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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I seriously couldn't have loved this book more. It delivered on everything I wanted. This book is THE top read of 2020. And a top read of forever.
Sarah MacLean is the queen.
Sarah MacLean is the queen.
Y’all, “Daring and the Duke,” let me tell you-
I don’t think I can write this review. See, I’m missing pieces of my mind because THEY WERE BLOWN AWAY by this book.
I am a jumble of emotions and left in total awe of Sarah MacLean. My amateur book review can not hold a candle to the pro’s, so I’ll just word vomit a little and pull a Toby Keith to talk about me and my experience if you don’t mind.
Y’all, this story was so beautiful and masterful and impressive and so set the bar. I don’t think I breathed the whole time. I just held my breath for the whole read. I was on the edge of my seat, feeling all the heartache and anguish from the characters so sharply. I think I have a new wrinkle between my eyebrows from squishing my face during this read.
Seriously, not only was it a strong book, but it also wrapped the series up beautifully. It was so heartwarming to see the interactions of all the siblings, Beast’s grunts and constantly saying
“I told you” that pinged through conversations. The shout out to The Other Side made my heart
grow. The Future. Your Grace. There are a million other things I loved but I'd run out of IG characters if I tried to list them all.
I love all things SM. Like, I don’t want to be her best friend because I’m no way cool enough, but like Micheal says in 10 Things I Hate About You, if SM was walking down the hall, I’d like for her to say 'hi' to me. Then I’d die.
My humble note to SM- I once saw you had a post-it with WWKD on it. Please take it down.
You don’t need it. You are magnificent the way you are. (Also, he groveled enough.)
Top 2 book of 2020 for me. The other one is Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresely Cole. I’m starting to see a pattern here for myself…hmmm...
Alrighty, they have kissed, I’m going to re-read this book and hold you about it. Now do y’allselves a favor and buy this book, then clear your schedule so you can read it in one sitting.
I don’t think I can write this review. See, I’m missing pieces of my mind because THEY WERE BLOWN AWAY by this book.
I am a jumble of emotions and left in total awe of Sarah MacLean. My amateur book review can not hold a candle to the pro’s, so I’ll just word vomit a little and pull a Toby Keith to talk about me and my experience if you don’t mind.
Y’all, this story was so beautiful and masterful and impressive and so set the bar. I don’t think I breathed the whole time. I just held my breath for the whole read. I was on the edge of my seat, feeling all the heartache and anguish from the characters so sharply. I think I have a new wrinkle between my eyebrows from squishing my face during this read.
Seriously, not only was it a strong book, but it also wrapped the series up beautifully. It was so heartwarming to see the interactions of all the siblings, Beast’s grunts and constantly saying
“I told you” that pinged through conversations. The shout out to The Other Side made my heart
grow. The Future. Your Grace. There are a million other things I loved but I'd run out of IG characters if I tried to list them all.
I love all things SM. Like, I don’t want to be her best friend because I’m no way cool enough, but like Micheal says in 10 Things I Hate About You, if SM was walking down the hall, I’d like for her to say 'hi' to me. Then I’d die.
My humble note to SM- I once saw you had a post-it with WWKD on it. Please take it down.
You don’t need it. You are magnificent the way you are. (Also, he groveled enough.)
Top 2 book of 2020 for me. The other one is Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresely Cole. I’m starting to see a pattern here for myself…hmmm...
Alrighty, they have kissed, I’m going to re-read this book and hold you about it. Now do y’allselves a favor and buy this book, then clear your schedule so you can read it in one sitting.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i walked into the bareknuckle bastards series thanks to hattie and the fat representation and i stayed for the possibility of ewan's redemption
and what a fucking redemption!!!!!!!
i'd have preferred to see him haul crates and be sexy and do labor more in the book but i didn't mind the scenes where he was fighting then getting his bruises mended by grace cos he's a lil shit who pulled back his punches. anyway, ewan and grace's story is so intense and delicious, but it's also a lovely, quiet one that is all about them healing and coming together to fix the past and build a future for themselves.
also, i loved how many times ewan saw grace in her corset and pants and just....*clenches fist* he is so in love with her it's exactly what all heroines deserve!
i definitely should read Devil and felicity's book and i'm excited because Ewan there is supposed to be the villain, right? gah, that's so sexy.
and what a fucking redemption!!!!!!!
i'd have preferred to see him haul crates and be sexy and do labor more in the book but i didn't mind the scenes where he was fighting then getting his bruises mended by grace cos he's a lil shit who pulled back his punches. anyway, ewan and grace's story is so intense and delicious, but it's also a lovely, quiet one that is all about them healing and coming together to fix the past and build a future for themselves.
also, i loved how many times ewan saw grace in her corset and pants and just....*clenches fist* he is so in love with her it's exactly what all heroines deserve!
i definitely should read Devil and felicity's book and i'm excited because Ewan there is supposed to be the villain, right? gah, that's so sexy.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Grace remains a fascinating character, Ewan remains mad and obsessive, and I remain enthralled by the soapy goodness that is Sarah MacLean's writing. I really do still think Ewan is beyond redemption, and he does not grovel enough, but in MacLean-land such things are easily surmounted with luscious writing. However, my least favorite of the series.
With everything going on in the world right now, I feel like I can always rely on a Sarah MacLean book to give me an escape into a happier time and place.
What I love about this book series in general is that it is just balls-to-the-wall in terms of drama and (IN A GOOD WAY I PROMISE) convoluted familial relationships. I love a second chance romance (see A Rogue By Any Other Name by this same author), and this one didn't disappoint either. Grace was given the kind of agency I can always rely on from Sarah.
While I might not always agree with or empathize with the internal logic of the bad choices the characters make, I'm always invested in their journey to being a more realized, whole person capable of redemption and love and kindness.
Thank you for a much needed respite in the storm of this pandemic, Sarah. It is always appreciated.
What I love about this book series in general is that it is just balls-to-the-wall in terms of drama and (IN A GOOD WAY I PROMISE) convoluted familial relationships. I love a second chance romance (see A Rogue By Any Other Name by this same author), and this one didn't disappoint either. Grace was given the kind of agency I can always rely on from Sarah.
While I might not always agree with or empathize with the internal logic of the bad choices the characters make, I'm always invested in their journey to being a more realized, whole person capable of redemption and love and kindness.
Thank you for a much needed respite in the storm of this pandemic, Sarah. It is always appreciated.
I was worried that I wouldn’t believe Ewan’s redemption, but I obviously forgot Sarah MacLean is a genius. Grace deserves the world, and Ewan would do anything to deliver it to her. Perfection.
My rating is for both this book and the series. This trilogy is MacLean's best work so far. While reading, I thought this would be a 4-star read, but as it got harder to see—what with all the tears in my eyes and the sniffling to accompany them—I knew that I had to up it.
I think it's important that Grace admits she loves Ewan before she learns the truth of his childhood betrayal that she had wondered about all her life. And I love that Ewan, no matter what she said or did to him, kept his vow to never hurt her and to always come back to her. For a villain to be turned into a hero, there has to be a misunderstanding rooted in the very beginning of his villainy, something that would ultimately make his actions very forgivable, and Ewan had that. Because I listen to Sarah on her podcast Fated Mates, I know that she doesn't plot her books beforehand; however, it's clear that she had to have had a plan for Ewan from the beginning in order for this to work. I commend her for it, as it was magnificently done.
I think it's important that Grace admits she loves Ewan before she learns the truth of his childhood betrayal that she had wondered about all her life. And I love that Ewan, no matter what she said or did to him, kept his vow to never hurt her and to always come back to her. For a villain to be turned into a hero, there has to be a misunderstanding rooted in the very beginning of his villainy, something that would ultimately make his actions very forgivable, and Ewan had that. Because I listen to Sarah on her podcast Fated Mates, I know that she doesn't plot her books beforehand; however, it's clear that she had to have had a plan for Ewan from the beginning in order for this to work. I commend her for it, as it was magnificently done.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes