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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Ended up shipping something else than the official couple so it’s a bit...
Goddammit. I hate love triangles.
Goddammit. I hate love triangles.
Thorn and India were both really irritating. There were too many misunderstandings and lies in my opinion.
The writing was not solid compared to the previous books in the series. For example, when India first met Thorn, she said he looked like a King or a farmer, which absolutely did not make sense. I understand what Ms. James was trying to convey -- which was that Thorn looks like he is a nobleman, but that he also looks like someone who works for his living. This description could also refer to Thorn's stature and physicality. While I understand what Ms. James tried to convey to the readers, I think that this very short description she provided is lacking, especially compared to the way Villiers was described in the previous books. There were a few other descriptions of Thorn that did not sit well with me, but I can't remember them all.
Speaking of Villiers, the plot of this book was vaguely similar to Villiers's story (Ex: love triangle/square). That aspect of the plot worked better with Villiers and Eleanor and less so with Thorn and India. I think this is because Villiers and Eleanor had very clear motivations. In the case of Thorn and India, there were so many misunderstandings influencing them that it was unclear what their exact motivations were. In fact, it felt like their motivations kept morphing throughout the book. For example, India at first lied to Thorn because she wanted him. Then she lied to him hoping he would see through it and profess his love right away. But then in the end, she was testing him through those lies? I can understand her testing him with the second lie, but not with the first one. Long story short, I did not appreciate India's lies. Even though Thorn was annoying with his image of an "ideal wife", I still could not blame him for not seeing through India's lies right away.
Moreover, I really liked Lala and I didn't like the way she was excluded from the group especially after India said she would make Lala feel included. India came off as hypocritical because instead of helping Lala, she was busy flirting with Thorn & Vander. On the other hand, I really did not like Lisette from Villiers's book, which made a huge difference in how I viewed Leopold and Eleanor's love story.
Finally, I wish we had seen more of Leopold and Eleanor. We saw Leopold more often than Eleanor. I really wish there was at least a small chapter dedicated to them.
P.S: The epilogue was really cute. And whatever happened to Oyster?? :'(
P.P.S: Vander's eyes changed from blue to brown lol...
The writing was not solid compared to the previous books in the series. For example, when India first met Thorn, she said he looked like a King or a farmer, which absolutely did not make sense. I understand what Ms. James was trying to convey -- which was that Thorn looks like he is a nobleman, but that he also looks like someone who works for his living. This description could also refer to Thorn's stature and physicality. While I understand what Ms. James tried to convey to the readers, I think that this very short description she provided is lacking, especially compared to the way Villiers was described in the previous books. There were a few other descriptions of Thorn that did not sit well with me, but I can't remember them all.
Speaking of Villiers, the plot of this book was vaguely similar to Villiers's story (Ex: love triangle/square). That aspect of the plot worked better with Villiers and Eleanor and less so with Thorn and India. I think this is because Villiers and Eleanor had very clear motivations. In the case of Thorn and India, there were so many misunderstandings influencing them that it was unclear what their exact motivations were. In fact, it felt like their motivations kept morphing throughout the book. For example, India at first lied to Thorn because she wanted him. Then she lied to him hoping he would see through it and profess his love right away. But then in the end, she was testing him through those lies? I can understand her testing him with the second lie, but not with the first one. Long story short, I did not appreciate India's lies. Even though Thorn was annoying with his image of an "ideal wife", I still could not blame him for not seeing through India's lies right away.
Moreover, I really liked Lala and I didn't like the way she was excluded from the group especially after India said she would make Lala feel included. India came off as hypocritical because instead of helping Lala, she was busy flirting with Thorn & Vander. On the other hand, I really did not like Lisette from Villiers's book, which made a huge difference in how I viewed Leopold and Eleanor's love story.
Finally, I wish we had seen more of Leopold and Eleanor. We saw Leopold more often than Eleanor. I really wish there was at least a small chapter dedicated to them.
P.S: The epilogue was really cute. And whatever happened to Oyster?? :'(
P.P.S: Vander's eyes changed from blue to brown lol...
There was a lot to like in this book, though the 1799 setting and the discussion of rubber kept confusing me. I must've checked a half dozen times to see if I'd read the date wrong and this wasn't a Victorian. The HGTV renovation elements more than made up for that though. And the secondary romance was perfect.
One of my favorite Eloisa James books! Absolutely recommend for romance lovers.
Loved it! Loved the heroine, who was practical and skilled and thought she knew what she was doing when it came to men. Loved the hero, who wasn't ashamed of his past and clearly had a head for business but not for love. Rose was adorable and quirky and I hope one day we get to read about her as a grown-up.
It was great to read about a heroine who had a profession even though she really shouldn't have, and was very good at what she did. I was fascinated reading about the re-decorating of Starberry Court and all that went into making a house presentable. India clearly knows her shit and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty to keep things on schedule. I thought the butlers and the footmen were great secondary characters and liked reading India's interactions with them. Of course they're going to know everything that goes on in the house and it's wise to be on their good side!
I'm glad that Laeticia got a happy ending as well. She was so victimized by her mother and to a degree, by India and Thorn as well. She just needed to find things she was good at and she got some self-confidence to go with her beauty and grace. I think she and Dr. Hatfield will be very happy.
Thorn was a great hero, but also a bit of an ass. To be fair, India was also cruel and manipulative for lying to him like she did and I don't feel like she realized that until it was too little too late. Despite their rocky beginning, I think they'll keep each other on their toes and be happy together.
I also liked reading their notes back and forth to each other and inferring their moods by the salutations and closings they used. The epilogue notes were cute as well.
I think I will wait before reading the next book in this series however. I really liked Vander at the beginning of this story, but his behavior at the end turned me off. I feel like he liked the idea of India better than her as a whole person and while his intentions may have been noble in proposing to her, I felt that he took her answer for granted and didn't ever truly listen to her. I don't want to start the next book hearing about how he is still mooning over "the perfect woman" and then marries someone out of spite (I haven't read a synopsis, so I'm not positive that's what happens, just my guess!).
It was great to read about a heroine who had a profession even though she really shouldn't have, and was very good at what she did. I was fascinated reading about the re-decorating of Starberry Court and all that went into making a house presentable. India clearly knows her shit and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty to keep things on schedule. I thought the butlers and the footmen were great secondary characters and liked reading India's interactions with them. Of course they're going to know everything that goes on in the house and it's wise to be on their good side!
I'm glad that Laeticia got a happy ending as well. She was so victimized by her mother and to a degree, by India and Thorn as well. She just needed to find things she was good at and she got some self-confidence to go with her beauty and grace. I think she and Dr. Hatfield will be very happy.
Thorn was a great hero, but also a bit of an ass. To be fair, India was also cruel and manipulative for lying to him like she did and I don't feel like she realized that until it was too little too late. Despite their rocky beginning, I think they'll keep each other on their toes and be happy together.
I also liked reading their notes back and forth to each other and inferring their moods by the salutations and closings they used. The epilogue notes were cute as well.
I think I will wait before reading the next book in this series however. I really liked Vander at the beginning of this story, but his behavior at the end turned me off. I feel like he liked the idea of India better than her as a whole person and while his intentions may have been noble in proposing to her, I felt that he took her answer for granted and didn't ever truly listen to her. I don't want to start the next book hearing about how he is still mooning over "the perfect woman" and then marries someone out of spite (I haven't read a synopsis, so I'm not positive that's what happens, just my guess!).
I really enjoyed the first six books in this series. I wanted to love this one, but it felt like it was missing something.
The parallels between Thorn's story and his father (The Duke of Villers, [b:A Duke of Her Own|6049962|A Duke of Her Own (Desperate Duchesses, #6)|Eloisa James|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305075069s/6049962.jpg|6225596]) were much appreciated. I also enjoyed Villers sly hand in teaching his son about love.
I loved the witty banter that James gives her characters. I loved the way they finally come together at the end, but I felt like their journey to get there was inconsistent of their characters.
The parallels between Thorn's story and his father (The Duke of Villers, [b:A Duke of Her Own|6049962|A Duke of Her Own (Desperate Duchesses, #6)|Eloisa James|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305075069s/6049962.jpg|6225596]) were much appreciated. I also enjoyed Villers sly hand in teaching his son about love.
I loved the witty banter that James gives her characters. I loved the way they finally come together at the end, but I felt like their journey to get there was inconsistent of their characters.
Well I loved it. From the beginning I didn't want to put it down, I stayed up later than I should have to read five chapters before I forced myself to put it down. Then the next night I had an hour left of reading at 2am and again, forced myself to go to bed. I was a little worried it would be too long and drone on but honestly, I liked every moment. I'm unsure if I'll next read Vander's book or go back to the very beginning because this is a spin off-in the same world as the other series and I was very intrigued about this guys father to be honest. So we shall see!
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
3.8. It did drag a bit at the end for me but it was a good time for the most part. It felt like the drama was simply going around in circles for no good reason though.
Loved it. The banter between the characters was entertaining and the romance was hot. Just wish I hadn't rushed through it. Worth a second read. Only gave it 4 of 5 because I did feel like the end was a little too predictable. After all the witty banter, I thought there could have been a better end.