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tessanne's review against another edition
2.0
The plot seemed like it could be interesting, but the characters were boring AF. The heroine was a complete moron and the hero, who was supposed to be all proper and starchy/immovable, was super wishy washy. And their inner monologues never changed during the first hundred pages. So: boring, repetitive, and flat, and that’s where I had to give up. Too much good stuff out there to read to stay with something this dull.
siggie's review
3.0
I was looking for something in the vein of Bridgerton and I found it here. It is a good story but I have it 3 stars for two reasons. First, the proofreading was sub-par. There are several spots where entire words are missing. Second, there was too much yearning and "woe is me" dithering for my taste. Half the amount of this type of thing would have let the story flow better.
kimmiereadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
Free on Apple Books.
The story was interesting and kept me going. But it needs MAJOR editing. So many mistakes. From mistakes like “miss Louisa” (should only be lady Louisa) or calling the brothel owner Madame (should be madam) to all the many typos throughout...if I weren’t into the story I’d have given up. At least it was free.
The story was interesting and kept me going. But it needs MAJOR editing. So many mistakes. From mistakes like “miss Louisa” (should only be lady Louisa) or calling the brothel owner Madame (should be madam) to all the many typos throughout...if I weren’t into the story I’d have given up. At least it was free.
reading_historical_romance's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is a great example of why every good writer needs an even better editor. The storyline was fairly predictable (this is genre fiction, after all) and the characters were written to type (again, this is genre fiction), but because this is the type of genre romance I wanted to read, it did not disappoint because it "checked all the boxes." If you're looking for a tropey-Regency romance with a bit of a mystery and adventure, a bit of heat and a happy ending, you'll likely enjoy it and will keep reading to find out what happens.
However, it was fairly quickly and abundantly obvious that this was a self-published work that could have been greatly improved by a professional editor. There were a number of typographical errors (primarily in the form of missing words, or incorrectly conjugated verbs in sentences); distracting POV switches; repetitive narrative commentary (I lost count of how many times the hero had the same inner argument with himself about "why, why, why was he doing this?!?"); and the incessant amount of purely rhetorical and melodramatic questions within the narrative ("How could he face her?" "Could she -- must she?! -- really go through with this?").
I also felt gypped because one of the reasons I decided to read the book was for the trope it promised: fake dating. There was a lot of time invested in the two main characters preparing for the ruse... and then it just... never happened. At the end of the day, I think that an editor would have focused and condensed the plotline which would have helped even everything out and would have cut through all the unnecessary yammering by the narrator, and could have easily cut this book down by 25k-30k words and it would not have suffered in the least.
However, it was fairly quickly and abundantly obvious that this was a self-published work that could have been greatly improved by a professional editor. There were a number of typographical errors (primarily in the form of missing words, or incorrectly conjugated verbs in sentences); distracting POV switches; repetitive narrative commentary (I lost count of how many times the hero had the same inner argument with himself about "why, why, why was he doing this?!?"); and the incessant amount of purely rhetorical and melodramatic questions within the narrative ("How could he face her?" "Could she -- must she?! -- really go through with this?").
I also felt gypped because one of the reasons I decided to read the book was for the trope it promised: fake dating. There was a lot of time invested in the two main characters preparing for the ruse... and then it just... never happened. At the end of the day, I think that an editor would have focused and condensed the plotline which would have helped even everything out and would have cut through all the unnecessary yammering by the narrator, and could have easily cut this book down by 25k-30k words and it would not have suffered in the least.
colossal's review against another edition
4.0
A Victorian romance between a woman fleeing from an abusive uncle and a brooding Earl set at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders in London.
Sebastian Rockwood, the Earl of Melton, is investigating rumors of young women being kidnapped and auctioned at London brothels when he is captivated by one of the victims, Helen Rivenell. After buying her at auction and rescuing her and her young brother from their captors he struggles with the chaotic feelings that disrupt his otherwise meticulously ordered life. Helen is as infatuated as Sebastian is, but refuses to yield to a man she believes incapable of returning her feelings.
This is a solid romance with a male protagonist with a death-grip on the stupid-ball. He does pass it to the female protagonist from time-to-time though, and to be fair to the author and the large and likable cast, everyone else comments on how stupid the pair are about their relationship. Add in some family drama on Helen's side, an unhealthy obsession from another bidder at the auction where Sebastian rescued Helen and the background of the Ripper murders themselves and you have a tale that moves along at a good rate and ends satisfyingly well.
A very minor quibble is that the story only really works because of Helen's ahistorical attitude towards marriage and what appears to be an equally ahistorical appreciation of the rights of women in 19th century England. It's not egregious, but Helen's behavior and Sebastian's ignorance of propriety don't really fit the time.
Sebastian Rockwood, the Earl of Melton, is investigating rumors of young women being kidnapped and auctioned at London brothels when he is captivated by one of the victims, Helen Rivenell. After buying her at auction and rescuing her and her young brother from their captors he struggles with the chaotic feelings that disrupt his otherwise meticulously ordered life. Helen is as infatuated as Sebastian is, but refuses to yield to a man she believes incapable of returning her feelings.
This is a solid romance with a male protagonist with a death-grip on the stupid-ball. He does pass it to the female protagonist from time-to-time though, and to be fair to the author and the large and likable cast, everyone else comments on how stupid the pair are about their relationship. Add in some family drama on Helen's side, an unhealthy obsession from another bidder at the auction where Sebastian rescued Helen and the background of the Ripper murders themselves and you have a tale that moves along at a good rate and ends satisfyingly well.
A very minor quibble is that the story only really works because of Helen's ahistorical attitude towards marriage and what appears to be an equally ahistorical appreciation of the rights of women in 19th century England. It's not egregious, but Helen's behavior and Sebastian's ignorance of propriety don't really fit the time.
cathepsut's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty shallow, predictable plot, the usual clichee of characters not communicating with each other, taken to a ridiculous level. It lacked humour and wasn‘t very well written.
I did not get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I kept rolling my eyes constantly through the first six chapters. The plot got a little more interesting eventually. However, the characters were just TSTL all around and it was all just so painfully obvious.
Definitely not going to pick up anything else by this author.
I did not get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I kept rolling my eyes constantly through the first six chapters. The plot got a little more interesting eventually. However, the characters were just TSTL all around and it was all just so painfully obvious.
Definitely not going to pick up anything else by this author.
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