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annick's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Meh. So many fans of jelypas seem to love this pairing of Evie Jenner and Sebastian. I didn’t really get into their romance. I got bored with the melodramatic side stories of the casino and stalker and Evie’s friends. I don’t know if I will bother with others from The wallflowers. But at least I can return to the Ravenels and see the 1880s St Vincents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent
samchase112's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Solid early 2000s historical romance, complete with pretty much everything that entails — super spicy scenes, lots of "male virility," a learns-to-be-strong female character, sexist stereotypes, and random danger. Also, for some reason, Sebastian's backstory was completely left out of the book; I guess we're supposed to have read the previous books? That doesn't cut it for me, because it means his character went basically unexplored.
It was lots of fun, I must admit, and kept me turning the pages. But despite everyone saying this is Kleypas's best, I think I've learned to stick to contemporary historical fiction, thank you. It's just a bit less…sexist :)
It was lots of fun, I must admit, and kept me turning the pages. But despite everyone saying this is Kleypas's best, I think I've learned to stick to contemporary historical fiction, thank you. It's just a bit less…sexist :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, and Medical content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Racism
annahamburger's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Xenophobia, Dementia, Stalking, and Pregnancy
mattiedancer's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Writing: 3⭐️/5
The writing is serviceable in this novel, slipping towards well-written at a few intervals. The most hard-to-read portions were ones that I assume tied the series together. While I understand that I started with the third in the series, the forced description of our MC as a “wallflower” and always a “wallflower” felt hopelessly strained and needless: we understand her character at this point and it only serves to connect the series, meaning it read as poor writing. Besides that, much of the writing slid towards the classic pitfall: telling and not showing. Kleypas hammers certain points over and over again to the point of annoyance, making several chapters hard to read.
Characters: 2.75⭐️/5
I want to love the characters more than I do. Evie has the potential as the shy heroine, but her development is offset by her inconsistent character. Same with Sebastian. I would have loved to see Sebastian show consistency in his character, but he quickly loses his “villain” archetype to become the rich noble who just happens to know how to fight. It felt so sudden that I wanted to understand then what his history really was. The side characters also fell subsequently short of feeling real.
Plot: 2.75⭐️/5
The marriage of convenience plot starts strong and instantly beocmes strained. While I love the bad boy turns to caring lover trope as much as anyone else, Sebastian’s motives make as little sense as his inconsistent character. While he looks to marry our heroine to settle debts, he immediately reveals that he’s not much of an overspender, immediately squashing his whole reason for marrying Evie in the first place. Honestly, it would be more believable that he had been secretly pining after her for years, even in the interest of a one-night stand. The flurry of action at the beginning also created a distinct lull in the middle and end of the novel. And, the wrapping up of the attempted-murder plot came quickly, too much so, leaving us with no time to really feel like Evie might have ever been in danger.
Oh, also Evie’s dad died and she moves on very, very fast, which is maybe one of the more annoying parts of the plot.
However, it’s fun.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Someone looking for a bodice-ripping romance novel
Content Warnings?
- Misogyny, sexism, sexual assault, sexual content, rape, death of a parent, death, murder, blood, injury, medical content, terminal illness,
Post-Reading Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
It was fun, if not well-written.
Final Rating: 2.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Racial slurs