millah's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
I had to think for a while to be able to write how I felt about this book. At first glance, it sort of seemed like it was a charming fantasy romance with a runaway bride, and the start was interesting. I liked some of the writing and how the relationship was written like an equal relationship in many ways. However, some scenes felt a little off to me, and actually a bit transphobic and also misogynistic. It made it harder to stay invested in the romance and I ended up not liking the main characters that much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Transphobia
karentje's review
4.0
What do you get when you mix the wrong twin trope with the secret identity trope? A delightful & perfectly romantic read, that’s what!
Shakespeare pulled it off in Twelfth Night and Georgette Heyer had cross-dressing twins in The Masqueraders… so Sydney Blackburn’s in good company with this story that follows the (mis)adventures of a young man who impersonates his twin sister, entering into a political marriage to benefit his country. Dare and Kel are both in disguise but they are somehow more themselves with each other this way. I especially loved the scene where Dare finally figures out who Kel truly is. Such a tenderly passionate moment.
One of the things that also stood out to me was the scene where one of the maids started feeling up Kel while he was sleeping. A woman forces her unwanted attentions on a man. Kel feels violated and no longer safe in his own bed/tent. It was interesting to see this happen to a man, yet again a role-reversal, and see how that affects him.
The story takes place in a fantasy world in a historical setting that is kept vague, but which does evoke the spirit of the Elizabethan age, in another nod to Shakespeare. It has a bit of a fairy tale vibe to it. I really liked it.
Shakespeare pulled it off in Twelfth Night and Georgette Heyer had cross-dressing twins in The Masqueraders… so Sydney Blackburn’s in good company with this story that follows the (mis)adventures of a young man who impersonates his twin sister, entering into a political marriage to benefit his country. Dare and Kel are both in disguise but they are somehow more themselves with each other this way. I especially loved the scene where Dare finally figures out who Kel truly is. Such a tenderly passionate moment.
One of the things that also stood out to me was the scene where one of the maids started feeling up Kel while he was sleeping. A woman forces her unwanted attentions on a man. Kel feels violated and no longer safe in his own bed/tent. It was interesting to see this happen to a man, yet again a role-reversal, and see how that affects him.
The story takes place in a fantasy world in a historical setting that is kept vague, but which does evoke the spirit of the Elizabethan age, in another nod to Shakespeare. It has a bit of a fairy tale vibe to it. I really liked it.
jennrin's review
3.0
ARC received through NetGalley - this review and rating is based on my personal enjoyment of the book
This author is known for "cheesy, low-angst [...] fluffy" romance books, and I wish I had known that going in. Because this is all of those things and I'm not usually about that noise. I'm that masochistic romance reader who wants to suffer. So this was definitely a different flavor from my norm - but it was enjoyable... in a fluffy, cheesy way. ;)
It does contain my ultimate romance pet peeve, though: when the couple falls in ~*love*~ really quickly and can't stop professing their ~*love*~ for eachother and just can't even imagine being apart for any length of time because they're so in ~*love*~. I can overlook it, but it does cause constant eyerolling.
That said, I do enjoy our two protagonists - Kel and Darin. In pretty much all of the M/M romance that I've read previously the protags are categorized as "top/dominant" or "bottom/submissive" from page one, so I really appreciated that Kel and Darin don't conform to those roles. The author makes sure to subtly stress that their power- and dominance dynamics are very equal.
I found Kel's frustration with his sister's selfishness realistic and his reactions to things in general very believable. But I have to say that overall I enjoyed Darin's character much more when. I wish that that tension could have been amped up and explored more through a longer page count.
Overall, I feel that this book would have benefited from a longer page count. I enjoy the setting, plotline, set up, execution, and characters, but more time to explore and deepen everything would have made this an easy four- or five stars for me. As it is, I felt rushed and the timeline feels really squished and I didn't care for the ending too much. This romance has the typical romance novel ending which disappointed me.
And the sexy scenes are graphic without being too graphic btw. *thumbs up*
This author is known for "cheesy, low-angst [...] fluffy" romance books, and I wish I had known that going in. Because this is all of those things and I'm not usually about that noise. I'm that masochistic romance reader who wants to suffer. So this was definitely a different flavor from my norm - but it was enjoyable... in a fluffy, cheesy way. ;)
It does contain my ultimate romance pet peeve, though: when the couple falls in ~*love*~ really quickly and can't stop professing their ~*love*~ for eachother and just can't even imagine being apart for any length of time because they're so in ~*love*~. I can overlook it, but it does cause constant eyerolling.
That said, I do enjoy our two protagonists - Kel and Darin. In pretty much all of the M/M romance that I've read previously the protags are categorized as "top/dominant" or "bottom/submissive" from page one, so I really appreciated that Kel and Darin don't conform to those roles. The author makes sure to subtly stress that their power- and dominance dynamics are very equal.
I found Kel's frustration with his sister's selfishness realistic and his reactions to things in general very believable. But I have to say that overall I enjoyed Darin's character much more when
Spoiler
he was still hiding his true identityOverall, I feel that this book would have benefited from a longer page count. I enjoy the setting, plotline, set up, execution, and characters, but more time to explore and deepen everything would have made this an easy four- or five stars for me. As it is, I felt rushed and the timeline feels really squished and I didn't care for the ending too much. This romance has the typical
Spoiler
get hitched and have a babyAnd the sexy scenes are graphic without being too graphic btw. *thumbs up*
More...