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galleytrot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
READ: Sep 2023
FORMAT: Digital
BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this historical romance set in England around the turn of the seventeenth century, Sebastian’s twin sister was promised to an Earl she did not want to marry, causing her to run off to elope with the man she loved. Sebastian, with his particular set of skills taking on acting roles as women in the theatre, is coerced into playing the part of his sister to marry the Lord Crofton himself, protecting the family name from certain disgrace. Anthony sees through the ruse immediately, but it doesn’t matter to him in the slightest which of the twins he takes as a bride, just so long as Bronwyn Hewel becomes the Lady Crofton in name.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3 / 5⭐
Colour me rather unimpressed. I stuck with this story because I don’t think I’ve experienced a historical MM romance before that takes place in the Elizabethan era, and I was curious if that might change the setting in a significant way from the more common Edwardian and Victorian settings used. In this case at least, it didn’t offer much of anything new at all. There are mentions of public figures and locations and events that do date the story, but beyond that it’s only notable in the descriptions of fashion, which are largely contained by the scenes where Sebastian is putting on or taking off a dress – of which there are many.
I also wondered if this story might offer a depiction fluid gender-expression during a time when that would have been difficult to comprehend, but there isn’t anything there; just an actor playing a role and nothing more. This disappointment over things that could have been but never were was a running theme throughout the book. I wanted to see more done to characterize our leads beyond their present existence; I wanted deeper backstory, clearer motivation, some actual character traits beyond “in the process of falling in love.” I wanted the romance to actually feel grounded in some sort of chemistry or mutual shared interests or literally anything, but it really does just boil down to: attraction + orientation + convenience = love.
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 2.5 / 5⭐
The biggest let-down about this book is the romance, which as mentioned, lacked any actual groundwork. It felt inauthentic, because the characters felt empty. Anthony in particular didn’t really have much of anything going on; I can’t really say I know anything about him, and the book makes it come across that Sebastian knows just as little as we do, making me wonder why he would ever feel so entitled to the affection of what feels like a stranger. A stranger he’s married to, sure; but a stranger all the same.
There are two, maybe three instances where Sebastian and Anthony hold any sort of conversation where they actually learn anything about each other. Every other time they interact, they’re doing one of four things: flirting, fighting, pouting, or apologizing. There were multiple points where their relationship just felt toxic or abusive, and I just kept thinking, “Leave. This is not healthy for anyone. Run and do not look back.” Sex is constantly used as a distraction technique, addressing the hurt feelings but never the underlying problem. The wedding vows alone were grotesque (though period-appropriate), with the woman swearing obedience and servitude to the man. Freaking yikes.
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 2.75 / 5⭐
It wasn’t a terrible book; the concept itself is very interesting and, if it were used to its potential, could have made for an excellent story. Unfortunately, flat characters and toothless world-building leave something to be desired. I do want to continue reading the series because I have the box set, and I’m curious if anything is going to come from Bronwyn technically being a bigamist, being married on paper to two different men. The story occurs maybe a couple years before the Bigamy Act 1603 was put into place, so I am interested to see if this is something the author has purposely written this story around, or if it’s just another potential story beat that will come to nothing at all.
This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. There is otherwise little in the way of diversity.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism, Classism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Homophobia
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