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malpal132's review
2.75
i mean??? this was fine. i think i was hoping for the writing to dig a little deeper into the emotional aspect/maybe have their characters actually act like childhood friends? idk. it wasn't awful.
threeundertwopnw's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
DNF at 70%. I just can't stand the MMC. These two spend most of their time together on-page fighting and I just want her to be free of him.
A real stinker from an author I usually like. Transphobic "jokes" and vague incest just make this book more awful.
A real stinker from an author I usually like. Transphobic "jokes" and vague incest just make this book more awful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Gore, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Murder, Bullying, Blood, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Sexual content
yodamom's review
4.0
Romantic, heart breaking and at times frustrating. Oh boy FRUSTRATING- I wanted to pull my hair out when he was sent away. I was inner screaming for this to stop...see frustrating. But then there were moments so beautiful and sweet.
The lady was not the prettiest according to societies' check points. They tagged her The Ugly Duchess after her wedding, in every newspaper. This was the beginning of the end and of the start of something. The Duke, sexy and hot, had his path altered and both husband and wife ventured on a new journey. The trials they face and overcome are not easy.
A wonderful retelling of this classic tale. I stayed up all night reading to find out what happened.
The lady was not the prettiest according to societies' check points. They tagged her The Ugly Duchess after her wedding, in every newspaper. This was the beginning of the end and of the start of something. The Duke, sexy and hot, had his path altered and both husband and wife ventured on a new journey. The trials they face and overcome are not easy.
A wonderful retelling of this classic tale. I stayed up all night reading to find out what happened.
lailailai's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? No
2.5
snicf's review
4.0
The first half of this book was a 5 star book, the second half a 3 star.
The first half I couldn't put down. I just found it so interesting and beautifully written. I fell in love with the characters.
Then the second half came. It started out good, but I personally felt the story could have benefitted from telling less of their time apart and focus more in when they got back together and expanding that a little more. They basically got over the last 7 years in a day and a half.
The first half I couldn't put down. I just found it so interesting and beautifully written. I fell in love with the characters.
Then the second half came. It started out good, but I personally felt the story could have benefitted from telling less of their time apart and focus more in when they got back together and expanding that a little more. They basically got over the last 7 years in a day and a half.
14greentrees's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, but have some Kleenex in hand
If you like prolonged heartbreak in your book, with assurance that all will end well because it is a romance novel, this is a book for you. I, personally do not, but for this book I will make an exception.
If you like prolonged heartbreak in your book, with assurance that all will end well because it is a romance novel, this is a book for you. I, personally do not, but for this book I will make an exception.
misspippireads's review against another edition
Time Period: Regency, 1800's
Location: England
Fairytale: The Ugly Duckling
Reviewed from a library copy.
Location: England
Fairytale: The Ugly Duckling
Reviewed from a library copy.
katyanaish's review
1.0
Well, this one was a swing and a miss for me, which is a shame, because Eloisa James is usually a ton of fun.
To be fair, second-chance romances are always hard for me to get behind. I have to see some serious change in the characters in order to really buy that it would work out... otherwise, it just feels like they're signing up to be hurt all over again down the road, never having learned their lesson. They're like addicts deciding to try the pipe one last time.
I liked Theo/Daisy a lot. I liked that, when she discovered that James only married her for her money (that's not a spoiler, it says it on the cover of the book) - - she won me over because she stood up for herself. She didn't collapse into a sobbing mess, though she made it very clear to him that he broke her heart. She didn't try to pretend that she didn't love him; she told him she did, and he threw it away. She threw him out, said she didn't want to see him again. And even better - I loved her for this - she told them that he was her best friend... how could he not know that she would have just given him the damn money, had he asked, because that's what friends DO. Instead, he used her, lied to her, humiliated her.
I applauded. I think that Theo had every right to her heartbreak and anger, and I don't think that she did anything inexcusable.
Then ... the book went downhill.
Like a petulant child, James ran. He didn't try - not for a week, not even for a day - to convince her that though the circumstances of their marriage looked suspicious, he did love her. He didn't try to win her back. He didn't try to soothe her broken heart.
He left.
I, frankly, wanted to kick his ass.
She's dealing with the giant mess he left behind, in addition to <--- I don't know if that's a spoiler or not. *shrug* She retreats, and pulls her shit together, because she's a strong woman. But she is utterly, utterly alone. Heartbreakingly so.
Meanwhile, James is off having the time of his life as a pirate. He's sailing the seas, kicking ass, fucking wenches in every port. Oh, I'm sorry, James had fun, adventure, sex, a best friend and confidante, all while Theo was cleaning up his mess and struggling to keep her shit together all by herself. I honestly can say that I hated him.
Worse was that when he came home, he claimed that the infidelity was justified because she threw him out, and said their marriage was over... I loved when Theo said something to the effect of (I can't ever find quotes now that I have started using a kindle) "So you're saying that, because in my anger and heartbroken state, I told you that our marriage was over... your affairs are my responsibility?" (Found the quote in someone else's review: "Am I to understand that my anger at being tricked into marriage, the better to disguise the embezzlement of my dowry, became your excuse for committing adultery ?" ... man, I wish she had stuck to that sentiment) James was such a selfish asshole. And at this point, I still loved Theo. She was still this amazing strong character who demanded that she deserved to be loved and respected, to be made happy by someone who cared about her. Someone who James was clearly incapable of being.
But then, it seemed to me that Eloisa James had trouble trying to figure out how to reconcile them while maintaining Theo's incredible character. And so, without warning, Theo just folds like a house of cards. No real effort on James's part. Certainly no change in his character - his treatment of Theo is no different in the later chapters of the book than it was in the early chapters. What has James learned? Here's the lesson, as I see it:
Feel free to be a total asshole. Fuck over the one person who loves you most in the world, and then discard her like trash because you can't bear to actually face the consequences of what you have done and, you know, put some effort into trying to make it right. Let her think you're dead for most of a decade. No worries. When you decide to go back, you'll be able to pick up as if nothing ever happened, because the world revolves around your manly cock.
Fuck.
This book pissed me off.
To be fair, second-chance romances are always hard for me to get behind. I have to see some serious change in the characters in order to really buy that it would work out... otherwise, it just feels like they're signing up to be hurt all over again down the road, never having learned their lesson. They're like addicts deciding to try the pipe one last time.
I liked Theo/Daisy a lot. I liked that, when she discovered that James only married her for her money (that's not a spoiler, it says it on the cover of the book) -
Spoiler
that he caved to pressure from his father to marry her, against his wishes, in order to cover up the fact that his father was not just broke, but had embezzled her money as wellI applauded. I think that Theo had every right to her heartbreak and anger, and I don't think that she did anything inexcusable.
Then ... the book went downhill.
Like a petulant child, James ran. He didn't try - not for a week, not even for a day - to convince her that though the circumstances of their marriage looked suspicious, he did love her. He didn't try to win her back. He didn't try to soothe her broken heart.
He left.
I, frankly, wanted to kick his ass.
She's dealing with the giant mess he left behind, in addition to
Spoiler
the scorn of society, who all claim he left her because she's so ugly.Meanwhile, James is off having the time of his life as a pirate. He's sailing the seas, kicking ass, fucking wenches in every port. Oh, I'm sorry,
Spoiler
he felt sad and guilty for the first couple years, so he didn't screw anyone. He grew out of that pretty quickly, and enjoyed lots of sex. And I don't believe for ONE MINUTE that - as he told Theo - he didn't like it and having mistresses was just a sign that he was dead inside. We got some of that from his POV, thank you very much, and he seemed to enjoy "worshipping the sunrise from a horizontal position" with that one chick that he kept around for awhile.Spoiler
The fact that he didn't say a word to her for 7 years, not even to tell her if he was alive or dead, had me disliking him already... but the infidelity sealed the deal.Worse was that when he came home, he claimed that the infidelity was justified because she threw him out, and said their marriage was over... I loved when Theo said something to the effect of (I can't ever find quotes now that I have started using a kindle) "So you're saying that, because in my anger and heartbroken state, I told you that our marriage was over... your affairs are my responsibility?" (Found the quote in someone else's review: "Am I to understand that my anger at being tricked into marriage, the better to disguise the embezzlement of my dowry, became your excuse for committing adultery ?" ... man, I wish she had stuck to that sentiment) James was such a selfish asshole. And at this point, I still loved Theo. She was still this amazing strong character who demanded that she deserved to be loved and respected, to be made happy by someone who cared about her. Someone who James was clearly incapable of being.
But then, it seemed to me that Eloisa James had trouble trying to figure out how to reconcile them while maintaining Theo's incredible character. And so, without warning, Theo just folds like a house of cards. No real effort on James's part. Certainly no change in his character - his treatment of Theo is no different in the later chapters of the book than it was in the early chapters. What has James learned? Here's the lesson, as I see it:
Feel free to be a total asshole. Fuck over the one person who loves you most in the world, and then discard her like trash because you can't bear to actually face the consequences of what you have done and, you know, put some effort into trying to make it right. Let her think you're dead for most of a decade. No worries. When you decide to go back, you'll be able to pick up as if nothing ever happened, because the world revolves around your manly cock.
Fuck.
This book pissed me off.
adelita18's review against another edition
challenging
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Normally, I love Eloisa James' books but felt this was a complete stinker of a novel. Not only did I find Theo/Daisy and James completely self-absorbed, unlikable characters, but the privateer/pirate narrative just fell flat. That being said, these were the issues I had with the novel (in no particular order):
- At points in the story, James referred to Theo/Daisy as his sister then his wife and it was extra creepy.
The adultery sub-plot was infuriating. James repeatedly trying to justify his infidelity as acceptable because he thinks he's worthless for betraying Daisy/she was the one who kicked him out of their home and said their marriage was over/how could he possibly be expected to stay celibate/it was only 3 women drove me up a proverbial wall."She's beautiful but frozen. She wasn't like that when I married her. She's furious that I didn't keep my beef in my britches...When she threw me out of the house, she said the marriage was over, and I believed her. Was I supposed to remain faithful for the rest of my born days?" YES, YOU A-HOLE! You took vows. In a church. All these plot points made me despise James and I couldn't get behind his redemption arc as a result. He is a self-absorbed ass who is entitled thanks to his noble birth.- James' excuse for not considering Theo a wife since she kicked him out of the house and blaming her for his shitty choices is ludicrous. Also, taking her 17 year old proclamation of their marriage being over as a final statement was a great example of his 19 year old immaturity.
- Daisy and James justify their actions/choices with each other throughout the novel as being the result of a lifetime of friendship and intimate knowledge of the other's mind and personality. This definitely rang false as the narrative wore on because it is very clear that they really didn't know each other. At all.
- Theo's 6+ year long grudge against her husband was exhausting to read about. And then she just suddenly decided to find him again? It was a rushed plot point.
Once Daisy and James are together in their home trying to navigate a reconciliation, I found it disturbing that James was turned on by Daisy's 7 year virginity while he was an adulterous cretin. I also was frustrated that Daisy realized she was interested in her husband because of his sartorial choices and they went to the same tailor in Paris.
The only part of the story I remotely enjoyed was Theo/Daisy's attempt to find her self-worth and self-confidence and realize that societal standards of physical beauty and judgements solely based on physical appearance not only harmful but hot garbage.