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gooseturnover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved it the whole way through. :')
Would've been 5 stars but for the pacing in the last third of the novel.
Would've been 5 stars but for the pacing in the last third of the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, and Drug use
Moderate: Kidnapping and Violence
michmoo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Such a sweet romance! I loved Viola so much and I wanted all of the wonderful things for her! Highly recommend if you're into historical romance- or maybe even if you're not, it might be a nice foray into the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Deadnaming, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Ableism, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Vomit
snipinfool's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.0
Viola Carroll was working as a companion to her sister-in-law, Lady Marleigh. It was not what she how she envisioned spending her life, but it was a life where she was much more happy. When Lady Marleigh received a letter from an old family friend, she became concerned. Miranda wrote that her brother, the Duke of Gracewood still suffered greatly since returning home from Waterloo two years previous. He was taking large doses of laudanum and drinking heavily. Miranda tried to care for her brother as best she could but feared she was losing the battle to save his health and mind. Lady Marleigh felt she and Viola needed to travel to Gracewood's estate to see if they could offer some support for them. Viola was very hesitant. Justin had been her best friend. Her oldest friend. They went to war together. Justin returned wounded. Viola was also wounded, but was thought to have died. Viola was now living life as her true self and had no plans to let anyone outside of her family know she survived the war.
Gracewood grieved for his losses. His leg was severely wounded and at times, it could not support him. He also relived the war in his dreams, so sleep was limited. His greatest pain was the loss of his best friend, Marleigh. Gracewood looked all over the battlefield in hopes of finding him alive. The medics took him away to see about his wounds before he had a chance to find his friend. When Lady Marleigh and her companion, Viola, arrived, they could see Gracewood was struggling. Viola did not intend to reveal who she was to Gracewood, but she had to do something to help her old friend. Slowly, she found ways to get him to talk. Justin began to enjoy these talks and started to open up about what he was going through. As they talked more, both of them started to develop deeper feelings. Viola wondered if there was a possibility for more.
I enjoyed how Alexis Hall slowly revealed the characters' stories in the novel. Viola was finally able to live as her authentic self. She gave up much to live that life, but she had no regrets. Justin was distraught over the loss of his closest friend. A friend he thought to always have in his life. When he met Viola, he saw something in her that let him know she was a person who would want the best for him. They both looked beyond what was visible to what each was inside. I loved the ending. It was perfect.
Gracewood grieved for his losses. His leg was severely wounded and at times, it could not support him. He also relived the war in his dreams, so sleep was limited. His greatest pain was the loss of his best friend, Marleigh. Gracewood looked all over the battlefield in hopes of finding him alive. The medics took him away to see about his wounds before he had a chance to find his friend. When Lady Marleigh and her companion, Viola, arrived, they could see Gracewood was struggling. Viola did not intend to reveal who she was to Gracewood, but she had to do something to help her old friend. Slowly, she found ways to get him to talk. Justin began to enjoy these talks and started to open up about what he was going through. As they talked more, both of them started to develop deeper feelings. Viola wondered if there was a possibility for more.
I enjoyed how Alexis Hall slowly revealed the characters' stories in the novel. Viola was finally able to live as her authentic self. She gave up much to live that life, but she had no regrets. Justin was distraught over the loss of his closest friend. A friend he thought to always have in his life. When he met Viola, he saw something in her that let him know she was a person who would want the best for him. They both looked beyond what was visible to what each was inside. I loved the ending. It was perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and War
Minor: Kidnapping
hannahwriightt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Deadnaming, Ableism, Addiction, Misogyny, War, Violence, and Sexism
Minor: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
I LOVED this book. It is so romantic and so sweet and lovely and I could not put it down. Viola and Gracewood were so good, and it's not often you get a romcom where both characters are equally valid in their anger and hurt but it's resolved so early and so beautifully. I also loved that the conflict between Viola and Gracewood did not resolve around the fact that she's trans, but it's more two people learning to accept that they are loved for exactly who they are and that they have always loved the other, even if they didn't know it. Lovely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, War, and Violence
novella42's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a delight and a joy, easily one of my top reads of 2022. As a queer cis person with PTSD and a disability, married to a genderfluid partner, I have often wondered what our lives might have been like in a different time. This story was a refreshing alternative to many of the "gritty" interpretations of queer history. The truth is that we don't know a lot about the queer or trans experience prior to the Twentieth Century—because it was hidden from view—and because we don't know, there is also space to speculate for happiness and acceptance just as there is for the usual tropes that assume all will encounter darkness and hate.
I felt such a connection to the characters. The struggle with internalized ableism was believable and handled with more nuance than I expected. And just... The identity work in this book, not just about gender but on so many levels. It felt wonderful to witness. To see them work through their fears, their demons, to navigate all the uncertainties (without language for their identities or traumas), and all the ways they connected to heal. I was crying with pure joy at multiple points throughout the book!
I felt such a connection to the characters. The struggle with internalized ableism was believable and handled with more nuance than I expected. And just... The identity work in this book, not just about gender but on so many levels. It felt wonderful to witness. To see them work through their fears, their demons, to navigate all the uncertainties (without language for their identities or traumas), and all the ways they connected to heal. I was crying with pure joy at multiple points throughout the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Mental illness, War, Deadnaming, Blood, Drug use, Dysphoria, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Ableism
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Classism, Outing, and Suicidal thoughts
koyotl's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, War, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Vomit
mandaraffe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Bullying, and Child abuse
Minor: Medical trauma, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Transphobia, Gun violence, Medical content, and War
jamie_reads_stuff's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Absolutely emotional damage, but I think the second half dragged on a bit with the side characters? It wasn’t like I didn’t care it just felt a little more unfocused at points. It’s still absolutely amazing though, the writing is very lyrical and beautiful. I absolutely loved the trans representation in this book. I would check the content warnings before reading since the book does deal with heavier themes and deadnaming occurs in the book. Absolutely loved this!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Violence, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I want to preface this review by saying this is the first ever historical romance I’ve read, but in saying this I did enjoy this book.
The characters were well rounded and well written, and I loved Little Bartholemew and Lady Marleigh in particular, they were hilarious.
I think some of the initial “we can’t be together” conflict could have been cut down to make the book a bit faster paced. I don’t think it needed to be gone over three times before being somewhat resolved, the first two could’ve been cut for the third seeing as it was only half resolved then anyway.
I did like the fact that the “reveal of identity” was done early on and wasn’t the main conflict, that was overcome quite quickly. I did really like how Gracewood was rather quick to accept Viola as she is, it was sweet.
I did like the writing style but sometimes I got confused by the sentence structure, where it felt like the sentences were flipped around in an attempt at poetic writing but it just got me confused for a moment, but that could honestly just be my lack of comprehension at the time or a part of the genre I have yet to get used to, with this being my first.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and would look at picking up a historical romance again, as well as reading Hall’s other works.
The characters were well rounded and well written, and I loved Little Bartholemew and Lady Marleigh in particular, they were hilarious.
I think some of the initial “we can’t be together” conflict could have been cut down to make the book a bit faster paced. I don’t think it needed to be gone over three times before being somewhat resolved, the first two could’ve been cut for the third seeing as it was only half resolved then anyway.
I did like the fact that the “reveal of identity” was done early on and wasn’t the main conflict, that was overcome quite quickly. I did really like how Gracewood was rather quick to accept Viola as she is, it was sweet.
I did like the writing style but sometimes I got confused by the sentence structure, where it felt like the sentences were flipped around in an attempt at poetic writing but it just got me confused for a moment, but that could honestly just be my lack of comprehension at the time or a part of the genre I have yet to get used to, with this being my first.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and would look at picking up a historical romance again, as well as reading Hall’s other works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: War, Violence, and Deadnaming