Scan barcode
webbsusa's review against another edition
2.0
This is the second book I’ve tried by this author, and unfortunately, I think I am going to have to give up. I just can’t get into her books. It’s unfortunate, because I read the descriptions and think they sound great! We need more Jewish historical romance! But I have to force myself to get through the book.
With both this book and the previous one in this series, I think part of the problem is that I simply didn’t like many of the characters. As another reviewer noted, there was just so much scheming. It was exhausting to read about so many people I didn’t like. I also agree that some of the characters from the previous book seemed like entirely different people. What’s that about?
I have read many wonderful reviews of this author’s work—that’s why I tried her books in the first place. I think that I just don’t click with her writing style. There is so little representation of Jewish characters in historical romance, so don’t let my review dissuade you from reading her work.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
With both this book and the previous one in this series, I think part of the problem is that I simply didn’t like many of the characters. As another reviewer noted, there was just so much scheming. It was exhausting to read about so many people I didn’t like. I also agree that some of the characters from the previous book seemed like entirely different people. What’s that about?
I have read many wonderful reviews of this author’s work—that’s why I tried her books in the first place. I think that I just don’t click with her writing style. There is so little representation of Jewish characters in historical romance, so don’t let my review dissuade you from reading her work.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
rjordan19's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? a mix of both, but maybe more plot leaning
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Very soon in, first chapter
Cliffhanger: No this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, a few years later
Format: voluntarily read an e-book copy through NetGalley
Should I read in order?
You could – book 1’s characters are heavy side characters in this one – I’m not sure how much depth you get for these characters in the prior book. I did find myself wishing I had dove into that one first.
Basic plot:
Sol finds himself saved by a mysterious Hannah and can’t stay away even though she is everything he needs to avoid...
Give this a try if you want:
- England 1832 (What do I call this period? I usually did Victorian at 1837, but it’s not really late Regency at the point of William’s reign….let me know what you call this!)
- London setting
- she rescues him
- Snow White retelling (twist – the hero is Snow White)
- age gap with older heroine (heroine is 32/hero is 26)
- pawnshop owning heroine
- Jewish mains
- bit of grumpy heroine/sunshine hero vibes
- class difference
- the sweetest hero
- medium steam – 3 full scenes
Ages:
- Heroine is 32, hero is 26
First line:
Night was the best time to hunt – especially if you relied on stealth, not strength, to snare your prey.
My thoughts:
There is so much to love about this novel! But overall, I ended up wanting them together more, and the romance got a bit lost for me in all the plot antics.
I love the older heroine pairing, and Sol is so, so sweet. Oh he’s so caring and gentle and loving and I just adored him. I love his optimism. Hannah has been through hell and is a survivor. She tries to protect her heart as well as keep her family safe. So this leads to a lot of push and pull between them that I enjoyed.
Outside forces started taking over this book for me though. We have multiple side characters, and I found Sol spending a lot of time alone or with his brother, and Hannah alone, on the streets, with nefarious side characters or her sister. I wanted them together more. I also wanted more tension between them – I feel like when they were together it was a bit of instalust and then they’d separate and come together again and be glued to each other (but only for a short time because forces)
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
- being immersed in a life of struggle – heroine’s parents were in a scandal and heroine runs the pawnshop and takes care of her sister. She faces people trying to take advantage of her, dealing with illegal activities, doing side jobs for a man that threatens her
- scenes of threatened sexual assault
- physical abuse/assault on page resulting in bruising and swelling
- antisemitism
- poisoning of hero (allergy related)
Author given content guidance: attempted (nongraphic) sexual assault, nonconsensual sexual contact, depictions of emotional abuse, and discussion and depiction of antisemitic language and behavior.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Safe sex: Hero pulls out
Hows the consent? It’s good
19% - kiss
28% - kisses
35% - kisses
42% - 🔥kisses, oral/fingering for her, missionary
51% - kiss
67% - 🔥oral for her (sit on my face and hold the head board), missionary
He crooked a finger at her. “Now, come here and let me make you feel very good.” He grinned. “Provided you do as I say.”
74% - 🔥 kisses, fingering for her, her on top
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? a mix of both, but maybe more plot leaning
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Very soon in, first chapter
Cliffhanger: No this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, a few years later
Format: voluntarily read an e-book copy through NetGalley
Should I read in order?
You could – book 1’s characters are heavy side characters in this one – I’m not sure how much depth you get for these characters in the prior book. I did find myself wishing I had dove into that one first.
Basic plot:
Sol finds himself saved by a mysterious Hannah and can’t stay away even though she is everything he needs to avoid...
Give this a try if you want:
- England 1832 (What do I call this period? I usually did Victorian at 1837, but it’s not really late Regency at the point of William’s reign….let me know what you call this!)
- London setting
- she rescues him
- Snow White retelling (twist – the hero is Snow White)
- age gap with older heroine (heroine is 32/hero is 26)
- pawnshop owning heroine
- Jewish mains
- bit of grumpy heroine/sunshine hero vibes
- class difference
- the sweetest hero
- medium steam – 3 full scenes
Ages:
- Heroine is 32, hero is 26
First line:
Night was the best time to hunt – especially if you relied on stealth, not strength, to snare your prey.
My thoughts:
There is so much to love about this novel! But overall, I ended up wanting them together more, and the romance got a bit lost for me in all the plot antics.
I love the older heroine pairing, and Sol is so, so sweet. Oh he’s so caring and gentle and loving and I just adored him. I love his optimism. Hannah has been through hell and is a survivor. She tries to protect her heart as well as keep her family safe. So this leads to a lot of push and pull between them that I enjoyed.
Outside forces started taking over this book for me though. We have multiple side characters, and I found Sol spending a lot of time alone or with his brother, and Hannah alone, on the streets, with nefarious side characters or her sister. I wanted them together more. I also wanted more tension between them – I feel like when they were together it was a bit of instalust and then they’d separate and come together again and be glued to each other (but only for a short time because forces)
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
- being immersed in a life of struggle – heroine’s parents were in a scandal and heroine runs the pawnshop and takes care of her sister. She faces people trying to take advantage of her, dealing with illegal activities, doing side jobs for a man that threatens her
- scenes of threatened sexual assault
- physical abuse/assault on page resulting in bruising and swelling
- antisemitism
- poisoning of hero (allergy related)
Author given content guidance: attempted (nongraphic) sexual assault, nonconsensual sexual contact, depictions of emotional abuse, and discussion and depiction of antisemitic language and behavior.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Safe sex:
Hows the consent?
19% - kiss
28% - kisses
35% - kisses
42% - 🔥kisses, oral/fingering for her, missionary
51% - kiss
67% - 🔥oral for her (sit on my face and hold the head board), missionary
He crooked a finger at her. “Now, come here and let me make you feel very good.” He grinned. “Provided you do as I say.”
74% - 🔥 kisses, fingering for her, her on top
idkallegra_iguess's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
lechepatito's review
DNF at 20%. I couldn’t get into either MC’s character and the writing style wasn’t working for me.
industrialreader's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the second book in this series a lot. It was fun and had some twists. It took me a second to see how the beauty and the beast inspiration happened, but once I saw it it was really obvious. Hannah and Solomon were a passionate couple with palpable chemistry. Historical romance is still not my favorite but I enjoyed this one a lot.
*Thank you forever and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
belovedbrat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stargoddess's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found this book to be fine. The writing was solid, and the historical details were interesting, but for whatever reason it just didn’t grab me. I think maybe I found the fairytale elements a bit too forced, and Sol wasn’t a particular interesting male lead. I found myself wanting more of the side characters and less of the leads in general. But it was still worth reading, especially if you like fairytales twists and/or historical romances that highlight Jewish culture.
Thank you to NetGalley & Forever for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley & Forever for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
shadowmaster13's review
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.75
I would have liked an ending where Solomon gets more of what he wanted but it was wonderful .
Hannah is not the prince but the hunter in this version of Snow White which doesn't become clear until later.
I wouldlove to sit in on a book club discussion of Frederick by Jewish people since his role in the narrative as villain and Christian convert is interesting and I'd like to hear that discussed. He becomes in his villainy the evil stereotype despite turning his back on the Jewish community and yet I suspect at the time there would have been no acknowledgement of that if his crimes were discovered.
Hannah is not the prince but the hunter in this version of Snow White which doesn't become clear until later.
I would
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual harassment