Scan barcode
A review by whatallisonreads
The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan
2.0
I’ve been extremely scrupulous in my consumption of historicals, because the fact is that I know how ridiculous they can be. I decided to expand from my reliables (SM, JQ, JG, LK) And after this one... I’m very conflicted.
Are we to believe that she... invented... viagra? The first half of the book had so much promise and i loved the idea of her having to prove herself a competent physician. The way the two met was so fun! But the doctor plot line seems only have been introduced so that the heroine could drug the hero with a “lust-inducing” tonic. I
Also - the two supposedly corresponded for years (albeit with her under an assumed name). I would have loved to read more about the intimacy they may have felt, the things they knew about each other as a result. It would have made the love story feel more genuine. The end felt sudden, and not natural.
In a way it feels like the author realized she wrote two completely unsexual characters, and had to invent a way to get them naked instead of something occurring organically.
Maybe I’m naive, but I do believe that not all romances have to have “ruination.” Why not develop the romance more slowly and have them actually realize their feelings over time instead of the idea happening so suddenly, and only after she broke into his rooms to “fix” him. I was reminded of boys who used to say “but it hurts if I don’t finish”.
Normally two stars is reserved for my “didnt like” books, and it’s not that I didn’t like this - I finished the book after all. But I was scratching my head so many times that I just couldn’t give 3 stars. Maybe I need to take a break from romances but the premise was just... too too much for me.
Are we to believe that she... invented... viagra? The first half of the book had so much promise and i loved the idea of her having to prove herself a competent physician. The way the two met was so fun! But the doctor plot line seems only have been introduced so that the heroine could drug the hero with a “lust-inducing” tonic. I
Also - the two supposedly corresponded for years (albeit with her under an assumed name). I would have loved to read more about the intimacy they may have felt, the things they knew about each other as a result. It would have made the love story feel more genuine. The end felt sudden, and not natural.
In a way it feels like the author realized she wrote two completely unsexual characters, and had to invent a way to get them naked instead of something occurring organically.
Maybe I’m naive, but I do believe that not all romances have to have “ruination.” Why not develop the romance more slowly and have them actually realize their feelings over time instead of the idea happening so suddenly, and only after she broke into his rooms to “fix” him. I was reminded of boys who used to say “but it hurts if I don’t finish”.
Normally two stars is reserved for my “didnt like” books, and it’s not that I didn’t like this - I finished the book after all. But I was scratching my head so many times that I just couldn’t give 3 stars. Maybe I need to take a break from romances but the premise was just... too too much for me.