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turophile's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It’s always hard to like a book when you’re not crazy about the characters. This story is set up with a strong redemption arc for both the hero and heroine, though the heroine’s arc did not become obvious until much later in the book.
The story begins with Lady Emily on a fern hunting expedition with her “Lady Fern Hunters” group. Lord Markshall, a well known rake is following her. In fact, one might say he’s stalking her. Despite her pleas, he won’t leave her alone. And they fall into a hole from which they can’t be rescued. She’s compromised, they get married, and after much struggle they break down each other’s barriers to fall in love.
If only the author had kept it that simple. There are a lot of interesting threads. Lady Emily’s a complex and fascinating person, but I found the initial set-up troubling. Lord Markshall’s trying to reform, yet he’s basically stalking her and puts her in a position where marriage is foisted upon her. There’s a lot of interesting facets of the book – the legislation that Lord Markshall is working on and the process he goes through to get it passed. The history behind fern hunting and the desires of women who want to get outdoors.
And the underlying character thread for Lady Emily was interesting, but it was not resolved in a satisfying manner. In fact, I was a bit disturbed.
It really felt like the author had a lot of great ideas, but they were not woven together well. And between the stalking and the resolution of the Lady Emily story, not to mention her sister’s subplot – it did not work for me. 2.75/5 romance scale.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking and Domestic abuse
The plot is driven by the fact that the hero won't leave the heroine alone. Feels very stalkerish.
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