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katiev's review
I've only listened to the first book, so far - [b:Castelli's Virgin Widow|25897417|Castelli's Virgin Widow|Caitlin Crews|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1444077757s/25897417.jpg|45780389] by Caitlin Crews
The narrator was pretty good and I'm sure she made me enjoy this more than if I'd read it. So, I think a fair rating is 3 stars for the book itself.
The hero was very old school cruel in the "you're a dirty, gold digging slut" tradition. He was cruel to her because he wanted her so badly and couldn't have her since she was his step mother. Usual stuff.
Of course, the heroine was actually a virgin and horribly misjudged by the hero. Nothing new here, unless you count the fact that the marriage between the heroine and the hero's father was portrayed a bit more mercenary/realistic than we're used to in HPLandia. She loved the father in a friend way, but there was no pretense of great love on either side and she wasn't forced to marry him. She was encouraged by her selfish mother, but not forced. Basically the father got a beautiful trophy wife whose company he enjoyed during the last few years of his life and the heroine got the promise of freedom from mom's expectations and a big payoff in a few years when the old man kicked the bucket. The heroine's sick mother got a house and nurses to care for her out of the bargain. Basically everyone got something and it was acknowledged by the heroine. So... surprisingly for HPLandia, she was "sort of" an actual gold digger. Although her motives were more complex and rooted in her abusive relationship with her mother. The husband was by no means a victim, however. He was the one who pursued the heroine and proposed the bargain in the first place. Basically he made a second career out of young trophy wives who needed a savior.
Both the hero and the heroine were very emotionally damaged from childhood. Particularly the heroine, who was very warped by her cold and critical mother. The hero had been emotionally neglected by his father and a succession of stepmothers. The father wasn't abusive, he was just not interested in his kids. But, the heroine had a totally different view of him as this charming, friendly, savior. So, again, it was a bit more complex than the usual black/white characterizations of HP families.
As is the trend these days, there is quite a bit of navel gazing going on with both characters. I'm not so much a fan of that trend.
This certainly wasn't the worst of the newer HPs. I liked it more than the previous book, but I wasn't blown away either. The resolution was a bit abrupt after all the dwama/feels.
The narrator was pretty good and I'm sure she made me enjoy this more than if I'd read it. So, I think a fair rating is 3 stars for the book itself.
The hero was very old school cruel in the "you're a dirty, gold digging slut" tradition. He was cruel to her because he wanted her so badly and couldn't have her since she was his step mother. Usual stuff.
Of course, the heroine was actually a virgin and horribly misjudged by the hero. Nothing new here, unless you count the fact that the marriage between the heroine and the hero's father was portrayed a bit more mercenary/realistic than we're used to in HPLandia. She loved the father in a friend way, but there was no pretense of great love on either side and she wasn't forced to marry him. She was encouraged by her selfish mother, but not forced. Basically the father got a beautiful trophy wife whose company he enjoyed during the last few years of his life and the heroine got the promise of freedom from mom's expectations and a big payoff in a few years when the old man kicked the bucket. The heroine's sick mother got a house and nurses to care for her out of the bargain. Basically everyone got something and it was acknowledged by the heroine. So... surprisingly for HPLandia, she was "sort of" an actual gold digger. Although her motives were more complex and rooted in her abusive relationship with her mother. The husband was by no means a victim, however. He was the one who pursued the heroine and proposed the bargain in the first place. Basically he made a second career out of young trophy wives who needed a savior.
Both the hero and the heroine were very emotionally damaged from childhood. Particularly the heroine, who was very warped by her cold and critical mother. The hero had been emotionally neglected by his father and a succession of stepmothers. The father wasn't abusive, he was just not interested in his kids. But, the heroine had a totally different view of him as this charming, friendly, savior. So, again, it was a bit more complex than the usual black/white characterizations of HP families.
As is the trend these days, there is quite a bit of navel gazing going on with both characters. I'm not so much a fan of that trend.
This certainly wasn't the worst of the newer HPs. I liked it more than the previous book, but I wasn't blown away either. The resolution was a bit abrupt after all the dwama/feels.
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