nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
This book... my goodness. I love regency romance so I was so looking forward to this book and them solving a murder as well was super intriguing! I loved the set up and how the book was progressing but things started to fall apart once we reached the 50-60% mark.
First of all, Katherine tempers with evidence and takes a journal from a crime scene (a very important journal) and as the detective (the love interest) is giving her a talking to for doing so, he becomes so passionate that he kisses her and all of her wrong doings are forgotten! Katherine was never held accountable for her actions. She endangered the witnesses, the case and the evidence MULTIPLE times because she is NOT A POLICE OFFICER but acts like it multiple times just because she’s a journalist that writes about crimes. Never once is she upheld for all the damage she has done and all the lives she has put in danger by her rash decisions and having NO EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD.
I know romance is a genre where we suspend our beliefs at times and that it doesn’t have to be super realistic, I know that. But the fact that people were literally GETTING MURDERED and yet all the detective was worried about was making Katherine happy and making sure he didn’t upset Katherine by telling her “no” because she is a CITZEN and NOT A POLICE OFFICER, drove me bananas. The author literally at random moments would make the detective think “oh my, what has gotten into me? People are dying and here I am worrying about kissing Katherine!” But then a moment later he would go right back into his previous actions.
The later half of this book infuriated me and I was gravely disappointed.
First of all, Katherine tempers with evidence and takes a journal from a crime scene (a very important journal) and as the detective (the love interest) is giving her a talking to for doing so, he becomes so passionate that he kisses her and all of her wrong doings are forgotten! Katherine was never held accountable for her actions. She endangered the witnesses, the case and the evidence MULTIPLE times because she is NOT A POLICE OFFICER but acts like it multiple times just because she’s a journalist that writes about crimes. Never once is she upheld for all the damage she has done and all the lives she has put in danger by her rash decisions and having NO EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD.
I know romance is a genre where we suspend our beliefs at times and that it doesn’t have to be super realistic, I know that. But the fact that people were literally GETTING MURDERED and yet all the detective was worried about was making Katherine happy and making sure he didn’t upset Katherine by telling her “no” because she is a CITZEN and NOT A POLICE OFFICER, drove me bananas. The author literally at random moments would make the detective think “oh my, what has gotten into me? People are dying and here I am worrying about kissing Katherine!” But then a moment later he would go right back into his previous actions.
The later half of this book infuriated me and I was gravely disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
More...