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A review by heychickadee
A Husband for Hartwell by Lisa Henry, J.A. Rock
3.75
Ignore how long it says it took me to read this; I read a chapter of it and then put it down for uh a month I guess but really have just been devouring it since the start of this week. I have a lot to say...
The first half of this book I was absolutely suckered in. I imprinted on Warry to the point that I held him nearly as dear to me as Clem from An Unseen Attraction (chalk another autistic romance novel lead up on the board) and Hartwell's cowardice as supposed self preservation schtick was at that point still satisfying. However, at the halfway point my sympathies for Hartwell were wearing more than thin and from then until the climax I was so over the back and forth and not actually getting anywhere. Hartwell's cruelty and idiocy was just tiring after a while.
I had forgotten all about the synopsis and found it for the better because the reveal of the heart of the blackmail plot was almost comically melodramatic and I was eating it up.
That said the weight given to Warry's purity and potential moral depravity felt a little gross after a while. As well I'm sick to death of romance novels putting so much emphasis on how thin everyone is. Definitely didn't need the little dig of 'wow good thing they didn't turn out short and fat like their father'. Very not cool.
Becca is wonderful but I think she is almost underutilized. With how much she is described as bold and no nonsense it's weird that she didn'tdo any more than slap Hartwell and didn't confront her brother more forcefully about Balfour when she was clearly concerned. I get it she's got her bit at the end with how afraid she is really but she should have had a little more presence between breaking off their engagement and the finale, I think.
But then I was suckered back in and fell head over heels for the last two chapters. And I really enjoyed Gale's interjections in the end. I love Gale.
The first half of this book I was absolutely suckered in. I imprinted on Warry to the point that I held him nearly as dear to me as Clem from An Unseen Attraction (chalk another autistic romance novel lead up on the board) and Hartwell's cowardice as supposed self preservation schtick was at that point still satisfying. However, at the halfway point my sympathies for Hartwell were wearing more than thin and from then until the climax I was so over the back and forth and not actually getting anywhere. Hartwell's cruelty and idiocy was just tiring after a while.
I had forgotten all about the synopsis and found it for the better because the reveal of the heart of the blackmail plot was almost comically melodramatic and I was eating it up.
That said the weight given to Warry's purity and potential moral depravity felt a little gross after a while. As well I'm sick to death of romance novels putting so much emphasis on how thin everyone is. Definitely didn't need the little dig of 'wow good thing they didn't turn out short and fat like their father'. Very not cool.
Becca is wonderful but I think she is almost underutilized. With how much she is described as bold and no nonsense it's weird that she didn't
But then I was suckered back in and fell head over heels for the last two chapters. And I really enjoyed Gale's interjections in the end. I love Gale.