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hsumanityreads's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
We begin with Millie the heiress getting betrothed to Fitz, the reluctant new earl of a crumbling property, who happens to also be in love with someone else. The object of his affection doesn’t have enough money to dig him out of this pit, and Millie does. Their parents arrange it, and Millie falls for Fitz immediately. Fitz gets rip-roaring drunk the night before the wedding because he can’t bear to not marry his “OTL”, but he and Millie must get hitched.
The rest of the story, as they say, is an exquisite picture of arranged marriage to friends to lovers - with many twist and turns and bumps, but also with many moments of beauty and joy between them. There are so many quietly sweet moments throughout the book that had me fanning myself with tears in my eyes, just waiting for the moment it would all *click* between them.
There is a convincing portrait of alcoholism, some depression, and even despair as the disillusioned teens (!!They are not even of age when they’re wed!!) come to terms with their lot in life. They grow so much (more than any other book I’ve read?!) singularly and together, and the last two chapters of the book are complete and utter perfection. They are both allowed a moment to choose their path, and I rooted for them endlessly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Mental illness
megatza's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I pick up Sherry Thomas historical romance for heartbreak and the messiness of relationships. Ravishing the Heiress is going to be a difficult book for many readers, because MMC Fitz is planning to leave his wife, Millie, for another woman for most of the book (this romance is between Fitz and Millie...a setup that would not work in a contemporary). Sherry works her magic with multiple timelines, building their relationship that both too easily mistake for friendship. A full forest's worth of pining from both characters. There's subtlety in the progression of the story - while they never hate one another, its realistic how they both feel until suddenly its actually love. My heart broke for both of them throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Infidelity
queenhufflegruff's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Infidelity
yourbookishbff's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Ravishing the Heiress gave me that chest-constricting feeling that only high levels of angst and pining can achieve. This is a marriage of convenience, but between literal (figurative) babies of just 19 and 16. It's not at all what you expect, though. Our MMC, the now-Lord Fitzhugh, is determined to marry his teenage sweetheart, but through a series of unfortunate deaths, becomes the inheritor of an earldom and its crumbling estate and must marry the tinned-sardine-heiress, Millie, to save it from ruin. Our girl Millie falls for "Fitz" the moment they meet, but quickly realizes he is hopelessly in love with someone else and is only marrying her to save his family from debt. Millie refuses to let him see that she is pining, though, and insists on a pact - they agree they will not consummate their marriage for eight years and will each live free and unencumbered.
BUT THIS IS PERFECT. Because what we get is an incredible non-linear story of present-day Fitz and Millie (27 and 24, respectively) nearing the end of their pact, interspersed with flashbacks to their developing friendship as they grow up together. Millie adores him secretly. Fitz grows to admire her openly. They finally, FINALLY discover their love for each other. It. Is. Glorious. Slow. (SLOW). Burn.
If you loved the heart-wrenching tenderness and iron-clad respect between Harry and Thomas in Convergence of Desire, and if you are *trash-for-angst* and couldn't get enough of the friends-to-lovers-but-one-fell-first-and-waited-literal-years of Poppy and Alex in People We Meet on Vacation, this is your book.
If Thomas had given us another Fitz POV and 50 more pages to round out the 3rd act, this would be 5 stars for me.
BUT THIS IS PERFECT. Because what we get is an incredible non-linear story of present-day Fitz and Millie (27 and 24, respectively) nearing the end of their pact, interspersed with flashbacks to their developing friendship as they grow up together. Millie adores him secretly. Fitz grows to admire her openly. They finally, FINALLY discover their love for each other. It. Is. Glorious. Slow. (SLOW). Burn.
If you loved the heart-wrenching tenderness and iron-clad respect between Harry and Thomas in Convergence of Desire, and if you are *trash-for-angst* and couldn't get enough of the friends-to-lovers-but-one-fell-first-and-waited-literal-years of Poppy and Alex in People We Meet on Vacation, this is your book.
If Thomas had given us another Fitz POV and 50 more pages to round out the 3rd act, this would be 5 stars for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
megloveswords12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Animal death
sydapel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Another historical I read in practically one sitting ,mostly because it was so deliciously angsty I never wanted to leave. The YEARNING in here, my god. I also loved the establishment of Fitz and Millie's relationship over the years as rooted firmly in friendship, trust and connection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
emfass's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
Wow wow wow. My first Sherry Thomas. This book is SO tight and well-written, so economical and portrays SO much pining and pain in such efficient, piercing ways. More than once while reading this, I thought: "If I didn't know for sure we were heading toward an HEA, I would be absolutely beside myself." I was brought close to tears a few times (which is fairly rare for me while reading).
I think friends-to-lovers is my favorite trope and this was a very interesting and emotional twist on it. I loved watching the way Millie and Fitz's friendship and marriage grew through eight years' worth of flashbacks, contrasted with events in their story's present day. So many beautiful touches that became well-woven metaphors: Alice the pet dormouse, rebuilding the house they inherited, making changes at the tinned goods company Millie inherits from her father.
There was also so much interwoven of the other Fitzhugh siblings' stories, and I definitely want to go read those. You can read this one out of order, but I found myself wishing I'd read Beguiling the Beauty first to have had a bit more context for some of the other relationships. I actually found it a bit distracting at times, the amount of direct attention given to the other siblings' stories when this was Fitz's book. And I think if you read the third book without this one (and possibly the first?) you'd be missing out on some of that relationship's build-up.
I will say, I don't think the title "Ravishing the Heiress" fits the story very well. It implies a little more scandal and heat than I thought the story contained. I also think that in the last 20%, from the climax to the ending, things happened too quickly, and I wish we could have spent more time with Fitz and Millie as they finally find happiness together.I also wish we'd had a bit more groveling from Fitz after he realizes both his and Millie's true feelings. That makes this closer to 4.5 stars, but...otherwise a nearly perfect book to me.
I think friends-to-lovers is my favorite trope and this was a very interesting and emotional twist on it. I loved watching the way Millie and Fitz's friendship and marriage grew through eight years' worth of flashbacks, contrasted with events in their story's present day. So many beautiful touches that became well-woven metaphors: Alice the pet dormouse, rebuilding the house they inherited, making changes at the tinned goods company Millie inherits from her father.
There was also so much interwoven of the other Fitzhugh siblings' stories, and I definitely want to go read those. You can read this one out of order, but I found myself wishing I'd read Beguiling the Beauty first to have had a bit more context for some of the other relationships. I actually found it a bit distracting at times, the amount of direct attention given to the other siblings' stories when this was Fitz's book. And I think if you read the third book without this one (and possibly the first?) you'd be missing out on some of that relationship's build-up.
I will say, I don't think the title "Ravishing the Heiress" fits the story very well. It implies a little more scandal and heat than I thought the story contained. I also think that in the last 20%, from the climax to the ending, things happened too quickly, and I wish we could have spent more time with Fitz and Millie as they finally find happiness together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death
Minor: Ableism, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
helen's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Jan 2021 re-read:
The ultimate marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, slow burn romance. I ached for them.
On this re-read I really appreciated the emphasis on how people change and love evolves
Nov 2019:
A young heiress makes a pact with her intended, a penniless Earl, that they will not consummate their marriage until after eight years have passed. During those eight years, they build a solid partnership, he continues to see other people, and she pines like a forest. And then the eight years are up.....
Perfect for me. A marriage of convenience romance with lots of repressed emotions where the MCs are kind lovely people who are victims of their circumstances. I especially loved Millie, a "quiet, sensible, self-contained" heroine who is desperately in love with her husband but can't tell him!!
I'll be re-reading this one.
The ultimate marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, slow burn romance. I ached for them.
On this re-read I really appreciated the emphasis on how people change and love evolves
Nov 2019:
A young heiress makes a pact with her intended, a penniless Earl, that they will not consummate their marriage until after eight years have passed. During those eight years, they build a solid partnership, he continues to see other people, and she pines like a forest. And then the eight years are up.....
Perfect for me. A marriage of convenience romance with lots of repressed emotions where the MCs are kind lovely people who are victims of their circumstances. I especially loved Millie, a "quiet, sensible, self-contained" heroine who is desperately in love with her husband but can't tell him!!
I'll be re-reading this one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, and Infidelity
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