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A review by mdalida
From Duke Till Dawn by Eva Leigh
4.0
I really did end up liking this book, though I am sad to say that I was a little disappointed at parts of it 😔 When you've been anticipating a book for months and feel giddy at reading the synopsis picturing how the plot line will go, then to see it on your library list waiting to move from 6th in line to finally getting your copy?? And then to be kinda underwhelmed as you start to read it?? It's disappointing to say the least.
I loved Eva Leigh's other series, so I was excited to hear that this was the first in a new series!
Second chance romance, class differences, and steamy sex scenes. Bam - catnip galore!
The heroine was the typical poor girl grown up in poor town with no one to care for her until some benevolent swindler teaches her the ropes to survive on her wits and the witless fools she can trick. I ended up not feeling much empathy for her.. I thought that she kept saying how she wanted out of this kind of life, so I would've thought that she'd have a plan to get out? But no, she sorta lived from one scheme to the next, so no savings, no plan, no feeling that she so very desperately wanted out enough to seek other ways.
The hero pulled me in - something of why I like the stereotype of England; the stuff-upper-lip aristos who yearn to break free from their golden cage is a characterization that I always fall for. And then, the dirty talk is thrilling to me:-) He had all the privilege in the world and still advocated for bettering the lives of the disadvantaged, still was naive enough to believe in the sweet honorable widow, and still open hearted enough to forgive her and fall in love.
I like Eva Leigh because she's definitely a feminist:-) she writes about women's plights in each of her books, and her heroes are also feminists. I love it. Also, her sex scenes are definitely steamy! I think that's the first time I've read an exhibitionist scene in a historical romance! I like that the characters were older: his 38 to her 31 y/o.
The plot was odd at times and so so so contrived at others. Did the hero happen to be in the perfect place to overhear how the heroine had duped him or was it set up? Why would someone who stole gobs of money NOT flee quickly? How contrived was it to have the story take them to a sex den and then sit there for 5 hours holding hands (also, is this Orchid place with masks real? Because it's the same thing Elizabeth Hoyt mentions in the Raven Prince......)?
Overall, I liked the story premise, even if the execution seemed wobbly. I liked the characters together, even if their characterization seemed a bit rote.
I loved Eva Leigh's other series, so I was excited to hear that this was the first in a new series!
Second chance romance, class differences, and steamy sex scenes. Bam - catnip galore!
The heroine was the typical poor girl grown up in poor town with no one to care for her until some benevolent swindler teaches her the ropes to survive on her wits and the witless fools she can trick. I ended up not feeling much empathy for her.. I thought that she kept saying how she wanted out of this kind of life, so I would've thought that she'd have a plan to get out? But no, she sorta lived from one scheme to the next, so no savings, no plan, no feeling that she so very desperately wanted out enough to seek other ways.
The hero pulled me in - something of why I like the stereotype of England; the stuff-upper-lip aristos who yearn to break free from their golden cage is a characterization that I always fall for. And then, the dirty talk is thrilling to me:-) He had all the privilege in the world and still advocated for bettering the lives of the disadvantaged, still was naive enough to believe in the sweet honorable widow, and still open hearted enough to forgive her and fall in love.
I like Eva Leigh because she's definitely a feminist:-) she writes about women's plights in each of her books, and her heroes are also feminists. I love it. Also, her sex scenes are definitely steamy! I think that's the first time I've read an exhibitionist scene in a historical romance! I like that the characters were older: his 38 to her 31 y/o.
The plot was odd at times and so so so contrived at others. Did the hero happen to be in the perfect place to overhear how the heroine had duped him or was it set up? Why would someone who stole gobs of money NOT flee quickly? How contrived was it to have the story take them to a sex den and then sit there for 5 hours holding hands (also, is this Orchid place with masks real? Because it's the same thing Elizabeth Hoyt mentions in the Raven Prince......)?
Overall, I liked the story premise, even if the execution seemed wobbly. I liked the characters together, even if their characterization seemed a bit rote.