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A review by lausol
For the Duke's Eyes Only by Lenora Bell
3.0
What I liked: ex childhood sweethearts with a lot of mutual pining, banter and respect for each other. Fake dating trope. Characters I actually enjoyed.
What I didn’t like: I was loving the book, but I think the author put much credit to the prologue in which she showed their relationship as children and made that be the whole basis of their feelings for each other. And I feel that a lot of the feelings, except of the ones of lust for each other, we’re told instead of shown. I also couldn’t believe that after holding a grudge for so many years everything is “resolved” in two seconds, I’d rather seen more interactions between them after she found out about him being a spy and processing things instead of being like “you noble man, you”. Which is one of the things that made me not being completely sold on their HEA, because I want to see the development of those conflicted feelings and see them mature, I felt that instead of being left with a resolution for them, I was left with the beginning of them without having a clue of how they’d resolve them together. The other thing that makes me doubt their HEA is that the male mc had this fantasy of them having a domestic life with children and she made a comment about “not having a motherhood bone in her body” and it was kind of refuted with “we’ll adopt”. It left me thinking WTF, since adopting is raising children, that they’re yours as well.
I didn’t appreciate that the female mc said multiple times that she wanted to create a path for other females and so on but then behaved a little in the “not like other girls” trope.
Also, I found very meh how they found what they were looking for so easily, and I saw no point in the necklass being stolen.
I know I explained myself more in the “I didn’t like” things, because with those I can be more objective, with the ones I liked, I’m always: KJASLDKJALDKJAS CLUTCHES CHEST.
Overall, I really liked the book, I think the author had problems with the pacing and that prevented the book from being all I ever wanted in a book and more, but I did enjoy reading it, and I’ll try other books by this author.
What I didn’t like: I was loving the book, but I think the author put much credit to the prologue in which she showed their relationship as children and made that be the whole basis of their feelings for each other. And I feel that a lot of the feelings, except of the ones of lust for each other, we’re told instead of shown. I also couldn’t believe that after holding a grudge for so many years everything is “resolved” in two seconds, I’d rather seen more interactions between them after she found out about him being a spy and processing things instead of being like “you noble man, you”. Which is one of the things that made me not being completely sold on their HEA, because I want to see the development of those conflicted feelings and see them mature, I felt that instead of being left with a resolution for them, I was left with the beginning of them without having a clue of how they’d resolve them together. The other thing that makes me doubt their HEA is that the male mc had this fantasy of them having a domestic life with children and she made a comment about “not having a motherhood bone in her body” and it was kind of refuted with “we’ll adopt”. It left me thinking WTF, since adopting is raising children, that they’re yours as well.
I didn’t appreciate that the female mc said multiple times that she wanted to create a path for other females and so on but then behaved a little in the “not like other girls” trope.
Also, I found very meh how they found what they were looking for so easily, and I saw no point in the necklass being stolen.
I know I explained myself more in the “I didn’t like” things, because with those I can be more objective, with the ones I liked, I’m always: KJASLDKJALDKJAS CLUTCHES CHEST.
Overall, I really liked the book, I think the author had problems with the pacing and that prevented the book from being all I ever wanted in a book and more, but I did enjoy reading it, and I’ll try other books by this author.