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aoifesbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Vincy claims all books in this series can be read as stand alone books and I would agree.
Although this is the second book in the Longhope Abbey series, it is the first of Vincy’s published books and you can tell. Had I not read A Dangerous Kind of Lady I would have been surprised to learn that the Lightwood-DeWitte siblings would not be the focus on the series. In my opinion, you can tell Vincy wasn’t sure which direction to take her series in. Lady Arabella Hardbury (book 1) and the Leo, Duke of Dammerton (book 3) both make brief cameos but not ones that would make you think they are the furture focus. Book 1 really laid the groundwork for connecting the stories and as that book was publish years after this one I can only assume Vincy was undecided between the potential series direction. This is compounded by the fact Juno’s only mention in the book is as part of the paragraphs added to the end of the final chapter in the revised edition of this book.
Some of the story lines in this book felt unfinished, particularly the DeWitt siblings which is why I assumed Vincy had considered basing the series on them. There is easily four or five characters who could lead their own story - Lucy, Isaac, Emily, Bram, Matilda and Miss Vincent. Granted, Isaac did get a novella. I’ve read that Lucy shall be next and I hope this will also bring the return of Lady Francesca “Freddie” Roth from book 1 as they are a similar age. The one line about Miss Vincent also has me intrigued and read as if she will become an important character.
In terms of this book itself, I enjoyed the basis on this story. One of my complaints about A Dangerous Kind of Lady was that there was occasionally too much going on but it was more paired back in this story.
I liked Cassandra for the most part. She was doing her best to keep her family together and asked for nothing in return. Joshua on the other hand I found difficult to like. He constantly switched between two different personalities.
I also had some issues with the Martin story line. This felt like a shock value move and I didn’t feel it added to the story. If you’re going to kill off a child at least make it a pivotal point. It felt far too underdeveloped and could have been used better. Furthermore, in addition to the loss of Martin, Joshua lost his own son and then Cassandra has a miscarriage. I can see what the author was trying to do, and trying to tie these instances together and show Joshua’s hurt/pain/loss but unfortunately I thought it fell short.
I am looking forward to reading Juno’s story next and hope the DeWitt, Lightwood or Roth siblings return in some way.
Although this is the second book in the Longhope Abbey series, it is the first of Vincy’s published books and you can tell. Had I not read A Dangerous Kind of Lady I would have been surprised to learn that the Lightwood-DeWitte siblings would not be the focus on the series. In my opinion, you can tell Vincy wasn’t sure which direction to take her series in. Lady Arabella Hardbury (book 1) and the Leo, Duke of Dammerton (book 3) both make brief cameos but not ones that would make you think they are the furture focus. Book 1 really laid the groundwork for connecting the stories and as that book was publish years after this one I can only assume Vincy was undecided between the potential series direction. This is compounded by the fact Juno’s only mention in the book is as part of the paragraphs added to the end of the final chapter in the revised edition of this book.
Some of the story lines in this book felt unfinished, particularly the DeWitt siblings which is why I assumed Vincy had considered basing the series on them. There is easily four or five characters who could lead their own story - Lucy, Isaac, Emily, Bram, Matilda and Miss Vincent. Granted, Isaac did get a novella. I’ve read that Lucy shall be next and I hope this will also bring the return of Lady Francesca “Freddie” Roth from book 1 as they are a similar age. The one line about Miss Vincent also has me intrigued and read as if she will become an important character.
In terms of this book itself, I enjoyed the basis on this story. One of my complaints about A Dangerous Kind of Lady was that there was occasionally too much going on but it was more paired back in this story.
I liked Cassandra for the most part. She was doing her best to keep her family together and asked for nothing in return. Joshua on the other hand I found difficult to like. He constantly switched between two different personalities.
I also had some issues with the Martin story line.
I am looking forward to reading Juno’s story next and hope the DeWitt, Lightwood or Roth siblings return in some way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Colonisation