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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
No
OKAY, I AM CONFLICTED!. On the one hand, I highly enjoyed it and I really loved the two of them together by the last third of the novel. On the other, I wanted to smack Raven so many times while reading this for all of his "you're smart... for a female", "the female brain, such as it was...", "silly girl, use your brain, you do have one, right?" and etc (paraphrasing here).
Like, I get it. At this time in the world's history, people (and by that I mean men) didn't think women were capable of much. Even though they held the household together, and gave birth to their children, and were responsible for taking care of those children. Because that's such easy an easy job anyone can do...?...
And I get that a huge part of this novel is being like "yes, women ARE capable and they ARE smart and the ARE courageous and fuck you for even thinking otherwise". But why did you have to make the hero the one so obnoxious about it?? And I never felt like he understood women, as a people, are better than what people make of them, only that he happened to have a wife that despite being a female was also smart and intelligent. It pissed me off!!
And again, I LOVED them together. The banter was high quality and a lot of fun. But... but... still. STOP SAYING THOSE INFURIATING THOUGHTS FOR GOD'S SAKE!
So yeah. I enjoyed it, but the feminist in me that thinks women are fabulous and brilliant and a person as clever as Raven should be the first to notice this instead of dismissing it rebelled at his character.
Like, I get it. At this time in the world's history, people (and by that I mean men) didn't think women were capable of much. Even though they held the household together, and gave birth to their children, and were responsible for taking care of those children. Because that's such easy an easy job anyone can do...?...
And I get that a huge part of this novel is being like "yes, women ARE capable and they ARE smart and the ARE courageous and fuck you for even thinking otherwise". But why did you have to make the hero the one so obnoxious about it?? And I never felt like he understood women, as a people, are better than what people make of them, only that he happened to have a wife that despite being a female was also smart and intelligent. It pissed me off!!
And again, I LOVED them together. The banter was high quality and a lot of fun. But... but... still. STOP SAYING THOSE INFURIATING THOUGHTS FOR GOD'S SAKE!
So yeah. I enjoyed it, but the feminist in me that thinks women are fabulous and brilliant and a person as clever as Raven should be the first to notice this instead of dismissing it rebelled at his character.
See full review at:
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2016/01/wit-and-froth-feminism-loretta-chases.html
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2016/01/wit-and-froth-feminism-loretta-chases.html
Finished my audible reread. I’d forgotten much of the plot but not Raven’s trial or the way he and Lady Clara matched wits through. Delightful book and Kate Reading’s narration was
i think i have a new fav historical romance author!
while i adore the popular historical romance authors of the moment (tessa dare etc), i really have to say how much i appreciate some of the older authors. they really take the time to set up place, plot, and characters in a way that makes me fall even more deeply in love with character relationships.
i really don't think loretta chase has an equal in writing banter between heroine & hero. i always find myself grinning like a big idiot at the jabs and insults the characters throw at each other. and i always swoon at the end when everything is tied up in a pretty bow.
the only real complaint i have and i anticipate other readers will have as well is how long this book is. i think it's necessary in creating convincing relationships but if you're used to a quick fall in love plot and then "the end" this might not be for you. chase usually has the characters married at the 60-70% mark with more plot after that.
overall, 4/5 bodice ripping stars
while i adore the popular historical romance authors of the moment (tessa dare etc), i really have to say how much i appreciate some of the older authors. they really take the time to set up place, plot, and characters in a way that makes me fall even more deeply in love with character relationships.
i really don't think loretta chase has an equal in writing banter between heroine & hero. i always find myself grinning like a big idiot at the jabs and insults the characters throw at each other. and i always swoon at the end when everything is tied up in a pretty bow.
the only real complaint i have and i anticipate other readers will have as well is how long this book is. i think it's necessary in creating convincing relationships but if you're used to a quick fall in love plot and then "the end" this might not be for you. chase usually has the characters married at the 60-70% mark with more plot after that.
overall, 4/5 bodice ripping stars
Historical romance with the emphasis on "historical." Chase has done her research and it shows. The book itself was fun and felt educational/accurate in a way that a lot of historical romance novels - which place the emphasis on the romance rather than the historical - do not. I learned a lot about typhus but did not feel the usual sense of "oh, come ON" that one gets when the regency-era hero somehow mysteriously knows about modern hygienic practices and maybe utilizes some moldy bread for its healing properties. There was a real sense of period which there often isn't in a regency - the clothing and hair descriptions made me realize that it was 1830s almost immediately, and ditto the nice mentions of e.g. "the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria." The chemistry between the hero and heroine was great, the way the hero wins over the heroine's parents was super cute and well-done, and Chase really addressed the whole issue of class and money in regency-era marriage, which was nice to see.
However, the book felt too long; there was a lot of attention devoted to a not-very-suspenseful suspense plot involving the criminal underworld and, like, pre-Victorian street urchins. The romance resolved and I was very confused to see there was a considerable amount of the book left. The book is kind of a hybrid of historical fiction and historical romance; I liked it, but I tend to prefer my books to be one or the other. I enjoyed the book a great deal, but it's probably not a re-read for me.
However, the book felt too long; there was a lot of attention devoted to a not-very-suspenseful suspense plot involving the criminal underworld and, like, pre-Victorian street urchins. The romance resolved and I was very confused to see there was a considerable amount of the book left. The book is kind of a hybrid of historical fiction and historical romance; I liked it, but I tend to prefer my books to be one or the other.
Spoiler
Additionally, I get that it's a regency romance so in the end the dude has to become the duke, but really? Couldn't he NOT have become the duke? It just felt tacked-on and unnecessary.
This book was a little boring, not much steam. Enjoyed some of the legal banter but not enough angst and the bad guys were a bit lame. On to another series to determine if this author can write steam or just using lots of euphemisms.
I wanted something sweet and funny. I searched for something like the Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare and found this book/author. Loretta Chase was a new author for me and the reviews and description all seemed promising. My disappointment when listening to the ‘girls have no brains’ and (essentially) she isn’t like other girls claptrap for 3 hours was so great. While the FMC carried quite a heavy load proving how smart and worthy she was to be considered an equal human, I could not listen to this poor Raven man be torn in half between liking her despite her being a woman and noticing how perfectly beautiful she is. I am quite sad because some of the bantering was fun and the FMC was intriguing.
I never got into this. I read it haphazardly, almost skimming at times. There was nothing wrong, per se, with either Clara or Raven, but nothing about them jumped off the page either. It's been twelve hours since I finished the book and I can barely remember a single plot point.
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.