Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Daphné et le duc by Julia Quinn

178 reviews

emolr's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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haleysversion's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0


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moriahleigh's review against another edition

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

3.5


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selene_nyxly's review against another edition

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

2.25

I really loved this story. The characters were fun, and the plot was easy to follow. However, I did have a major issue with this book.
  TW: RAPE
Daphne literally rapes Simon. They try to play it off as if he also wanted what was happening since he vocally encouraged her. However, literally moments before, he had been passed out drunk. He could not consent in the moment and had specifically stated that he did not want to have even the slightest chance of getting her pregnant. The entire thing ruined the book for me.

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nyreen's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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grace33's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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? Yes

4.25


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chaotically_katie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.5


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myinvinciblesummer's review against another edition

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

2.0

I am going to have spoilers because I’m going to discuss exactly what scene causes me to say this book needs TW: Rape

I am the one person left who hasn’t seen the show. So this book is my absolute first introduction to the series, except for some still photos of what look to be beautiful costumes in the show. I had no idea what the storyline was beyond the blurb on the back of the book.

This book started off interesting enough. A basic but interesting enough romance story. Was enjoying the book, the pace was both rushed and slow but I was enjoying it well enough. But then(I am now going to discuss TW: Rape)

Then we get to the scene where Daphne rapes the Duke. Absolutely not ok. ABSOLUTELY NOT. And then she dares to be presented as the character that deserves empathy and should be excused because she really wants a kid? Has a tantrum when it’s turns out she’s not pregnant and makes him feel guilty saying why would you care to him? That’s purely manipulative.

The Duke said he didn’t want kids, he was inebriated, but she did it anyways knowing he couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to say no.

The rest of the book, after that deplorable scene, trudges on slowly and is so boring. Daphne is sad. The Duke needs therapy. Daphne’s brothers are all up in her business. Oh but wait suddenly they are ok she raped him. Fine whatever.

The two stars instead of one is because at least the beginning was interesting.

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jackiebee's review against another edition

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1.0


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jencolumb0's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

As an enthusiastic fan of Shondaland’s Season One of Bridgerton, I am happy that I did not read this first, because I’m not sure that Regé-Jean Page could have convinced me to give a TV adaptation of that nonsense a go. Blessedly, Shondaland was only exceptionally loosely inspired by the source material and redid it in such a tremendously better way. The original work just barely squeaks into the arena of something *vaguely* tolerable, in a second-wave white-lady feminist, “look at the plucky white lady getting away with doing not thoroughly feminine things while perpetuating an exclusionary world order” kind of way, not in the (preferable) third-wave, “imagine we all learned and did better” kind of way (where the Shondaland version seems to exist).

And I will never get over Daphne
attempting to garner sympathy from herself and others after raping Simon.
That was thoroughly not okay. I get why it is a plot line that even made it into the Shondaland version but it’s gross and at least Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne seemed to grasp more firmly that she was wrong.

Given that the Shondaland team had trouble breathing life into Anthony’s story and they improved so thoroughly on the source material, here, I’m not sure I’ll bother with reading the rest of the series. I have better things to do than spite-read until Season Three drops, like catch up on all of Alexis Hall’s releases . . . or watching Regé-Jean Page breathe life into Dungeons & Dragons. 

Suffice it to say that I am even more impressed with the Shondaland team’s ability to succeed as they have with the adaptation after reading this.

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