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ayten 's review for:
Provocative in Pearls
by Madeline Hunter
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My feelings and my heart really want to give this book a higher rating because Madeline Hunter is an excellent writer and I did enjoy my time reading this book. But there were times that made me so uncomfortable and I thought was so wrong that I can’t give this a 4 or 5 star review.
Let’s talk about the good stuff first.
The characters are very well written and all of them read like developed real people instead of just caricatures which happens a lot in historical fiction. Verity is an independent woman but she is still in a realistic setting with her own mistakes. She is not the perfect strong independent heroine which I like.
The relationship between Hawkeswell and Verity was so sweet in the end. I also really enjoyed reading about Verity’s friendships.
Oh god Madeline Hunter really knows how to write steamy scenes. That’s all I’m going to say on that note.
The uncomfortable stuff:
Although I know that it’s historically accurate, I hated hated that this book kept pushing the idea that when married the husband has every right to control the wife and can ask for sex anytime he wants. It might be historically accurate that people thought that way at the time but it’s harming to push these narrative today. Also, I hated how Hawkeswell expected praise and applause every time he respected Verity, and he kept reminding her that he has the right to not respect her. It was uncomfortable to read and was manipulative. The steamy scenes although were really well written were sometimes hesitant on the consent. It was assumed that silence equals to consent and that makes me uncomfortable.
Let’s talk about the good stuff first.
The characters are very well written and all of them read like developed real people instead of just caricatures which happens a lot in historical fiction. Verity is an independent woman but she is still in a realistic setting with her own mistakes. She is not the perfect strong independent heroine which I like.
The relationship between Hawkeswell and Verity was so sweet in the end. I also really enjoyed reading about Verity’s friendships.
Oh god Madeline Hunter really knows how to write steamy scenes. That’s all I’m going to say on that note.
The uncomfortable stuff:
Although I know that it’s historically accurate, I hated hated that this book kept pushing the idea that when married the husband has every right to control the wife and can ask for sex anytime he wants. It might be historically accurate that people thought that way at the time but it’s harming to push these narrative today. Also, I hated how Hawkeswell expected praise and applause every time he respected Verity, and he kept reminding her that he has the right to not respect her. It was uncomfortable to read and was manipulative. The steamy scenes although were really well written were sometimes hesitant on the consent. It was assumed that silence equals to consent and that makes me uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault