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mindylu32's review against another edition
5.0
I soo adored this book!! Michael was bent on not loving Abbey but she would have none of that and in the end what it did was make for a very sweet romance!!
bettybumpkins's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
2.5
One of those stories that starts off with a great arranged marriage premise, but the truth behind it and twists along the way to the end were just too bananas. This poor girl deserved better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual assault
lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
2.0
This book left me with a huge headache. Too much freaking drama and nowhere near as much emotion as it should have.
The heroine is tricked by her own father, travels thousands of miles to marry a guy she thinks is stupidly in love with her and whom she's stupidly in love with, is humiliated and treated like crap by the hero, ends up softening his heart, just to be humiliated and treated like crap once again.
After all this, I don't understand why she would be willing to forgive the hero. I certainly wouldn't, especially not after losing my own unborn child.
Furthermore, I wasn't able to feel the love between them, as I was supposed to feel.
What I could feel was an unhealthy dose of shame, humiliation, resentment and loathing.
What a train-wreck romance!
aminowrimo's review against another edition
2.0
This was pretty boring. It's a romance novel, they fall in love, etc etc. Not much different about it.
heyhaley17's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. The characters were both complex and compelling as well as highly entertaining. Michael was brooding and handsom and completely in denial about how he felt about Abbey. While Abbey was entertaining and light. I really liked how the story began when both characters were young because it really set a great mood for the rest of the plot line as well as make the story very entertaining. This is a great book for anyone whose a romantic.
bookishromance's review against another edition
5.0
So long and so great. I could read another 500pages on Michael and Abbey!
lauralantran_'s review against another edition
2.0
A tragedy in the guise of romance. Let me be clear. This is not romance. This is a story about a girl named Abbey who had been harmed and used by the men in her life. Her dad manipulated her into loving and marrying a stranger so that he can regain his fortunes. Her betrothed married her for her money, left her to her own devices because he was giving her "freedom", and accused her of lying even though she was used by her cousin. And of course her cousin was also lying to her so he could get his paws on her money.
I was so incredibly sad for Abbey because she was just trapped in all of her relationships with men. I was also so unconvinced by Michael and Abbey as a pair, because there had been no sign of genuine affection towards one another outside of sex. Michael wanted to control her and accused her of lying, then later on turned around confessing his love and promising he "will never hurt her again". That sounds like an abuser and a lier to me, someone making outrageous promises he couldn't keep.
This story was well constructed not for romance, but for a epic story of Abbey regaining her freedom and fighting for her emancipation. She deserved better than her dad, her cousin and her husband. She deserved better women in her life that didn't convince her that she was "in love" with an abuser and manipulator, but instead told her to fucking run for her life. But it didn't turned out that way, and I'm the more disappointed because of it.
I was so incredibly sad for Abbey because she was just trapped in all of her relationships with men. I was also so unconvinced by Michael and Abbey as a pair, because there had been no sign of genuine affection towards one another outside of sex. Michael wanted to control her and accused her of lying, then later on turned around confessing his love and promising he "will never hurt her again". That sounds like an abuser and a lier to me, someone making outrageous promises he couldn't keep.
This story was well constructed not for romance, but for a epic story of Abbey regaining her freedom and fighting for her emancipation. She deserved better than her dad, her cousin and her husband. She deserved better women in her life that didn't convince her that she was "in love" with an abuser and manipulator, but instead told her to fucking run for her life. But it didn't turned out that way, and I'm the more disappointed because of it.
taisie22's review against another edition
3.0
Another recommendation in my quest to read abandoned wife tropes. This story was okay, but not great. I'm not sure what the time frame was supposed to be, but there seemed to be a lot of anachronistic details, not that I always care about that if the story is good. Here, we have a heroine who is all over the place while the hero is kind of a jerk, a big one. The story meanders all over the place and drags frequently. Not awful, but not great.
penningtales's review against another edition
4.0
I had a feeling when I first came across this book that I'd love it. And I did!
Abbey has been lead by her father, Captain Carrington, to believe Micheal, the Marquis of Darfield, has loved her for over ten years and wants to marry her. She has fallen in love with the image of her father created, treasures the gifts he sent her via her father, and dreams of marrying him. It’s only after her father’s death and she arrives in England that she learns she’s been deceived. They’ve both been deceived. Michael only remembers her as hellion playing pirate aboard her father’s ship, whom he despised but tolerated. He never send those gifts. And he’s only very reluctantly marrying her to settle his own father’s gambling debts and to keep the Captain creditors off his back as per the will. He then plans to abandon her at his country house and live separately from her. She’s heartbroken. Should she free Michael from their sham of marriage and return to America? Or can they somehow make their marriage work?
I loved Abbey. Yes, she was a little naive at times, but I loved how caring and selfless she was. She did everything she could to help those around her, to make their lives easier, even if they treated her badly or took advantage of her kindness. She saw how their marriage upset Michael and sought to release him from his obligations to her, even if it broke her heart to do so. She has such a cheery outlook on life, it’s impossible not to fall for her.
Michael I had a more difficult time loving. He could be really caring and sweet one moment, and then a cold arrogant asshole the next. The whiplash drove me nuts, though I did understand where he was coming and going through. He did improve once he became more sure of his feelings and I did come to really like him by the end.
Their romance was really heartfelt. I loved how they came to love each other for who they truly were. Yes, there was the old misunderstandings trope, but I find I’m more forgiving when it’s in a historical context. Or at least here. It did provide some really good angst. And then some really good grovel. I did not want this book to end and am sad to leave these characters. But boy did they deserve their happy ending!
Abbey has been lead by her father, Captain Carrington, to believe Micheal, the Marquis of Darfield, has loved her for over ten years and wants to marry her. She has fallen in love with the image of her father created, treasures the gifts he sent her via her father, and dreams of marrying him. It’s only after her father’s death and she arrives in England that she learns she’s been deceived. They’ve both been deceived. Michael only remembers her as hellion playing pirate aboard her father’s ship, whom he despised but tolerated. He never send those gifts. And he’s only very reluctantly marrying her to settle his own father’s gambling debts and to keep the Captain creditors off his back as per the will. He then plans to abandon her at his country house and live separately from her. She’s heartbroken. Should she free Michael from their sham of marriage and return to America? Or can they somehow make their marriage work?
I loved Abbey. Yes, she was a little naive at times, but I loved how caring and selfless she was. She did everything she could to help those around her, to make their lives easier, even if they treated her badly or took advantage of her kindness. She saw how their marriage upset Michael and sought to release him from his obligations to her, even if it broke her heart to do so. She has such a cheery outlook on life, it’s impossible not to fall for her.
Michael I had a more difficult time loving. He could be really caring and sweet one moment, and then a cold arrogant asshole the next. The whiplash drove me nuts, though I did understand where he was coming and going through. He did improve once he became more sure of his feelings and I did come to really like him by the end.
Their romance was really heartfelt. I loved how they came to love each other for who they truly were. Yes, there was the old misunderstandings trope, but I find I’m more forgiving when it’s in a historical context. Or at least here. It did provide some really good angst. And then some really good grovel. I did not want this book to end and am sad to leave these characters. But boy did they deserve their happy ending!