You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Okay, reddit has yet to fail me in its recommendations.
So I have to fangirl a bit, and I would apologize except I'm not sorry.
Read this book if you like:
*Intricate irritating court life.
If you want to think how stupid, ridiculous, and complicated court politics are to our modern sensibilities, yes. If you also want to think you'd be swallowed alive and likely beheaded, for sure, this is for you.
*Historic fiction except not really
You want medieval vibes, but you don't want to actually secretly wonder if it's accurate, I got you. You want medieval, except it kind of sucked if you really look at it, come on in. This entire land is fantasy and not real, but the layout is familiar and similar enough, you'll love it. Best of all worlds.
*A girl that isn't a fighter or an assassin or any of that but is still a badass
Hello, please let me introduce you to Fen. She's 26, is actually literally the kindest person, and is wicked good at embroidery. Yeah, she's a bit of a mess for the first half of the book and finding her feet. But shit does she find them. Yeah, I'll own she isn't the firebrand heroine we're used too and her submission might bother people. But personally watching her call out her ex-husband and figure out that Oswald has her back regardless was like catnip to me. Also, maybe it's just me, but I'm obsessed with a heroine who doesn't see herself the way the rest of the world does. She sees herself as a country girl out of her depth (and she kind of is) but the rest of the world sees a girl that rode up court, traded up in rank via marriage (technically through blackmail), and proceeded to make a man colder than ice to them fall crazy in love with her is while completely humbling and undermining her ex is *chief's kiss*
*Marriage of convenience
You got a man committed to his work that is closed off entirely to the world. He's brutal and cold. He marries her solely because it's her or marrying the king's mistress. Conversely, you have a woman displaced and abandoned by her husband facing a convent. Yeah, it works in both their favors, and he seizes on it. And it fucking works okay? You begin to unearth a man that is tired to his bones and is loyal as shit to a small select few. And in comes Fen with gentle insight into people and sheer softness. And he just thaws for her. Layer in their back story and it all makes so much sense.
* An antihero that remains conniving
Make no mistake Oswald isn't a good person. He isn't a bad person either. He's clever enough to know how to play the system and play it he does. He manipulates nearly everyone around him. But he's also a spymaster. It's his literal unspoken job. I thought he was somehow perfectly balanced between ambition, intelligence, and loyalty to be compelling. I found the work he did from just reading other people's letters to reworking family lines to be so fucking fascinating. This is one of the few books where the action is in words and identities and is so quiet and so unnerving.
Don't read this if you don't like
*Gender roles.
This book gives medieval England vibes so yes there are gender expectations. I personally liked seeing how women worked or maneuvered around them but it's still realistic enough to be irritating and frustrating. Don't worry. The women make sure to comment on them in a way that makes sense for the time, and women are scarcely powerless. But the system is irritating okay? Be prepared.
*Action.
Yeah not gonna lie. This is almost 600 pages of politics and maneuvering as well as a love story. The action is almost non existent.
*An age gap
Yeah, they first meet when he's 19, and she's 12. This is neither of their choices to be clear. He treats her very kindly and with 0 attraction, but also, it's just awkward as hell because of that age gap. The romance kind of highlights what he lost and what could've been if she hadn't been jilted. It didn't bother me but I can see how it'd be troubling so heads up.
Alright, yeah. Okay, fangirl moment over except not really because this book will live rent free forever here. Alice Coldbreath, I salute you. I also plan to read every book you've ever written and think I could write several essays on them.
This book embodies the song Spinacle by Flower Face in case you need an additional incentive
So I have to fangirl a bit, and I would apologize except I'm not sorry.
Read this book if you like:
*Intricate irritating court life.
If you want to think how stupid, ridiculous, and complicated court politics are to our modern sensibilities, yes. If you also want to think you'd be swallowed alive and likely beheaded, for sure, this is for you.
*Historic fiction except not really
You want medieval vibes, but you don't want to actually secretly wonder if it's accurate, I got you. You want medieval, except it kind of sucked if you really look at it, come on in. This entire land is fantasy and not real, but the layout is familiar and similar enough, you'll love it. Best of all worlds.
*A girl that isn't a fighter or an assassin or any of that but is still a badass
Hello, please let me introduce you to Fen. She's 26, is actually literally the kindest person, and is wicked good at embroidery. Yeah, she's a bit of a mess for the first half of the book and finding her feet. But shit does she find them. Yeah, I'll own she isn't the firebrand heroine we're used too and her submission might bother people. But personally watching her call out her ex-husband and figure out that Oswald has her back regardless was like catnip to me. Also, maybe it's just me, but I'm obsessed with a heroine who doesn't see herself the way the rest of the world does. She sees herself as a country girl out of her depth (and she kind of is) but the rest of the world sees a girl that rode up court, traded up in rank via marriage (technically through blackmail), and proceeded to make a man colder than ice to them fall crazy in love with her is while completely humbling and undermining her ex is *chief's kiss*
*Marriage of convenience
You got a man committed to his work that is closed off entirely to the world. He's brutal and cold. He marries her solely because it's her or marrying the king's mistress. Conversely, you have a woman displaced and abandoned by her husband facing a convent. Yeah, it works in both their favors, and he seizes on it. And it fucking works okay? You begin to unearth a man that is tired to his bones and is loyal as shit to a small select few. And in comes Fen with gentle insight into people and sheer softness. And he just thaws for her. Layer in their back story and it all makes so much sense.
* An antihero that remains conniving
Make no mistake Oswald isn't a good person. He isn't a bad person either. He's clever enough to know how to play the system and play it he does. He manipulates nearly everyone around him. But he's also a spymaster. It's his literal unspoken job. I thought he was somehow perfectly balanced between ambition, intelligence, and loyalty to be compelling. I found the work he did from just reading other people's letters to reworking family lines to be so fucking fascinating. This is one of the few books where the action is in words and identities and is so quiet and so unnerving.
Don't read this if you don't like
*Gender roles.
This book gives medieval England vibes so yes there are gender expectations. I personally liked seeing how women worked or maneuvered around them but it's still realistic enough to be irritating and frustrating. Don't worry. The women make sure to comment on them in a way that makes sense for the time, and women are scarcely powerless. But the system is irritating okay? Be prepared.
*Action.
Yeah not gonna lie. This is almost 600 pages of politics and maneuvering as well as a love story. The action is almost non existent.
*An age gap
Yeah, they first meet when he's 19, and she's 12. This is neither of their choices to be clear. He treats her very kindly and with 0 attraction, but also, it's just awkward as hell because of that age gap. The romance kind of highlights what he lost and what could've been if she hadn't been jilted. It didn't bother me but I can see how it'd be troubling so heads up.
Alright, yeah. Okay, fangirl moment over except not really because this book will live rent free forever here. Alice Coldbreath, I salute you. I also plan to read every book you've ever written and think I could write several essays on them.
This book embodies the song Spinacle by Flower Face in case you need an additional incentive
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is my second AC book and based off of the weak ass FMCs in both I don't think I'll be reading more.
MMC fully tricks/traps her in marriage for his own purposes and that doesn't even come to light (to her) in this book. For goodness sake even at the end of the book she still thinks she "forced herself" on him. Truly frustrating.
MMC fully tricks/traps her in marriage for his own purposes and that doesn't even come to light (to her) in this book. For goodness sake even at the end of the book she still thinks she "forced herself" on him. Truly frustrating.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75/5🌶️, MF, medieval, marriage of convenience, standalone but lots of overlapping characters from other series, single narration, Audible (plus catalogue)
As someone who absolutely loved the first book in the Vawdrey Brothers series, this book just didn't measure up for me. This book is about the king's spy master and his childhood betrothed, a jilted divorcee, reconnecting under less than honourable circumstances. There were many enjoyable parts of this book. As always, I love how Alice Coldbreath writes and her subtle humour and characterizations are excellent. The MMC had a long history of being celibate and was a remarkable caregiver. He loved to spoil the FMC and worshipped the FMC's curvy body. I did find that the MMC ran hot and cold throughout the entire book. He was generous and caring one moment and I love watching the two become friends, but then a small miscommunication would throw him into a mood and cause the FMC to doubt herself, her place as a wife and her place in court. His realization of feelings after his conversation with his brothers and his love declaration to the FMC towards the end did redeem him a tiny bit though (although this was a case of using sex in place of a proper grovel!). There was a lot of filler in this story (talk of court life, dresses, etc), and a lot of set up for future stories, which I found took a bit away from the main couple in this story. Finally, I'm not a huge fan of this audiobook narrator, which may have influenced my overall enjoyment of the story a bit.
As someone who absolutely loved the first book in the Vawdrey Brothers series, this book just didn't measure up for me. This book is about the king's spy master and his childhood betrothed, a jilted divorcee, reconnecting under less than honourable circumstances. There were many enjoyable parts of this book. As always, I love how Alice Coldbreath writes and her subtle humour and characterizations are excellent. The MMC had a long history of being celibate and was a remarkable caregiver. He loved to spoil the FMC and worshipped the FMC's curvy body. I did find that the MMC ran hot and cold throughout the entire book. He was generous and caring one moment and I love watching the two become friends, but then a small miscommunication would throw him into a mood and cause the FMC to doubt herself, her place as a wife and her place in court. His realization of feelings after his conversation with his brothers and his love declaration to the FMC towards the end did redeem him a tiny bit though (although this was a case of using sex in place of a proper grovel!). There was a lot of filler in this story (talk of court life, dresses, etc), and a lot of set up for future stories, which I found took a bit away from the main couple in this story. Finally, I'm not a huge fan of this audiobook narrator, which may have influenced my overall enjoyment of the story a bit.
slow-paced
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A