Reviews

Not very good. Julia/Jessica is a pain. I get she wants to act but come on, her drama queen antics was annoying. Damon is not my idea of a romantic hero. His mistress being in the middle of the relationship is a bit strange. She's a widow but apparently a whore who has protectors? I get the gifts but a line of credit at stores? That's a mistress not a respectable, kinda, widow. She's annoying too. The arranged marriage was the most believable part of the story. Kids being engaged or even married by their parents happened so I wasn't shocked. I will admit to skipping sections of the story just because it was a boring rehash of their drama. The next book was much better, Logan Scott was more interesting.

dayoldtea's review against another edition

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The hero, Damon, has several red flags for being physically and emotionally abusive as a partner. There's little chemistry between the leads beyond insta-love and sexual tension. Almost every sex scene comes off as coercive, including a scene Spoilerafter the hero literally kidnaps Julia, the heroine; she tells him to stop multiple times, and he still molests her to the point of pain while she's tied up. At another point, the "hero" Spoilercorners her, naked, in a public bathhouse and refuses to leave despite being asked multiple times, forcing her into a compromising position. Upon receiving bad news, Damon Spoilerthrows a glass of alcohol at his brother, the messenger; Damon's violence against other parties (e.g. Spoiler the two lords who attempt to rape Julia) is written about in a way that alarms and repulses the heroine for good reason. The conclusion of the work feels rushed and disjointed because it's completely out of character for an abusive man to compromise to allow for a HEA that fulfills both the hero and heroine's needs. In real life, Damon might play nice and fake compromise, but as soon as Julia was married to him and legally his property, she'd be locked up on his estate and her acting career would be over. He'd be beating her within a year.

The hero's actions are justified with the old romance novel trope that the heroine ultimately enjoyed it, which retroactively justifies the boundary violations and violent, abusive behavior. The hero quite literally pulls stunts that I've seen villains doing in other books, and it's not a good look. I'm not even going to get into the plot line involving the hero's mistress who he dumps shortly after becoming involved with the heroine (the way "hero" speaks about "paying for access to her body," that access being "overpriced," and him "owing her nothing more" -- yikes yikes yikes yikes yikes!!!).

This was a very disappointing read since I've very much enjoyed recent releases from Lisa Kleypas, but it seems like her books from the '90s and early 2000s are just.... incredibly steeped in rape culture and male leads that exhibit classic warning signs for abusers. This one was extreme enough that I felt the need to review and save someone else's time.

Stick to Kleypas' Ravenel series (first book: [b:Cold-Hearted Rake|24431358|Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1)|Lisa Kleypas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431563998l/24431358._SY75_.jpg|43110668]).

For more information, read Lundy Bancroft's [b:Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men|224552|Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men|Lundy Bancroft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479651155l/224552._SX50_.jpg|217475].

Content warnings (other than the above flags for a trash relationship between the leads): Spoilerattempted rape of heroine, aggressive unwanted sexual attention/sexual assault of the hero's brother, misogynistic discussions of women's bodies and paying for sex, abusive parents (one of the blowhard can-never-be-wrong types with an enabling wife, and one who's a compulsive gambler), parental alienation, typical alcohol use, pregnancy ending

afoolsingenuity's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.5

I could see glimpses of the writing I love from Lisa Kleypas but it was also obvious it was an older book as some of the events just wouldn’t work in a more modern read. Lots of a woman being rescued from rape and being almost blamed for the events happening. A kidnapping by the man we are meant to believe love her and no consequences. It just didn’t flow quite as well as some of her other books and I didn’t get quite as caught up in the romance.

coley28's review against another edition

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funny 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? No

3.75

sghard's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

sharknato's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sneeps's review against another edition

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2.0

This guy was just too possessive for my tastes, and the leading lady a bit too damsel in distress. It was nice to read about the 19th century for a change, since I usually end up reading about dudes in tricorns. There was no real intrigue beyond the romance plot, and most of it was just two people over and over saying they wouldn't compromise and then refusing to back down. The characterization had more telling than showing (long paragraphs straight off describing exactly how the character felt and why, all at once, rather than getting to know the character more slowly or through their actions).

Overall not my cup of tea. Gets two stars for "It Was Okay" because I honestly had to slog through the ending, but it wasn't a bad novel.

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