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carbs666's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
We love autistic characters in historical romance in this house! Alice's desire to get what she wants and her absolute certainty that what she wants is Daniel are really enjoyable as driving forces for the plot. I felt so touched by how safe these two complete freaks felt with each other.
I know the tone and pacing of this book (and the rest of the series) won't appeal to everyone, but I find it so funny and engaging. I also felt like the epilogue that capped off the whole series was surprisingly lovely. This whole series was fun and unique, I strongly recommend if you're willing to read something bonkers!
I know the tone and pacing of this book (and the rest of the series) won't appeal to everyone, but I find it so funny and engaging. I also felt like the epilogue that capped off the whole series was surprisingly lovely. This whole series was fun and unique, I strongly recommend if you're willing to read something bonkers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
Minor: Violence
witcheep's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
If you look for haphazard and dangerous events for fun (such as playing tennis with grenades) drizzled all over the plot of poorly hidden espionnage and awkward sexual awakening, this is a book for you. Alas, it feels too irrational and childish, if that is not what you seek.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? No
4.0
So funny and filled with innuendo, so unique and playful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
laarr's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
Really enjoyed this espionage-infused jump into the world of tea, flying and pirates. Has a lot of daggers being thrown, very real-feeling main characters, and some flirty fake marriage to top it off. Reading this as the third in this series, it was so fun to recognise the world and to catch bits of the previous characters’ lives. Still debating which one is my favourite so I’ll have to re-read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse
emalderwood's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Another fun read in this series! Also loved getting some autistic rep from Alice.
Alice's sensory experiences and overwhelm I felt were well handled and realistic, including how she herself felt about them. Her autistic traits were kept mostly consistent through the book and went deeper than stereotypes - her autism was a part of what made her, her but she encompassed more beyond the symptom checklist and had her own unique coping mechanisms that allowed her individuality to shine. She also experienced difficulty, and shame, and pain from how her autism impacts her. I really appreciated how that was handled. Alice's hurt and reflections on who she is vs who her many masks are made me feel seen.
I did feel that Alice's lack of awareness around idiom and subtleties of conversation weren't entirely consistent with her character, though. I appreciated her not picking up on all of them or interpreting them incorrectly or just not noticing when someone was speaking with double meaning. What I wasn't as much a fan of was how that was the case in every situation. I felt that as an intelligent spy, who supposedly has spent so long masking and pretending to be someone else undercover, that she would at least have studied and learned the real meaning of some of the idioms and euphemisms people were using. Even if she still forgot or had to take a minute to figure it out, or got it wrong sometimes, it wouldn't have felt it so at odds with how she's had to adapt over her life and mask.
Overall a great read and I absolutely adored Alice. I could tell the author took her time trying to do her justice.
Alice's sensory experiences and overwhelm I felt were well handled and realistic, including how she herself felt about them. Her autistic traits were kept mostly consistent through the book and went deeper than stereotypes - her autism was a part of what made her, her but she encompassed more beyond the symptom checklist and had her own unique coping mechanisms that allowed her individuality to shine. She also experienced difficulty, and shame, and pain from how her autism impacts her. I really appreciated how that was handled. Alice's hurt and reflections on who she is vs who her many masks are made me feel seen.
I did feel that Alice's lack of awareness around idiom and subtleties of conversation weren't entirely consistent with her character, though. I appreciated her not picking up on all of them or interpreting them incorrectly or just not noticing when someone was speaking with double meaning. What I wasn't as much a fan of was how that was the case in every situation. I felt that as an intelligent spy, who supposedly has spent so long masking and pretending to be someone else undercover, that she would at least have studied and learned the real meaning of some of the idioms and euphemisms people were using. Even if she still forgot or had to take a minute to figure it out, or got it wrong sometimes, it wouldn't have felt it so at odds with how she's had to adapt over her life and mask.
Overall a great read and I absolutely adored Alice. I could tell the author took her time trying to do her justice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Bullying, and Child abuse
dear_alice's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Okay, I bought this book for the beautiful cover and the interesting title... Not having a clue that I just picked up part 3 of a series. That didn't help. This is probably my first time reading a book with an autistic-reading protagonist. It offered an interesting perspective... but was, at times, also exasperating to read her continuous misunderstanding of idioms. Then again, perhaps that says more about my own ableism that I was not aware of. The characters grew on me, became more charming. The intimate scenes were spectacularly well-written and offered insight in handling those as a neurodiverse person with sensory issues and mental overload. The overall "plot" and other characters though... too much #lolrandom for my taste. But still 3,5 stars for ingenuity and originality and offering insight in people with differently-wired brains.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Gaslighting
emmacartlidge's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
attolis's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
4.5
Yeah. Ok
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Child abuse
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.75
This third book in the Dangerous Damsels collection has a lot more going for it than the previous titles, though your mileage may vary. Personally I am in love with it because I finally feel represented in a romance story.
As in previous books the action focuses around the pirates, who dress big, and use magic to fly around in houses, (avoiding sun and freckles), and with gallant rumbistification (a word coined by a different Kiwi author so I'm sticking to it), witches who don't exist and while not doing so use magic to move objects around and artfully assault any who would come into conflict with them. Add to this Her Majesty's spies, a.. downstairs network of handmaids, butlers and sundry help in deep cover attempting to keep the other two factions away from each other while protecting the interests of The Crown.
While the other 2 books were, nerdy, bookish, sex-positive, and loaded with Jane Austen-like verbal jousting, a new element is introduced in the narrative - that of hyper-literal Autism. When a couple of your main characters are being baffled by deft social-maneuvering and would rather slip off into a quiet room and read some poetry, all of a sudden this storytelling becomes entirely relatable.
OOof, this book made me catch feels. When your two main characters are Autistic, and kept under thumb by a manipulative organisation that praises them for being gifted and efficient, while gaslighting them and encouraging them lean into their tendency to ignore their emotions, this all gets a little DARK. Traumatised orphans, trained to excellence, trained to follow rules and orders, punished into compliance, and thus developing idiosyncratic coping strategies... is all a bit close to home.
As far as romance and sexytimes is concerned these two are so marvellous. They are very broken by their previous experiences, but start their navigation of each other by co-regulating, making each other feel safe, discussing their needs and expectations beforehand, identifying their triggers and sensory differences, and trying to get the hang of how their own feelings work. It's a work of art, and I loved the journey. Very saucy.. and neuro-spicy.
Again, your mileage may vary, but I am the target audience.
As in previous books the action focuses around the pirates, who dress big, and use magic to fly around in houses, (avoiding sun and freckles), and with gallant rumbistification (a word coined by a different Kiwi author so I'm sticking to it), witches who don't exist and while not doing so use magic to move objects around and artfully assault any who would come into conflict with them. Add to this Her Majesty's spies, a.. downstairs network of handmaids, butlers and sundry help in deep cover attempting to keep the other two factions away from each other while protecting the interests of The Crown.
While the other 2 books were, nerdy, bookish, sex-positive, and loaded with Jane Austen-like verbal jousting, a new element is introduced in the narrative - that of hyper-literal Autism. When a couple of your main characters are being baffled by deft social-maneuvering and would rather slip off into a quiet room and read some poetry, all of a sudden this storytelling becomes entirely relatable.
OOof, this book made me catch feels. When your two main characters are Autistic, and kept under thumb by a manipulative organisation that praises them for being gifted and efficient, while gaslighting them and encouraging them lean into their tendency to ignore their emotions, this all gets a little DARK. Traumatised orphans, trained to excellence, trained to follow rules and orders, punished into compliance, and thus developing idiosyncratic coping strategies... is all a bit close to home.
As far as romance and sexytimes is concerned these two are so marvellous. They are very broken by their previous experiences, but start their navigation of each other by co-regulating, making each other feel safe, discussing their needs and expectations beforehand, identifying their triggers and sensory differences, and trying to get the hang of how their own feelings work. It's a work of art, and I loved the journey. Very saucy.. and neuro-spicy.
Again, your mileage may vary, but I am the target audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Ableism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Minor: Death and Pregnancy