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A review by camrelind
The Portrait of a Duchess by Scarlett Peckham
3.0
2.5 Stars.
Sigh. I really wanted to like this. And I tried to like it. I was so excited to see a Black character become a duchess. Not only that, she was a confident woman who was more sure of herself than a lot of HR heroines. I also liked that the characters didn’t get their happy ending on the 20s, which is all too common in HR. But I had to fight my way through the book. First off, I couldn’t tell the different between the past and the future of the hero and heroine. They were both the same regardless of time, and I would forget I was in a “Before” chapter. Then I would get all confused. Where is the character growth???
Also… I feel bad saying it, but I honestly feel like it needs to be said. When non-Black write Black characters there can sometimes something…off… about how the character presents their Blackness, and I felt that in this book. As a Black person I guess I’m a bit sensitive to it. The way the heroine spoke about racism and the way she felt about her standing in society didn’t feel deep. Like of course she would be upset about slavery and everything, but there wasn’t any nuances to emotions.
This book had good potential and I wish a bit more research was done prior to writing it.
Sigh. I really wanted to like this. And I tried to like it. I was so excited to see a Black character become a duchess. Not only that, she was a confident woman who was more sure of herself than a lot of HR heroines. I also liked that the characters didn’t get their happy ending on the 20s, which is all too common in HR. But I had to fight my way through the book. First off, I couldn’t tell the different between the past and the future of the hero and heroine. They were both the same regardless of time, and I would forget I was in a “Before” chapter. Then I would get all confused. Where is the character growth???
Also… I feel bad saying it, but I honestly feel like it needs to be said. When non-Black write Black characters there can sometimes something…off… about how the character presents their Blackness, and I felt that in this book. As a Black person I guess I’m a bit sensitive to it. The way the heroine spoke about racism and the way she felt about her standing in society didn’t feel deep. Like of course she would be upset about slavery and everything, but there wasn’t any nuances to emotions.
This book had good potential and I wish a bit more research was done prior to writing it.