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meenarh's review
5.0
it's official. i'm obsessed with this series. i looked forward to Mark's story after reading book one and the author hit the mark. loved it!
ayra283's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
parpacifica's review
4.0
“There is no such thing as a fallen woman—you just need to look for the man who pushed her.”
Rating: 4
I know I have been complaining about all these crappy books I’ve been reading. But I think I gotta give the good ones their credit too. There is very little I can discredit about this book.
The plot definitely hints at potential tropes being introduced. Even the first few sentences of the story lead the reader to make assumptions.
Fallen heroine. Societally Appraised Hero. Seduction plot.
It hits all the cliches, in all their hot-tawdry spots.
My fucking goodness
I hate using the word honour because of how we have used it as the pedestal from which we toss our women. But the way Mark revers Jessica, the way he honours her person in the most honest, purest way ever.... I can’t explain.
He doesn’t possess her. He doesn’t manipulate their attraction to work on just his terms.
He is so confident in himself that societal labels like “virgin” don’t faze him. He owns it. He doesn’t push it.
I could probably fault him for being a little too perfect. Or for the story’s pacing. But I just really liked the complexity of the story. The beginning was a little rough. I had started to worried that I had picked up Christian Fiction after all the talk of chastity. But halfway through, I realized he was referring to self-control.
Okay now I’m making it seem really goody-good. It has sexy times. Don’t worry y’all. It just portrays the most healthy, honest relationship I have ever seen in historical fiction.
Rating: 4
I know I have been complaining about all these crappy books I’ve been reading. But I think I gotta give the good ones their credit too. There is very little I can discredit about this book.
The plot definitely hints at potential tropes being introduced. Even the first few sentences of the story lead the reader to make assumptions.
Fallen heroine. Societally Appraised Hero. Seduction plot.
It hits all the cliches, in all their hot-tawdry spots.
My fucking goodness
I hate using the word honour because of how we have used it as the pedestal from which we toss our women. But the way Mark revers Jessica, the way he honours her person in the most honest, purest way ever.... I can’t explain.
He doesn’t possess her. He doesn’t manipulate their attraction to work on just his terms.
He is so confident in himself that societal labels like “virgin” don’t faze him. He owns it. He doesn’t push it.
I could probably fault him for being a little too perfect. Or for the story’s pacing. But I just really liked the complexity of the story. The beginning was a little rough. I had started to worried that I had picked up Christian Fiction after all the talk of chastity. But halfway through, I realized he was referring to self-control.
Okay now I’m making it seem really goody-good. It has sexy times. Don’t worry y’all. It just portrays the most healthy, honest relationship I have ever seen in historical fiction.
katyanaish's review
4.0
I really liked it, even though I did get a little "get the fuck over it already" by the end.
jewels66's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
theseventhl's review
4.0
I finished this today in the car ride to my sister's - I don't usually read in the car, but I couldn't put it down. I absolutely adore Milan's Turner series and this installment just builds upon its brilliantness (which seems to not be a word but it is now!). I love Mark and Jessica as well as how the rest of the Turner family got involved. Cannot wait to read the next one! Will it be Smite's turn to catch the eye of an awesome lady?
wintergirl94's review
5.0
I will never say no to a virgin hero, and boy Mark was everything I dream about in this trope!
This book was a wonderful romance but the conversations about the different attitudes to men and women and sex was so important.
I just love love loved it
This book was a wonderful romance but the conversations about the different attitudes to men and women and sex was so important.
I just love love loved it
jackiehorne's review
4.0
Milan continues to break new ground in historical romance, particularly in her construction of masculinity. A hero who is a virgin, and a virgin by choice, and who articulates his reasons why in intriguing, articulate, and passionate speech is more than welcome in a field filled with obligatory rakes. Equally interesting is his heroine, a courtesan who has never felt that her sexuality or sexual desires were hers to own, only hers to cede to a buyer. The story of how both come to take ownership of their sexual identities makes for not just an engaging story, but one that makes you think hard about the implications of opening oneself not only to sexual, but to emotional intimacy.
Milan and her generation are pushing romance in a new direction because of their embrace of equality between partners, rather the relying only on the Gothic thrill of the alpha male whose love is always linked to anger, to overpowering his heroine, to the thrill of her surrender. It's lovely to discover romance novels that one doesn't feel like one has to check ones feminism at the door in order to enjoy -- thanks, Courtney Milan!
Milan and her generation are pushing romance in a new direction because of their embrace of equality between partners, rather the relying only on the Gothic thrill of the alpha male whose love is always linked to anger, to overpowering his heroine, to the thrill of her surrender. It's lovely to discover romance novels that one doesn't feel like one has to check ones feminism at the door in order to enjoy -- thanks, Courtney Milan!