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A review by clio2626
Angel in a Devil's Arms by Julie Anne Long
2.0
Not as charming or swoon-inducing as Lady Derring Takes a Lover, and in fact a few key plot points seem recycled from it, but does the job. The final “conflict” before Angelique and Lucien lock it down was a little too sudden and conveniently resolved, though. Also... not to be a stick in the mud, but are they really going to try and gentrify the whole neighbourhood??
I did find myself discomfited by the novel’s rather overt statement that all Angelique needed in order to regain her sense of self and move past her shame and pain was to get sexy with Lucien. I get it, he showed her that #NotAllMen, but it rings hollow when Angelique’s determination never to need or be beholden to or even become involved with a man—and honestly, her extremely understandable mistrust of men and disillusionment with sex and romantic love—crumbles so easily with Lucien’s attentions. I just didn’t see enough of the fundamental trust and care that I feel she would have needed from him before opening herself to romantic possibilities after being preeeeetty firmly against them in the previous novel. Not that he would be incapable of showing that, but their interactions were never quite enough for me. Lucien also seemed to become a markedly different character after the initial few chapters, which threw me a bit.
Also—and this is something I also noticed in the previous book, so subconscious authorial bias I guess—I chafed a little at the weird disconnect between Lucien’s emotional honesty/intelligence/general non-toxic masculinity and some rather heteronormative attitudes (not only on his part). These are often par for the course in HR novels but I expected better from an author who has so far written two very thoughtful and hunky and devoted love interests and who has an interest in developing deep female friendships!
I did find myself discomfited by the novel’s rather overt statement that all Angelique needed in order to regain her sense of self and move past her shame and pain was to get sexy with Lucien. I get it, he showed her that #NotAllMen, but it rings hollow when Angelique’s determination never to need or be beholden to or even become involved with a man—and honestly, her extremely understandable mistrust of men and disillusionment with sex and romantic love—crumbles so easily with Lucien’s attentions. I just didn’t see enough of the fundamental trust and care that I feel she would have needed from him before opening herself to romantic possibilities after being preeeeetty firmly against them in the previous novel. Not that he would be incapable of showing that, but their interactions were never quite enough for me. Lucien also seemed to become a markedly different character after the initial few chapters, which threw me a bit.
Also—and this is something I also noticed in the previous book, so subconscious authorial bias I guess—I chafed a little at the weird disconnect between Lucien’s emotional honesty/intelligence/general non-toxic masculinity and some rather heteronormative attitudes (not only on his part). These are often par for the course in HR novels but I expected better from an author who has so far written two very thoughtful and hunky and devoted love interests and who has an interest in developing deep female friendships!