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A review by _thelitlibrarian
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.50 stars
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TW; Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Death
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This was such a fun read (minus the gross plotline that happens in chapter 18), it was the perfect blend of what I imagined Gossip Girl would be like in the 1800s. I listened to this on audio and found the narrator to be absolutely charming and did a great job differentiating all of the different voices!
It just seemed like there was so much drama happening to our characters - this installment focused on the relationship between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, the newly appointed Duke of Hastings. Their relationship is based on a whole will they/won't they. It is clear from the start that Simon has some trauma from his childhood resulting in the fact that he plans on never marrying and having children. This topic is something that comes up quite often in the book - it is also the reason why he refuses to marry Daphne knowing he wouldn't be able to give her what she wants.
I really enjoyed the banter between our two love interests (also the steamy scenes were a plus), I started off really enjoying the character of Daphne and disliking Simon - but by the end of the book that had changed. As mentioned above Daphne makes a manipulative choice in chapter 18 that turns me off of her character, I found both of them to be selfish at times.
-
TW; Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Death
-
This was such a fun read (minus the gross plotline that happens in chapter 18), it was the perfect blend of what I imagined Gossip Girl would be like in the 1800s. I listened to this on audio and found the narrator to be absolutely charming and did a great job differentiating all of the different voices!
It just seemed like there was so much drama happening to our characters - this installment focused on the relationship between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, the newly appointed Duke of Hastings. Their relationship is based on a whole will they/won't they. It is clear from the start that Simon has some trauma from his childhood resulting in the fact that he plans on never marrying and having children. This topic is something that comes up quite often in the book - it is also the reason why he refuses to marry Daphne knowing he wouldn't be able to give her what she wants.
I really enjoyed the banter between our two love interests (also the steamy scenes were a plus), I started off really enjoying the character of Daphne and disliking Simon - but by the end of the book that had changed. As mentioned above Daphne makes a manipulative choice in chapter 18 that turns me off of her character, I found both of them to be selfish at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage and Death