Reviews

When You Wish Upon a Duke by Charis Michaels

paintfairy's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.75

mhmissey's review against another edition

4.0

I really liked this couple

tippyloohoo's review against another edition

3.0

While this wasn't my favorite historical romance I really enjoyed the Icelandic setting which isn't something I've come across in the genre before. I also thought that North was one of the better leading men I've read. Overall a worthwhile read.

upturnedroots's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional

5.0

Based on the cover you might think this is frothy but there's actually a lot of dark undercurrents, but that makes sense for the sort of insidious cloying charm of Peter Pan, and I loved the creative reimagining of elements/characters from that tale here! I was very hooked (no pun intended haha). On to Book 3!

andrea_author's review against another edition

5.0

Isobel is happy running a London travel agency on behalf of its absent owner. But when the man comes to town and gives her an ultimatum—marry him, or she’s fired—her world is upended. Jason, Duke of Northumberland, offers her a solution: act as translator on his trip to Iceland, and she can set up her own agency in one of the commercial properties he owns.

Of course, it’s a little more complicated than that. After the heartbreak she experienced the last time she was in Iceland, she vowed never to return. And Jason isn’t going on a pleasure cruise: he’s on a mission to save his bumbling cousin from pirates. Can Isobel and Jason survive long enough to fall in love?

I enjoyed the original elements in this book, like the travel agency and the Icelandic setting. I’m usually not a fan of adventure romance, but this one had a nice balance between plot and character development. Isobel and Jason were so good together, and the obstacles so real, that the romance storyline flowed naturally rather then seeming contrived. It’s a fun and very romantic novel.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

books_and_more_books_byt's review against another edition

4.0

review to come

blodeuedd's review

2.0

Something was just not right. And I can't put my finger on it.

Jason needs someone to help him get his cousin out of trouble. The more we learn, the more I do not understand why this would be Miss Tinker. Makes no sense really.
Anyway Jason is former military, a reluctant Duke, and quite nice.

Isobel tries to be respectable, she is an expert travel agent (this too seems weird when we learn how.) Not sure I ever learned to know her.

At one time they are running from danger and decides to do it---so weird.

Some good things, like the end when they got back. but the boring talk about going to Iceland, and going there fell short for me. I just could not connect and yup dunno why.

The narrator did do a good job, but not all things can be saved

typedtruths's review

adventurous funny hopeful 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Violence, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

➸ Trigger warnings for period-typical misogyny, classism, and slut-shaming (as well as discussions of the era's stigma of being born out of wedlock), attempted sexual assault recounted, parental abandonment & neglect recounted, parental infidelity discussed, alcohol consumption, drugging, miscarriage/pregnancy loss recounted, emesis, minor grief and loss, death of a father and brothers mentioned, kidnapping and captivity, and physical assault.

thefebruarytree's review against another edition

DNF at over 60%. I could not bring myself to care about any of this.

entirelybonkerz's review

2.0

Ugh, I wanted to love this so very much. The first one was the best historical I have read all year. I really do love the way Charis writes but this one was extremely info dumpy.

It started really well, and the plans for this were amazing, the whole peter pan vibes were awesome. The execution did not deliver. I laughed so much during the first one and I was expecting a lot more humor in this, there wasn't any. I still consider the first book of this series to be incredible and I will read the third one when it comes out because I do have hopes that Charis will pick up on her humor and sensuality a lot more, just like in the first one.

This was also absurdly serious, heavy and the characters did have a spark in the beginning, but then after a while, every single dialogue they shared were very long and about their pasts and that broke the spell a little. I am bummed, I wanted to love this.

I think this wasn't for me! Personally. However I think the right person could still appreciate this a lot. It is romantic, surprising and she plays really well with the peter pan details she decided to insert in the story (it is not a retelling) but it gets pretty close. Tinkerbell getting her happy ending in a world where Peter Pan is really just an ass and she finds someone else, it's what all of us always wanted to see. I really do think it just could have been executed better. The first one was also way more sensual, sassy, more feminist. Just go back and try to find my review for the first book in this series, because it was a masterpiece.

:(