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A review by bookish_kristina
The Ruin of Evangeline Jones by Julia Bennet
4.0
Interesting premise but lost momentum at the end
Overall this was good, but it dragged in the middle and the ending was too melodramatic. This had a very gothic feel and the setting was perfect for spooky season; she’s a medium and shister and he’s a tortured Duke overcoming an abusive childhood and years of alcoholism, but this was so dark and dour and lacked any levity at all. It got to be too much for me in the middle, but then it became all about sex and the ending felt like an afterthought. So the first half of the book was compelling and exciting but it kind of withered a bit and became like all other class-difference romances featuring a tortured Duke.
It wasn’t bad, the writing was very good and I loved the FMC and the imbedded commentary on privilege and class but I think it could have been better planned out. Great to see Helen and Carter from the first book and all the elements about mediums and seances were deliciously Victorian, which I love. 3.5 stars rounded up because of the original premise.
Overall this was good, but it dragged in the middle and the ending was too melodramatic. This had a very gothic feel and the setting was perfect for spooky season; she’s a medium and shister and he’s a tortured Duke overcoming an abusive childhood and years of alcoholism, but this was so dark and dour and lacked any levity at all. It got to be too much for me in the middle, but then it became all about sex and the ending felt like an afterthought. So the first half of the book was compelling and exciting but it kind of withered a bit and became like all other class-difference romances featuring a tortured Duke.
It wasn’t bad, the writing was very good and I loved the FMC and the imbedded commentary on privilege and class but I think it could have been better planned out. Great to see Helen and Carter from the first book and all the elements about mediums and seances were deliciously Victorian, which I love. 3.5 stars rounded up because of the original premise.