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plantqueen14's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I enjoyed Clara and Oliver's growth through the story. The main thread of the assassination attempts were not really that interesting to me, but I still enjoyed the story as a whole.
I enjoyed Clara and Oliver's growth through the story. The main thread of the assassination attempts were not really that interesting to me, but I still enjoyed the story as a whole.
interludearson's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite,a book that tried to be smart but wasn't.
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
4.0
Bumped to 4 stars simply for the Trial.
I had my issues with this series, it's tricky basing a series around social classes, and trickier more so when you try to throw in women's rights in this era. While I don't think that all of these books succeeded, Dukes Prefer Blondes was the most forthright about challenging the status quo about our heroine's position as a woman.
While we've gotten to know Clara over the course of the series, Radford is a new introduction and was a breath of fresh air after the series of titled heroes (with an equally tall sense of entitlement!). The trial was one of the funnest scenes I've read for a while, and for once I liked the pacing of the series but feel the b-story was a little bit unnecessary in the end.
I had my issues with this series, it's tricky basing a series around social classes, and trickier more so when you try to throw in women's rights in this era. While I don't think that all of these books succeeded, Dukes Prefer Blondes was the most forthright about challenging the status quo about our heroine's position as a woman.
While we've gotten to know Clara over the course of the series, Radford is a new introduction and was a breath of fresh air after the series of titled heroes (with an equally tall sense of entitlement!). The trial was one of the funnest scenes I've read for a while, and for once I liked the pacing of the series but feel the b-story was a little bit unnecessary in the end.
fringebookreviews's review against another edition
5.0
I want to reread this while crying on the floor
bluemercury40's review against another edition
2.0
Characters: I didn't like the chemistry and interaction between the two characters. I couldn't get into their romance.
Story: Not interesting enough to catch my attention. Did not finish this.
Story: Not interesting enough to catch my attention. Did not finish this.
mcklockhart's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
falulatonks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - My library app says I first started reading this in February 5th, which means that every time I've thought "I'd better get back to the book I was reading" for the last month, I came to this and struggled! On the romance note alone, I would've had no problem with reading this - it's charming, and Clara and Raven are pretty wonderful together, and the way they fight and fight for each other was fun and added an edge I'm not used to seeing in romance. They also felt really evenly matched in a way I loved - not just in terms of their intelligence and love for each other, but also their negative traits, where things you know would aggravate any other person just makes them even more lovable in each other's eyes. I LOVED that. Both of them knowing, too, that they're absolutely the best for each other, and that they would be happy together, adds such a nice confidence to their romance - no self-sacrificing melodrama, despite the differences in their stations, essentially. They're both really whole people in a way that works? And, you know, the courtroom trial scene was fucking perfect.
But the plot in this was just...irritating - exhausting, meandering, not at all compelling. Around halfway in, we started getting sections from the POV of the bad guys and that's when I put this aside for like two weeks. Even earlier in, when we saw them bonding over a plotty bit - even as I thought, 'hey, this is why they're great together', I was finding it hard not to tune out to the meat of it. It felt like too much coming in so many directions, and at such a disservice to characters I otherwise really enjoyed and whose individual stories had enough to fuel a novel on their own. I honestly think I only even finished this book because I skimmed over the plotty parts to get to their scenes together after they got married.
I did like that we got time with them after their marriage, where we get to see them fight and adore each other in full, but if I hadn't liked them together so much, this would've been a DNF.
But the plot in this was just...irritating - exhausting, meandering, not at all compelling. Around halfway in, we started getting sections from the POV of the bad guys and that's when I put this aside for like two weeks. Even earlier in, when we saw them bonding over a plotty bit - even as I thought, 'hey, this is why they're great together', I was finding it hard not to tune out to the meat of it. It felt like too much coming in so many directions, and at such a disservice to characters I otherwise really enjoyed and whose individual stories had enough to fuel a novel on their own. I honestly think I only even finished this book because I skimmed over the plotty parts to get to their scenes together after they got married.
I did like that we got time with them after their marriage, where we get to see them fight and adore each other in full, but if I hadn't liked them together so much, this would've been a DNF.
arinnroberson's review against another edition
3.0
Wasn't a fan of a few of the plot points to the development of their relationship. I pr3efer her better developed ones were they spend more time together, before the i am obviously in love with you.
fairywine's review against another edition
4.0
I know I speak for many when I say Dukes Prefer Blondes is a book we were all waiting for with baited breath. Us fans of Loretta Chase's Dressmakers series had wanted Lady Clara Fairfax to have her own book from day one. And at long last here it is.
For me personally, there was another, less-than-positive layer to my anticipation. As much as I adore Loretta Chase, the previous book in the Dressmakers series, Vixen in Velvet, was beyond a snooze fest. It truly pains me to say such things of Chase, but the leads were "make drying paint look fun" dull and had zero spark in their relationship. (If it's any consolation, even Austen didn't exactly bat 1000 here.)
But even though Vixen in Velvet was so boring, we see so little of Leonie in the first two Dressmakers books I was never that invested in her story from the start. Lady Clara, on the other hand, has been such a strong and enjoyable presence through the series. I had huge hopes for her book, hopes that bore the weight of the sheer let down that was Vixen in Velvet.
Luckily, things ended up turning out well, much to my eternal relief. Dukes Prefer Blondes was such a welcome return to form on Loretta Chase's part. Everything I love about her writing is here. Sparkling, electric dialogue, well-rounded characters, equal measures of humor and romance...just the good, strong storytelling that has made her such a universal recommendation.
After narrowing avoiding not one, but two disastrous marriages, Lady Clara Fairfax has had enough of matrimonial affairs. Unfortunately, being the most eligible young lady of the ton as well as having a mother obsessed with marrying Clara both well and soon as possible means the issue is not so easily dismissed. At least her work as a patron of the Milliners' Society for the Education of Indigent Females keeps Clara busy (and avoiding the constant marriage proposals from her droves of suitors). And when one of the charity's girls comes to her for help, Clara leaps at the chance to actually do something of meaning.
But it's trickier situation than Clara realized. One requiring advice from the cleverest lawyer familiar with the ins and outs of the criminal world as much as high society. Oliver "Raven" Radford is that man, and his sharp mind comes with an equally sharp tongue. The grandson of a duke and third in line for the family title, Raven is more than satisfied to continue with his legal career instead of the artifice and tedium of society. It's an opinion no man of logic and reason such as he would change. Not even when a lady as intelligent as she is stunningly beautiful walks into his chambers...
Neither Clara nor Raven could imagine all that would spring from that fateful meeting. Fighting criminals, building legal cases, dealing with the ton, gorgeous gowns, true love and more. Just a few of the reasons...Dukes Prefer Blondes.
There was a lot I enjoyed in Dukes Prefer Blondes. First of all Clara and Raven are a blast. They've both got big, layered personalities, and their verbal sparring is straight out of the Nick and Nora Charles tradition. You can practically feel the glee each of them has just talking to each other, just having a worthy opponent to go against. And that's before they really fall for each other. After...swoonsville (though the snark is just as present, delightfully).
Of course we've seen a good bit of Clara over the years, but it was great to finally get total focus on her. While the "upper class woman smothered by the chains of society and rank" narrative isn't anything new, Chase writes Clara with the kind of real feeling and emotion that elevates what would otherwise be a pretty pedestrian character. Clara's got a ton of inner fire and strength (not surprising, considering her brother), and is deeply intelligent to boot. She chafes at the expectations not only assigned to ladies of the time, but also the expectations of her well-meaning and loving but incredibly overbearing mother.
Literally from childhood Clara was raised to be the wife of a duke, and though she doesn't end up marrying that particular one, it doesn't change the fact she's barely had any freedom until the Noirot dressmakers became her friends and allies. We've seen her assert more and more control over herself, making some pretty realistic mistakes and also still keeping in with what a woman of the times would really be like. It's obvious Clara needs a challenge to be happy, someone who will keep her on her toes, and that's why Raven is so incredibly perfect for her.
Oliver "Raven" (for apparently being quite dark and beaky as a lad and it stuck) Radford was quite delightful too, especially considering this is his first book and he's had no previous buildup. He's brilliant, but that comes with a prickly attitude and a tongue you could probably slice through titanium like butter with. He infuriates pretty much everyone he meets, but Raven is so freaking good at what he does (up to helping the Royal family with legal affairs) people generally have no choice but to put up with him. Except for those people who decide "eh, I'm going to kill this jerk" and attempt to do so. Raven's actual introduction as an adult is when someone tries to run him down and is only stopped by Clara's presence.
So yes, Raven is in general an extremely obnoxious (yet entertainingly so) genius. But the brilliance of Chase's writing is that isn't all he is. We get more and more layers as the story progresses, to a man that strives against the world, against injustice, feels quite deeply for those he cares about, and wants to be challenged in his married life (and doesn't see the point of marrying at all if he isn't). He doesn't care the least bit about the possibility of dukedom-if anything Raven's quite happy with the life he has and views his potential lordship as a giant inconvenience. But by far the best thing about Raven is that it isn't Clara's beauty that draws him in (even if she is the most attractive woman he's ever seen), it's her spirit and intelligence. If love truly is the marriage of two minds as Shakespeare says, it's found a happy home in Dukes Prefer Blondes. I can totally see these two happily bantering away until they're old and grey.
The pacing and build-up of the romance is very well executed here too. I was wondering where Chase was going to go with things, considering how Clara narrowly avoided marriage to a penniless fortune hunter who compromised her (and that was just some ruffled clothes and kissing, not even outright sex). It'd be pretty stupid and out of character with her past experiences to just leap into bed with someone regardless of how good their chemistry is. This was believably done, from a single childhood play date, to meeting again as adults, gradually gaining respect for each other, and then falling in love (snarking all the way). We also get a lot more into making a marriage work then we usually see in romance novels, and I found it both good story wise and just plain refreshing.
There's lots of charm and heart to Dukes Prefer Blondes-even the snark gets kind of sweet after a point. To go into too much detail would be spoiling things, but let's just say the way Raven convinces Clara's parents to give consent to their marriage is both awesome and heartwarming. In general there are a ton of moments in this book that will have you going "aww..." before going back to cracking up at a witty one liner.
Overall I think it's obvious I very much enjoyed Dukes Prefer Blondes. But to my mind it did have a few weak spots.
First of all, for a Dressmakers series book, Maison Noirot and its founders barely featured at all. In Leonie's case that's no loss, but I really missed Sophy and Marcelline, and the general joy of fashion and dressing. (Also, REALLY REALLY MISSED LONGMORE). Actually, the cast for Dukes Prefer Blondes in general was pretty minimal as far as screen time goes. Maybe Lisa Kleypas spoiled me somewhat with her larger casts and female friendships, but I found myself wanting those elements in Dukes Prefer Blondes and not getting it.
The villain for this one was serviceable enough-crime boss who wants to kill Raven for interfering with his operations-but the lengths he went to in order to get revenge were almost Wile E. Coyote-esque. By the end he's lost practically everything and Raven's all but untouchable to him as a noble. But instead of knowing when to fold them and going off (something made all the easier because everyone thinks he's dead), he keeps going after Raven. It's what I think of as contrived dumbness, and it just didn't work for me here.
Last, for the final book in the Dressmakers series, we get little resolution for our principles. I mean yes, all three sisters and Clara are well married and happy, but what about their futures? What about the status of Maison Noirot. I found it beyond bizarre that Chase would tell us what happened to the bad guy's second henchmen, but barely anything about Raven and Clara (and nothing about the other three sisters). I was left wanting here, and it bothered me the more I thought about it.
But in the end this is absolutely ending the Dressmakers series on a high note. I've had so much fun with these ladies (mostly), and I'll treasure these books forever. Scandal Wears Satin is one of my top favorite romance novels ever, and Dukes Prefer Blondes isn't too far behind it. Highly recommend, four strong stars.
For me personally, there was another, less-than-positive layer to my anticipation. As much as I adore Loretta Chase, the previous book in the Dressmakers series, Vixen in Velvet, was beyond a snooze fest. It truly pains me to say such things of Chase, but the leads were "make drying paint look fun" dull and had zero spark in their relationship. (If it's any consolation, even Austen didn't exactly bat 1000 here.)
But even though Vixen in Velvet was so boring, we see so little of Leonie in the first two Dressmakers books I was never that invested in her story from the start. Lady Clara, on the other hand, has been such a strong and enjoyable presence through the series. I had huge hopes for her book, hopes that bore the weight of the sheer let down that was Vixen in Velvet.
Luckily, things ended up turning out well, much to my eternal relief. Dukes Prefer Blondes was such a welcome return to form on Loretta Chase's part. Everything I love about her writing is here. Sparkling, electric dialogue, well-rounded characters, equal measures of humor and romance...just the good, strong storytelling that has made her such a universal recommendation.
After narrowing avoiding not one, but two disastrous marriages, Lady Clara Fairfax has had enough of matrimonial affairs. Unfortunately, being the most eligible young lady of the ton as well as having a mother obsessed with marrying Clara both well and soon as possible means the issue is not so easily dismissed. At least her work as a patron of the Milliners' Society for the Education of Indigent Females keeps Clara busy (and avoiding the constant marriage proposals from her droves of suitors). And when one of the charity's girls comes to her for help, Clara leaps at the chance to actually do something of meaning.
But it's trickier situation than Clara realized. One requiring advice from the cleverest lawyer familiar with the ins and outs of the criminal world as much as high society. Oliver "Raven" Radford is that man, and his sharp mind comes with an equally sharp tongue. The grandson of a duke and third in line for the family title, Raven is more than satisfied to continue with his legal career instead of the artifice and tedium of society. It's an opinion no man of logic and reason such as he would change. Not even when a lady as intelligent as she is stunningly beautiful walks into his chambers...
Neither Clara nor Raven could imagine all that would spring from that fateful meeting. Fighting criminals, building legal cases, dealing with the ton, gorgeous gowns, true love and more. Just a few of the reasons...Dukes Prefer Blondes.
There was a lot I enjoyed in Dukes Prefer Blondes. First of all Clara and Raven are a blast. They've both got big, layered personalities, and their verbal sparring is straight out of the Nick and Nora Charles tradition. You can practically feel the glee each of them has just talking to each other, just having a worthy opponent to go against. And that's before they really fall for each other. After...swoonsville (though the snark is just as present, delightfully).
Of course we've seen a good bit of Clara over the years, but it was great to finally get total focus on her. While the "upper class woman smothered by the chains of society and rank" narrative isn't anything new, Chase writes Clara with the kind of real feeling and emotion that elevates what would otherwise be a pretty pedestrian character. Clara's got a ton of inner fire and strength (not surprising, considering her brother), and is deeply intelligent to boot. She chafes at the expectations not only assigned to ladies of the time, but also the expectations of her well-meaning and loving but incredibly overbearing mother.
Literally from childhood Clara was raised to be the wife of a duke, and though she doesn't end up marrying that particular one, it doesn't change the fact she's barely had any freedom until the Noirot dressmakers became her friends and allies. We've seen her assert more and more control over herself, making some pretty realistic mistakes and also still keeping in with what a woman of the times would really be like. It's obvious Clara needs a challenge to be happy, someone who will keep her on her toes, and that's why Raven is so incredibly perfect for her.
Oliver "Raven" (for apparently being quite dark and beaky as a lad and it stuck) Radford was quite delightful too, especially considering this is his first book and he's had no previous buildup. He's brilliant, but that comes with a prickly attitude and a tongue you could probably slice through titanium like butter with. He infuriates pretty much everyone he meets, but Raven is so freaking good at what he does (up to helping the Royal family with legal affairs) people generally have no choice but to put up with him. Except for those people who decide "eh, I'm going to kill this jerk" and attempt to do so. Raven's actual introduction as an adult is when someone tries to run him down and is only stopped by Clara's presence.
So yes, Raven is in general an extremely obnoxious (yet entertainingly so) genius. But the brilliance of Chase's writing is that isn't all he is. We get more and more layers as the story progresses, to a man that strives against the world, against injustice, feels quite deeply for those he cares about, and wants to be challenged in his married life (and doesn't see the point of marrying at all if he isn't). He doesn't care the least bit about the possibility of dukedom-if anything Raven's quite happy with the life he has and views his potential lordship as a giant inconvenience. But by far the best thing about Raven is that it isn't Clara's beauty that draws him in (even if she is the most attractive woman he's ever seen), it's her spirit and intelligence. If love truly is the marriage of two minds as Shakespeare says, it's found a happy home in Dukes Prefer Blondes. I can totally see these two happily bantering away until they're old and grey.
The pacing and build-up of the romance is very well executed here too. I was wondering where Chase was going to go with things, considering how Clara narrowly avoided marriage to a penniless fortune hunter who compromised her (and that was just some ruffled clothes and kissing, not even outright sex). It'd be pretty stupid and out of character with her past experiences to just leap into bed with someone regardless of how good their chemistry is. This was believably done, from a single childhood play date, to meeting again as adults, gradually gaining respect for each other, and then falling in love (snarking all the way). We also get a lot more into making a marriage work then we usually see in romance novels, and I found it both good story wise and just plain refreshing.
There's lots of charm and heart to Dukes Prefer Blondes-even the snark gets kind of sweet after a point. To go into too much detail would be spoiling things, but let's just say the way Raven convinces Clara's parents to give consent to their marriage is both awesome and heartwarming. In general there are a ton of moments in this book that will have you going "aww..." before going back to cracking up at a witty one liner.
Overall I think it's obvious I very much enjoyed Dukes Prefer Blondes. But to my mind it did have a few weak spots.
First of all, for a Dressmakers series book, Maison Noirot and its founders barely featured at all. In Leonie's case that's no loss, but I really missed Sophy and Marcelline, and the general joy of fashion and dressing. (Also, REALLY REALLY MISSED LONGMORE). Actually, the cast for Dukes Prefer Blondes in general was pretty minimal as far as screen time goes. Maybe Lisa Kleypas spoiled me somewhat with her larger casts and female friendships, but I found myself wanting those elements in Dukes Prefer Blondes and not getting it.
The villain for this one was serviceable enough-crime boss who wants to kill Raven for interfering with his operations-but the lengths he went to in order to get revenge were almost Wile E. Coyote-esque. By the end he's lost practically everything and Raven's all but untouchable to him as a noble. But instead of knowing when to fold them and going off (something made all the easier because everyone thinks he's dead), he keeps going after Raven. It's what I think of as contrived dumbness, and it just didn't work for me here.
Last, for the final book in the Dressmakers series, we get little resolution for our principles. I mean yes, all three sisters and Clara are well married and happy, but what about their futures? What about the status of Maison Noirot. I found it beyond bizarre that Chase would tell us what happened to the bad guy's second henchmen, but barely anything about Raven and Clara (and nothing about the other three sisters). I was left wanting here, and it bothered me the more I thought about it.
But in the end this is absolutely ending the Dressmakers series on a high note. I've had so much fun with these ladies (mostly), and I'll treasure these books forever. Scandal Wears Satin is one of my top favorite romance novels ever, and Dukes Prefer Blondes isn't too far behind it. Highly recommend, four strong stars.