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emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, so in the previous novel, my dude kidnaps a woman and threatens to r^pe her to force her into marrying him to he can maintain the lavish lifestyle to which he's accustomed or whatever. And up to that point, from my understanding, he's characterized as an insatiable misogynist and a generally unsavory character.
And then my girl Evie rolls up, what, like a week later? Less? And she's like, I'm so desperate to escape my highly abusive relatives that I'll take a chance on this man because, hey! He wouldn't have Actually r^ped my Best Friend, he was just bluffing! He was desperate! And if he'd known his friend was in love with this woman he wouldn't have kidnapped her! It's all good!
And as soon as they agree to a marriage of convenience, St. Vincent completely pivots. He's tender, he's using terms of endearment, he's giving her massages, he's prioritizing her comfort over his own! What a guy. And Evie, despite her understanding of his character up to this point, and her history of abuse, is immediately at ease with him. Presumably because he shows her a modicum of decency and she's not accustomed to men being nice to her.
And sure, St. Vincent oscillates wildly between being thoughtful and attentive, to a cold, aloof prick who can't handle his own feelings. But there's a good man in there somewhere, there's gotta be, he just needs the love of a Good Woman to redeem him. So maybe if Evie just takes his behavior all in stride, she'll get to his gooey center eventually!
Suffice it to say, I found it hard to buy into these characters truly being in love, given then execution of this premise. But I suppose reformed rake storylines have always been a bit questionable to me.
There's also:
Incredibly fatphobic descriptions of Evie's cousin. I'm so tired of writers deciding the way they want to show and not tell you that a character is bad is by describing them as fat or ugly, or both! Because being fat is shorthand for a variety of moral failings, naturally. It's old, it's played, please just leave fat people alone lol.
The fetishization of Cam. We are constantly reminded how he's Romani, and how exotic and mystical that makes him. And for some reason, characters often refer to him only as "the Rom" instead of calling him by his fucking name.
I'll never get over St. Vincent throwing a fit when Evie told him she would resume a sexual relationship with him when he could demonstrate that he wouldn't cheat on her lol. Like any period of celibacy would be the death of him, because he's a man, and men have needs. Wild.
But! Credit as always to Mary Jane Wells for her skills as an audiobook narrator. Her St. Vincent did charm me at times. And I did finish it, which I've never been able to do with a Kleypas book before (and I've tried quite a few) so I gotta give it a little something.
And then my girl Evie rolls up, what, like a week later? Less? And she's like, I'm so desperate to escape my highly abusive relatives that I'll take a chance on this man because, hey! He wouldn't have Actually r^ped my Best Friend, he was just bluffing! He was desperate! And if he'd known his friend was in love with this woman he wouldn't have kidnapped her! It's all good!
And as soon as they agree to a marriage of convenience, St. Vincent completely pivots. He's tender, he's using terms of endearment, he's giving her massages, he's prioritizing her comfort over his own! What a guy. And Evie, despite her understanding of his character up to this point, and her history of abuse, is immediately at ease with him. Presumably because he shows her a modicum of decency and she's not accustomed to men being nice to her.
And sure, St. Vincent oscillates wildly between being thoughtful and attentive, to a cold, aloof prick who can't handle his own feelings. But there's a good man in there somewhere, there's gotta be, he just needs the love of a Good Woman to redeem him. So maybe if Evie just takes his behavior all in stride, she'll get to his gooey center eventually!
Suffice it to say, I found it hard to buy into these characters truly being in love, given then execution of this premise. But I suppose reformed rake storylines have always been a bit questionable to me.
There's also:
Incredibly fatphobic descriptions of Evie's cousin. I'm so tired of writers deciding the way they want to show and not tell you that a character is bad is by describing them as fat or ugly, or both! Because being fat is shorthand for a variety of moral failings, naturally. It's old, it's played, please just leave fat people alone lol.
The fetishization of Cam. We are constantly reminded how he's Romani, and how exotic and mystical that makes him. And for some reason, characters often refer to him only as "the Rom" instead of calling him by his fucking name.
I'll never get over St. Vincent throwing a fit when Evie told him she would resume a sexual relationship with him when he could demonstrate that he wouldn't cheat on her lol. Like any period of celibacy would be the death of him, because he's a man, and men have needs. Wild.
But! Credit as always to Mary Jane Wells for her skills as an audiobook narrator. Her St. Vincent did charm me at times. And I did finish it, which I've never been able to do with a Kleypas book before (and I've tried quite a few) so I gotta give it a little something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
there’s plenty wrong about this book (fatphobia, anti-romani sentiment, dubious consent scenes) but lisa kleypas sure understands the key to a good historical romance novel: angst
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault
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funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this is the first Kleypas book I really liked. It's got its faults--product of its times with all the head-hopping, and goes hard into anti-fatness to signal someone is a 'bad' person. I thought the miscommunication between Evie and Sebastian was uneven, sometimes great and sometimes felt weak and just there to force the plot. The Big Baddie subplot felt a bit weak because they're basically a clown villain. There to be Bad, and though there were reasons given, it felt like those were pretty surface level and could've been made into something more. But...Big Baddie is only there to create drama for the main couple and it's successful enough.
Sex scenes are good, and I liked the love confession at the end even if I thought their relationship could've used a little more building out.
Sex scenes are good, and I liked the love confession at the end even if I thought their relationship could've used a little more building out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Xenophobia, Dementia, Stalking, Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
fast-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Terminal illness, Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Pregnancy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Minor: Racial slurs, Xenophobia
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
Having not read the Autumn book, I was able to find Sebastian quite attractive. I do love a marriage of convenience.
Quick, spicy read
Quick, spicy read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexual content, Grief