A review by katleap
Not the Duke's Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt
4.0
4 stars
I received an e-ARC copy of Not the Duke's Darling from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Christopher Renshaw and Freya De Morya knew each other once. But that was 15 years ago before a tragedy tore their families apart. Now Freya works for a secret organization that helps women and is hiding her identity. When she goes to a house party to look for evidence of a muder and stop a bill about burning witches, she is reunited with Christopher, and it is not a happy reunion.
I liked Christopher and Freya. I thought they had fire and spark. Freya is brave, independent, and definitely flawed. She carries the hurt done to her family close to her heart and that makes it hard for her to trust. As the book progresses Freya's shell thins and eventually bursts. Christopher has some PTSD from his time in India and regrets his choices made as a young man. I like that he want's Freya prickles and all.
I think that this book was chock full of plot and didn't get to explore all its potential. Freya is a Wise Woman and a spy and I wish I could have learned a lot more about that part of her life, 99% of which takes place pre-book. She’s got so much potential and instead she comes out a bit too stubborn and shrewish. Christopher's story in India is touched on, but I wanted more sympathy for him as a youth. I also wanted to see him interact with more people besides Freya and Tess.
The secondary characters were awesome. I'm hopeful Messalina Greycourt and her sister will make a reappearance. I am also really curious about Gabriel Hawthorne. And I want to know what happened with Arabella Holland. Did she marry the earl?
So mostly I just needed a longer book. All the elements were there, I just need more backstory for both the main characters and they needed more time to fall past what they remembered of each other and actually love what is now.
I received an e-ARC copy of Not the Duke's Darling from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Christopher Renshaw and Freya De Morya knew each other once. But that was 15 years ago before a tragedy tore their families apart. Now Freya works for a secret organization that helps women and is hiding her identity. When she goes to a house party to look for evidence of a muder and stop a bill about burning witches, she is reunited with Christopher, and it is not a happy reunion.
I liked Christopher and Freya. I thought they had fire and spark. Freya is brave, independent, and definitely flawed. She carries the hurt done to her family close to her heart and that makes it hard for her to trust. As the book progresses Freya's shell thins and eventually bursts. Christopher has some PTSD from his time in India and regrets his choices made as a young man. I like that he want's Freya prickles and all.
I think that this book was chock full of plot and didn't get to explore all its potential. Freya is a Wise Woman and a spy and I wish I could have learned a lot more about that part of her life, 99% of which takes place pre-book. She’s got so much potential and instead she comes out a bit too stubborn and shrewish. Christopher's story in India is touched on, but I wanted more sympathy for him as a youth. I also wanted to see him interact with more people besides Freya and Tess.
The secondary characters were awesome. I'm hopeful Messalina Greycourt and her sister will make a reappearance. I am also really curious about Gabriel Hawthorne. And I want to know what happened with Arabella Holland. Did she marry the earl?
So mostly I just needed a longer book. All the elements were there, I just need more backstory for both the main characters and they needed more time to fall past what they remembered of each other and actually love what is now.