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red3horn's review against another edition
5.0
I am in love with Anthony and Sebastian. I adore their story and how they work together in their marriage, life and yes, deception of being a married man and woman. They are so much fun and though there are times when things aren't in the forefront of discussion, it's the discussion that I love with the men. They talk. They work out whatever obstacle comes their way and they are so very much in love. Goodness. The love is what I fell in love with as well as the wit and challenge both men presents to the other.
It would seem odd to still have Sebastian, a year later, playing the roll of Lady Crofton and his twin sister Bronwyn but it's not when you feel the love he has for Anthony. And Anthony... goodness. Seeing him besotted with his wife/husband is one thing but jealous Anthony is another and yeah, it's all alpha male and hot.
This was simply a joy to read. It was pleasant, intriguing, sexy and exactly what I needed. There is a twist on the brother/sister connection with a new pair making there presence at Crofton Hall but the Lord and Lady of the manner handle it their way and it was a delight to watch.
I loved this, a well done historical story about two men deeply in love with one another. I can't wait to read more of these two in [b:Forever Hold His Peace|22362367|Forever Hold His Peace (The Crofton Chronicles #3)|Rebecca Cohen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401247779s/22362367.jpg|41770739] (sigh... the last in the series) and get to the modern tale with [b:Saving Crofton Hall|23286754|Saving Crofton Hall (Stately Passions #1)|Rebecca Cohen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413054946s/23286754.jpg|42827255] knowing the history of the home and learning the tale of present day Earl of Crofton.
He always had the option to take the easy way out, to stop playing Bronwyn and return to life as Sebastian. But... he had no wish to give up the public interaction with Anthony, to stop being his dance partner or to walk arm in arm with him in the gardens. And even the most spiteful remarks at court wouldn’t persuade him otherwise.
It would seem odd to still have Sebastian, a year later, playing the roll of Lady Crofton and his twin sister Bronwyn but it's not when you feel the love he has for Anthony. And Anthony... goodness. Seeing him besotted with his wife/husband is one thing but jealous Anthony is another and yeah, it's all alpha male and hot.
Anthony dragged Sebastian to his feet and they shared a deep kiss. “One day you will be the death of me.” Anthony grinned, “But it will be a wonderful way to go.”
This was simply a joy to read. It was pleasant, intriguing, sexy and exactly what I needed. There is a twist on the brother/sister connection with a new pair making there presence at Crofton Hall but the Lord and Lady of the manner handle it their way and it was a delight to watch.
I loved this, a well done historical story about two men deeply in love with one another. I can't wait to read more of these two in [b:Forever Hold His Peace|22362367|Forever Hold His Peace (The Crofton Chronicles #3)|Rebecca Cohen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401247779s/22362367.jpg|41770739] (sigh... the last in the series) and get to the modern tale with [b:Saving Crofton Hall|23286754|Saving Crofton Hall (Stately Passions #1)|Rebecca Cohen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413054946s/23286754.jpg|42827255] knowing the history of the home and learning the tale of present day Earl of Crofton.
authorofthings's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
geeknb's review against another edition
5.0
Enjoyed this even more than the first. Still only Sebastian's POV but there is no doubt from Anthony's actions that he loves Sebastian and how badly the Queen's request hurts him.
Excellent.
Excellent.
kuma_95's review against another edition
4.0
Me ha aburrido un poco mas que la primera parte. Me gusta la relación de los protagonistas porque hablan y se comunican lo que hace evitar malentendidos. El punto flojo la trama ya que le falta algo si la premisa es interesante pero falta profundidad.
Los personajes y la presentación de la epoca sigue siendo impecable. Hace que sea muy disfrutable.
Los personajes y la presentación de la epoca sigue siendo impecable. Hace que sea muy disfrutable.
yuusasih's review against another edition
3.0
Dramaaaaah. Though on the plus side I really love Anthony and Sebastian's relationship more than book 1 or I'm just a goner with established relationship, but the epitome of penised-female is blinding my eyes in this one. I cannot think that Sebastian is a male now.
ellelainey's review against another edition
5.0
** This review is copied word-for-word from my review of The Crofton Chronicles bundle. **
Book 2: Duty to the Crown
Length: 23-46%
POV: 3rd person, one character (Sebastian)
Star rating: ★★★★★
Wow. This was another great story with all the right drama in all the right places.
There were some more serious issues in place here, with Anthony being ordered to seduce a young French girl and then having to ask Sebastian to do so, when the tables turned against him. Then, Sebastian having to 'pretend' seduce both brother and sister as Bronwyn and Sebastian respectively, there was the chaos of gender inequality, sexism and homophobia. But then it escalated into a claim of domestic abuse, a kidnapping and then an attempted rape, all of which were handled sensitively and with respect. Sebastian never turned away from expressing his true disgust, pain or thoughts on the subjects as they occurred.
I feel that Sebastian and Anthony's relationship is a little more turbulent than before, with the constant deception and the orders to seduce other people, leading to rife jealousy. I love how it was portrayed and explored throughout the story. Anthony is a very “you catch more bees with honey” type of man, while Sebastian has to prove that “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and that, sometimes, playing hard to get could be more effective, while friendship was also a logical route over romance. The awkwardness that Sebastian brought to his scenes with Nicholas and Marie during the 'courting' process were both hilarious and cringe-worthy. Yet, I loved that Anthony got a taste of his own medicine.
As before, the chemistry between Sebastian and Anthony was off the charts brilliant! I loved the banter, the playfulness, even the perfectly ordinary moments where you saw Sebastian badgering Anthony about taking his medicine or where they enjoyed some quality time together. It all strengthened my faith in this couple and the belief that they should be together.
Overall, there were so many wonderful moments that it's impossible not to fall in love with this book and series. The characters are realistic, relatable and exciting; the things they go through are intriguing and make me laugh, cry, worry and freak out. I couldn't have asked for a better series to remind me how much I love the historical sub-genre and that a forbidden romance can be just as beautiful as one allowed in a modern age.
~
Favourite Quote
““Listen to me, Anthony Crofton. While I accept that you cannot refuse the Queen, do not think you can come near me until you have worked out a way to complete this request without me having to contain the desire to punch you.””
“Anthony was waiting as Sebastian left his room. “I thought we could arrive at the Great Hall together – and a good job, too, as you appear to be besmirching my good name.”
“It can hardly be called besmirching when it is true,” replied Sebastian, taking the arm Anthony offered.
“Why do I put up with you?”
“Because I'm wonderful, Anthony, and don't you forget it.””
~
Book 2: Duty to the Crown
Length: 23-46%
POV: 3rd person, one character (Sebastian)
Star rating: ★★★★★
Wow. This was another great story with all the right drama in all the right places.
There were some more serious issues in place here, with Anthony being ordered to seduce a young French girl and then having to ask Sebastian to do so, when the tables turned against him. Then, Sebastian having to 'pretend' seduce both brother and sister as Bronwyn and Sebastian respectively, there was the chaos of gender inequality, sexism and homophobia. But then it escalated into a claim of domestic abuse, a kidnapping and then an attempted rape, all of which were handled sensitively and with respect. Sebastian never turned away from expressing his true disgust, pain or thoughts on the subjects as they occurred.
I feel that Sebastian and Anthony's relationship is a little more turbulent than before, with the constant deception and the orders to seduce other people, leading to rife jealousy. I love how it was portrayed and explored throughout the story. Anthony is a very “you catch more bees with honey” type of man, while Sebastian has to prove that “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and that, sometimes, playing hard to get could be more effective, while friendship was also a logical route over romance. The awkwardness that Sebastian brought to his scenes with Nicholas and Marie during the 'courting' process were both hilarious and cringe-worthy. Yet, I loved that Anthony got a taste of his own medicine.
As before, the chemistry between Sebastian and Anthony was off the charts brilliant! I loved the banter, the playfulness, even the perfectly ordinary moments where you saw Sebastian badgering Anthony about taking his medicine or where they enjoyed some quality time together. It all strengthened my faith in this couple and the belief that they should be together.
Overall, there were so many wonderful moments that it's impossible not to fall in love with this book and series. The characters are realistic, relatable and exciting; the things they go through are intriguing and make me laugh, cry, worry and freak out. I couldn't have asked for a better series to remind me how much I love the historical sub-genre and that a forbidden romance can be just as beautiful as one allowed in a modern age.
~
Favourite Quote
““Listen to me, Anthony Crofton. While I accept that you cannot refuse the Queen, do not think you can come near me until you have worked out a way to complete this request without me having to contain the desire to punch you.””
“Anthony was waiting as Sebastian left his room. “I thought we could arrive at the Great Hall together – and a good job, too, as you appear to be besmirching my good name.”
“It can hardly be called besmirching when it is true,” replied Sebastian, taking the arm Anthony offered.
“Why do I put up with you?”
“Because I'm wonderful, Anthony, and don't you forget it.””
~
galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
READ: Sep 2023
FORMAT: Digital
BRIEF SUMMARY:
In book two of this historical romance set in England around the turn of the seventeenth century, Sebastian and Anthony have successfully carried on their ruse of a marriage for a little over a year when the Earl is called to carry out Her Majesty’s wishes, which are certain to challenge the love and trust between the couple. Anthony has been asked to seduce politically-advantageous information out of a young French maiden, and he is in no position to decline, especially since his loyalty to the crown has been questioned in the past. Things don’t go entirely as planned, since it’s Sebastian who catches Marie’s eye – to say nothing of how Marie’s brash and self-assured brother has set his sights on Sebastian's disguise as Bronwyn.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.5 / 5⭐
Right off the bat, this book is a dozen times better than its predecessor, though even with that being the case it’s still a pretty weak story. It suffers from similar problems as the last one did, the most significant of which being Anthony’s complete lack of personality beyond being full of himself and prone to tantrums (but in this book, we can add so completely head-over-heels in love with Sebastian to his personality traits, too!). Where in the last book, Anthony constantly flip-flopped between being a flirt and a petulant child, this time around he gets to be either a flirt or a painfully jealous brat.
What this book has going for it that the last one did not is: Things Actually Happening. That’s it, plain and simple. It’s a story that’s playing at a game of court intrigue and subterfuge, although the stakes never really felt all that high. There wasn’t really any risk for Anthony failing at getting the information; the bare minimum requirement was for him to put in an effort at all. It all just felt weak and toothless, is what I mean to say. On the other hand, the dynamic that the Valois siblings add to the story is what saves this one from being another wash; it brings Sebastian, whose entire character thus far can largely be described as constantly jealous, the opportunity to actually accomplish something.
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3 / 5⭐
So the last book’s biggest failing was its wasted potential; I kept seeing threads of an interesting story, little setups that could lead to something bigger, but each one would be forgotten or never mentioned again. These threads were mostly character-based, offering the chance at development or world-building that simply never came. This time, I lost count of how many times I found setup for the plot to take an interesting turn that would never be addressed again. So many wasted opportunities where things could have gone awry, and just... Nothing.
As an innocuous example, there’s a point in this book where Sebastian has to write an important and sensitive letter. In the middle of writing it, he is called away from the room to take care of something, and I thought: yes, okay, somebody’s going to snoop around and see the partially-written letter and it’s going to change the game. In most intrigue/espionage books, this is exactly the sort of setup that would do the heavy lifting. But, no; in this book, Sebastian returns to the untouched letter, finishes writing it, and the book carries on without anything going amiss. I mean it, there are dozens of setups just like this in this book that go completely unused. I honestly couldn’t tell if the author was playing a trick on the readers and knew exactly what they were doing, or if they genuinely didn’t think to try and raise the stakes at any point.
Speaking of stakes, there are none, because Anthony’s whole mission is just dependent on him doing his best to try, and any time Sebastian finds himself in trouble he is rescued by Anthony magically showing up every single time. Anything starts to get mildly uncomfortable, Anthony’s magical radar pings and there he is to puff out his chest and save the day, problem solved. I was honestly surprised the book’s big climax was allowed to go on for as long as it did. It wrapped up exactly in the way I expected it would, just took a bit longer than the author would typically allow for. I kept hoping Sebastian might find his confidence and come into his own, solve his own problems for once, but I hoped for too much.
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.25 / 5⭐
We’re closer to a good story in this book than we were in the last, but my hopes for the next one don’t exactly follow that upward trajectory. Maybe I’ll be surprised. I plan on taking a short break before continuing on, but I don’t see myself pursuing other books or series by this author; not even the ones that follow the Crofton family line.
This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. There is otherwise little in the way of diversity.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Rape, and Pregnancy
crtsjffrsn's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the odds, Sebastian Hewel's continued impersonation of his sister, Bronwyn, has managed to keep his relationship with Earl Anthony Crofton one that no one really suspects. And the love the two of them share is real. But when Anthony is asked by the Queen to seduce a young woman to get information, Sebastian is less than pleased. And things take an interesting turn when the woman, Marie, arrives at the estate and finds herself more enamored of Sebastian than the Earl. Marie's cousin, Nicholas, shows up to take Marie away, only to find himself taken with the Lady Bronwyn. Sebastian quickly finds himself the object of affection of both cousins--depending on what he's wearing that day. And as the stakes get higher, Sebastian and Anthony find themselves faced with the possibility of needing to end their charade--and relationship--once and for all.