The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
A review by scarr77
A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh
3.0
December 2022 Update: after suggesting this book to a bookish friend, who was kind enough to read it and tell me how to feel about it . . . I am settling on 3 - 3.5-ish stars. The issue that made it difficult for me to rate CW for intimate partner assault: this was never made right, in my opinion or my bookish friend's opinion. I needed an apology or an acknowledgement of this being completely terrible. That does not happen.
Original thoughts: I haven't given this book any stars bc I just do not know how to feel about it. Some excellent writing but also some really terrible scenes that I just do not feel were made right by the end of the book. Maybe someday I'll have a conversation with someone who has also read this book and can help me decide how ultimately I feel lol.
(ps. Ellie's family seemed, like, coded Jewish? idunno there were some vibes and maybe I'm just projecting lol)
Spoiler
the FMC has never had p-in-v sex and when she has sex with the MMC for the first time, he is overly rough with her due to their fraught marriage arrangement - which was organized by the FMC's father and totally out of the control of the FMC - leading to the FMC to bleed more than would be normal after a hymen has been torn. This happens on their wedding night. I hated this scene and was seriously close to dnf'ing.Original thoughts: I haven't given this book any stars bc I just do not know how to feel about it. Some excellent writing but also some really terrible scenes that I just do not feel were made right by the end of the book. Maybe someday I'll have a conversation with someone who has also read this book and can help me decide how ultimately I feel lol.
(ps. Ellie's family seemed, like, coded Jewish? idunno there were some vibes and maybe I'm just projecting lol)