Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Duke and I

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

683 reviews

thekissballad's review against another edition

I've decided not to numerically rate this nor any Bridgerton books since I'll always be influenced by the show. Instead I'll share what I liked/disliked in comparison.

To start off, I was never a big fan of season one and finally reading the book makes me understand why. The source material just wasn't all that great, in my opinion.

I expected the misogyny since it's a part of historical fiction/history in general, but the levels of it in the book were much higher than the show, and both left me with an icky feeling.

Anthony is the biggest hypocrite ever, but I did like him a little better in this book than in season one.

I liked that Colin played more of an overprotective older brother role in the book since, y'know, he is older than Daphne. He feels younger and more immature in the show.

The scene of Simon giving Lady Bridgerton was heartbreaking.

Hyacinth shooting her shot with Simon was one of the best parts.

My thoughts on the SA:

I hated, both in the book and the show, that Daphne rapes Simon and it's never truly dealt with, there are no consequences of actions. I know that how SA would have been handled then is different than how it would be handled now, but it still feels gross that nothing was handled.

And the brothers hating Simon during the "separation" of sorts because they didn't know what was happening made it worse. Like why does Daphne get all this support for something she did wrong? Again, I know it's because the brothers don't know the details so they can only assume the worst of Simon, much like the rest of the ton, but there was nothing fixing this after things were resolved.

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sara1809's review against another edition

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3.0

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theasi's review against another edition

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hopeful 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

3.5

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whittiebee's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

This was a super fun read & was ready to rate it 3-4 stars and then got to the spot where

Daphne rapes Simon

andddd now it’s a 1. Julie Quinn could have gone about Simon changing his mind in 100 different ways. Why did it have to be THAT?

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jaedee09's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

If you've read the book or any reviews, you know why I had to rate this low. I enjoyed it all the way up to "that" scene and just couldn't get past it. I've watched the show (and am currently re-watching it), but was disappointed to find that the book version still existed. There were any number of ways to give Daphne and Simon a regency version of a "third act breakup," but I couldn't get past marital r*pe. Glad they worked through Simon's issues, but it didn't seem like Daphne had much character development outside of learning about sex. Loved all the side characters!

Personal Bridgerton Rankings:
1. When He Was Wicked (Francesca and Michael)
2. It’s in His Kiss (Hyacinth and Gareth)
3. On the Way to the Wedding (Gregory and Lucy)
4. To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise and Phillip)
5. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Colin and Penelope)
6. The Duke & I (Daphne and Simon)

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