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angsquared's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
aoifesbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book just... didn't do it for me. Which is a pity because it had so many elements I enjoyed and I liked some of the characters. 3.5 stars almost feels too harsh and yet anything higher feels like too much.
Lets start with what I enjoyed.
Lets start with what I enjoyed.
- The main characters:
- Prue and Gideon were great. Genuinely great characters and had they not have been, this book would have been a DNF for me.
- Both of them were mature, yet funny. They knew when to be serious and when to be lighthearted.
- Gideon was a dream. One of the best MMCs in HR. The title of the book was apt; The Perfect Rake. Rakish and flirty but smart and protective. His attraction to Prue made him even better. He only had eyes for her despite everyone else thinking she was the plain, ugly ducking sister.
- Prue, the mother figure to her sisters. Right from the beginning we see that she is selfless and will do anything to save her sisters. She will always out herself in the firing line and take the blame. Everything she does, she does with her sisters in mind.
- The supporting characters; James, Sir Oswald and Lady Augusta
- The
Fake courtship! This is one of my favourite tropes when its done well - Gideon & Grace's dynamic. Very sweet.
Now, what I didn't like
- The three middle sisters. I didn't feel connected to them at all. They have no personalities or defining features and simply blended together. When I finished this book, I want to be excited for the following 3 but I wasn't. I have no desire to read about them. In all honestly I was far more interested in
Ozzie & Gussie. - There was too much going on
- The Grandfather and his very graphic
abuse - The runaway plot and fake letter
- Misaken identity
Fake courtship! - Secret courtship/proposal between Prue and Philip
- The backstory between Gideon and Edward's parents
Another runaway but this time with the Heros Gideon getting shot. This was resolved very quickly and honestly felt as through it was there for drama's sake when there was enough of that already Philip's return, ending of the engagement, him being married to someone else The miscarried baby Being found by the grandfather Prue getting kidnapped A wedding!
- The Grandfather and his very graphic
- There was about 2 books worth of plot lines here and it was all simply too much for me that I couldn't enjoy it. It was all tied together at the end but there was so much to keep track of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Miscarriage and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
susanpevensie's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
it’s worth noting that this is my second time reading this book. years ago, i remember raving about this book like there was no tomorrow. today, i cannot fathom why i ever liked it so much.
the hero was amazing. i loved how unapologetic he was about his affection for prudence. i loved that he didn’t sugarcoat his attraction to her. yes she had a different sort of beauty but she was beautiful to him regardless. i hate stories where the plain heroines are described as plain, but ended up having beautiful features. it’s insulting to the readers. putting that aside, the hero simply loved the heroine and would do just about anything for her.
the heroine however, was insufferable to deal with. at first i tried to be more understanding. she lived her life after 11 year old, being abused by her grandfather. she had no self-esteem, didn’t understand her own self-worth. at least until she was 16 and met her then fiancé, phillip.
so throughout the story, the heroine was so fucking wishy washy. she just couldn’t make up her damn mind. gideon would chase her and she would entertain him, made out with him and yelled at him for making a play for her when she’s spoken for. this thing happened over and over and over again. to the point that i was so fucking sick of it.
how are you going to throw the “i’m in a relationship” card when you made out with another man at every single opportunity? the math is not mathing, sweetheart. granted gideon was so fucking obnoxious about it, but she entertained him all the same. make up your damn mind!
and then my god, this woman. she never stood up for herself. she just let phillip, the loser fiancé talked down to her like she was nothing. she didn’t even try! i wanted to scream to her to at least tell him to fuck off but she just sat there, barely able to get a word. i tried to be patient. she would get her chance to tell him off right? no babe. a cold resounding NOPE.
and when she had the chance to expose him for the fraud he was, she decided to be the mary sue and let everyone live happily ever after.
like wow. so fucking satisfying!!
the hero was amazing. i loved how unapologetic he was about his affection for prudence. i loved that he didn’t sugarcoat his attraction to her. yes she had a different sort of beauty but she was beautiful to him regardless. i hate stories where the plain heroines are described as plain, but ended up having beautiful features. it’s insulting to the readers. putting that aside, the hero simply loved the heroine and would do just about anything for her.
the heroine however, was insufferable to deal with. at first i tried to be more understanding. she lived her life after 11 year old, being abused by her grandfather. she had no self-esteem, didn’t understand her own self-worth. at least until she was 16 and met her then fiancé, phillip.
so throughout the story, the heroine was so fucking wishy washy. she just couldn’t make up her damn mind. gideon would chase her and she would entertain him, made out with him and yelled at him for making a play for her when she’s spoken for. this thing happened over and over and over again. to the point that i was so fucking sick of it.
how are you going to throw the “i’m in a relationship” card when you made out with another man at every single opportunity? the math is not mathing, sweetheart. granted gideon was so fucking obnoxious about it, but she entertained him all the same. make up your damn mind!
and then my god, this woman. she never stood up for herself. she just let phillip, the loser fiancé talked down to her like she was nothing. she didn’t even try! i wanted to scream to her to at least tell him to fuck off but she just sat there, barely able to get a word. i tried to be patient. she would get her chance to tell him off right? no babe. a cold resounding NOPE.
and when she had the chance to expose him for the fraud he was, she decided to be the mary sue and let everyone live happily ever after.
like wow. so fucking satisfying!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Abortion, and Pregnancy
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