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Bourne really is a good writer. She also writes with a realism not always present in historical romances. For instance, the very real danger of rape for women at that time rarely ever gets mentioned in most historical romances. I'm really loving all the plot twists, even though I'm only halfway through the book. How many other plot twists can be squeezed in without being ridiculous?

Bourne is a lovely writer. Though not exactly the same, her writing is giving off Sherry Thomas, Meredith Duran, and Judith Ivory vibes. Not the same, but just so.

I'm enjoying this book far more than I expected. The nods to so many authors and the "metaness" of this book is just delightful.

I've read two other Henry books and she always struck me as vanilla - loved by many b/c it's meant for the masses, neutral, not overly smutty, nothing to cutting-edge, and nothing offensive. So she always felt blah to me. This is the first book where, despite it still feeling a bit vanilla, the storyline is original and the characters are lovable, if not occasionally annoying.

The writing and characterization of the MCs has a "It Happened One Night" feel to it. I wonder if it's Jude's style or the style of this romance era (80-90s?)

So far, this book definitely has an 80s feel to it. I can actually picture the story via an 80s movie. It's giving off Mannequin 2 vibes, but gender swapped.

Paranormal isn't my go-to. But leave it to Hazelwood to make every romance subgenre a real delight.

The narrator not questioning his wife about her whereabouts is unbelievable to me. Married couples don't let vague answers go. They will ask questions. The other might lie, but no spouse will just let important matters go like that. It's actually the most unbelievable part of the story right now.

I appreciate how Keeland has made their transition from friends to couple so easy. There's no commitment phobia on either side. There is no worry about "keeping things cool." You start dating. You like each other. Not interested in others. You're a couple. Easy peasy. Love the no-drama.

This is interesting. So far, I don't care for any of the characters but they are all fascinating enough to keep me wanting to read more.

Objectively, this is a beautifully written story. Schwab is a wonderful and insightful writer. However, there are many moments in this book that simply seem to drag for me. I think because I don't care about setting or world-building, which seems to be half of this book, it is hampering my overall enjoyment of the story. Though I'm definitely feeling the vibes that Schwab is trying to convey.

So far, this reads as women's fic, not romance.

There is so much to unpack that I will probably forget some things in my final review. But some things I'm seeing repeatedly:
1. The heroine isn't worth anything unless she's beautiful.
2. This was the origins of the miscommunication trope.
3. Internalized misogy definitely played a heavy role in the '70s. Female characters automatically hated each other just to get the mirror tension of a man.

I'm still waiting for Brandon's transformation. When is he supposed to be redeemable again? And why must Heather beseech him all the time? I do not understand how these two are supposed to be attractive characters.

I do not understand Heather's reactions sometimes. Brandon doesn't say anything remotely hurtful and just asks a question, yet Heather goes into crying hysterics for absolutely no reason. I'm just completely confounded by her behavior sometimes. And I'm not really understanding the appeal of Brandon yet. He reads like the bro-magas who think they are alpha.

This book has a real vibe. The kind of vibe you need to be in the mood for, or at least prepare to be in the mood for.

It's a surprisingly good story so far, even with the problematic aspects.

There isn't anything boring about the romance, but actually fine the conversations around insurance policies more interesting. The discussions that Vander has with his father around insurance coverage, the East India company, and the history around commercial trade is very interesting.

Schwab writes beautifully.

What a surprising and wonderful start. I love the lighthearted touch to this story and even though the hero is a dissolute rake, he reminds me of Alistair Carsington from Miss Wonderful. Yes, a rake, but ultimately utterly harmless. 🙂

While I'm absolutely enjoying the heck out of this book, at this point, it's starting to feel unnecessarily dragged out. I'm trying to balance the reality of how long it would take for Inez to truly accept a relationship between Sol and Judah while wishing for consistent pacing in the story. I think Ryan's storytelling is realistic, but it translates to slowed pacing for the reader and a desire for the HEA asap.

The relationship dynamics in this book feels a lot like Long Shot.

How does Ryan do it? How does she make me feel so viscerally when I haven't read even 10% of the book yet?

This wasn't what I expected. I wasn't expecting a "normal" behaving billionaire. And I was expecting OCD and grief rep. I'm pleasantly surprised by Asher.

Ok, just based on the intro, I can tell I'm going to like this one. She is hilarious and adorable.

There is something about Ember that, despite her gracelessness and almost brash personality, it's actually kind of lovable. It has a bit of Bridget Jones vibes, with all the awkward things that happen to her and would normally make her look foolish.

I don't know how I feel about Lola. I don't have a whole lot of patience with heroines who feel they need to fight the whole world, including the hero and those who want to help her. She's not a very lovable character.

This book has a surprising amount of heart. I should have known that Kingfisher is able to take an outwardly ugly and grotesque creature and give it the sweetest of human characteristics.

I really like Nava's writing. There is a sharpness, an honesty, and bite in the way she characterizes Ember. And Ember herself, I think, is a really good reflection of the way tired, angry women who have had enough feel and think. It is a painfully truthful characterization, but I'm really loving how it's handled.

The voice of Patrick is so authentic, funny, and at times poignant that, even when I'm not in the right mood to really appreciate and enjoy this book, I can objectively see just how good the characterization is.