eemms 's review for:

The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
3.0

I liked very little of this book and yet I found it compulsively readable? I couldn't make myself drop it, even when I was extremely ??? about pretty much everything in the book.

The writing is...very Julia Quinn. I think I noticed it more in audiobook form, but she has a very rhythmic, repetitive style that goes "He thought a thing. He thought a synonym for the thing." or "She was adjective. Very adjective, so adjective." And there's the kind of off-the-cuff character decisions lampshaded with "he hadn't realized until he said it that he'd always wanted that." which maybe works sometimes but man I rolled my eyes A LOT this book.

Then, the plot. I would've liked it more if this were a paranormal soulmates book. It is the most instalove of instalove I've ever read. Jack and Grace have pretty much decided they've found The One the first time they meet (when he robs her coach) and they keep having those "how could she know he was The One when they'd barely spoken? But she did. He was." moments for the next TWO DAYS while the rest of the plot shakes out. I would've been way more invested in Grace and Tom, whom she's known for years and who's been avoiding his society marriage for just as long.

Meanwhile Jack spends the WHOLE TIME thinking about how he can ~barely restrain himself~ from having sex with Grace and when they do have sex he insists aggressively that she WILL have his babies someday. It's heterosexual alphahole in a way I just can't root for AT ALL anymore.

I don't think I've adequately described here how bonkers the pacing was in this book. Chapter 1: they fall in love. Chapters 2-17, they wonder why they're pining while Jack's grandmother yells at people. Chapter 18, they go to Ireland, Jack reveals he's dyslexic and feels unending guilt over his cousin who died with him in France, Tom offers to marry Grace/almost forces himself on her, Tom's fiance says she never wanted their society marriage and is glad to be rid of him, Jack attempts to destroy evidence of his legitimacy. Chapter 19, Jack is declared legitimate anyway, he declares he can marry Grace now if he's the Duke, the end. Epilogue: they have several children.

But I listened to the whole thing! I couldn't stop! I had to know how the runaway train got stopped! IDEK you guys, but it sure was a book.