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curls's review against another edition
2.0
Hero has ptsd.
Heroine doesn’t want to be like her mother who ran off when she was a child.
There’s a love triangle.
The love triangle took way too long to resolve.
It wasn’t a bad historical romance, but it wasn’t my thing.
It just took a long time to get to the romance and then the book was over.
Fans of Eloisa James will like this. But I would borrow before buying if you are on the fence.
“Don’t ever believe the word ‘no’ unless you say it yourself, dear. It makes life much more agreeable.”
Best line of the book 😃
Heroine doesn’t want to be like her mother who ran off when she was a child.
There’s a love triangle.
The love triangle took way too long to resolve.
It wasn’t a bad historical romance, but it wasn’t my thing.
It just took a long time to get to the romance and then the book was over.
Fans of Eloisa James will like this. But I would borrow before buying if you are on the fence.
“Don’t ever believe the word ‘no’ unless you say it yourself, dear. It makes life much more agreeable.”
Best line of the book 😃
blodeuedd's review
2.0
I tried not to picture them too much, I did like that it was 1780s, but the wigs, ugh, the wigs, lol.
Betsy has done her best to put on the persona of the good girl persona, the perfect society girl, the perfect bride to be. All to wash away the stigma of her mother running away with a Prussian (also her sister's book looks to be really interesting as she is blonde and obviously not a Wilde.)
But yes, Betsy is not really the quiet demure one, she is a Wilde, she rides horse standing up shooting arrows. She plays billiard and she wants to wear breeches. But she also wants to show everyone that she can catch a Duke. She is also really scared that showing passion means that she will run away and leave her kids. She carry her mother's shame in her heart.
Jeremy has ptsd from the revolutionary war. He drinks (and not) and tries to continue a normal life.
They banter, a lot! The things they say, wow, this is not regency. They do say the naughtiest things.
One problem I had was that they talk, a lot! Honestly a bit too much, the whole book was these two talking.
I also wanted more of aunt know? I have no idea how to spell that. But she fun! And the brother's books do sound fun, as those her sisters that will come.
I also felt that she should totally have gone for the Duke. Sure he was stuffy, but I think he would have been great. But then she was wild and he was too. So Betsy and Jeremy will surely continue to banter the rest of their lives.
I did want more of the supportive cast cos they sounded fun!
Narrator
She was great with all voices, she really got Betsy's voice right, the perfect blend of demure and wild.
Betsy has done her best to put on the persona of the good girl persona, the perfect society girl, the perfect bride to be. All to wash away the stigma of her mother running away with a Prussian (also her sister's book looks to be really interesting as she is blonde and obviously not a Wilde.)
But yes, Betsy is not really the quiet demure one, she is a Wilde, she rides horse standing up shooting arrows. She plays billiard and she wants to wear breeches. But she also wants to show everyone that she can catch a Duke. She is also really scared that showing passion means that she will run away and leave her kids. She carry her mother's shame in her heart.
Jeremy has ptsd from the revolutionary war. He drinks (and not) and tries to continue a normal life.
They banter, a lot! The things they say, wow, this is not regency. They do say the naughtiest things.
One problem I had was that they talk, a lot! Honestly a bit too much, the whole book was these two talking.
I also wanted more of aunt know? I have no idea how to spell that. But she fun! And the brother's books do sound fun, as those her sisters that will come.
I also felt that she should totally have gone for the Duke. Sure he was stuffy, but I think he would have been great. But then she was wild and he was too. So Betsy and Jeremy will surely continue to banter the rest of their lives.
I did want more of the supportive cast cos they sounded fun!
Narrator
She was great with all voices, she really got Betsy's voice right, the perfect blend of demure and wild.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this as a galley last year and just couldn't get into it. So I put it aside. I'm glad I did because I think it was a case of "it's not the book, it's me" - for whatever reason, it just wasn't grabbing me and since I don't get paid to review, I hit pause.
Since Eloisa's next Wilde installment is due out this month, I picked this back up. I really liked it. The plot is mostly internal, with both Betsy and Jeremy having to deal with some mental stuff before they can truly come together (Betsy, the internalized misogyny that desire means she's going to abandon her family like her mother did; Jeremy, his guilt over the deaths of his men in battle and his ongoing struggle with PTSD). They bicker delightfully, especially at the beginning. There is some external plot that feels shoehorned in to tie-up a plotbunny at the end but that's minimal.
I would definitely like a book for Aunt Knowe (ok, so her first name is Louisa and the family last name is Wilde and she's the duke's twin sister....so if she hadn't ever married (or married a commoner) she would be Lady Louisa or (at a stretch) Lady Wilde, not Aunt or Lady Knowe. Am I missing something??? She's a fun character and there's definitely a story there!!)
Since Eloisa's next Wilde installment is due out this month, I picked this back up. I really liked it. The plot is mostly internal, with both Betsy and Jeremy having to deal with some mental stuff before they can truly come together (Betsy, the internalized misogyny that desire means she's going to abandon her family like her mother did; Jeremy, his guilt over the deaths of his men in battle and his ongoing struggle with PTSD). They bicker delightfully, especially at the beginning. There is some external plot that feels shoehorned in to tie-up a plotbunny at the end but that's minimal.
I would definitely like a book for Aunt Knowe (ok, so her first name is Louisa and the family last name is Wilde and she's the duke's twin sister....so if she hadn't ever married (or married a commoner) she would be Lady Louisa or (at a stretch) Lady Wilde, not Aunt or Lady Knowe. Am I missing something??? She's a fun character and there's definitely a story there!!)
winterreader40's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed this story, especially the snappy back talk type of friendship between the main characters.
desiree_mcl's review against another edition
3.0
3.25...3.5
Eloisa James is a hit or miss for me author. This however was both a hit and miss.
I really loved Betsy and Jeremy together. Loved them. The first time they are in the same room in this book I was in it and I adored them and I just wanted them together.
However, the pacing was off in the middle of the story. It really lost me and I ended up being bored during the middle 130-ish pages . But the first 70 pages were great, the last 70-80 pages were also great. Just that middle section killed the momentum.
Also while the summary isn't inaccurate, I expected some more going out and doing "improper" things that women couldn't do without causing a huge scandal at that time, the 1 thing Betsy and Jeremy decided to do, the auction, ended up taking most of the book to finally happen.
Eloisa James is a hit or miss for me author. This however was both a hit and miss.
I really loved Betsy and Jeremy together. Loved them. The first time they are in the same room in this book I was in it and I adored them and I just wanted them together.
However, the pacing was off in the middle of the story. It really lost me and I ended up being bored during the middle 130-ish pages . But the first 70 pages were great, the last 70-80 pages were also great. Just that middle section killed the momentum.
Also while the summary isn't inaccurate, I expected some more going out and doing "improper" things that women couldn't do without causing a huge scandal at that time, the 1 thing Betsy and Jeremy decided to do, the auction, ended up taking most of the book to finally happen.
threeundertwopnw's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
Absolutely delightful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, War, Colonisation, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
_ashton_reads_'s review
4.0
I’m so happy to finally give an Eloisa James book above 4 stars! This one was definitely worth slogging through the first three to get to.
labyrinth_witch's review
5.0
In this installment, James hits on the theme of a woman who wants adventure at a time when young ladies movement was very restricted - by society and their own strident expectations to live up to society standards. She also explores PTSD and how relationships heal the horror of war. Humor was well timed and the banter engaging- and all the unexpected pulling into corners is tantalizing. Highly recommend.
falulatonks's review against another edition
4.0
I was CERTAIN I wouldn't like the hero of this purely off his first couple of chapters, and I was also starting to feel that 'god, men in fucking historical romances' weariness - but something clicked around 25% into the book and I devoured the rest. It's lighter than I worried it would be, and never edges into high-stakes melodrama while still landing some really lovely dramatic and emotional beats. And once they know they're it for each other, that's it. It's great. And finally - the heroine is BEYOND charming. Love a girl who thrills about breeches.