Scan barcode
callidoralblack's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Grief, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Alcohol, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Kidnapping
themeadowlibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“Oh, I have a pair. The definitive pair, in fact. A pair that cannot be beaten… you… and me.”
A five star book with a one star heroine.
This was such a strange experience. There is so much to love here. I especially adored the hero, Galahad. However, I really had some major problems with the heroine, Vee. More on this later. First of all, the many good things.
It was so fun to get back into this series, and I was a little sad to see it end. I am still enamored with the whole family! The callbacks to the first two books through the journal entries was a nice touch. When Diana goes into labor I laughed out loud. And the new characters are a lot of fun- especially Muldoon, Billy, and the Claypoles.
Galahad is a deep man with a sweet heart. He has trauma that is discussed beautifully, and it was so refreshing to see a character become stronger in spite of his past. He is kind, generous, and gallant. The way he sees the potential in the orphans is really endearing. And no matter what Vee does he is devoted to her!
But then we get to Venus. I am shocked more people aren’t annoyed with her. About halfway through the book Vee asks of herself, “How on earth could a person as clever and as intuitive as she was have missed something so staggeringly obvious?” And that’s kind of how I felt about her the whole book. Her reaction to the main conflict of the book is incredibly overblown. She has absolutely no empathy or consideration for others’ feelings, including her supposed “soulmate”, who’s dream she does not give two moments thought to until the last chapter. At times she is just plain cruel to Gal, and the only resolution for that is that she thinks at one point, ‘Oh I probably shouldn’t have played with his feelings like that,’ for all of two seconds. She confides in a child that she knows is prone to pranks and then is surprised when there are consequences. She strings along her other suitor (who is pompous and annoying, but still a person with feelings that she gives literally no thought to). She’s harsh with the woman who has helped to raise her, and there is never any catharsis. Her past does not make up for any of this, especially because (unlike Galahad) she never moves past her problems to grow into a better person. And she leaves books open on the chair arms!
The writing was great, the ending was sweet, I loved the last few chapters and the declaration, but I honestly have to take 2 complete stars off for Vee and the majorly problematic things she did.
Star Rating: 3/5 (solely for Gal!)
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, casino owner
CW: Death, violence, poverty, toxic relationship, abusive parent
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Child abuse
More...