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romancereadinglist's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
lucyp21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
I've been meaning to get to this book for a while and I'm glad I've finally got to it. Charity/Robert/Robin has a lot of names and would identify as non-binary (according to author's note) so I'm going by the AN as to preferred names and pronouns for her.
I enjoyed this book. I liked how Robin and Alistair met and how they got together, there was no internalised homophobia there which was a relief (though honestly Robin being a cis guy probably would have made it a lot easier). Alistair had his own issues with his father and his very open affair that led to three daughters and his ability to fritter away all the money for the estate. He has gone the opposite way and is very on it about the rules of propriety and all that. Enter Robin, born a girl, disguised as a boy and doesn't really identify with either. The plot itself was fast-paced and I couldn't guess where it was going, and I enjoyed the side characters.
The major problem I had with this book was how much of the relationship issues were put at Alistair's feet. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy at the end when his brother continually thinks the worst of him and doesn't bother having a conversation with him either time before he leaves to do something permanent and the person he loves thinks he doesn't know his own mind and continually makes self-sacrificing decisions (for both Alistair and her sister) without actually trying to reckon with the two of them being their own people. It was addressed a little at the end and I especially like Alistair just powering through all the potential issues (I love when people in these books use the rules of propriety against society itself), but considering the whole book had been putting Alistair down for trying to fix the mess his father had left him with (the guy may have loved his mistress and his wife may not have minded it but being reckless with money when you have to pay people's wages is something else), I felt like I needed a little more.
But this wasn't a bad book, and I liked how Robin's gender was handled both by herself and by Alistair.
anxious_emmy's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
whatevertheysay's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
missposabule's review against another edition
4.0
A romance novel featuring a gender non-conforming heroine and her bisexual love interest? Yeah, it was dope. Definitely a fun read.
cheye13's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a disappointing installment from Sebastian. I may give this series a miss. Something about this one felt formulaic or contrived. Where are the machinations that rehabilitated a rake's reputation in the Turner series, or manipulated shared living in the Sedgewick series? None of the problems felt all that important, and therefore none of the solutions felt inspired. And those problems and solutions took up so much real estate that I didn't get to know the characters or understand their relationship whatsoever. I appreciated the portrayal of a gender fluid character and believe it was handled well, but I also believe such a character deserved a better plot from this author.
elfduchess's review against another edition
5.0
Reread January 2021
Original Review to Follow
Reread rating more like three stars.
The melodrama is strong with this one.
I'll take the first 42-44 percent and the last 10 percent and you can have all that in the middle that's melodrama and people not discussing things like adults and not listening to each other and just...If anyone had behaved in a reasonable manner, this book would have been half the length.
But, no. Let's have them make poor, senseless decisions because otherwise... *sigh* Otherwise I might have thought this book was as amazing as I did the first time, instead of an exercise in frustration, wanting to slam the leads heads together in hopes of having them behave like people with a lick of sense between them.
I am not fond of romances that hinge on misunderstandings - but this one hinges on lack of communication and simply not wanting to make the decision sooner. Because the resolution? It was suggested in full long before the end of the book - but, oh no, it wouldn't do to have leads in a romance behave in a normal, sensible manner instead of lovelorn fools.
(I am bitter and upset. I still love Sebastian's work - but if this is a hint of what I can expect from her F/M pairings... I don't know how this is going to work.)
(Side note: Robin is genderqueer but likes the she/her pronouns and Alistair is bisexual.)
Original Review
If Sebastian wasn't already a favorite of mine, this book would have launched her there. I love and adore Charity/Robert/Robin. She is wonderful and delightful and just...I adore her. Alistair was...odd. I liked him for the first half of the book and the last quarter or so, but there was some time in between where he just aggravated me. If I had to make one complaint, it would be that, once again, the couple was having sex by the 50% mark. I mean, in this book it sorta worked, though it could have been pushed back a little, because it influenced the way Alistair especially behaved. I'm just so feed up with what seems to be the rule that the couple has to have sex by the 50% mark. It annoys me.
Anyway, this story is wonderful and Robin is wonderful and I just love her. (And the story and Alistair to a lesser extent.)
Original Review to Follow
Reread rating more like three stars.
The melodrama is strong with this one.
I'll take the first 42-44 percent and the last 10 percent and you can have all that in the middle that's melodrama and people not discussing things like adults and not listening to each other and just...If anyone had behaved in a reasonable manner, this book would have been half the length.
But, no. Let's have them make poor, senseless decisions because otherwise... *sigh* Otherwise I might have thought this book was as amazing as I did the first time, instead of an exercise in frustration, wanting to slam the leads heads together in hopes of having them behave like people with a lick of sense between them.
I am not fond of romances that hinge on misunderstandings - but this one hinges on lack of communication and simply not wanting to make the decision sooner. Because the resolution? It was suggested in full long before the end of the book - but, oh no, it wouldn't do to have leads in a romance behave in a normal, sensible manner instead of lovelorn fools.
(I am bitter and upset. I still love Sebastian's work - but if this is a hint of what I can expect from her F/M pairings... I don't know how this is going to work.)
(Side note: Robin is genderqueer but likes the she/her pronouns and Alistair is bisexual.)
Original Review
If Sebastian wasn't already a favorite of mine, this book would have launched her there. I love and adore Charity/Robert/Robin. She is wonderful and delightful and just...I adore her. Alistair was...odd. I liked him for the first half of the book and the last quarter or so, but there was some time in between where he just aggravated me. If I had to make one complaint, it would be that, once again, the couple was having sex by the 50% mark. I mean, in this book it sorta worked, though it could have been pushed back a little, because it influenced the way Alistair especially behaved. I'm just so feed up with what seems to be the rule that the couple has to have sex by the 50% mark. It annoys me.
Anyway, this story is wonderful and Robin is wonderful and I just love her. (And the story and Alistair to a lesser extent.)
fictionalcass's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
5.0
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it a hundred times, Cat Sebastian just gets it. The way she rights about love so wonderfully captures all the small delights of being in love, along with the overpowering and immense sides of it as well.
Alistair…you are so splendidly, deeply relatable to me. Alistair and Robin’s love story had me giggling and kicking my feet like a maniac. I adored it. Robin’s arc also felt so special, and I loved the way that the two of them found their way to each other.
This honestly might be one of my new favorites from Cat Sebastian. Absolutely loved it.
hatcubed's review
4.0
Nonbinary regency era romance novel?? SIGN ME UP!! I really appreciated how this was pulled off. One thing I love about Cat Sebastian novels is that she will never write the characters getting caught in flagrante delicto, which is a huge put-down-the-book-and-do-not-finish for me.
betweenpaginas20's review against another edition
5.0
Such a unique story, at was at the edge of my seat because I didn't know how the author was going to pull it off. But glad to see that the HEA was posible