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A review by blackshelfbooks
Addicted to the Duke by Bronwen Evans
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a fun read. While the plot did get a little tiresome at times (I felt like it could have been shorter), I was happy with the general story. Alex was captured years ago and kept as a prisoner of a Turkish pirate for two years, during which he became addicted to opium. A few years later, he rescued Hestia, the daughter of the earl who saved him from his captivity, from the same pirate. She loved him for years (with a good amount of hero worship), even though he pushed her away due to the earl specifically telling him to stay away. Then, when her father's cousin claims that the earl is dead, they sail to Greece to find her father and - for Alex - get revenge for his years of captivity.
I love Hestia's pure love for Alex. Granted, it did start off as mostly hero worship, but even when she discovers what he went through as a slave, that doesn't deter her at all. She's always able to find the good in him - and in others. I think she also learns how to stand up for herself more as the book continues. At one point, she even thinks "I'm not going to let a man decide this for me" or something along those lines. YES, GIRL. I enjoy a character who learns to stand up for themselves while also holding on to their innate goodness.
Alex, of course, is plagued by the things that he did and that were done to him as a slave, so he has the injured leading man personality. He's been attracted to Hestia for years, but due to the promise that he gave to her father, refuses to address it. His character grows a tiny bit, but I didn't see it as much as in Hestia. I would have liked more growth from him.
While I think it could have been shorter and some of the descriptive passages weren't my favorite, it was still a good read. As the title suggests, Evans addresses the topic of addiction through Alex's opium addiction. We see him struggle throughout a good portion of the book with his addiction and his fear of falling victim to it. Sometimes romance novels solely focus on the romance, but I like that the author added this dimension to the book as well.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgally for providing me with an ARC for an honest review!
This was a fun read. While the plot did get a little tiresome at times (I felt like it could have been shorter), I was happy with the general story. Alex was captured years ago and kept as a prisoner of a Turkish pirate for two years, during which he became addicted to opium. A few years later, he rescued Hestia, the daughter of the earl who saved him from his captivity, from the same pirate. She loved him for years (with a good amount of hero worship), even though he pushed her away due to the earl specifically telling him to stay away. Then, when her father's cousin claims that the earl is dead, they sail to Greece to find her father and - for Alex - get revenge for his years of captivity.
I love Hestia's pure love for Alex. Granted, it did start off as mostly hero worship, but even when she discovers what he went through as a slave, that doesn't deter her at all. She's always able to find the good in him - and in others. I think she also learns how to stand up for herself more as the book continues. At one point, she even thinks "I'm not going to let a man decide this for me" or something along those lines. YES, GIRL. I enjoy a character who learns to stand up for themselves while also holding on to their innate goodness.
Alex, of course, is plagued by the things that he did and that were done to him as a slave, so he has the injured leading man personality. He's been attracted to Hestia for years, but due to the promise that he gave to her father, refuses to address it. His character grows a tiny bit, but I didn't see it as much as in Hestia. I would have liked more growth from him.
While I think it could have been shorter and some of the descriptive passages weren't my favorite, it was still a good read. As the title suggests, Evans addresses the topic of addiction through Alex's opium addiction. We see him struggle throughout a good portion of the book with his addiction and his fear of falling victim to it. Sometimes romance novels solely focus on the romance, but I like that the author added this dimension to the book as well.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgally for providing me with an ARC for an honest review!