solacelight's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Injury/injury detail, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: War, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, and Addiction
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Murder, Alcohol, and Ableism
now_booking's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This 5th installment of the Bedwyn saga contains my favourite ending but it also has one of my least favourite tropes. I hate the deception trope and the lying with all my heart. Here, the deception is more an ensemble/group deceit rather than the romantically-problematic protagonists lying to each other one, but still whilst it lasted (and it lasted for quite a while), I was barely able to enjoy the book. I think once the deception was resolved, this book really came into its own and the plot was really able to start moving.
The premise is that youngest Bedwyn brother, Alleyne, is wounded and presumed dead in the Battle of Waterloo, but down on her luck lady’s companion, Rachel rescues him after he’s been abandoned on the battlefield. The only problem is Alleyne has amnesia and has no idea who he is, and Rachel is in desperate need of her inheritance which she can only unlock in three years or by getting married.
This also contained amnesia as a plot element that I actually think was executed pretty well. It added to the story and it wasn’t used as a convenient device just to create conflict. It’s resolution also made sense, even if the solution to Alleyne learning who he was, was a little more Deus Ex Machina than I expected. One of my favourite elements of this book is the fact that it featured marginalized groups, specifically sex workers and a disabled ex-soldier, in a position of not being victims, not being objects of pity, but rather as heroines and hero in their own right, as friends to the protagonists, as prominent actors in the plot. I loved the relationship between Rachel and Alleyne and Rachel’s healing process with her uncle. If anything, I wish Rachel and her uncles’s resolution has been dragged out a bit. I wish perhaps Rachel and her feelings about the situation with her father had brought about a little more… if not closure, then at least conversation. This was great in the way Mary Balogh’s work can be. But it’s probably my least favourite in a series of favourites.
For me, the best part of this series has been getting to know Wulfric in the brief cameos he’s made in each book, and this is no different. The subtlety and skill with which the author exposed his true character across this series has really built up the anticipation for the final book in this series, up next.
The premise is that youngest Bedwyn brother, Alleyne, is wounded and presumed dead in the Battle of Waterloo, but down on her luck lady’s companion, Rachel rescues him after he’s been abandoned on the battlefield. The only problem is Alleyne has amnesia and has no idea who he is, and Rachel is in desperate need of her inheritance which she can only unlock in three years or by getting married.
This also contained amnesia as a plot element that I actually think was executed pretty well. It added to the story and it wasn’t used as a convenient device just to create conflict. It’s resolution also made sense, even if the solution to Alleyne learning who he was, was a little more Deus Ex Machina than I expected. One of my favourite elements of this book is the fact that it featured marginalized groups, specifically sex workers and a disabled ex-soldier, in a position of not being victims, not being objects of pity, but rather as heroines and hero in their own right, as friends to the protagonists, as prominent actors in the plot. I loved the relationship between Rachel and Alleyne and Rachel’s healing process with her uncle. If anything, I wish Rachel and her uncles’s resolution has been dragged out a bit. I wish perhaps Rachel and her feelings about the situation with her father had brought about a little more… if not closure, then at least conversation. This was great in the way Mary Balogh’s work can be. But it’s probably my least favourite in a series of favourites.
For me, the best part of this series has been getting to know Wulfric in the brief cameos he’s made in each book, and this is no different. The subtlety and skill with which the author exposed his true character across this series has really built up the anticipation for the final book in this series, up next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Addiction
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