katelynne's review
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
girlwithhearteyes's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 stars
I was absolutely *giddy* while listening to this audiobook.
Theo(dora) was the star of the show — sweet, enthusiastic, and incredibly driven. She wants to be a stage actor, and her response to being told to get in the kitchen is to proposition marriage to Clem Dabney, the showy, new money type who clearly wants a piece of her theatre, in return for a place on the stage. Possibly one of my favourite FMCs ever!
Meanwhile Clem keeps telling himself “I’m just being a considerate husband as a pretense” while doing the whole “why do keep thinking of Dora and how to make her happy…?” thing. He basically spent the whole time figuratively rubbing his chest in confusion, and breathing all heavy whenever he thought another man was sniffing around. 😂
The wedding night explorations managed to kind of awkward, hilarious, but also 🥵🥵🥵.
I do think the story could have been a bit shorter (the last 20% or so could have been tighter), but I was also kind of happy to just stay in the universe.
I was absolutely *giddy* while listening to this audiobook.
Theo(dora) was the star of the show — sweet, enthusiastic, and incredibly driven. She wants to be a stage actor, and her response to being told to get in the kitchen is to proposition marriage to Clem Dabney, the showy, new money type who clearly wants a piece of her theatre, in return for a place on the stage. Possibly one of my favourite FMCs ever!
Meanwhile Clem keeps telling himself “I’m just being a considerate husband as a pretense” while doing the whole “why do keep thinking of Dora and how to make her happy…?” thing. He basically spent the whole time figuratively rubbing his chest in confusion, and breathing all heavy whenever he thought another man was sniffing around. 😂
The wedding night explorations managed to kind of awkward, hilarious, but also 🥵🥵🥵.
I do think the story could have been a bit shorter (the last 20% or so could have been tighter), but I was also kind of happy to just stay in the universe.
littlebooklover's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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
4.0
_mj_'s review
4.0
It's not my favorite, but it's still wonderful. Felt a little slow and repetitive, but Clem was precious, and I'm so proud of Dora!
kiriamarin's review
3.0
Um livro com plot e também no mundo do teatro vitoriano, uma leitura rápida e boa.
Merged review:
Um livro com plot e também no mundo do teatro vitoriano, uma leitura rápida e boa.
Merged review:
Um livro com plot e também no mundo do teatro vitoriano, uma leitura rápida e boa.
ektasingh's review
What stood out to me most was the heroine's clear slightedness. I especially liked how her vision for herself and its clarity was revealed towards the end. She had complete confidence in herself and knew exactly what she wanted.
The romance was, of course, amazing— hence 5 stars. Gave me a lot of smiles.
Merged review:
What stood out to me most was the heroine's clear slightedness. I especially liked how her vision for herself and its clarity was revealed towards the end. She had complete confidence in herself and knew exactly what she wanted.
The romance was, of course, amazing— hence 5 stars. Gave me a lot of smiles.
The romance was, of course, amazing— hence 5 stars. Gave me a lot of smiles.
Merged review:
What stood out to me most was the heroine's clear slightedness. I especially liked how her vision for herself and its clarity was revealed towards the end. She had complete confidence in herself and knew exactly what she wanted.
The romance was, of course, amazing— hence 5 stars. Gave me a lot of smiles.
lyndz_'s review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
bukheeta's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lemon13's review
2.0
I never thought I'd dislike an Alice Coldbreath book, but here it is... Given how much I loved the previous book in this series, I am surprised by how frustrated I was with this one. The entire conflict of this book could have been resolved with a single conversation. The fact that neither of the main characters, but especially Clem, could not communicate honestly just made me dislike both characters.
I almost DNF'd this book when
Literally, this entire conflict could have been resolved in a few sentences:
Dora: "oh. Well thanks for telling me, but I'm happy where I am and would much rather act at our theaters and stay with you"
and then they would be able to laugh at their comedy of errors years down the line, like "remember when you doubted my acting skills? silly man".
Instead, this entire conflict that didn't need to exist made the last 25% of this book absolutely agonizing to get through.
I'm bummed because the last Coldbreath book I read (The Favourite) has probably my favorite couple out of all the Coldbreath books, so I was on a high coming into this one. The disappointment is real.
Spoiler
Clem is the worst MMC I've read from Coldbreath's catalogue. I have no issue with the fact that he married Dora for her ownership of the theater. I have no issue with the fact that he doubted her acting skills. I do have an issue with the fact that he kept lying about all of that, multiple times, through the entire book. The lies only started to come out around the 75% mark, and from there the lack of communication dragged through the rest of the book. Considering how long this book was, it was agonizing to slog through.I almost DNF'd this book when
Spoiler
Clem told Dora he never loved her, when he tried to push her away to go act at another theater. It's just drama for the sake of drama. And the fact that Dora's response to this rejection was to basically beg Clem to stay with her and love her made me lose so much respect for her as a character.Literally, this entire conflict could have been resolved in a few sentences:
Spoiler
Clem: "Dora, you already know that I married you for your stake in the theater. I also doubted your acting ability before I saw you on stage in your element. You proved my doubts wrong, and you have an offer to play in another company for a role in a shakespearean play. Do you want to do that?"Dora: "oh. Well thanks for telling me, but I'm happy where I am and would much rather act at our theaters and stay with you"
and then they would be able to laugh at their comedy of errors years down the line, like "remember when you doubted my acting skills? silly man".
Instead, this entire conflict that didn't need to exist made the last 25% of this book absolutely agonizing to get through.
I'm bummed because the last Coldbreath book I read (The Favourite) has probably my favorite couple out of all the Coldbreath books, so I was on a high coming into this one. The disappointment is real.