midknytowl's reviews
318 reviews

I'm sure there has to be another plot starting,

I'm guessing younger brother trying to kill older brother to become Laird

, but all the issues so far could be solved with a conversation. One simple conversation, 10% through this book, and we've hit our HEA. I'm at 50% and probably only stayed that long because I'm enjoying the Scottish narrator.

Also, can we please move on from freshly deflowered virgins having sex multiple times the first day without any repercussions? Woman got her cherry popped, then round two not soon after, and then got on a horse and later than night wanted some more boning. My vag hurts just reading this.

Second book I've read by this author, and I think she's just not for me. I liked this one even less, and probably wouldn't have finished if it wasn't so short. 

Also, both books had two epilogues, and the second one had them popping out babies. These are series, they can have kids in future books if you want everyone to know. They just seemed unnecessary, but maybe that's just because I don't want kids. Or the fact it was a SECOND epilogue just for that. 

Very unique premise, and overall I enjoyed it. 

I couldn't suspend the disbelief that they can actually have an HEA, they're too fundamentally different, which took away from the experience. (And not just because of the class difference.)

This was cute, and it was so nice to read a medieval romance that was sapphic. They were cute, and I will always read anything that has a girl pretending to be a boy for something, it is my favorite microtrope. Docked it a quarter star because it felt kind of slow and took longer than I would have thought to finish. Good, but even the stressful and high stake events weren't enough to keep me staying up to read one more chapter.

Excellent narrator for the audiobook, and overall a good intro to public health and contagious diseases. 

Covid was barely talked about, which was a bit weird, and some other things were skirted around a bit, like not mentioning smallpox blankets when talking about how the disease killed most of the Native Americans. Apparently there's a DOD disclaimer in the acknowledgements that might have something to do with that; it's not read in the audiobook version and regardless I think the tiptoeing around certain things detracted a bit, hence the 3.5.

I liked the characters as a whole, but the two times Messalina got extremely angry at Gideon were a bit lame. I mean honestly,

storming out of a ball because you found out that your husband lied to you brother about consummating your marriage? Did he have plans to them seduce her that night? Sure. But he didn't initiate it, she did. She kissed him earlier that day in the bath, she told him to kiss her that night.

Unreasonable outrage. I just kept thinking she was overreacting just to have conflict between the characters.

The second one was even more of a no win situation for Gideon.

 
M: Tell me what my uncle told you to do. 
G: I can't, you'll hate me.
M: Tell me or we have no trust and can't start over. 
G: I can't, you'll hate me. 
M: Guess we can't have a relationship because you don't trust me. I'm leaving. 
G: Fine! -tells her-
M: I hate you.

Honestly you can't demand an answer to something and then get mad when they answer it. She kept setting Gideon up for failure. He sends flowers as amends, normal behavior 101? She hates flowers how could he be so trite.

I read the trilogy out of order, and compared to the other ones Messalina has the least amount of character development and nuance. The ending felt rushed, and how are you going to throw in a classic crowd pleaser trope and not utilize it/give the people what they want?

You had Gideon injured twice! Where was my decent sick bed scenes?? Why throw that in there and then do nothing with it?

Also, that very last second

kidnapping thing

seemed so very random. It wasn't necessary for them to get back together or realize they loved each other (at that point), and it was resolved so very quickly. 

Sad way to end my trilogy experience, but glad I read book three first or I probably wouldn't have picked it up after this one. I'll probably try the fourth one, since I'm sure there will be one. My prediction is Quinton, though I think Lucrecia will go first based on what I know from book 3. 

(And maybe Freya's sister will get a book, because I'd like to know if her name is Catrina like books 1&2 said, or Catriona, which was used in book 3. Or if the narrator just messed up.)

Really liked this one, listened to it in two days. I think where it suffered the most was I had just finished the third book in the series and liked it so much I decided to read the rest, and the third book was a bit stronger (as is usual). Still quite good though.

It was fine, but I put it down six months ago and wouldn't even remember I started it if it wasn't in my currently reading list. Obviously has not hooked me at all in the first 11%, so not going to bother revisiting.