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A review by raereadswiththefae
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Okay, I was enjoying this book until the last 20% when the marital rape happened and let's be honest that's what it was. If the gender roles were reversed and Simon had inseminated Daphne against her previous (and sober) consent, all whilst she was under the influence of alcohol... more people would be upset about it.
Now, the scene on it's own wasn't what soured the book for me, it was subsequent justification and sweeping under the rug of what happened that did. Daphne was not informed, sure, but she knew enough to feel bad about it before she justified it to herself.
Now, Simon did deliberately keep his wife misinformed but does that mean he deserved to have the choice taken out of his hands? In my opinion, No, it doesnt.
Honestly the more I think about it, the more I realise both of these characters did and said some horrible things.
I just could not root for these guys.
Now, the scene on it's own wasn't what soured the book for me, it was subsequent justification and sweeping under the rug of what happened that did. Daphne was not informed, sure, but she knew enough to feel bad about it before she justified it to herself.
Now, Simon did deliberately keep his wife misinformed but does that mean he deserved to have the choice taken out of his hands? In my opinion, No, it doesnt.
Honestly the more I think about it, the more I realise both of these characters did and said some horrible things.
I just could not root for these guys.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual content