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carlyoc's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Valentine, Duke of Malvern, is a stuffy and proper young man determined to do what is expected of him in society, even if it means marrying the childhood friend he has no true feelings for.
Arabella Tarleton is an overdramatic woman who reacts like a gothic novel heroine to Valentine's lackluster proposal by promptly fleeing into the night with her gender fluid friend Peggy.
Her equally overdramatic twin brother Bonaventure "Bonny" Tarleton ropes Valentine into chasing her down and apologizing before she can catch a ship to America.
During the chase, Bonny shows Valentine that there can be more to life than the narrow future laid out for him and they fall in love.
Always on the lookout for demisexual representation, I got some vibes from Valentine who says he had never truly experienced attraction before Bonny, although that may be largely because he didn't realize attraction to men was an option and suppressed or didn't recognize any such previous feelings. But it is only once he gets to know Bonny on an emotional level that he finds he has feelings for him whether he would like them or not.
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Gun violence
thepictureofromance's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent
beepbeep101's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
No dragons but plenty of fun ~spicyness~
Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
silvernfire's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent
sage_alexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Gun violence
Minor: Kidnapping
elizakay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
bergha1998's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
MLM Romance, 3 1/2 🔥
“I believe we know when we do wrong. We feel it. In our hearts, our souls, our conscience. And nothing I have ever learned or known or felt has taught me to believe that love is wrong.”
“Inclined”—he was still yelling—“ to see good where I would not even think to try.”
“I sought closeness with fictional characters because I felt incapable of it with anyone else. After all, if someone isn’t real, there are no expectations, no chance of loss.”
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Gun violence
readingqueerly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was really fun. I don't know what it is, but queer historical fiction just always hits the spot for me. Add in a main character who is implied to be neurodivergent and aroace and I'm a happy boi.
This book was certainly dramatic as hell. Sometimes a bit too much for my taste, but that's just because I found it hard to really understand the big feelings some of these characters were experiencing all the time.
The main character was at certain moments definitely relatable to me in the way that he thinks he should live his life and the way he had so much trouble identifying how he should feel and what he is feeling and what all of it means. Definitely made me think just a little of some moments in other books with ace and aro representation that hit do close to home, especially when romance and marriage and a relationship is something so widely desired by many and almost expected from society.
This read really quickly and while I think it could have been shorter, I didn't mind the length either. (Not that it's very long to begin with.) Also each and every character is queer and that's just a win if you ask me.
Graphic: Sexual content and Gun violence
Moderate: Blood
velvetnico's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Sexual content