I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: March 28, 2023
Rating: 2.5/5
I was lured by the delicious promise of a forbidden romance between a Countess and her daughter’s self-made suitor, but I was left disappointed in the execution.
I love that we have an older heroine because it’s a rarity in historical romance. It’s interesting to read about a married heroine who ends up cheating on her piece of sh*t husband (he has been cheating on her since day 1 of their marriage). The hero is 4 years younger than the heroine and there’s an interesting twist on the fake dating/courtship trope that I liked. So basically, this book has a unique premise and breathes new life into overused tropes. And I admire that! I really like that the author decided to write something fresh and new.
I really like the set up of this series. It’s based on strong female friendships, with potential future heroines in their 30s and above. This book does suffer from the first-in-a-series syndrome because multiple characters and their POVs are introduced. The set up for future stories is laid out in this book and Jasper’s POV kind of gets drowned in the process. I really needed more chapters from his POV. There are quite a few repetitive monologues and information that made my eyes glaze over. But there is also a light supernatural aspect that was a fun addition to the story. The séance with psychic Madame Klara wasn’t overdone and I am hoping we see more of her in future books.
The romance was fine. Nothing too special. I was expecting something more delicious on the forbidden aspect. The romance didn’t feel as forbidden as the premise advertised because Tru’s daughter and Jasper quickly agree early on that nothing will come out of their so-called courtship. Tru’s daughter was never interested in Jasper, which I appreciated because there would be an ick factor involved otherwise. That being said, the forbidden romance didn’t feel too forbidden as a result lol. So maybe the author needed to find that perfect balance between ick and forbidden? I don’t know haha.
As for Tru’s husband, he was a villain for the sake of being a villain. A caricature with zero depth. Valencia’s husband had more depth than Tru’s husband and this isn’t even Valencia’s book! The climax was incredibly dramatic and it honestly felt like a cop-out. My reaction to the climax and resolution was “Really? That’s it?” It was stupid and terribly convenient. But also kind of funny in its stupidity.
Lastly, I’m not sure where the author is getting at with a courtesan character named Fatima. Is she a white woman? Because that ain’t a white woman’s name FYI.
Romance Library 