Scan barcode
freckled_frog_boi's review
funny
lighthearted
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
1.5
I will always point out where it all falls apart for me because romance novels are a tricky genre. They often perpetuate pretty harmful ideas of the boundaries of love and what it should look like; and enforces all sorts of gender stereotypes that truly shouldn't be normative.
The pregnancy trope, miscommunication, and overt jealousy had me cringing and honestly turned me off of the book toward the end. The patriarchal undertones declaring the man to be powerful and the woman to be weak-willed put me on edge; but there are moments that flip that idea on its head and were super fun, and I wish that were the vibe for the book instead of otherwise. I did love the premise and many of the scenes. Him stressing himself out at a ball just so she could get the job opportunity of a lifetime was cute and made me like him; which is good because, in the beginning, he was being an ass, taking advantage of a humiliated lady, and was super horny but not interesting. I like when I can tell the characters are in love and care about each other. And I love a fake boyfriend/enemies-to-lovers situation.
The pregnancy trope, miscommunication, and overt jealousy had me cringing and honestly turned me off of the book toward the end. The patriarchal undertones declaring the man to be powerful and the woman to be weak-willed put me on edge; but there are moments that flip that idea on its head and were super fun, and I wish that were the vibe for the book instead of otherwise. I did love the premise and many of the scenes. Him stressing himself out at a ball just so she could get the job opportunity of a lifetime was cute and made me like him; which is good because, in the beginning, he was being an ass, taking advantage of a humiliated lady, and was super horny but not interesting. I like when I can tell the characters are in love and care about each other. And I love a fake boyfriend/enemies-to-lovers situation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexism, War, Dementia, and Pregnancy
cheye13's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The writing in this was brilliant and I did read it in one sitting. Other than that, it wasn't particularly special imo. (Except the heroine had a version of my name which was a trip lol)
The characters had chemistry, and I liked the plot just fine. But there was a lot of... convenience? For lack of a better word. In a romance I do expect a level of genre-typical plot convenience (meetcutes, etc) but not in the emotional or character development. There were quite a few scenes where the big, intimidating war captain pushed some boundaries, and readers get his well-meaning inner monologue, but the heroine can't know his intentions, but she just happens to be fine with it?
I guess there was just. Too little communication for me, and it didn't even use the miscommunication trope lmao. A lot of "unsaid" things that just didn't make sense to me. The Scottish thing also felt a little gimmicky, but I did like the little exploration of a woman's career of the time.
The characters had chemistry, and I liked the plot just fine. But there was a lot of... convenience? For lack of a better word. In a romance I do expect a level of genre-typical plot convenience (meetcutes, etc) but not in the emotional or character development. There were quite a few scenes where the big, intimidating war captain pushed some boundaries, and readers get his well-meaning inner monologue, but the heroine can't know his intentions, but she just happens to be fine with it?
I guess there was just. Too little communication for me, and it didn't even use the miscommunication trope lmao. A lot of "unsaid" things that just didn't make sense to me. The Scottish thing also felt a little gimmicky, but I did like the little exploration of a woman's career of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and War
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Death of parent
ananko's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
More...