Scan barcode
A review by domtheknight
Sins of a Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This book really did not work for me. I've read plenty of power differential books but the gap between duke and maid in this one came across as gross. I didn't think he respected her boundaries, I didn't think she could reasonably consent to anything, and I didn't really think she did consent, at least not to their early kissing or their first time. There's a missing explanation from how he gets to all his servants are safe and won't be taken advantage of, to it's ok to come after her, specifically. It also bothered me that neither of them thought about possibility of her getting pregnant and being totally screwed in her position.
I also didn't really believe they loved each other, the emotional journey felt too shallow. I thought Fallon was ok but couldn't see why she'd love him at all, and I didn't believe Dominic had any depth or had changed or was anything other than mildly intrigued because she was different than all his other women.
Emotional journeys of the other characters also felt off. I didn't buy the motivations or the sincerity of the friend, Hunt, or the grandfather, Collins.
I've read some other books by this author that didn't have this shallow problem but they were modern settings. I'll probably try another historical sometime to see if it was just this book. It also seems like maybe this is an early one - perhaps her later writing got better.
I also didn't really believe they loved each other, the emotional journey felt too shallow. I thought Fallon was ok but couldn't see why she'd love him at all, and I didn't believe Dominic had any depth or had changed or was anything other than mildly intrigued because she was different than all his other women.
Emotional journeys of the other characters also felt off. I didn't buy the motivations or the sincerity of the friend, Hunt, or the grandfather, Collins.
I've read some other books by this author that didn't have this shallow problem but they were modern settings. I'll probably try another historical sometime to see if it was just this book. It also seems like maybe this is an early one - perhaps her later writing got better.