valoriedalton's review
3.0
Eludaine, known as Dainy, princess of Jordinia was lost to her empire when a revolt overthrew her family. She was secreted away to live in obscurity, not even aware of her own royal lineage. When her uncle Hessian Gatspierre, in exile, learns that she is still alive, he sets out a quest complete with gold reward and promise of marriage, to any man who seeks and finds her to return her to her remaining family. A collection of men start out, but it ends with a few essential characters: Marley Macmillian (Mac), Bos, and Jon Cosmith. Mac is quiet, gentle and stubborn. Bos loyal, tender for a man as big as he. Jon Cosmith is your typical rogue character: bold, brash, slightly immoral, and selfish.
Jon is at first only interested in the money. He doesn’t want a wife. Why would a man who loves drinking and wooing ladies want to settle down to have a family. Of course, despite this, he has to try to seduce innocent Dainy. Mac and Bos try their hardest to keep the two of them apart and to convince Dainy of Jon’s less than pure intentions. Both Jon and Dainy even share a few passionate moments, but it is hard for Jon to reconcile his roguishness with his developing feelings for Dainy that just might prove to be true.
Dainy needs all the help she can get from as many friendly people as possible, including the wandering female thief Selu. As it turns out, more than just the assassins of the crown that usurped her family wants to do her harm. In fact, some of the people closest to her want to betray her for her own gain.
The Duchess Quest created a world separate from our own, and I always like a good fantasy take on the traditional. Dainy was a cute character, naive but strong at her core. What I liked so much about the book is that it didn’t take the turn that I thought it would regarding the romance. I thought for sure that Dainy was going to end up fitting a formulaic model for romance and eventual partnership. It caught me by surprise to see the end. There are even a few exciting twists at the end when you find out a few hidden secrets and plots. Since this novel is part of a series, not all answers were given. A lot of questions remain to compel someone to read the next novel. After all, does Dainy ascend to the throne? I will certainly look for the other novels to find out.
Jon is at first only interested in the money. He doesn’t want a wife. Why would a man who loves drinking and wooing ladies want to settle down to have a family. Of course, despite this, he has to try to seduce innocent Dainy. Mac and Bos try their hardest to keep the two of them apart and to convince Dainy of Jon’s less than pure intentions. Both Jon and Dainy even share a few passionate moments, but it is hard for Jon to reconcile his roguishness with his developing feelings for Dainy that just might prove to be true.
Dainy needs all the help she can get from as many friendly people as possible, including the wandering female thief Selu. As it turns out, more than just the assassins of the crown that usurped her family wants to do her harm. In fact, some of the people closest to her want to betray her for her own gain.
The Duchess Quest created a world separate from our own, and I always like a good fantasy take on the traditional. Dainy was a cute character, naive but strong at her core. What I liked so much about the book is that it didn’t take the turn that I thought it would regarding the romance. I thought for sure that Dainy was going to end up fitting a formulaic model for romance and eventual partnership. It caught me by surprise to see the end. There are even a few exciting twists at the end when you find out a few hidden secrets and plots. Since this novel is part of a series, not all answers were given. A lot of questions remain to compel someone to read the next novel. After all, does Dainy ascend to the throne? I will certainly look for the other novels to find out.
theestherhadassah's review
4.0
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book as part of this tour. This review shall remain as non-spoiler-y as possible.
This book is an adventure. For those of you who like a good twist in a historical fiction, this is definitely for you. If you're like me when you read, you will be hooked from the few several pages. The plot is enthralling, you fall in love with the characters and it leaves you wanting more. Exactly what a great book is supposed to do.
I have to say that I was a bit surprised at who Dainy ends up with in the end. But all things being considered, the author pulled of a good twist and I think if I were to go pick up the second book, it would make sense why this was done. The story itself is very enjoyable and I am pleasantly happy with it.
Dec. 15
dani_reviews's review
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 13%
This was just not working for me. Here's why:
- There were too many POVs. In just 13%, there were at least 8??? It was getting mega confusing to keep track of, and it seemed completely unnecessary, especially as it led to a lot of repetition.
- People had complicated and ridiculous names, which only added to the confusion. Lots of characters with lots of unusual and similar names? Nope.
- The writing didn't flow well, as if the author didn't know how to move through the course of time. The writing, combined with the repetition from too many POVs, meant that the 400+ pages could probably have been condensed to 300.
- The MC, Dainy, was white, petite AND curvy. She was also very manic pixie dream girl, floating about. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at her lack of interesting personality.
- The three potential suitors were stereotypes: brooding loner, loyal and honourable giant, and flirtatious thief.
- Let's zoom into that last one. I'm assuming we were supposed to like all three of the guys and struggle over who should win Dainy's hand in marriage. Well, I can tell you I had absolutely no interest in the thief. He was obsessed with sex and brothels, and there was one rather rapey gross scene where he caught a woman bathing and told her he wouldn't let anyone else know she was joining the questing party dresses as a man as long as she "pleasured" him whenever he wanted. GROSS.
I had to eventually stop and say enough was enough when my eyes struggled to stay open...at 6pm... All in all, I think this book needed the help of a strict editor that wasn't afraid to reign in the author's ideas.
DNF @ 13%
This was just not working for me. Here's why:
- There were too many POVs. In just 13%, there were at least 8??? It was getting mega confusing to keep track of, and it seemed completely unnecessary, especially as it led to a lot of repetition.
- People had complicated and ridiculous names, which only added to the confusion. Lots of characters with lots of unusual and similar names? Nope.
- The writing didn't flow well, as if the author didn't know how to move through the course of time. The writing, combined with the repetition from too many POVs, meant that the 400+ pages could probably have been condensed to 300.
- The MC, Dainy, was white, petite AND curvy. She was also very manic pixie dream girl, floating about. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at her lack of interesting personality.
- The three potential suitors were stereotypes: brooding loner, loyal and honourable giant, and flirtatious thief.
- Let's zoom into that last one. I'm assuming we were supposed to like all three of the guys and struggle over who should win Dainy's hand in marriage. Well, I can tell you I had absolutely no interest in the thief. He was obsessed with sex and brothels, and there was one rather rapey gross scene where he caught a woman bathing and told her he wouldn't let anyone else know she was joining the questing party dresses as a man as long as she "pleasured" him whenever he wanted. GROSS.
I had to eventually stop and say enough was enough when my eyes struggled to stay open...at 6pm... All in all, I think this book needed the help of a strict editor that wasn't afraid to reign in the author's ideas.
wanderfca69's review
4.0
This is a tale of a lost Duchess and the men who seek her out for her hand in marriage and money offered by her Uncle. It starts out slow for me and it took me a while to actually get into the story. For some reason, it just did not speak to me. It is well written and I didn't see any typos. It just wasn't my cup of tea, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. It is a decent book and a lot of people will enjoy it.
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