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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Oh this is probably tied for my least favourite of the series so far. I really liked the first half where Francesca and Michael are trying to grapple with their grief. It felt so raw and emotional, you end up caring a lot for the characters. How they grow, their desires to show up for each other, but how shame, fear and sorrow hold them back. But the last half was a brutal slog. I did not like the latter half of Michael’s characterization, which was brutish, mean and seemed pressuring in a way that made me uncomfortable. And it’s like Francesca lost all personality, other than becoming some sort of “oh my” kind of character. It also felt like it was just rehashing some of the same issues at the beginning of the book without adding anything new to the plot. I ended listening to the last third of the book on 1.8x speed just to get through it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Abandonment
shorthannah's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really thought I would like Michael more than I did, but he started off okay and just became awful as the book went on.
The "consent" in this book is questionable at times, and in several points would probably considered coercion nowadays and it made me feel so uncomfortable.
The "consent" in this book is questionable at times, and in several points would probably considered coercion nowadays and it made me feel so uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
walkingcha0s's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
naluminum's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Francesca’s and John’s love story was sweet and wholesome and unfortunately cut short when John dies young after only 2 years of marriage. The beauty in this love story is how Francesca and Michael separately process their grief for losing a beloved family member and eventually find each other. Michael is supportive of Francesca’s autonomy as the Countess and he is supportive later on of her struggles with infertility but I did not like his character because of his tendency to be aggressive, how he avoided taking on the responsibility of his new position for 3 years, and how he coerced Francesca into marrying him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, and Medical content
kiala's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Miscommunication is annoying. No clear consent. I didn't like Michael's anger and how he forced Franny. There is no commentary on the colonialism or racism in the book, it just supports it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual harassment
gauriraut's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
britwalsh16's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed Francesca’s story. I wish we had gotten more of her & Johns relationship at the beginning. But I do love her & Michael & them being best friends, makes me really happy to read about. I liked watching their internal struggles dealing with their feelings for eachother in the wake of John’s death too, very realistic.
The only part I didn’t really like was the whole "seduction" plot Michael started when he got to Scotland. It seemed so out of character. He spent the first half of the book fighting his feelings for Francesca & how he couldn’t be with her cause it "disrespected" John. I agree with them getting married making sense & him proposing & trying to convince her, but when the convincing became seduction, it just felt wrong, & it just surprised me coming from Michael who deeply respected Francesca, but that didn’t feel like respect at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infertility, Violence, Alcohol, and War
etianamichele's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
esv_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
ameydireads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“This thing between them, this bond–it wasn't just passion, and it wasn't wicked. It was love, and it was divine.”
An interesting story and different from the other Bridgerton books. I don’t think I will read this again, mainly because of the red flags. Acknowledging the fact that everyone is flawed coud enhance the reading experience.
The main characters are Francesca Bridgerton and Michael Stirling.
Francesca was married to John, Earl of Kilmartin, and after only two years of marriage she was left a widow. She has always loved John a lot and griefs him deeply. She would not even think of remarrying if she didn’t have an immense desire to have a baby. So marriage is now on the table and she is determined to find someone to marry even if she has to settle for a marriage without love. Because in her opinion, a woman would not simply find love like that twice in a lifetime.
On the other hand we have Michael, John’s cousin. He has loved Francesca since the moment he laid eyes on her. Incidentally, this was just a few days before she got married to John. Michael would never hurt or betray his cousin, so his love for Francesca remained hidden and instead a great friendship flourished between Francesca and Michael.
This story is woven with threads of grief and guilt. They both loved John very much and dealt with his loss in their own ways. For Michael inheriting the earldom and everything that came with it felt like he was taking over John’s life. He could not possibly also have Francesca. Michael put up such a great facade, that Francesca does not believe him to be a suitable husband. Once a rake, always a rake. Little does she know that he puts on this facade to momentarily escape from his feelings for her.
I had trouble understanding Michael’s change of heart. At first he is reluctant to even consider marrying Francesca as it felt like he was dishonouring his cousin. Then he was determined to get her no matter what, almost like he flipped a switch within himself. Too abrupt for my liking. Not to mention his approach… uhmmmm… excuse me!! I don’t want to spoil it but you can find it in the list below.
Now for the red flags:
An interesting story and different from the other Bridgerton books. I don’t think I will read this again, mainly because of the red flags. Acknowledging the fact that everyone is flawed coud enhance the reading experience.
The main characters are Francesca Bridgerton and Michael Stirling.
Francesca was married to John, Earl of Kilmartin, and after only two years of marriage she was left a widow. She has always loved John a lot and griefs him deeply. She would not even think of remarrying if she didn’t have an immense desire to have a baby. So marriage is now on the table and she is determined to find someone to marry even if she has to settle for a marriage without love. Because in her opinion, a woman would not simply find love like that twice in a lifetime.
On the other hand we have Michael, John’s cousin. He has loved Francesca since the moment he laid eyes on her. Incidentally, this was just a few days before she got married to John. Michael would never hurt or betray his cousin, so his love for Francesca remained hidden and instead a great friendship flourished between Francesca and Michael.
This story is woven with threads of grief and guilt. They both loved John very much and dealt with his loss in their own ways. For Michael inheriting the earldom and everything that came with it felt like he was taking over John’s life. He could not possibly also have Francesca. Michael put up such a great facade, that Francesca does not believe him to be a suitable husband. Once a rake, always a rake. Little does she know that he puts on this facade to momentarily escape from his feelings for her.
I had trouble understanding Michael’s change of heart. At first he is reluctant to even consider marrying Francesca as it felt like he was dishonouring his cousin. Then he was determined to get her no matter what, almost like he flipped a switch within himself. Too abrupt for my liking. Not to mention his approach… uhmmmm… excuse me!! I don’t want to spoil it but you can find it in the list below.
Now for the red flags:
-
When Francesca miscarries her baby with John and she tells Michael that the baby was to have been his in a way too. WHAT?! That’s such a weird thing to say. Granted, she does not know about his feelings for her and in the historical context of this book it makes sense since women were mostly dependent on men. But still… It felt very manipulative and off-putting when reading this in modern times. -
Michael’s approach to get Francesca to marry him. His intentions and love for Francesca are pure, but despair makes one do stupid things. If he can’t sway her into marriage using logic, then he would do so by using passion. He decides to compromise her and get her pregnant so that she has no other option than to marry him. In the end, the passion that they both share is what unites them and they realise that they’re perfect for each other. The final destination is great, but the journey itself had me rolling my eyes. -
Francesca is hurt and feels invisible and neglected when her siblings have gotten married or are getting married without her presence. Michael uses this to convince her to get married immediately.
The mothers in this story on the other hand were green flags! It’s no surprise that Violet is a good mother who gives Francesca great advice and support. But it’s a blessing to have a great mother-in-law! Janet understands Francesca and wishes her the very best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent