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smuttymcbookface's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The love story between Cecilia and Ramsey was an enthralling read, with fun twists and enjoyable developments. Although I hadn't read the first book in the series, the references to the previous plot made it easy to follow.
The MMC, Ramsey, Lord Chief of Justice and the "Vicar of Vice", is a middle-aged man who's denied himself any of the 'vices' (women, gambling, addiction) due to an upbringing where he saw men die from them, and due to a similar instance in his past where he fell prey to one of them. He's cold, standoffish, and detests that he can't stop sexualising the FMC in everything she does.
Cecilia, the FMC, is an educated mathematician from an awful background where her father figure, Vicar Teague, punished her for being too large, too smart, too anything, as well as punishing her for his own faults and the faults of others. Saved from this upbringing by a mysterious benefactor, later disclosed to be her aunt, she went to schools and honed her impressive mind. Sweet and selfless, to a fault, it's easy to see why the hard Ramsey would fall for her.
I enjoyed the light craziness of the plot, from the scene where Cecilia pretended to be the Scarlet Woman, to the unfolding of the larger over-arching villain. I also enjoyed the time in the cabin, where Cecilia and Raymond grew closer together.
However, I did not enjoy that the only "flaws" of Cecelia were that she was larger, smart, and too nice. I liked reading about a curvy FMC, and a MMC (amongst others) that enjoyed her appearance, but her depiction was flawlessly inhuman.
In addition, Ramsey's inability to think of her in anyway but sexual, and the derogatory narrative that him being Scottish meant he was "closer to wild animals than most men" were quite hard to read without the balance of something else. Cecilia was not viewed as a woman but as a desirable body; something the narrative of her being clever and independent was supposed to protect her from. It was almost disappointing that his appreciation of this amazing woman never moved past her sweetness and her body.
The MMC, Ramsey, Lord Chief of Justice and the "Vicar of Vice", is a middle-aged man who's denied himself any of the 'vices' (women, gambling, addiction) due to an upbringing where he saw men die from them, and due to a similar instance in his past where he fell prey to one of them. He's cold, standoffish, and detests that he can't stop sexualising the FMC in everything she does.
Cecilia, the FMC, is an educated mathematician from an awful background where her father figure, Vicar Teague, punished her for being too large, too smart, too anything, as well as punishing her for his own faults and the faults of others. Saved from this upbringing by a mysterious benefactor, later disclosed to be her aunt, she went to schools and honed her impressive mind. Sweet and selfless, to a fault, it's easy to see why the hard Ramsey would fall for her.
I enjoyed the light craziness of the plot, from the scene where Cecilia pretended to be the Scarlet Woman, to the unfolding of the larger over-arching villain. I also enjoyed the time in the cabin, where Cecilia and Raymond grew closer together.
However, I did not enjoy that the only "flaws" of Cecelia were that she was larger, smart, and too nice. I liked reading about a curvy FMC, and a MMC (amongst others) that enjoyed her appearance, but her depiction was flawlessly inhuman.
In addition, Ramsey's inability to think of her in anyway but sexual, and the derogatory narrative that him being Scottish meant he was "closer to wild animals than most men" were quite hard to read without the balance of something else. Cecilia was not viewed as a woman but as a desirable body; something the narrative of her being clever and independent was supposed to protect her from. It was almost disappointing that his appreciation of this amazing woman never moved past her sweetness and her body.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Suicide
roomforbooks's review
3.0
3.5
CWs: parental abuse, fat-shaming, slut-shaming
Rep: fat heroine, poc side character, Indian side character
I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
When I saw this was in the Read now section on NetGalley, I clicked on it in half a second, I adore historical romance books but I especially love their sequels.
This one was overall an easy read but it wasn't always an enjoyable one.
When you write a hero that doesn't trust women, you have to thread carefully because you risk making him sound like a plain misogynist which is what happened with this book unfortunately.
The hero had mommy issues if that is even a thing, basically he grew up with a careless mother who wasn't fit for that role and that's how he grew to resent her and in the end, all women. Now I could understand him being mad with his parent but I could absolutely not understand why he'd spend the entire book calling her a "whore" and shaming other women for being... women and using their bodies the way they saw fit. That's a very certain way to make the hero unlikable and it's a pity because he started to redeem himself towards the end of the book but his behavior before that was just unacceptable so I couldn't overlook it.
The general plot was what I liked the most about this novel, it was interesting and the book could be read fast because of that, moreover there was more than one plot twist I did not see coming and that's definitely a point in its favor. The romance had great potential as the hero and heroine started out as enemies but it felt like they skipped some of the stages in their relationship: they went from hating each other to loving with no in between.
I'm definitely gonna read the next book because I like this author's writing style but I really hope the hero in it is nicer than this one.
CWs: parental abuse, fat-shaming, slut-shaming
Rep: fat heroine, poc side character, Indian side character
I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
When I saw this was in the Read now section on NetGalley, I clicked on it in half a second, I adore historical romance books but I especially love their sequels.
This one was overall an easy read but it wasn't always an enjoyable one.
When you write a hero that doesn't trust women, you have to thread carefully because you risk making him sound like a plain misogynist which is what happened with this book unfortunately.
The hero had mommy issues if that is even a thing, basically he grew up with a careless mother who wasn't fit for that role and that's how he grew to resent her and in the end, all women. Now I could understand him being mad with his parent but I could absolutely not understand why he'd spend the entire book calling her a "whore" and shaming other women for being... women and using their bodies the way they saw fit. That's a very certain way to make the hero unlikable and it's a pity because he started to redeem himself towards the end of the book but his behavior before that was just unacceptable so I couldn't overlook it.
The general plot was what I liked the most about this novel, it was interesting and the book could be read fast because of that, moreover there was more than one plot twist I did not see coming and that's definitely a point in its favor. The romance had great potential as the hero and heroine started out as enemies but it felt like they skipped some of the stages in their relationship: they went from hating each other to loving with no in between.
I'm definitely gonna read the next book because I like this author's writing style but I really hope the hero in it is nicer than this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Child abuse
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