Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

89 reviews

emmehooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.75

This book is a slow burn that abruptly turns into a massive wildfire (in the best ways). The first half of the book felt so slow and drawn out that I nearly gave up but the second half flew by so fast with so much excitement. Viola’s transness was not the entire focus and the affirmations of love, sexuality, and disability for people of all genders and bodies were wonderfully interwoven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Drug use, Addiction, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Transphobia, Kidnapping, Violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, and Death of parent

littlewishling's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

What a beautiful romance! Hall does a beautiful job of tackling trans issues, disability and trauma. I loved every moment of this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexism

samchase112's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

3.75

RTC! Five stars for the absolutely stellar premise and characters, three stars for the long-winded, unnecessarily extensive descriptions. And two stars for all the typos?? (please hire me as your copy editor, thanks !!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, War, Vomit, Violence, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Addiction

Moderate: Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Grief

chambersaurusrx's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Violence

aliciawhatsthestory's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

Spice Level: Medium 

This book has renewed my hope in my ability to read fiction audiobooks. I normally have a hard time keeping up with the narrative in fiction audiobooks, which is why I tend to read almost exclusively nonfiction (especially memoirs) this way. However, A Lady for a Duke is excellently acted, and I very rarely found myself feeling like I had missed something important by zoning out or getting distracted. This book is a friends to lovers, second chance (kind of?) romance between a trans woman and her best friend from before her transition—who thinks she died at Waterloo. D•R•A•M•A. 

It’s a very wholesome story not only of finding love but of finding ways to be one’s true, whole self, in spite of strict societal demands. The tension between the two leads is exactly what you want in a Regency Romance, and the side characters are just delightful. 

I loved seeing a trans woman depicted in so many different ways as worthy of adoration and desire, something that I have not really seen before in the romance genre, and I know that many people will be able to relate to Viola and Gracewood as they find their way back to each other. It is worth noting that both the cover model and voice actor for Viola are trans women. 

This was our book club pick for August, and it’s the first book club read in several months that I have been so excited to read that I’ve finished it well ahead of our meeting. 

I would highly recommend this book to fans of Bridgerton on Netflix, regency romance novels, generally, Alexis Hall, and other queer fiction. One of the best romances I’ve read this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

Moderate: Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, and War

atisha27's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This was very well written, and the character of Viola was amazing. She was likeable and funny, and written in a very respectable way (in my opinion as a cis-gender bi woman). The plot eventually got very repetitive however, as once the duke and Viola knew who each other were, and had shared their feelings, they both just seemed to agree that they could not be together. This went on for half the book, and then at the end, they just decide to be together - something that could have been done much sooner and with very little effort. Still, it was a good read, and it gave me the Pride and Prejudice vibes that I was looking for when I picked up this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

Minor: War and Violence

anna_m_k's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

Overall, the book is kind. Staple, harmful tropes are ignored in favor of a plot that is kind to its characters without being saccharine or by ignoring the realities of its historical setting. The progression of Viola and Gracewood's relationship is lovely, and the core of it, their childhood friendship, is clear and strong. Their relationship is the mode for them to better understand not only each other, but also themselves, and makes it wonderfully realized.

Slightly hampered by a dip into melodrama towards the last fifth of the book, and the characters edging a little too close in some conversations to sounding like they're trying to get an A+ in therapy, it's otherwise a wonderful love story with great side characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Addiction

Moderate: Violence and Deadnaming

Minor: Transphobia, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-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

This was a cute historical romance in so many ways, but I felt like Hall could have gone a lot further with it. Though the author notes that the main conflict isn't meant to be revolving around Viola's trans identity, the conflict that was created instead was random, rushed and felt like it came out of nowhere after 90% of the book being so focused on Viola as a trans woman and Gracewood as an addict with PTSD.

If you like the genre of regency romances, it will be a great choice. Otherwise, it felt a lot less inclusive than other contemporary romances.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Addiction

Moderate: War and Violence

fuzzyfairy's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Misogyny, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Addiction

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Classism, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, War, and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Homophobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Murder, Mental illness, and Blood

urlocalhethey's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

5.0

OH MY LORD THIS BOOK WENT SO FAR ABOVE ANY EXPECTATIONS  I HAD FOR IT. There are so many reasons this book is so important to me.

I was fully prepared for there to be some transphobic conversations with Gracewood before they had sex but this man just wants to get pegged. It was so refreshing to see a trans woman be loved and appreciated wholly and without trepidation and accusations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content