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jujudepamplemousse's review against another edition
3.0
Such a shame ! I absolutely adored the characters, the story, the tropes… As far as romance is concerned it was almost perfect. And then everything went down in the last 20% of the book. I I absolute hated the last part. It was just unnecessary (and at times ridiculous) drama added only to lengthen the story. And the grand gesture was just too much and too cliché. I also thought that Sebastian having no title or money would be the main (or if not at least an important) obstacle in the relationship. In at least half the book, the author keep reminding us that « he hadn’t the financial means to court anyone ». But then, the problem disappear without ever being assessed and they got their happy ending nevertheless.
rosabelle's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
konvineo's review against another edition
2.0
This was okay. I was kind of disappointed, because at first I thought this might've been a romance novel with two possibly autistic protagonists... but Grace and Sebastian were "just" two socially awkward characters. Don't get me wrong that dynamic has it's charm, but it would've been awesome to see a historical romance novel where both the protags were obviously autistic. Grace and Sebastian could be read as autistic I guess, but I just want more something where I'm not doubting it. I guess it's the whole wanting to see yourself in the characters, that makes me think this.
Another thing that I'm not a fan of is the heavy use of secondhand embarrassment in the first part of the book. It's absolutely a personal preference, but yeah, I'm extremely sensitive to it, and don't want it used in any media I consume if I can help it.
Also the utter lack of proper communication is frustrating in a not very funny way. And I had to skip through the grand gesture it lead to, because again the feeling of secondhand embarrassment was too much.
Another thing that I'm not a fan of is the heavy use of secondhand embarrassment in the first part of the book. It's absolutely a personal preference, but yeah, I'm extremely sensitive to it, and don't want it used in any media I consume if I can help it.
Also the utter lack of proper communication is frustrating in a not very funny way. And I had to skip through the grand gesture it lead to, because again the feeling of secondhand embarrassment was too much.
bookishnerdyandcurious's review against another edition
4.0
This one has been on my Kindle for ages and I've never gotten around to reading it until now. I checked out the second book in the series from the library (let's not go into the fact that I didn't realize that I'd already purchased it in December...) and didn't want to read that without reading the first book first and I'm glad that I did. Both our hero and heroine are scientists - he's a anthropologist and she's a herpetologist - and she needs his help to get the naturist of her dreams to notice her as a woman... so they agree to turn him into a rake to get this other guy's attention. Little did she know that the person she needs is right in front of her. I love a fake dating trope with all the messiness that goes along with it - and this was delightful. Even when we got to the crisis points, there wasn't a lot of angst - but I have to say that when they are on the same page and that grand gesture is made... damn. Swoon-worthy! I love me a good grand gesture.
dancingfiddler's review against another edition
fast-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? Yes
4.75
joanav's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published at Romancing Romances
4.25*
I really liked this book. This is a book for nerds, with nerds. Our couple is formed by Grace, a herpetologist (studies reptiles and amphibians), and Sebastian, an anthropologist. They’ve been friends for years, and they enjoy each other’s company. Sebastian has a huge crush on Grace, and Grace is slightly attracted to him, but neither one does anything about it.
Enter Mason Fredericks. He has money (which Seb doesn’t have), society loves him (Seb doesn’t do well in society), and he’s a fellow scholar with a similar field to Grace’s. She’s had a small crush on him for some time, and when her dad makes a request she can’t refuse, Grace asks Seb to help her get Mason’s attention.
Seb can’t say no to Grace. Even if it hurts him, he just wants to see her happy. And this is how he got himself in a situation where he’s helping the woman he loves, get another man.
Beta heroes, anyone? I have to say, each day I love them more and more. They are my kind of people.
I really liked how their relationship evolved from friends to lovers, which is one of my favourite tropes. Their relationship is based on love, friendship, and mutual respect – respect for each other, and their respective fields of study. It made me *swoon*.
It was interesting to see how they each dealt with their feelings, and how Sebastian sometimes was completely blind to how Grace was feeling, and vice-versa. There’s a lot of miscommunication in this book, which I’m not the biggest fan of, as this was pretty much the only thing stopping our couple of getting together, but we can overlook that for all the good stuff.
I also really enjoyed the companionship between the male characters of the Union of Rakes, as they support each other, no matter the circumstances. It’s the kind of friendship we all look up to. Which also means, I’m super excited to read the rest of the series!!!!
4.25*
I really liked this book. This is a book for nerds, with nerds. Our couple is formed by Grace, a herpetologist (studies reptiles and amphibians), and Sebastian, an anthropologist. They’ve been friends for years, and they enjoy each other’s company. Sebastian has a huge crush on Grace, and Grace is slightly attracted to him, but neither one does anything about it.
Enter Mason Fredericks. He has money (which Seb doesn’t have), society loves him (Seb doesn’t do well in society), and he’s a fellow scholar with a similar field to Grace’s. She’s had a small crush on him for some time, and when her dad makes a request she can’t refuse, Grace asks Seb to help her get Mason’s attention.
Seb can’t say no to Grace. Even if it hurts him, he just wants to see her happy. And this is how he got himself in a situation where he’s helping the woman he loves, get another man.
Beta heroes, anyone? I have to say, each day I love them more and more. They are my kind of people.
I really liked how their relationship evolved from friends to lovers, which is one of my favourite tropes. Their relationship is based on love, friendship, and mutual respect – respect for each other, and their respective fields of study. It made me *swoon*.
It was interesting to see how they each dealt with their feelings, and how Sebastian sometimes was completely blind to how Grace was feeling, and vice-versa. There’s a lot of miscommunication in this book, which I’m not the biggest fan of, as this was pretty much the only thing stopping our couple of getting together, but we can overlook that for all the good stuff.
I also really enjoyed the companionship between the male characters of the Union of Rakes, as they support each other, no matter the circumstances. It’s the kind of friendship we all look up to. Which also means, I’m super excited to read the rest of the series!!!!
busy_reader's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
mystery_meat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dianed's review against another edition
5.0
Note to self: when selecting a friend to play a suitor to make another person jealous pick someone that you can fall in love with.
Grace is a herpetologist and it isn't helping when she is spending her seasons without any suitors. The one man she has her eyes on Mason, a fellow scientist, sees her as a fellow scholar but even though he is looking for a wife, she isn't even on his radar. Bring in friend #2 Sebastian, an anthropologist and good friend. Seb has been a great friend to Grace but he doesn't do other people very well. When he meets strangers he clams up and can't talk.
Grace gets the idea of bringing Seb up to snuff and using him to make Morgan notice her. Her plan works except for one thing, the more time she spent with Seb, the more attracted she became with him and the less with Mason.
Will she choose the man she has been waiting for or the man who is right in front of her. You know how this works out.
Eva Devon writes smart, interesting characters and you can't help but love them for their quirks and independence. When they find their Happily Ever After you can't help but cheer.
Grace is a herpetologist and it isn't helping when she is spending her seasons without any suitors. The one man she has her eyes on Mason, a fellow scientist, sees her as a fellow scholar but even though he is looking for a wife, she isn't even on his radar. Bring in friend #2 Sebastian, an anthropologist and good friend. Seb has been a great friend to Grace but he doesn't do other people very well. When he meets strangers he clams up and can't talk.
Grace gets the idea of bringing Seb up to snuff and using him to make Morgan notice her. Her plan works except for one thing, the more time she spent with Seb, the more attracted she became with him and the less with Mason.
Will she choose the man she has been waiting for or the man who is right in front of her. You know how this works out.
Eva Devon writes smart, interesting characters and you can't help but love them for their quirks and independence. When they find their Happily Ever After you can't help but cheer.
kathleenes's review against another edition
4.0
I read it all in one day. So I guess I liked it. Now to read the next one…