Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

20 reviews

caffinatedslug's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual harassment

bookish_kori's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Loved the book! Bridgerton has become my go to “escape the world for a bit” romance series and it definitely works for that! I’ve gotten a little frustrated that all the Bridgerton sisters (and female love interests with the exception of Penelope so far… sorry Kate) seem to assume the same personality once it’s their turn to be the main character. They all have different personalities within the family dynamics and it just would’ve been cool to see a lot of those play out more in their interactions away from their family. Same with the Bridgerton men, all originally having different personalities but turning fierce and slightly aggressive when it’s their turn to be the POV character. 

Not a reason at all to skip the series, in fact I’d still recommend it, just be prepared/trigger-warned for some Womanizer Lite behavior from the men and some personality shifts from all characters book-to-book. Seems to be smoothed over well in the show so far :) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Terminal illness and Blood

Male behavior towards their partners throughout the series is aggressive bordering on coercion/non-consent at times in intimate scenes before basically yelling “DO YOU CONSENT?” to which the woman agrees. This book had some straight up coercion

(out of wedlock that could ruin the woman and not the man)

that I would NOT consider “clear and enthusiastic” consent despite Francesca agreeing/participating later on. And he is NOT admonished for it. Francesca seems to be the one criticized by the book for being hesitant. This coercion happens with

Sophia and Benedict

in their book too. I understand the timing for the books release is far earlier than the show, but still it gave me the ick. Most of the women are painfully and weirdly portrayed as innocent and uninformed with regards to steamy scenes (even in this book when she had been married before) and the men get off on that. Women are 99.9% of the time enthusiastic participants but completely uniformed (or in this book, she’s informed but “it was never like this” with her first husband so she has to relearn everything a new way). Despite their lack of knowledge, which I guess makes sense given the period it’s set (*cough cough* EVERY single male character is considered super experienced and not shamed for it in the slightest), the women ALL suddenly and randomly become “temptresses” who take control of the situation. Books praise the men as being exemplary because they care about the pleasure of their partners and not just themselves and appreciate the woman taking control. LOW BAR. Idk it’s just happened enough by now that I feel the need to comment on it all. It’s weird. So TW sexual coercion and sexual exploitation I guess. Though some of the women do it too.

bzliz's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This installment is so different from the previous five. The majority of the action takes place outside of London and the rest of the Bridgerton clan play very small parts, if they’re mentioned at all. The only one who really gets supporting role credit is Colin and his appearance is more like a fairy godmother (or fairy of common sense). 

I loved that because of her status as a widow, Francesca is afforded a pinch more freedom than the previous FMCs have been given. She also doesn’t have the same level of ignorance going into sex with Michael that creates such a power imbalance in the other books. (It also happens to be the steamiest of them, by a lot.) In addition, Francesca has bigger hurdles to clear: miscarriage, grief over her husband’s death, her own infertility, guilt over having feelings for someone else. The simultaneous timeline between Colin, Eloise & Francesca’s stories was fun. A lot less ‘okay, that’s done so now we can focus on the next child’ feeling. 

There was still some ick around some of the scenes that honestly just feels inevitable for historical romances. And these men just can’t control themselves! (The creep in the garden, the creeps at the club, and even Michael as he’s trying to coerce Francesca into marriage.) I enjoyed it but I still prefer Colin’s story to this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Sexual harassment

beckyremillard's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

ashleyelizabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

HATE this book. The “relationship” the book is centered around is basically manipulation, coercion, and glorified rape. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Sexual harassment

booksbyantheia's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted 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

4.0

Es un cuatro sólido. La historia de Michael y Francesca es espectacular: es diferente a las demás, incluso si el elemento de la viudez estuvo en el libro anterior. Su química es muy buena. La personalidad de Francesca está muy bien planteada, y se hace destacar. 

Odié profundamente un detalle particular, y es la cantidad de chistes sobre violación que hace Michael. No me sorprende considerando los antecedentes de Quinn, pero el hecho de que se hubiera tomado el tiempo de marcarlo como un hombre que sabe lo que es el consentimiento para luego hacer esas bromas (sobretodo en relación a la libertad sexual entre él y Frannie) se me hizo pesadísima. No son muchas, pero definitivamente le bajan una estrella al libro.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

junna's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual harassment

bookedinsideout's review against another edition

4.0

I’ve both loved liked and hated my journey of reading these books. Liked because after finishing the second season of Bridgerton, I just wanted to watch the next, and since that wasn’t possible, I’ve enjoyed spending my evenings keeping up with the Bridgertons in print. Hated because there are some things I just have to try to ignore, and some so misogynistic and egregious that I can’t.

For example, after an attempted sexual assault, a man “squeaks” after having his head slammed into a tree. “Rather like a girl, Francesca thought dispassionately. She’d known he wouldn’t make a good husband, but that clinched it.” Yes, taking advantage of a woman isn’t great, but forget about his desirability altogether if he’s going to “squeak like a girl.” In this same scene, it’s lightly suggested that it wouldn’t have happened in Francesca didn’t go alone with him into the garden in the first place. Good grief.

But I was glad that they addressed one of my lighter concerns: that these heroes hardly ever ask for their heroine’s hand in marriage — they either assume after they’ve essentially “ruined” her or tell her that’s what’s happening.

“’You never did answer my question last night.’
She didn’t turn. ‘What question was that?’
‘I believe I asked you to marry me.’
‘No, you didn’t,’ she replied, her voice quite calm, ‘you informed me that you believed we should be married and then proceeded to explain why.’”

So it still wasn’t a perfect romance for me, but it was still by far my favourite book yet.

A love story for someone who’s lost their partner can be great if it’s done right, but often it saddens me to see the current partner being compared to the one who’s died, and of course the current one has to be better and we have to point out the previous partner’s flaws and how this one makes up for them. I was pretty impressed because really neither man was pitted against the other. Both Francisca and Michael mourned John, and it was never about one man taking the other’s place or having to be the same kind of partner or a better one. It was a story of grief and guilt and she didn’t come to a conclusion easily, but she was able to love them both at the same time and not put either of them down.

In the vein of being able to hold two things as special at the same time without weighing them, one thing I did like from Eloise’s book was both her and her family’s (especially Violet’s) whole-hearted acceptance of Eloise’s new step-children as her children. They immediately became part of the family and that was that. In the epilogue where there is talk of children and whether they are biological or not, Eloise says:

“Before I had Penelope, and even when I was carrying her, I thought it would be different. It is different. But it’s not less. It’s not a question of levels or amounts, or even…really…the nature of it… I can’t explain it.”

I usually cringe at

baby epilogues because (1) even in a romance I don’t think the HEA always has to be marriage and also babies, and (2) when there is infertility and then a miracle epilogue baby it feels insensitive at the very least, as if true love will fix everything. So while I can’t speak to the pain of infertility, I did at least appreciate in this one that, first of all, while there was talk of infertility throughout the book, there was no further mention of a pregnancy in the “proper book.” And then in the second epilogue there was, but we got to see the real pain of witnessing people get to have their own dreams realized and still not get that yourself after 3 years of trying. Yes, it does end up happening, but it still wasn’t without its challenges. I was expecting an adoption storyline too though and I wish that had been a part of it.

Though the Bridgertons are mostly always one big happy family, I have appreciated seeing how a big family (probably any family) can sometimes make you feel lonely in your differences. Eloise, a proud spinster, suddenly feeling alone and a little insecure after all her siblings are marrying off and then her best friend, her partner in spinsterhood, does too. And Francisca feeling separated from her family by distance, by her isolating grief, and then both happy and sad at the same time watching them so easily conceive.

After feeling fed up with the men of Bridgerton in the last book, Michael Stirling was not perfect, but a welcome surprise. He gives massages, he’s not threatened by a woman taking charge, and he’s not opposed to period sex.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Chronic illness and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy

cepbreed's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I don't think I've ever seen the word wicked so many times in one book...great New England representation LOL. The release of season two of Bridgerton on Neflix, and the mere 48 hours it took me to finish it inspired this read. Poor Francesca is rarely mentioned and I was extremely curious over this unfortunate forgotten sister. She is so much better than I ever imagined, the show is so unfair to her. And oh god Michael, where to begin about Michael. When it came to his character it was easy to sympathize with him and his mental anguish, but I didn't find him as compelling as Colin. The smut on the other hand...wicked indeed.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcohol

aqtbenz's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Grief

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Sexual harassment