Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

49 reviews

terranstorm's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

What an absolute pleasure to read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Grief, and Dysphoria

Minor: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Vomit, and Lesbophobia

oilver_'s review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, and Dysphoria

himpersonal's review against another edition

emotional inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved that the main character was trans, especially in a time when it was illegal (this is not a spoiler - it's revealed very early on in the book). We need more books like this (especially now) where trans characters are seen as normal, even in a time when it was criminalized. They have always been part of every population, and they always will be. They also deserve to be loved like all people do.

The story unraveled at a good pace and the romance developed organically. It was perfect. So often, romances are rushed to get to the sex scenes, or they are sappy and unappealing. This one was well done. Also really liked the relationship between Justin and his sister.

Book was effective at gathering all the trauma that took place before the characters were even introduced and helping them work through their personal tragedies, bringing them to closure, and helping them move beyond the healing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic

imds's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent

meat_muffin's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, and Transphobia

ezwolf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Been non-stop thinking of “How many times must I mourn you?”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Transphobia, Vomit, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Deadnaming, Death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Sexual harassment

fionamclary's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was fun and sweet and heartfelt and successful at being a book with a trans heroine where the main conflict is not about her being trans. But it is very much a book about gender, in which Viola learns to embody her womanhood while rejecting the gendered expectations that don't suit her, and Gracewood learns to redefine what it means to be a man in a way that integrates his past traumas without being confined or dictated by them.

I wish we'd gotten a better picture of their friendship pre-Waterloo and how that affects their present relationship. Especially after the first 150 or so pages, it often felt that little would change about the story if they were complete strangers before meeting at Morgancald post-war.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Classism

shae_purcell's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

PTSD; Misgendering; mentions of drowning, corpses

reclusivebookslug's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Alexis Hall is one of my go-to's for feel-good romance (although I'm not sure everyone would agree with this categorization). This is the first historical romance I've read with an explicitly trans main character (I've also read Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian, but it is unclear whether the character in question is

GNF, nonbinary, or a trans man

) and I think it was very interesting and well-done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Deadnaming

Minor: Transphobia

While this book is about a trans heroine, the only time the heroine is deadnamed/misgendered Is when someone who knew her previously recognizes her. Once this person is told how to address her name/pronouns, they do so. The heroine is never outed, either.