see if there's any other paintings.
When Anthony meets Lucy, they both feels an undeniable attraction towards each other and ultimately they decide to use each other to achieve their goals.
---------------------------------------------------
I don't know how I should feel about this book?
There were parts I enjoyed; the beginning was great but than it slowed it the middle and got stuck delving into the specifics of Anthony's side plot and only went back to the romance aspect of the novel in the last 90 pages.
Which is kinda problematic for a romance novel.
There was basically two side plots that were ongoing, outside of the main one of the quid pro quo situation Lucy and Anthony were in(Lucy finds his sister, and Anthony will prevent her family from getting evicted).
Everything kind of halted in the middle though, and the book just focused in on Anthony's past and current issues. Sure, his side plot was definitely interesting but it kinda just took over and there was barely any romance between the two of them until the last 90 pages.
But it honestly felt one-sided?
The only things Lucy shared with Anthony was her ambition and the fact she had an alcoholic dad.
Lucy had other things she was thinking about during the book, issues she had with her friends, about her fears of being in a relationship and her worry for her artistic career.
There really weren't any instant intext where she shared those things with him, but there were plenty of times were he shared his past.
I read some other reviews that this novel is difficult to put this in a group because at times it's more of a mystery and sometimes a light romance but it struggled to do both at the same time.
I absolutely adored the fact that Anthony was neurodivergent and appreciated how even though his dyslexia influenced him but wasn't his main struggle.
It's not a bad book but it could've been better.
Startled and concerned, she makes sure the man is alive before covering him up and rushing to class.
Lucy is unable to get the image of the naked man out of her mind, so she paints him.
She assumes that the naked man would never see the painting, but he did see it.
Anthony Philby is the Duke of Weston only in name.
After numerous familial scandals, his father added provisions to his will that essentially makes him a dependent finically and legally to a trustee until his 30th birthday.
Anthony has to live a scandal-free life until then, but when he discovers that there's a naked painting of himself in London, his financial freedom is at risk.
He decides to finds the painter and see if there's any other paintings.
When Anthony meets Lucy, they both feels an undeniable attraction towards each other and ultimately they decide to use each other to achieve their goals.
---------------------------------------------------
I don't know how I should feel about this book?
There were parts I enjoyed; the beginning was great but than it slowed it the middle and got stuck delving into the specifics of Anthony's side plot and only went back to the romance aspect of the novel in the last 90 pages.
Which is kinda problematic for a romance novel.
There was basically two side plots that were ongoing, outside of the main one of the quid pro quo situation Lucy and Anthony were in(Lucy finds his sister, and Anthony will prevent her family from getting evicted).
Everything kind of halted in the middle though, and the book just focused in on Anthony's past and current issues. Sure, his side plot was definitely interesting but it kinda just took over and there was barely any romance between the two of them until the last 90 pages.
Spoiler
Supposedly they bonded over the fact that they were able to share things they couldn't share with anyone else.But it honestly felt one-sided?
The only things Lucy shared with Anthony was her ambition and the fact she had an alcoholic dad.
Lucy had other things she was thinking about during the book, issues she had with her friends, about her fears of being in a relationship and her worry for her artistic career.
There really weren't any instant intext where she shared those things with him, but there were plenty of times were he shared his past.
I read some other reviews that this novel is difficult to put this in a group because at times it's more of a mystery and sometimes a light romance but it struggled to do both at the same time.
I absolutely adored the fact that Anthony was neurodivergent and appreciated how even though his dyslexia influenced him but wasn't his main struggle.
It's not a bad book but it could've been better.