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sadhbhprice's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
allisonwonderlandreads's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
In this regency romance, instant chemistry and some dagger-waving (literally) lead to a one-night stand that's going to become inconvenient fast. Hunt is shocked when he shows up at the house of the girl he intends to court and discovers the mysterious woman from last night is Tori's stepmother, Leela. The forbidden/off-limits nature of Hunt and Leela's attraction could have resulted in a slow burn, but it was all-out pining with no sparks of escalation to keep the game afoot. I found their instalove perplexing (as usual) since the only basis is their mutual attraction and one night together. Not much conversation or shared experiences pass between them. It's mostly fights where they push each other away for various reasons.
Leela as a person? Love her. Leela desperately trying to convince Hunt and her stepdaughter, Tori, to be together? Annoying as hell. Leela's a travelogue writer, using her relative freedom as a widow to see the world and get to know her mother's Levantine homeland better. As someone with both Arab and English parents, she feels pulled in different directions and wants to connect with the roots her mother kept from her when she was alive. I ALWAYS get excited to see Arabic on the page, and I learned some excellent curse words that I shall endeavor to remember always. I should have taken notes. The book calls out racist, xenophobic, and sexist experiences Leela has, and she dares to carve out the space she wants in the world despite them. The frustrating part was her role in the romance. She's so deep in her self-inflicted suffering in pushing Hunt and Tori together that she doesn't notice her stepdaughter's affections engaged elsewhere. Leela's weirdly confident that Hunt would make Tori happy as if it's a universal skill he possesses. And while he has basic human decency, he doesn't have any characteristic so transcendent that I would buy into that level of hype about him.
As soon as the (dubious) social obstacles are removed re:Tori's engagement elsewhere, Leela and Hunt alternate who is angry and who is attempting to reconcile to keep the drama alive. May I suggest conversation rather than throwing a golf ball at someone's head? There are many scenes where someone storms off to pine in solitude.
So basically, I like Leela as a person. Hunt's meh but fundamentally ok. I was just so completely bewildered and/or frustrated by their romance almost from the start that this wasn't a good read for me. I know some people like this style of back and forth romantic temper, and I think they will appreciate the drama.
Leela as a person? Love her. Leela desperately trying to convince Hunt and her stepdaughter, Tori, to be together? Annoying as hell. Leela's a travelogue writer, using her relative freedom as a widow to see the world and get to know her mother's Levantine homeland better. As someone with both Arab and English parents, she feels pulled in different directions and wants to connect with the roots her mother kept from her when she was alive. I ALWAYS get excited to see Arabic on the page, and I learned some excellent curse words that I shall endeavor to remember always. I should have taken notes. The book calls out racist, xenophobic, and sexist experiences Leela has, and she dares to carve out the space she wants in the world despite them. The frustrating part was her role in the romance. She's so deep in her self-inflicted suffering in pushing Hunt and Tori together that she doesn't notice her stepdaughter's affections engaged elsewhere. Leela's weirdly confident that Hunt would make Tori happy as if it's a universal skill he possesses. And while he has basic human decency, he doesn't have any characteristic so transcendent that I would buy into that level of hype about him.
As soon as the (dubious) social obstacles are removed re:Tori's engagement elsewhere, Leela and Hunt alternate who is angry and who is attempting to reconcile to keep the drama alive. May I suggest conversation rather than throwing a golf ball at someone's head? There are many scenes where someone storms off to pine in solitude.
So basically, I like Leela as a person. Hunt's meh but fundamentally ok. I was just so completely bewildered and/or frustrated by their romance almost from the start that this wasn't a good read for me. I know some people like this style of back and forth romantic temper, and I think they will appreciate the drama.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infertility, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Murder