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A review by carleneslibrary
The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I am not sure what to think of this book, but it is absolutely over-hyped in my opinion.
The romance was not at all romantic, and that was the most annoying thing to me. The characters didn't fall in love; they fell in lust. From the moment they met all they did was think about their physical attraction. It did get better throughout the book as they started to build a friendship, but the fact that it was all built on lust still felt gross to me. No relationship can be built on lust and make it very far.
The highlight for me was Evie and Ahmed as individuals. I did not like their relationship with each other but I did like everything else about them. Ahmed's struggles with race seemed very realistic for the time period and I did appreciate that this book got a little more real about issues like that than most historical romance. I also loved Evie's friends and if my main complaint about this book weren't the romance, I'd keep reading the series to get their stories. But I'm worried the romances will be so physically centric I won't enjoy them.
This book didn't have any sexual content, which I appreciate, but still managed to have all the worst attitudes and ideals of books with spice and I want to read romance, not smut.
The romance was not at all romantic, and that was the most annoying thing to me. The characters didn't fall in love; they fell in lust. From the moment they met all they did was think about their physical attraction. It did get better throughout the book as they started to build a friendship, but the fact that it was all built on lust still felt gross to me. No relationship can be built on lust and make it very far.
The highlight for me was Evie and Ahmed as individuals. I did not like their relationship with each other but I did like everything else about them. Ahmed's struggles with race seemed very realistic for the time period and I did appreciate that this book got a little more real about issues like that than most historical romance. I also loved Evie's friends and if my main complaint about this book weren't the romance, I'd keep reading the series to get their stories. But I'm worried the romances will be so physically centric I won't enjoy them.
This book didn't have any sexual content, which I appreciate, but still managed to have all the worst attitudes and ideals of books with spice and I want to read romance, not smut.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism