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kynikoskyon's review against another edition
DNF @ 70%
Tuve que dnfear, ya no aguanté la estupidez de los protagonistas. Íbamos en el 70% de la historia y seguíamos teniendo las mismas discusiones entre los protas, una y otra vez.
Penelope: Michael eres un canalla! Dónde está mi amigo Michael, que tanto quise cuando eramos jóvenes
Tuve que dnfear, ya no aguanté la estupidez de los protagonistas. Íbamos en el 70% de la historia y seguíamos teniendo las mismas discusiones entre los protas, una y otra vez.
Penelope: Michael eres un canalla! Dónde está mi amigo Michael, que tanto quise cuando eramos jóvenes
zabeishumanish's review against another edition
Too many egregious consent issues for me to be comfortable reading any more than this.
gardenfairyreads's review against another edition
3.0
damn this hero was just a straight up asshole
I am kind of excited to read the next one tho, cross seems like an interesting character and i like the gambling hall owners setup, just thought the hero was too mean to the main character to make this one good
I am kind of excited to read the next one tho, cross seems like an interesting character and i like the gambling hall owners setup, just thought the hero was too mean to the main character to make this one good
blackkbh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
4.0
dani1012's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If I had a nickel for every book I read where the FMC's core personality was I'm not like other girls; I'm a spinster who sucks at needlepoint and craves ✨adventure✨ and her entire plot revolves around saving her husband, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?
Memes aside, this book was very mid for me. The smut was too flowery for my taste -- though we did get three distinct, fully written sex scenes, so points for that. But unfortunately, the sex was as boring as the two main characters.We deserved a billiards table scene, Sarah. PENNY deserved a billiards table scene.
I will likely read the next book in the series. Partly because Pippa was my favorite character (despite being on page for like 20 pages max). Partly because I'm hopeful that the books will get raunchier as the series progresses, despite having a rather slow and tame start for something that promises -- as Penelope would put it-- ... more.
Memes aside, this book was very mid for me. The smut was too flowery for my taste -- though we did get three distinct, fully written sex scenes, so points for that. But unfortunately, the sex was as boring as the two main characters.
I will likely read the next book in the series. Partly because Pippa was my favorite character (despite being on page for like 20 pages max). Partly because I'm hopeful that the books will get raunchier as the series progresses, despite having a rather slow and tame start for something that promises -- as Penelope would put it-- ... more.
reeyabeegale's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I wanted to like this book, and I may be in the minority when I say that I was disappointed.
I love friends to lovers stories, it's always so beautiful and full of depth. With Penelope and Bourne, I still saw the depth, and it wasn't my problem with the book.
What I didn't like had more to do with the execution of the story. It's too long; there were so many unnecessary conversations that could've been cut short and still gave the point across. It was sometimes boring, and some conversations were confusing, and too hard to follow.
Also, though I liked Bourne enough, I wish he wasn't as chaotic and messy. I couldn't get a read on who he really was deep down, and I've read a lot of books with gloomy/bad boy heroes that were clearly written.
Nonetheless, I'd continue on with the series. I'm so excited to read Pippa's story!! I love a nerdy heroine.
I wanted to like this book, and I may be in the minority when I say that I was disappointed.
I love friends to lovers stories, it's always so beautiful and full of depth. With Penelope and Bourne, I still saw the depth, and it wasn't my problem with the book.
What I didn't like had more to do with the execution of the story. It's too long; there were so many unnecessary conversations that could've been cut short and still gave the point across. It was sometimes boring, and some conversations were confusing, and too hard to follow.
Also, though I liked Bourne enough, I wish he wasn't as chaotic and messy. I couldn't get a read on who he really was deep down, and I've read a lot of books with gloomy/bad boy heroes that were clearly written.
Nonetheless, I'd continue on with the series. I'm so excited to read Pippa's story!! I love a nerdy heroine.
jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
MacLean is so good at this. I almost can’t stand the MMC in this book and still love it.
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was big mad at our male main character for a large part of this story! I do generally struggle with Beauty and the Beast retellings, because I'm a grudge-holder and beastly types are often hard for me to forgive, so it's saying a lot that I got there in the end and found the resolution to be both authentic and deeply romantic. Penelope's pain throughout was tough for me, though, because gosh she had already BEEN THROUGH IT in the last series, and I wanted her to have assurance of her value and agency earlier in this story. There are lovely epistolary elements to this that helped develop the childhood friendship for our main couple without using flashbacks or a dual timeline, and I LOVED these inclusions (even when they just spiraled me deeper into my anger at times!). I'm thoroughly enjoying the emotional journey I take in MacLean's romances, and I'm loving the gaming hell premise for this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love Sarah MacLean’s writing and the worlds that she builds, but while the set up here was excellent (with a lost childhood friendship turned into a marriage of convenience), I didn’t think the characters actually had the chemistry that they needed to have to make this story truly excellent. Nonetheless, the characters were fun, and I was happy for Penelope to get her own story after she was so jilted in the previous series. And this ended on a great note: the epilogue had me laughing out loud and immediately downloading the next book in the series.