Oh boy did I pick the wrong time to be reading an advance copy of an historical romance. I happened to start this book just in time for the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, and I hated just about every dude in the world at that point, and THEN I dove into some historical romance tropes that I already abhor to top off all of the latent rage. So I’m prefacing this entire review with that disclaimer, because it’s possible that at another time, I might have had some different, less irritated feelings about this one.
Lady Daphne Hallworth gets left behind in London during the holidays when both her brother and her mother think she is with the other on their journeys out to the country. Rather than follow them immediately, she revels in her newfound freedom, planning for her future life of independence. Her plans get thrown a bit out of wack when her reticule is stolen. She doesn’t care about the bag itself, or the money inside—no, she is concerned about her personal journal with VERY intimate information being revealed. Not only does she have private information about her sister’s death that would cause pain for everyone if it came to light, but she also has some very detailed fantasies that would be super embarrassing. When she runs into a gambling hell to attempt to retrieve it, she encounters an estranged family friend—Paul, Duke of Southart—who wants to help protect her reputation and get her journal back. Romance ensues, as it tends to do in books like this.
I do appreciate the fact that Daphne is not a 16-year-old, or even 18-year-old, young girl who is drawn in by a rake. She is a 28-year-old woman who might be considered a spinster well settled on the shelf. And I think MacGregor did a solid job of showing that, when you like someone, even a small gesture can have a huge impact. But from there, it was kind of downhill for me. The most annoying thing is, I think this book is actually attempting to show a relationship and people ahead of their times. For example, one of Daphne’s aims is that, as an independent woman, she wants to open a home for unwed mothers. Not something that you typically see represented during this time in romances. And then, you’ll get a moment like this in chapter four: “Paul’s gaze strayed to her velvet dress, which emphasized her straight backside and hugged her plump, perfectly shaped bottom, which begged for a man’s touch.” Now, it’s a romance book, of course there are going to be descriptions and appreciation of body parts; it’s the editorializing of “begged for a man’s touch” that really irks me. And as much as there seems to be an attempt at showing that both of them have equal power in the relationship, and Paul is not the most alpha of alpha males that I’ve seen, he also still says and thinks things like whether or not he’d “allow” certain men to be around Daphne. Not exactly a woke bae attitude, even for the time and place.
Beyond that, there was some phrasing that stood out to me in an incredibly negative way. Something like, “He could feel her feminine softness unfurl around him.” What? Or, “His cock was currently throwing a temper tantrum that it had been teased without any promise of a release in the near future.” Or even, “Immediately, his cock twitched like a setter ready to point. Or a pampered lapdog begging for a treat.” Yikesssss.
Here are some of the historical romance tropes in this book:
- Second son in line to nobility, a playboy who has to straighten up and fly right when his older brother dies unexpectedly.
- Not only was he a playboy, but he got around and everyone knows of his prowess.
- Man smells like sandalwood.
- Man gives woman a stupid and annoying nickname that he uses incessantly even after she has asked him to stop.
- Man is tumescent immediately and always in her presence, and has an animal draw to her so he just can’t control herself. (LITERALLY THE LAST THING I NEEDED TO READ ABOUT AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME WAS MEN WHO JUST CAN’T CONTROL THEMSELVES BECAUSE DICKS AND TESTOSTERONE AND THE SOCIETAL ALLOWANCE THAT MEN DON’T HAVE POWER OVER THEIR URGES.)
Now I’m not necessarily shitting on tropes; they’re formulaic because they work, and the romance book world is a billion-dollar-a-year industry. So they’re doing something right. But these are some of my least favourite, so it irked me even more.
And the icing on the cake? OF COURSE she winds up pregnant in the epilogue. Because what is a historical romance heroine for but to fulfill the egotism of reproduction.
So anyway, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The book’s publish date is November 27, and you can find more information here.
Jo In Real Life 