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A review by ayoitme
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I am reading the books after watching the show, so I already knew some of the plot points coming in. That being said, I did not enjoy the progression of Daphne and Simons relationship and found myself disliking Daphne for most of the book.
I found it annoying how in the beginning of the book, it is constantly said that Daphne has older brothers so she's not like other girls, that she is stronger and more accepting of their cruder remarks and actions. I knew the books were different than the show, but the 3 older boys were so brutish for no reason, and the same goes for Simon.
Now, let's just say it as it is. Daphne raped Simon, which I knew was coming from the show but HATED so much more in the book. I don't see how in any world her actions can be taken as just ignorant or even romantic. She knew that she was taking advantage of Simon while he was drunk and doing something with him sexually that he would have never agreed to sober. I think the author was trying to make a point on how sheltered and ignorant Daphne was when it came to sex, but nothing in that scene made me think she didn't realize what she was doing.
If the roles had been reversed and Daphne was the one who didn't want children and Simon took advantage of her while she was drunk, there would be no romantic scenes or interpretations. Anyone that tries to justifies her actions is a liar. The only reason my rating is not a one is because their repour at the beginning of the book was so fun and the fake dating trope is a weakness of mine. But Daphne completely ruined this for me.
The storyline of Simon having a trauma surrounding having children and Daphne craving a family could have still happened. Their disagreements and arguments we good at moving the story forward and keeping things interesting, there was no need for that to happen to Simon.
I only gave it a 2 because the fake dating and the humor at the beginning of their relationship was fun and nice. Overall, it was fine. I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it but I wanted to read the other books,
I found it annoying how in the beginning of the book, it is constantly said that Daphne has older brothers so she's not like other girls, that she is stronger and more accepting of their cruder remarks and actions. I knew the books were different than the show, but the 3 older boys were so brutish for no reason, and the same goes for Simon.
If the roles had been reversed and Daphne was the one who didn't want children and Simon took advantage of her while she was drunk, there would be no romantic scenes or interpretations. Anyone that tries to justifies her actions is a liar. The only reason my rating is not a one is because their repour at the beginning of the book was so fun and the fake dating trope is a weakness of mine. But Daphne completely ruined this for me.
The storyline of Simon having a trauma surrounding having children and Daphne craving a family could have still happened. Their disagreements and arguments we good at moving the story forward and keeping things interesting, there was no need for that to happen to Simon.
I only gave it a 2 because the fake dating and the humor at the beginning of their relationship was fun and nice. Overall, it was fine. I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it but I wanted to read the other books,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape