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lilanreads's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels so much, so I’ve been waiting to read another book by her. If you’ve read her work before, you’ll see that the writing style feels a bit old school and takes a bit of time to get used to. In fact at some parts I felt the prose dragged… a bit too much. The book took until 40% or so to get good for me, but after that everything falls into place and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the super slow burn development between our Cassandra and Ashmont.
True to its original inspiration “Taming the Shrew” by Shakespeare and “Ten Things I Hate About You”, this is a super reverse grumpy x sunshine story. In fact I find Cassandra’s caharacter to be VERY rough and took me a while to get warm to her. Ashmont, on the other hand, is a very pure and loveable golden retriever! He was a famous prankster which is banned by most of society, and after a sobering incident that happened in the previous book, he made a mission to better himself. It is truly a delight to see Ashmont’s inner monologue. He came close to give up a couple of times, but decided that he needed to do better and strive to see this through. So endearing **
True to its original inspiration “Taming the Shrew” by Shakespeare and “Ten Things I Hate About You”, this is a super reverse grumpy x sunshine story. In fact I find Cassandra’s caharacter to be VERY rough and took me a while to get warm to her. Ashmont, on the other hand, is a very pure and loveable golden retriever! He was a famous prankster which is banned by most of society, and after a sobering incident that happened in the previous book, he made a mission to better himself. It is truly a delight to see Ashmont’s inner monologue. He came close to give up a couple of times, but decided that he needed to do better and strive to see this through. So endearing **
agrippinaes's review against another edition
5.0
It was a lot of fun to read this. It had a fun writing style - Loretta Chase has a lovely turn of phrase and there were some lovely descriptive bits as well as humorous moments.
I really liked both main characters. I have started the previous book in this series but never finished it (I found it a little slow), and I had some reservations because I found Ashmont irritating in the previous book. But I liked him in this. He was a good hero, and I liked that he genuinely was trying to reform himself for most of the story - or trying to become the man that Cassandra had believed him to be when she was a child.
Also - a random, small point - but him calling Hyacinth ‘Miss Flower’ was very sweet.
Cassandra was a great main character, too; I loved her strength but also her capability, in everything that she did over the course of the story.
Their relationship really worked for me in relation to this, too. Their relationship was good for the usual things - good chemistry, sweet scenes, sexy scenes, fun banter. But there was, for me, so much real feeling between the two of them that I loved to see.
But I also did love that she had a crush on him when they were children. I’m not normally a fan of this, but the dynamic here really worked for me; the idea of her having expectations of his behaviour based off her childhood and teenage infatuation, and how that played into her expectations of him as an adult. I really liked that she recognised, as a grown woman, that her feelings for him were that of a child, but that it did not stop them from feeling very real, or from affecting her feelings as an adult. I also liked that he did not magically remember all of their interactions, just bits and pieces, and that the ones he did remember were thought of fondly but not as dearly held as hers, at least not until the end. I thought it was way more realistic and believable this way.
I also liked the introduction of Owsley to contrast with Ashmont. Owsley, on the surface, was a better man than Ashmont, with none of his history or bad behaviour. Still, he was not a good person, in a lot of ways. His belief that Cassandra - capable, clever Cassandra - needed protecting from not just herself, but other people, when contrasted with Ashmont’s trust in her own ability to take care of herself, made the differences between the two men more stark. And this applies not just to Ashmont, but to the other men in her life; her father and Keeffe, who both trust her (to varying degrees). I did like the idea that her father was worried about the courtship between Cassandra and Ashmont not because of the latter, but because he knew Cassandra was dangerous in her own right.
On a similar note, I really did appreciate that Ashmont took a step back from the courtship to give her space and to give her the chance to process her own feelings and thoughts - even if it was futile in the end.
There were also some lovely moments between the pair.
I also liked his reaction to her telling him she loved him after watching him defend the family in the slums: “Then he saw her face. Aglow. Silvery eyes alight. She was looking at him - at him, this time, as though he’d singlehandedly killed Scylla, Charybdis, and six or seven dragons for her.” and “ His spirits had lifted and sunk and risen again at a dizzying rate. They rose once more. “You’re not disappointed. I’m...splendid.” She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.”
Aside from the romance, I also enjoyed her relationship with Keeffe, which was lovely, and the ending.
The political angle was also interesting - it wasn’t too heavy-handed and I thought it worked well.
Finally - the ending was very sweet, I would have liked a bit of an epilogue, but it was cute anyway.
I will say that I found it a bit slow at first. I did start reading the previous novel in the series last year but never finished it because I found it dragged (I probably will finish it at some point - I think I just wasn’t in the mood for persevering when I started it). I was worried at first I would be the same with this one, but I’m glad I ploughed on because once I got into it I really enjoyed it.
Slow start aside, I thought this was a really strong historical romance book and I think I’ll be rereading it at some point.
I would recommend it if you want a fun historical romance with a strong, capable heroine and a reformed rake hero.
Content Warnings:
I really liked both main characters. I have started the previous book in this series but never finished it (I found it a little slow), and I had some reservations because I found Ashmont irritating in the previous book. But I liked him in this. He was a good hero, and I liked that he genuinely was trying to reform himself for most of the story - or trying to become the man that Cassandra had believed him to be when she was a child.
Spoiler
I loved the idea of him as a protector of bullied children.Spoiler
He consciously worked to better himself, to be a man that Cassandra could like or love; I loved that he stopped to think about the situation whenever he was upset or about to lose his temper, and considered the right way to proceed. And he read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to understand not just her, but the plight of women in general. On this note specifically, I loved that he made notes of his favourite passages to read to her. But on a wider level, I really, really enjoyed reading a hero in a historical romance who made the effort to learn and improve himself, rather than the reader just assuming that he had because he had fallen in love. The culmination of this learning in the scene with the family in the slums was almost emotional for me, as he himself had an emotional response to their poverty (the moment where he realised the child weighed so little was very sad). It was an effective scene, and I think Loretta Chase did a great job in showing his development over the course of the novel.Also - a random, small point - but him calling Hyacinth ‘Miss Flower’ was very sweet.
Cassandra was a great main character, too; I loved her strength but also her capability, in everything that she did over the course of the story.
Spoiler
A favourite moment for me was when she realised she loved Ashmont because of Owsley’s behaviour after reading the poem: “ “Patience? I? Endure the - what is it?” She looked down. “‘Bleak and bitter day’? I, beguiling the ‘long dark dreary hours’ of Ashmont’s or any other man’s absence?” I loved this in connection to her acknowledging her feelings as it recognised that she was not a person who would grieve over someone else in that manner.Their relationship really worked for me in relation to this, too. Their relationship was good for the usual things - good chemistry, sweet scenes, sexy scenes, fun banter. But there was, for me, so much real feeling between the two of them that I loved to see.
Spoiler
Firstly, I loved that he held her in high regard from the get go, no matter what she did; his admiration from her was clear very early on, and seeing that admiration deepen to actual affection was lovely.But I also did love that she had a crush on him when they were children. I’m not normally a fan of this, but the dynamic here really worked for me; the idea of her having expectations of his behaviour based off her childhood and teenage infatuation, and how that played into her expectations of him as an adult. I really liked that she recognised, as a grown woman, that her feelings for him were that of a child, but that it did not stop them from feeling very real, or from affecting her feelings as an adult. I also liked that he did not magically remember all of their interactions, just bits and pieces, and that the ones he did remember were thought of fondly but not as dearly held as hers, at least not until the end. I thought it was way more realistic and believable this way.
I also liked the introduction of Owsley to contrast with Ashmont. Owsley, on the surface, was a better man than Ashmont, with none of his history or bad behaviour. Still, he was not a good person, in a lot of ways. His belief that Cassandra - capable, clever Cassandra - needed protecting from not just herself, but other people, when contrasted with Ashmont’s trust in her own ability to take care of herself, made the differences between the two men more stark. And this applies not just to Ashmont, but to the other men in her life; her father and Keeffe, who both trust her (to varying degrees). I did like the idea that her father was worried about the courtship between Cassandra and Ashmont not because of the latter, but because he knew Cassandra was dangerous in her own right.
On a similar note, I really did appreciate that Ashmont took a step back from the courtship to give her space and to give her the chance to process her own feelings and thoughts - even if it was futile in the end.
There were also some lovely moments between the pair.
Spoiler
The scene where they were caught behind the curtain, for example; his thoughts about her laughter were so sweet. “He hated to see her laughter end” and “He only wished he’d quieted sooner, in order to fully enjoy the sight and sound of her. He wished he’d had longer to savour the rippling laughter and the wash of pink over her face and the light in her eyes and the way they crinkled shut when she laughed. He wanted to watch again the way she put her hand over her mouth and turned her head away, before giving up any attempt at propriety. He wanted to see her laughing mouth, the one he’d kissed at long last. He wanted to kiss her while she laughed, and drink in that unadulterated enjoyment, the naughty delight - whatever it was, it was wonderful.”I also liked his reaction to her telling him she loved him after watching him defend the family in the slums: “Then he saw her face. Aglow. Silvery eyes alight. She was looking at him - at him, this time, as though he’d singlehandedly killed Scylla, Charybdis, and six or seven dragons for her.” and “ His spirits had lifted and sunk and risen again at a dizzying rate. They rose once more. “You’re not disappointed. I’m...splendid.” She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.”
Aside from the romance, I also enjoyed her relationship with Keeffe, which was lovely, and the ending.
Spoiler
I liked and preferred Lady Bartham as the main villain, and I also cannot stress enough just how much I enjoyed how that storyline resolved. Woman to woman, as they said, worked so well. I loved that Cassandra went straight to people she trusted rather than dealing with it herself, and that her mother then took the situation in hand. The scene between Lady Bartham and Cassandra’s mother was wonderful.The political angle was also interesting - it wasn’t too heavy-handed and I thought it worked well.
Finally - the ending was very sweet,
Spoiler
and I liked the tie-in with the stargazing from their childhood.I will say that I found it a bit slow at first. I did start reading the previous novel in the series last year but never finished it because I found it dragged (I probably will finish it at some point - I think I just wasn’t in the mood for persevering when I started it). I was worried at first I would be the same with this one, but I’m glad I ploughed on because once I got into it I really enjoyed it.
Slow start aside, I thought this was a really strong historical romance book and I think I’ll be rereading it at some point.
I would recommend it if you want a fun historical romance with a strong, capable heroine and a reformed rake hero.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
Mild violence, injuries from a carriage accident.kefink's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
elspethm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
This is the second book in the series and though it was still way too long and the storyline didn't really make that necessary, I did like this one a bit better than the last one. In this book, Cassandra fell in love with Lucius "Duke of Ashmont" when she was a kid and he never noticed her. When their paths cross during one of his infamous pranks and injured her "bodyguard" she uses him for some of the duties he had performed. Along the way Ashmont falls in love with Cassandra, but she is wary of him being serious, as he's always been immature and reckless, and also of maintaining the somewhat fulfilling life she's set up for herself if she marries. Meanwhile Cassandra is trying to keep her actions from affecting her younger sister Hyacinth and her family. Also, an old feud between Cassandra's mother and another lady starts to affect everyone in the family. I did like to see the changes in Ashmont over the years, learning more about being a Duke and taking care of others, and their relationship was a nice one, but there were times I thought Cassandra treated Ashmont a bit worse than he deserved. Also, there was an ongoing mystery that really could have been left out and made the book shorter but not less interesting, but overall I enjoyed this book and am about to read the new one in the series coming out early 2025
winemakerssister's review against another edition
5.0
This re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew is the first book in three years from Loretta Chase.... and worth the wait. I re-read A Duke in Shining Armor beforehand and am glad I did, for the last week of ADiSA is retold from Ashmont's perspective in the beginning of and it was completely helpful to go from one to the other.
emeraldrina's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
The banter was fun, as in the last book. The characters were great, but Ashmont’s rehabilitation felt too easy and quick. Cassandra seemed to get over her mistrust too easily.
skellamoon's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
spazgirl76's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
⭐ 3.75 ⭐
The Taming of the Shrew in a regency romance?
Yes, please!
Cassandra Pomfret is very outspoken about things she believes in. The Duke of Ashmont has more flaws than Cassandra can count. When his actions inadvertently destroys her carriage and nearly costs her driver his life, she has no trouble ordering him around and telling him off to the best of her ability despite the fact that he's a Duke. Despite all his flaws, when the two are caught in a compromising situation, he knows he's going to have to marry her, if she doesn't kill him first.
Cassandra is a character ahead of her time. She spends her days arguing with people in parliament, fighting for women's rights, and teaching women to fight would be attackers. She's outspoken, smart and witty, and I adored her. The banter between the two main characters was wildly entertaining and made this book a pleasure to read (and reread).
I highly recommend this one if you enjoy retellings, strong female regency characters, witty banter, or strong male characters who have to put in the work to win the girl.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
The Taming of the Shrew in a regency romance?
Yes, please!
Cassandra Pomfret is very outspoken about things she believes in. The Duke of Ashmont has more flaws than Cassandra can count. When his actions inadvertently destroys her carriage and nearly costs her driver his life, she has no trouble ordering him around and telling him off to the best of her ability despite the fact that he's a Duke. Despite all his flaws, when the two are caught in a compromising situation, he knows he's going to have to marry her, if she doesn't kill him first.
Cassandra is a character ahead of her time. She spends her days arguing with people in parliament, fighting for women's rights, and teaching women to fight would be attackers. She's outspoken, smart and witty, and I adored her. The banter between the two main characters was wildly entertaining and made this book a pleasure to read (and reread).
I highly recommend this one if you enjoy retellings, strong female regency characters, witty banter, or strong male characters who have to put in the work to win the girl.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
librarydancer's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars
I especially like her heros in this series. They seem more unique somehow, and do more work to demonstrate he really is paying attention to what the heroine is interested in.
I especially like her heros in this series. They seem more unique somehow, and do more work to demonstrate he really is paying attention to what the heroine is interested in.