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acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
The premise for this one is certainly different than a lot of books. The heroine returns to England after escaping a Sultan's harem and leaving her son behind. She's of course torn between our love interest who she gets married off to upon her return, and going back to her dangerous past to help her son. Tropes include: grumpy/sunshine, fake marriage, and instalove. I found the read to be enjoyable, but YMMV in terms of how much orientalism and superficial depictions of 19th century Oran you can handle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and War
nisha_nee's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were a lot of character inconsistencies and development, in general, in this book. The heroine has a dark background and her character sketch was just not in line with her past experiences. Some of the issues tackled here are hella dark and can be triggering for some, but the way the author has handled this was just careless and thoughtless. They were downsized and I just can't believe the story because of the conflicting and confusing character traits. It's as if the author is at crossroads on what character arc she should choose to go with. There were also a lot of side characters and subplots that could have been developed yet weren't pursued, in favor of the numerous s*x scenes. I don' mind some bit of smut in my stories but in this case, it felt more like a filler and hadn't added anything substantial to the story. I liked the hero's three daughters though. I wished that the subplot was more focused there and Mia acting as a loving stepmother, supervising and providing them maternal love. Btw, this story involves pirates and ships, so if you're not deterred just because of the reasons above, then you could fairly enjoy this. The hero and heroine's chemistry and interactions were nice and even enjoyable to read if you just disregard the inconsistencies in their characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness and Islamophobia
Minor: Rape
kathleenmcg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Colonisation
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