Scan barcode
A review by jessmcglynn
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
2.0
Did I pick this up because I was curious after the release of the Netflix series? Yes. Was I thoroughly enjoying myself and being utterly entertained? Yes. Did it all come crashing downhill following THAT particularly chapter when Daphne takes advantage of Simon and physically takes something he didn’t wish to give? Oh. Yes indeed.
This was so, so good and for my first time reading regency romance I was truly having a good time even being willing to overlook some of the gaping flaws (Daphne is depicted as a switched on protagonist with a worldly attitude due to her having 4 brothers, something we are told repeatedly. Until it comes to what happens between a man and a woman in bed. This didn’t actually work for me but I looked past it)
Until we get to the part where Daphne takes advantage of a drunk Simon to get the outcome she wants. It was incredibly uncomfortable to read, as I feel the author depicted a scenario where Daphne knew Simon wasn’t necessarily in possession of all his faculties (she asks him outright why he had to get ‘so drunk’ a number of times in the lead up), and she continued anyway. And we are then meant to believe in a happy ever after for our couple.
Okay, Daphne doesn’t fall pregnant. So she doesn’t get the outcome she wanted, but that doesn’t make her actions any less wrong. And Simon has a moment of internal musing where he thinks ‘I said stop but I didn’t really say it forcefully enough so I guess it’s okay.’ And it’s really NOT. And at no point does Daphne apologise or reconcile that what she did was a gross betrayal of trust and that she basically raped her husband.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth for sure. Thoroughly disappointed with this book.
This was so, so good and for my first time reading regency romance I was truly having a good time even being willing to overlook some of the gaping flaws (Daphne is depicted as a switched on protagonist with a worldly attitude due to her having 4 brothers, something we are told repeatedly. Until it comes to what happens between a man and a woman in bed. This didn’t actually work for me but I looked past it)
Until we get to the part where Daphne takes advantage of a drunk Simon to get the outcome she wants. It was incredibly uncomfortable to read, as I feel the author depicted a scenario where Daphne knew Simon wasn’t necessarily in possession of all his faculties (she asks him outright why he had to get ‘so drunk’ a number of times in the lead up), and she continued anyway. And we are then meant to believe in a happy ever after for our couple.
Okay, Daphne doesn’t fall pregnant. So she doesn’t get the outcome she wanted, but that doesn’t make her actions any less wrong. And Simon has a moment of internal musing where he thinks ‘I said stop but I didn’t really say it forcefully enough so I guess it’s okay.’ And it’s really NOT. And at no point does Daphne apologise or reconcile that what she did was a gross betrayal of trust and that she basically raped her husband.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth for sure. Thoroughly disappointed with this book.