Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Infamous

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Infamous by Lex Croucher

12 reviews

sexyelderbug's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

3.5

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sauvageloup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted tense 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

3.5

a brilliant romp, feeling new and fresh even when treading on well worn paths, and with emotional depth.

pros:
- the writing flows well, is light and amusing and plows along with all Eddie' eagerness. I liked the banter and the dialogue, the descriptions were visual and conjured up vivid scenes, especially Saint Bede's island in the dark, Rose's appearance, the clothing, the crumbling house, etc.
- I really liked Eddie and Rose as main characters, and all the side characters are fleshed out and real, with all their depths and foibles.

Eddie is very much an unreliable narrator and its through her eyes we get to realise that Albert is a decent guy and Nash is the worst. Though the signs for the reader are all there, it's still gripping to see how itll unfold and satisfying when Eddie realises.

- the characters of Kitty, Valentine, Dayo, Liza, Albert, etc. all had their own motivations and quirks, and their own relationship with the other characters, including Nash. Dayo's campaign to bring about abolition was a good inclusion, and we got to hear about Kitty's passion for painting, Albert's rabbits (a reoccurring joke that I nonetheless thought wholesome). Juno the dog was even a fun character in herself, though I rather expected her to dig up some ominous bone or get stuck or find a ghost in the forest.
- I liked the setting and the Regency time period, with the contrasts of different levels of proprietary and the dropping in of real historical people, like Shelley and Byron.
-

Even though I feel most twists were fairly evident: that Nash only wanted to have sex with Eddie, that she and rose were in love, that Nash had stolen the manuscript, the maid being murdered by Nash's father, etc.. I still managed to be surprised by others, like Albert being gay (which I really should have seen coming), the murdered maid being Henry's mother, Nash publishing Eddie's manuscript, etc. which were fun to discover.

- I liked Eddie and Rose's different journeys and how they found themselves at different times. their friendship/budding romance was so well written, i loved the ebb and flow and the depiction of their tension, quarrels, intimacy, sexual attraction, forgiveness, etc. That was so well done.

cons:
- the start felt slow and a bit shallow. I didnt much like Eddie at all and it was all too Brigerton at that point. it really picked up for me as Eddie got drawn in and the stakes went up, with more dark edges to Nash and debauchery.
- I thought there was a real lack of resolution with Henry and Nash both. I wish Henry could have challenged Nate about the locket, his mother, and the assault. I felt it was glossed over that Nash sexually assaulted Henry, though that threat lingers in the latter half of the book against Eddie. It was left unclear whether anyone got shot with the pistol and I'm not sure Eddie got to see Henry after that. that was a bit of hanging loose end unless we're meant to think that Nash murdered Henry and just cleared him away, which doesn't seem likely, but if it was then....
- it's frustrating that Nash never got any more severe punishment for stealing Eddie's manuscript, lying, cheating on Liza, verbally abusing Eddie, nonconsensually kissing her, and force feeding her drugs... she should have slapped him at least, and then got him denounced in the papers. instead we get a lacklustre end note. guess I'm more vengeful but I definitely didnt feel he got taught any lesson!

but overall, this was a thrilling and gripping ride with great writing and I enjoyed it :)

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megangrace's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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vaguely_pink's review

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emotional funny 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

3.0

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binevolentbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

an absolute delight to read!

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kelseaduguid's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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eh1736's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.5

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humblebookdragon's review against another edition

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lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Because both Eddie and Nash were so UNLIKABLE, especially for the entire duration of the novel, it was really a feat to finish this book. The only thing that kept me going was that Lex Croucher wrote Rose as the voice of reason, and perhaps the voice of the audience, so the self-awareness of how Eddie and Nash were was appreciated, but it was still a rough one.

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internalnonsense's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This story is more than a rote romance, taking its time to explore the complexity of our protagonist, Ed’s character and her ambitions outside of love, but will quickly lose its ground and take things too far, creating an overall unlikeable protagonist and contrived conflicts.

Ed’s a young woman in Regency society, needing to find her place in life but still holding on to her idyllic childhood with her best friend Rose. Rose, however, is ready to move forward, and begins seriously looking for a husband. Ed does not react well, but cannot deter Rose from her future. Ed, instead, finds herself acquainted to her favorite poet, Nash. When he expresses an interest in her, Ed’s previous fantasies of being a writer take on a reality, as Nash could open a whole new world for her. So as Rose becomes engaged, Ed does her best to get closer to Nash. Tensions rise, scandals threaten, and Ed has to confront exactly how she feels about Rose.

The central conflict of this story is ambition vs values (values being propriety, then self-respect and love). While spirited and funny, Ed’s very short-sighted and self-involved, which is perhaps appropriate for a sheltered, upper class Regency girl. It’s not a bad place to start a story, but Ed’s growth one step forward, two steps back. It reaches a point where you have to ask ‘what does Rose see in her?’. However, I appreciate a flawed protagonist more than a perfect one, and much of the time I understand Ed’s inconsistency. She’s been trapped her whole life and she sees a way out, so she ignores the red flags along the way.

Rose, the primary love interest, is a complete contrast to Ed. She’s figured herself out entirely, is steady, a good judge of character, and kind. Honestly, her biggest flaw is (her love for Ed) is lack of ambition; she starts the story giving up, settling into the easiest life available to her. I think the story would have improved with a Rose POV; a break from Ed’s stuttering character development and a better understanding of Rose’s own motivation. What drives her out except Ed being stupid? Rose also had known she was a lesbian at an early age, and was of Chinese descent, in Regency England. There was a lot of depth to her character we did not explore through Ed’s eyes.

Nash, the rival love/antagonist is initially a well-realized manipulator. Older and married, his interest in Ed is incredibly inappropriate, but we also sense the opportunity Ed does in him—the connections to creatives, editors, an alternative society, and he has just enough vulnerability and charm to see why his friends and Ed put up with him. His escalating poor behavior coinciding with his moves on Ed is the primary drive of the story. However, I feel the author doesn’t trust that we’ll see him as the villain, so continues to pile on his crimes, which in turn makes Ed’s judgement seem steadily worse and worse. The finale depends on Ed making a choice, effectively, between Nash and Rose, but the weights are so absurdly stacked against Nash it’s almost insulting to Rose that Ed would even consider him.

The prose is well-written with a consistent voice and a lot of humor. Sometimes, especially during banter, character’s would blend together, but, honestly, that sameness helped characterize Nash’s crowd. It’s not a plot-heavy story, which is fine, but when it decides to have a plot it’s kind of out of nowhere and discordant with the larger story. Obviously, there’s strong LGBTQ+ rep—Ed is probably bi, Rose is confidently a lesbian, and there are other characters across the rainbow. Ed herself I read as a little non-binary, as she found herself drawn to more masc ways of presenting herself and resisted a more feminine nickname, but I wouldn’t say that was clearly explored at all.

Overall, it was sometimes fun, often times frustration, and occasionally genuinely compelling moments.

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lexnicole's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

4.5

I really hate Nash Nicholson

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