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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This is a bit of a rant than a review so first, I want to be clear that I am fan of Sarah Maclean’s works. The first two books in this series are one of my favorites. However, Daring and the Duke did not work for me. That’s my opinion and I am in no way judging those people who loved it so please don’t take this review personally. I am just a lowly rambling idiot.
Now, that’s out of the way-- here's my thing about this book: Ewan never redeemed himself in my eyes. We all know that he was the villain in the previous books so I was skeptical going in but I tried. I tried to accept the pairing because I adore Grace. I wanted to see whether the author could actually pull it off. But I simply couldn't get over what he'd done. I’m not talking about the “betrayal” because it was obvious that he did it to protect Grace from his father. Plus, he was just a boy then but in this case, he wasn’t just a boy who had done bad things, he was a bad man. And one who I felt didn't do anywhere near enough to redeem himself.
Ok maybe, I'm a tiny bit mad. He’d spend the majority of the series threatening the lives of the heroes. He tried to freeze Devon to death and hurt Hattie, he caused the death of FIVE BOYS. That’s unforgivable to me and the fact that his only reasoning for doing all of that was that he thought Grace was dead? Yeah, no. He didn’t care that Devon and Whit are his brothers and even if Grace did die, it wouldn’t have been for the lack of care from them. He terrorized them because of his obsession towards her. His disregard to everything besides his need for her seeps even in the pages of his supposed development. He should have at least apologized to them directly but nope it’s all about getting Grace. Romance is good and all, I mean that’s the reason I read this series but how can I accept and enjoy their romance if the "reformed hero" only feels bad because he hurt the heroine? Did doing the laundry and manual labor made it better?
Giving money to the families? Was that enough? Maybe it could have been if Ewan's perspective about the consequences of his past actions on others not just Grace was dealt with properly and not just superficially.
I really wished Maclean could have shown more genuine remorse from Ewan in his POV. His atoning was done more in a telling-from-the-background way than showing which left me feeling unsatisfied and annoyed. It did not help that they forgave him so quickly and easily. *sighhhhh* Anyway....
Despite being disappointed with Daring and the Duke, I'm still glad I read this series. I love Grace, Devon & Felicity, Whit & Hattie and I will miss them. I'm also excited to read Sarah's upcoming new series, Hell's Belles! Can't wait!
Now, that’s out of the way-- here's my thing about this book: Ewan never redeemed himself in my eyes. We all know that he was the villain in the previous books so I was skeptical going in but I tried. I tried to accept the pairing because I adore Grace. I wanted to see whether the author could actually pull it off. But I simply couldn't get over what he'd done. I’m not talking about the “betrayal” because it was obvious that he did it to protect Grace from his father. Plus, he was just a boy then but in this case, he wasn’t just a boy who had done bad things, he was a bad man. And one who I felt didn't do anywhere near enough to redeem himself.
“And even if I could forgive the boy you were, what of the things you did as a man? Devil. Whit. Hattie. Five boys in the garden—you may not have pulled the triggers or lit the match, but they are gone because of you. You threatened our livelihoods. Our home.” She narrowed her gaze at him. “You say you’ve changed.”
He had.
“You say you are a better man.”
He was.
Wasn’t he?
“But I’m not sure it matters.”
Ok maybe, I'm a tiny bit mad. He’d spend the majority of the series threatening the lives of the heroes. He tried to freeze Devon to death and hurt Hattie, he caused the death of FIVE BOYS. That’s unforgivable to me and the fact that his only reasoning for doing all of that was that he thought Grace was dead? Yeah, no. He didn’t care that Devon and Whit are his brothers and even if Grace did die, it wouldn’t have been for the lack of care from them. He terrorized them because of his obsession towards her. His disregard to everything besides his need for her seeps even in the pages of his supposed development. He should have at least apologized to them directly but nope it’s all about getting Grace. Romance is good and all, I mean that’s the reason I read this series but how can I accept and enjoy their romance if the "reformed hero" only feels bad because he hurt the heroine? Did doing the laundry and manual labor made it better?
Beast turned on her, his amber eyes, usually so soft, turned hard, and his voice to match. “Five men, and it ain’t enough.” The words were clipped, tight on his tongue, and Grace felt the sting of them, like a wet lash. “He owes them, and you’d do well to remember that.”
Her face went hot with his censure, and she spoke to his profile. “You think I don’t remember?”
He did not look at her. “I think you’ve always had trouble remembering the truth of him.”
Giving money to the families? Was that enough? Maybe it could have been if Ewan's perspective about the consequences of his past actions on others not just Grace was dealt with properly and not just superficially.
“You hear this?” He returned his attention to Ewan. “This bastard blows up the Garden, comes for our men—kills five of them and maims another half dozen during two years of mayhem, and thinks a few ’undred quid is enough to wave it away?”
I really wished Maclean could have shown more genuine remorse from Ewan in his POV. His atoning was done more in a telling-from-the-background way than showing which left me feeling unsatisfied and annoyed. It did not help that they forgave him so quickly and easily. *sighhhhh* Anyway....
Despite being disappointed with Daring and the Duke, I'm still glad I read this series. I love Grace, Devon & Felicity, Whit & Hattie and I will miss them. I'm also excited to read Sarah's upcoming new series, Hell's Belles! Can't wait!
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sarah MacLean is a must-read author for me, and book 3 in the Bareknuckle Bastards was not a disappointment. Although MacLean gradually reveals the back story of the Bastards, I like this book as a continuation of the story of the three half-brothers and Grace, who were raised together in an abusive household, but divided to grow to adulthood. Grace is a strong and admirable character. When her early love Ewan, now the Duke of Marwick, comes to find her she is ready to hold him to account for his betrayal. Ewan is determined to prove himself worthy of this woman he has always loved.
Ewan and Grace have always had a physical attraction, and the flame is blown back to life instantly when they meet up as adults. MacLean blows the doors off in the bedroom scenes in “Daring”.
I don’t read romance novels for their settings, but MacLean did a particularly good job of scene setting with her descriptions of Covent Gardens and Grace’s club.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ewan and Grace have always had a physical attraction, and the flame is blown back to life instantly when they meet up as adults. MacLean blows the doors off in the bedroom scenes in “Daring”.
I don’t read romance novels for their settings, but MacLean did a particularly good job of scene setting with her descriptions of Covent Gardens and Grace’s club.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ok friends, this is a hard review to write!!!!
The TL;DR here is:
Emotional/feelings rating: 5 stars
Internal logic/brain rating: 2.75 stars
So the good stuff. I LOVE a set of star-crossed lovers. LOVE. IT. And Grace and Ewan? They got it. They loooooove each other, even though it is complicated and Grace doesn’t want to. But they do, and it is extremely swoony to join their adventure of following feelings over logic. It’s hot, it’s so romantic, I felt many feelings.
HOWEVS.
Let me start by saying: in addition to reading romance, I’m also a big fan of SFF, a genre that can require a pretty major amount in the suspension of disbelief department. I am pretty good at this! I can go along with your seemingly nonsensical story if we eventually get to the sensemaking - eventually.
This book requires MASSIVE, ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNTS of suspension of disbelief. If you aren’t good at that? This is NOT going to work for you.
Ewan has been a straight up horrible bastard for the last two books. Just, petty, evil, murderous. And now? He’s just better. Like *magic*. You guys! Now that he knows Grace is alive, he can stand to be a good human again! Her living is apparently a requirement of Ewan’s humanity. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Look. I can enjoy a good grovel novel. And this is a grovel novel! BUT! All of Ewan’s growth/development/return to goodness? It HAPPENS OFF PAGE. Like, what??? But...he was just? A murderous bastard??? And now HE’S FINE.
The other thing that I just felt was a Bridge Too Far is The Explanation. Like, I have been waiting for The Thing That Makes This Whole Thing Make Sense for three books. And all we got is that (DUH! DUH DUH!!!!!) Ewan drove the other three away to protect them. DUH! Of course he did! We all knew this! This is not news! But somehow, these geniuses that run underground empires are like whaaaaaaa????????? There was another explanation? He didn’t just want the title?! OF COURSE HE DIDN’T UGH.
So I guess my real problem is this. I just can’t make Bastard Ewan and Good, Sweet, Protective Ewan the same guy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can’t. They are two different people in my head. So I feel like in many ways, this book fails at something fundamental.
Also? I felt pretty let down by Grace’s character. She was just so...sketched in? Like, it was assumed that we already knew enough about her and her badass-ness to carry us through this book. Because really, there’s not that much in here about her. Very thumbnail sketch. And I wanted more. We have had such amazing heroines in Felicity and Hattie. I had such high hopes for Grace! I want to love her! But, I feel like we got an over-reliance on past-Grace and not really enough detail about current-Grace. Other than that she does NOT want to love Ewan, but, in fact, does. And runs a cool club.
Look, I realize I may have gone into this with unreasonable expectations.
The TL;DR here is:
Emotional/feelings rating: 5 stars
Internal logic/brain rating: 2.75 stars
So the good stuff. I LOVE a set of star-crossed lovers. LOVE. IT. And Grace and Ewan? They got it. They loooooove each other, even though it is complicated and Grace doesn’t want to. But they do, and it is extremely swoony to join their adventure of following feelings over logic. It’s hot, it’s so romantic, I felt many feelings.
HOWEVS.
Let me start by saying: in addition to reading romance, I’m also a big fan of SFF, a genre that can require a pretty major amount in the suspension of disbelief department. I am pretty good at this! I can go along with your seemingly nonsensical story if we eventually get to the sensemaking - eventually.
This book requires MASSIVE, ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNTS of suspension of disbelief. If you aren’t good at that? This is NOT going to work for you.
Ewan has been a straight up horrible bastard for the last two books. Just, petty, evil, murderous. And now? He’s just better. Like *magic*. You guys! Now that he knows Grace is alive, he can stand to be a good human again! Her living is apparently a requirement of Ewan’s humanity. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Look. I can enjoy a good grovel novel. And this is a grovel novel! BUT! All of Ewan’s growth/development/return to goodness? It HAPPENS OFF PAGE. Like, what??? But...he was just? A murderous bastard??? And now HE’S FINE.
The other thing that I just felt was a Bridge Too Far is The Explanation. Like, I have been waiting for The Thing That Makes This Whole Thing Make Sense for three books. And all we got is that (DUH! DUH DUH!!!!!) Ewan drove the other three away to protect them. DUH! Of course he did! We all knew this! This is not news! But somehow, these geniuses that run underground empires are like whaaaaaaa????????? There was another explanation? He didn’t just want the title?! OF COURSE HE DIDN’T UGH.
So I guess my real problem is this. I just can’t make Bastard Ewan and Good, Sweet, Protective Ewan the same guy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can’t. They are two different people in my head. So I feel like in many ways, this book fails at something fundamental.
Also? I felt pretty let down by Grace’s character. She was just so...sketched in? Like, it was assumed that we already knew enough about her and her badass-ness to carry us through this book. Because really, there’s not that much in here about her. Very thumbnail sketch. And I wanted more. We have had such amazing heroines in Felicity and Hattie. I had such high hopes for Grace! I want to love her! But, I feel like we got an over-reliance on past-Grace and not really enough detail about current-Grace. Other than that she does NOT want to love Ewan, but, in fact, does. And runs a cool club.
Look, I realize I may have gone into this with unreasonable expectations.
emotional
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Full disclosure: I am a friend of Sarah's and her FatedMates podcast cohost!
Hi, this book was my everything.
I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but this book DELIVERS. All the things you wanted from Ewan & Grace...and more! This book gave me things I didn't even know I wanted. I just thought it was magnificent and subversive in the best way. I'm not even coherent right now because I don't know how to talk about it without spoilers, but this book is just perfect. fucking perfection.
Hi, this book was my everything.
I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but this book DELIVERS. All the things you wanted from Ewan & Grace...and more! This book gave me things I didn't even know I wanted. I just thought it was magnificent and subversive in the best way. I'm not even coherent right now because I don't know how to talk about it without spoilers, but this book is just perfect. fucking perfection.
I didn't know how she was going to do it, but Sarah MacLean did it. She took the character driven mad with grief and anger, so much so that he tried to kill multiple previous protagonists, and redeemed him in both the eyes of the characters and the readers.
This book doesn't let up. Every bit of it is angst filled and full of emotional confusion. It's one giant grovel, and it needs to be for Ewan to have a chance at redemption and bring him to a place where Grace and her brothers can reasonably accept him again.
This is a book where you really need to have read the two previous to get the emotional impact of it. They are also excellent.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book doesn't let up. Every bit of it is angst filled and full of emotional confusion. It's one giant grovel, and it needs to be for Ewan to have a chance at redemption and bring him to a place where Grace and her brothers can reasonably accept him again.
This is a book where you really need to have read the two previous to get the emotional impact of it. They are also excellent.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'm blown away, pure and simple. Never thought I'd say this in a million years, but...EWAN FOREVER! Wow. Their chemistry, the plot, the pacing, the emotionally satisfying conclusion. This is Sarah Maclean at her very best.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
not my fave of hers but fun. You know me, can’t resist a good fuck gazebo
Ewan doesn’t really make A N Y sense but he’s sexy so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ewan doesn’t really make A N Y sense but he’s sexy so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯