indieandajean's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I tried very hard (veh-ry veh-ry hard) to find something I didn't like about this one, and honestly folks, I came up empty. "The cover art wasn't my favorite" was about the best I had because otherwise this is just all the tropes wrapped up with a neat little (tartan) bow.
If you like any of the following, this one is for you:
- Misunderstandings
-Marriage of convenience
-My heart can't take rejection so I am going to pretend I'm not in love even though I totally am.
-Kilts.
-Accents.
-Tragic backstories
-Lovable side characters
-Possessiveness
-Supporting each other's dreams
Need I say more?
I really think this might be one of my favorite books Dare has ever written, and I highly recommend reading it.
If you like any of the following, this one is for you:
- Misunderstandings
-Marriage of convenience
-My heart can't take rejection so I am going to pretend I'm not in love even though I totally am.
-Kilts.
-Accents.
-Tragic backstories
-Lovable side characters
-Possessiveness
-Supporting each other's dreams
Need I say more?
I really think this might be one of my favorite books Dare has ever written, and I highly recommend reading it.
Content Warnings
Minor: War, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcohol, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Colonisation
uranaishi's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Dementia, Medical content, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Infidelity, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Violence, and War
margaritaflower's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy
freckled_frog_boi'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
1.5
I will always point out where it all falls apart for me because romance novels are a tricky genre. They often perpetuate pretty harmful ideas of the boundaries of love and what it should look like; and enforces all sorts of gender stereotypes that truly shouldn't be normative.
The pregnancy trope, miscommunication, and overt jealousy had me cringing and honestly turned me off of the book toward the end. The patriarchal undertones declaring the man to be powerful and the woman to be weak-willed put me on edge; but there are moments that flip that idea on its head and were super fun, and I wish that were the vibe for the book instead of otherwise. I did love the premise and many of the scenes. Him stressing himself out at a ball just so she could get the job opportunity of a lifetime was cute and made me like him; which is good because, in the beginning, he was being an ass, taking advantage of a humiliated lady, and was super horny but not interesting. I like when I can tell the characters are in love and care about each other. And I love a fake boyfriend/enemies-to-lovers situation.
The pregnancy trope, miscommunication, and overt jealousy had me cringing and honestly turned me off of the book toward the end. The patriarchal undertones declaring the man to be powerful and the woman to be weak-willed put me on edge; but there are moments that flip that idea on its head and were super fun, and I wish that were the vibe for the book instead of otherwise. I did love the premise and many of the scenes. Him stressing himself out at a ball just so she could get the job opportunity of a lifetime was cute and made me like him; which is good because, in the beginning, he was being an ass, taking advantage of a humiliated lady, and was super horny but not interesting. I like when I can tell the characters are in love and care about each other. And I love a fake boyfriend/enemies-to-lovers situation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexism, War, Dementia, and Pregnancy
eatingbrains's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The cover and title are admittedly very cringe, however the premise is hilarious.
I had a surprising amount of fun reading this book. The female main character was quick to invest me in what happened next and her Not Like The Other Girls (TM) vibes were actually pretty endearing since the initial shallowness of "I don't like balls and dancing" ended up having a lot of character depth to it and led to a very sweet moment between her and the main guy.
The prologue started off on an epistolary note and the letters she was writing were so silly that I honestly wouldn't have minded a full documentation of the 4 years worth.
There remain in my heart some qualms about the initial blackmailing situation as well as the semi-sketchy consent issues, but when they finally manage to communicate honestly and trust each other, everything worked out really well.
I had a surprising amount of fun reading this book. The female main character was quick to invest me in what happened next and her Not Like The Other Girls (TM) vibes were actually pretty endearing since the initial shallowness of "I don't like balls and dancing" ended up having a lot of character depth to it and led to a very sweet moment between her and the main guy.
The prologue started off on an epistolary note and the letters she was writing were so silly that I honestly wouldn't have minded a full documentation of the 4 years worth.
There remain in my heart some qualms about the initial blackmailing situation as well as the semi-sketchy consent issues, but when they finally manage to communicate honestly and trust each other, everything worked out really well.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, War, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
cheye13's review
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
The writing in this was brilliant and I did read it in one sitting. Other than that, it wasn't particularly special imo. (Except the heroine had a version of my name which was a trip lol)
The characters had chemistry, and I liked the plot just fine. But there was a lot of... convenience? For lack of a better word. In a romance I do expect a level of genre-typical plot convenience (meetcutes, etc) but not in the emotional or character development. There were quite a few scenes where the big, intimidating war captain pushed some boundaries, and readers get his well-meaning inner monologue, but the heroine can't know his intentions, but she just happens to be fine with it?
I guess there was just. Too little communication for me, and it didn't even use the miscommunication trope lmao. A lot of "unsaid" things that just didn't make sense to me. The Scottish thing also felt a little gimmicky, but I did like the little exploration of a woman's career of the time.
The characters had chemistry, and I liked the plot just fine. But there was a lot of... convenience? For lack of a better word. In a romance I do expect a level of genre-typical plot convenience (meetcutes, etc) but not in the emotional or character development. There were quite a few scenes where the big, intimidating war captain pushed some boundaries, and readers get his well-meaning inner monologue, but the heroine can't know his intentions, but she just happens to be fine with it?
I guess there was just. Too little communication for me, and it didn't even use the miscommunication trope lmao. A lot of "unsaid" things that just didn't make sense to me. The Scottish thing also felt a little gimmicky, but I did like the little exploration of a woman's career of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and War
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Death of parent
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