Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

2 reviews

kim3040701's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad 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

3.75

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lauryn_with_a_y's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

overall: i think i liked it? i love francesca as a character and parts of the romance worked (namely the Yearning on michael's end) but christ alive the casual misogyny and not-so-veiled rape threats got to me. most of the romance didn't work for me for precisely that reason;
michael wants to marry francesca, and instead of telling her he's been in love with her for six years and that her late husband would want her to be happy, he decides to seduce her in an attempt to manipulate her into marriage. he threatens to continue having sex with her (implied to be with or without her consent, at one point even threatening to tie her up so she can't get away) until she gets pregnant and is FORCED to marry him. romance!

after all that, i almost didn't finish the book. but then ms quinn hit me with a truly poignant and moving portrayal of grief, trauma, and moving on and allowing yourself to be happy again after the unthinkable has happened. that, combined with the really fun and heartfelt relationship of the bridgerton family, almost made it worth it for me. almost.
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