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joko88's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
Likes and dislikes in plot and character actions kept shifting, ultimately wasn’t what I wanted it to be but overall, ok
loriley's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I loved parts of this book but it’s conclusion was kind of a mess
The chemistry between Jeremy and Lucy was fantastic, utterly perfect.
This book has a lot going on from the beginning with Lucy trying to get Jeremy to help her learn seduction to steal Toby from his courtship (both of whom are her older brother’s friends), along with in the background a married brother/guardian, a sister in law, a senile aunt, and a bunch of dead parents and emotional baggage. From there we go to schemings, a fake relationship, seduction, a forced marriage, and tenant farm issues and more emotional baggage. It was almost like this was two stories smushed into one, which isn’t necessarily bad but it makes the story long and chaotic.
Now my issues:
2. None of the tenant issues were actually solved!!!! Also there are still two orphans with zero adult guidance. Giving a 12 yr old a job doesn’t give his 5 yr old sister the supervision or support she needs.
3. I know it was to set up for the sequel but the issues with Toby’s engagement ending felt totally random and detracted from the conclusion
I loved parts of this book but it’s conclusion was kind of a mess
The chemistry between Jeremy and Lucy was fantastic, utterly perfect.
This book has a lot going on from the beginning with Lucy trying to get Jeremy to help her learn seduction to steal Toby from his courtship (both of whom are her older brother’s friends), along with in the background a married brother/guardian, a sister in law, a senile aunt, and a bunch of dead parents and emotional baggage. From there we go to schemings, a fake relationship, seduction, a forced marriage, and tenant farm issues and more emotional baggage. It was almost like this was two stories smushed into one, which isn’t necessarily bad but it makes the story long and chaotic.
Now my issues:
Spoiler
1. Toby is kind of an ass...2. None of the tenant issues were actually solved!!!! Also there are still two orphans with zero adult guidance. Giving a 12 yr old a job doesn’t give his 5 yr old sister the supervision or support she needs.
3. I know it was to set up for the sequel but the issues with Toby’s engagement ending felt totally random and detracted from the conclusion
jlawfosho's review against another edition
2.0
This was 50% too long and I want to punch them all in the faces.
freckleduck's review against another edition
3.0
A few things about this book, first don’t listen on audio the narrator has a lisp which is fine but makes the book feel odd. Second I found this book a tad rambling and the characters felt too much like caricatures. That being said it was a fun light read.
smithrachaelynn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Things I liked:
- There were moments when Jeremy was thoughtful and romantic and Lucy was bright and earnest, but it wasn’t enough to outweigh the things that bothered me.
Things I didn’t like:
- Lucy was incredibly grating. She sounded much younger and immature than she probably was.
- I was so pissed off about her brothers’ treatment of her. It was definitely benign neglect, but still sad to see.
- This felt way too long for what it was. The back and forth between Lucy and Jeremy was so unnecessary and fueled by miscommunication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
layne_ash's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mflake's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
bookbruin's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Audiobook Review
Overall 3.5 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3 stars
Not my favorite Tessa Dare, but an entertaining and sexy brother’s best friend romance. I liked Lucy and Jeremy and things were going well for me until around the halfway point. Then things shifted from a fake dating-ish/“I thought I loved someone else but it’s actually you” story, to a “we’re both idiots who assume things and get everything wrong”. Throw in some heavy baggage and childhood trauma and things started to go downhill. The second half of the book dragged as these two had misunderstanding after misunderstanding. The book really could have been quite a bit shorter. I did enjoy the end though and the epilogue sets the stage for Sophia’s book.
The narration by Gabrielle Baker was enjoyable and she voiced Lucy and Jeremy very well. I wish there had been a bit more variation between characters though.
Overall 3.5 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3 stars
Not my favorite Tessa Dare, but an entertaining and sexy brother’s best friend romance. I liked Lucy and Jeremy and things were going well for me until around the halfway point. Then things shifted from a fake dating-ish/“I thought I loved someone else but it’s actually you” story, to a “we’re both idiots who assume things and get everything wrong”. Throw in some heavy baggage and childhood trauma and things started to go downhill. The second half of the book dragged as these two had misunderstanding after misunderstanding. The book really could have been quite a bit shorter. I did enjoy the end though and the epilogue sets the stage for Sophia’s book.
The narration by Gabrielle Baker was enjoyable and she voiced Lucy and Jeremy very well. I wish there had been a bit more variation between characters though.
Content Warnings
CW: death of parents (past), grief, death of sibling (past), guns/hunting and mentions of poaching, panic attack, parental abandonment/neglect (past), monitoring and caring for an aging loved one (who often goes missing/wanders off)
bellhore's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. MYGOD. This is, hands down, the absolute BEST romance novel I have ever read in my life. There was none of the cheesy, fluffy stuff, nor the damsel-in-distress, pining-after-his-royal-hotness stuff, ohhhh no. This was straight up incredible. You have a heroine that is incredibly headstrong and can definitely take care of herself who happens to fall in love. You've got my attention right there. Tessa Dare just keeps that aspect of the character going from beginning to end, which I am grateful for, because I absolutely adore her. It's also so brilliantly written that I have bookmarked so many of my favorite parts, but really I just read it from cover to cover every time. This is a fantastic novel, I just love it so much!