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A review by lila_still_reads
Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance by Jennieke Cohen
3.0
I enjoyed this book but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.
Vicky is the second daughter of a Lord in 1817 and as such has been able to spend her time helping run the family’s beloved estate and reading the books of her favorite author, Jane Austen, instead of attending social functions. However, after an unexpected hardship hits her family, Vicky finds herself in dire need of a husband. She must navigate the London social scene and the duel attentions of an old friend and a new acquaintance in order to save her family and their home, all the while trying to understand the near fatal run-ins that seem to dog her footsteps. Someone couldn’t be trying to kill her, could they?
Everything talks about it being fun, light YA regency romance with some action. Heck, even my summary makes it sound like that. It is all of this things- sometimes. I think this book feels mis-explained because it’s impossible to delve into the darker parts of the story without providing spoilers. I don’t want to harm that part of the reading experience, but I think for enjoyment it’s important to enter this book knowing it gets far more serious in moments.
Above all, this book is about personal agency, especially reclaiming it when those around you, societal structures, or ones own trauma tries to take it from you. The book gets pretty heavy with the abuse faced by two characters. I felt Cohen handled abuse and trauma well and it was unfortunately even more common at that time as it is today.
Unfortunately, I came to this book for a fun YA romance with some elements of action and the discussions of abuse hit me off guard. I still enjoyed the book- the character relationships were sweet, especially between the two pairs of siblings and while the action didn’t always do it for me, the mystery and its conclusion were great.
I think if you enter it knowing that it goes to some dark places, you’ll be more likely to enjoy it.
Vicky is the second daughter of a Lord in 1817 and as such has been able to spend her time helping run the family’s beloved estate and reading the books of her favorite author, Jane Austen, instead of attending social functions. However, after an unexpected hardship hits her family, Vicky finds herself in dire need of a husband. She must navigate the London social scene and the duel attentions of an old friend and a new acquaintance in order to save her family and their home, all the while trying to understand the near fatal run-ins that seem to dog her footsteps. Someone couldn’t be trying to kill her, could they?
Everything talks about it being fun, light YA regency romance with some action. Heck, even my summary makes it sound like that. It is all of this things- sometimes. I think this book feels mis-explained because it’s impossible to delve into the darker parts of the story without providing spoilers. I don’t want to harm that part of the reading experience, but I think for enjoyment it’s important to enter this book knowing it gets far more serious in moments.
Above all, this book is about personal agency, especially reclaiming it when those around you, societal structures, or ones own trauma tries to take it from you. The book gets pretty heavy with the abuse faced by two characters. I felt Cohen handled abuse and trauma well and it was unfortunately even more common at that time as it is today.
Unfortunately, I came to this book for a fun YA romance with some elements of action and the discussions of abuse hit me off guard. I still enjoyed the book- the character relationships were sweet, especially between the two pairs of siblings and while the action didn’t always do it for me, the mystery and its conclusion were great.
I think if you enter it knowing that it goes to some dark places, you’ll be more likely to enjoy it.