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A review by allisonwonderlandreads
The Devil's Own Duke by Lenora Bell
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
In the beginning, I was amused to find not Cinderella, forced into a ball with a midnight curfew but a young woman giving her widowed father that 12 am deadline to find a new wife and hopefully save their family property. This amusing start is derailed when instead Hetty is forced into a marriage with the surprising heir claimant who steals her family's title and lands out from under her.
The marriage of convenience has some enemies-to-lovers/opposites attract/whirlwind flavors. Hetty's new husband, Ash, rose from a factory worker to a pickpocket to a gaming house proprietor to now nobleman. She offers to tame him for success in society if he will allow her to continue overseeing her family vineyards. The romantic plot was alright, but it didn't make me swoon or sigh or squeal with delight. I think the power dynamic between them was part of what I found off-putting. I tire of romantic plots where the fiery woman fights for respect from a dominant man and thereby wins his love. How exhausting it is to be a woman seeking space to exist from a cishet white man. But true love? Yeah, ok.
My main issue comes from messaging. In regards to women's rights, our group of supposedly shockingly liberal women insists the only way to seek change is from within the system even though that very system in this instance forcing a woman (their friend) to marry to preserve her passion and life's work. And ew. Because if people only worked within a broken system, we wouldn't have many if any of the big overhauls that grant more people the rights they should have had in the first place. It's peddling a version of feminism that doesn't actually stand for anything.
The approach to class is similar. Ash rises in the ranks to be a duke's heir to use his newfound influence to change child labor laws. The idea is again reinforced that only if he joins the elites and takes on their persona will he be able to make this change happen which A) tells a false tale of one man enacting widespread social change vs requiring collective effort B) perpetuates the idea that you can't make social change from a marginalized position and C) allows Ash to reinforce some heinous gender norms by claiming to be "unmanned" during his makeover montage.
To be clear, I know we all sometimes work within the system to keep ourselves safe or with an earnest attempt to enact change on one of many levels, but trying to convince readers this is the best or even the only way is infuriating in its counterproductive inaccuracy. Yes, Hetty's eventual visibility as a woman vintner helps women, the couple's dedication to ethical manufacturing practices is admirable, and their mutual funding of schooling for children of all kinds of backgrounds is awesome. But the harmful assumptions about how lasting change can be launched still stand.
The marriage of convenience has some enemies-to-lovers/opposites attract/whirlwind flavors. Hetty's new husband, Ash, rose from a factory worker to a pickpocket to a gaming house proprietor to now nobleman. She offers to tame him for success in society if he will allow her to continue overseeing her family vineyards. The romantic plot was alright, but it didn't make me swoon or sigh or squeal with delight. I think the power dynamic between them was part of what I found off-putting. I tire of romantic plots where the fiery woman fights for respect from a dominant man and thereby wins his love. How exhausting it is to be a woman seeking space to exist from a cishet white man. But true love? Yeah, ok.
My main issue comes from messaging. In regards to women's rights, our group of supposedly shockingly liberal women insists the only way to seek change is from within the system even though that very system in this instance forcing a woman (their friend) to marry to preserve her passion and life's work. And ew. Because if people only worked within a broken system, we wouldn't have many if any of the big overhauls that grant more people the rights they should have had in the first place. It's peddling a version of feminism that doesn't actually stand for anything.
The approach to class is similar. Ash rises in the ranks to be a duke's heir to use his newfound influence to change child labor laws. The idea is again reinforced that only if he joins the elites and takes on their persona will he be able to make this change happen which A) tells a false tale of one man enacting widespread social change vs requiring collective effort B) perpetuates the idea that you can't make social change from a marginalized position and C) allows Ash to reinforce some heinous gender norms by claiming to be "unmanned" during his makeover montage.
To be clear, I know we all sometimes work within the system to keep ourselves safe or with an earnest attempt to enact change on one of many levels, but trying to convince readers this is the best or even the only way is infuriating in its counterproductive inaccuracy. Yes, Hetty's eventual visibility as a woman vintner helps women, the couple's dedication to ethical manufacturing practices is admirable, and their mutual funding of schooling for children of all kinds of backgrounds is awesome. But the harmful assumptions about how lasting change can be launched still stand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail