Review - Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase

 Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase is a delightful read! Cassandra Pomfret is outspoken and determined, two things that make her thoroughly unmarriageable. When a series of mishaps ends up with her being thrown together with the Duke of Ashmont, one of London's most disgraceful dukes, she wants nothing to do with him or his disreputable habits. Ashmont, however, sets out to woo the prickly Cassandra and win her heart.

Somehow this is the first of Loretta Chase's books I've read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story started off a little slowly, with lots of references to other characters and events (this is the second book in a series) and so I was a little thrown off, but quickly caught up and was able to greatly enjoy the book. 

It's often said in historical romance that "reformed rakes make the best husbands", but I haven't seen many books tackle the reformation quite as head-on as this one does. From Ashmont's point of view we see him striving to overcome his ingrained habits to be a better person, and to be the person Cassandra needs him to be. We (and Cassandra) see him doing the work to turn himself around, and so the happy-ever-after is especially gratifying. 

I would definitely recommend this book, and I look forward to reading the book preceding this, as well as the next one when it is available.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback.

Review - A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore

 A Rogue of One's Own is the second novel in Evie Dunmore's League of Extraordinary Women series, and centers on Lady Lucie, the leader of the Oxford chapter of suffragettes, and Tristan, Lord Ballantine, a notorious rogue who seems destined to thwart her plans. 

In A Rogue of One's Own, Dunmore does an excellent job of building the setting. Set in against the backdrop of women's suffrage in Victorian England, the story builds upon the world created in Dunmore's previous book, Bringing Down the Duke. If the first book's emphasis on suffrage was akin to dipping your toe into the pool, this one is diving in. Dunmore makes the case against the Married Women's Property Act seem as real and as pertinent as it no doubt did in 1880, which seems incredibly timely given the events currently occurring in the United States. As a woman who is currently afraid that her rights and bodily autonomy might be rescinded in the coming months, Lucie's fight seems singularly poignant. 

From a romance perspective, I very much enjoyed the story. Tristan is a wonderful character, and getting to see his point of view as he's coming to agree with Lucie's cause was so refreshing. It was very difficult to see how Tristan and Lucie could gain their happily-ever-after given both of their strong views, but it was hard-earned and well worth it.

I will be looking forward to reading more from Evie Dunmore in the future! 

Review - One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

 One to Watch is Kate Stayman-London's debut novel, and as such it's great! Bea Shumacher is a plus-size fashion blogger who has been in unrequited love with her best guy-friend for nearly ten years, but to him she's always been a friend. After a drunken blog rant goes viral, Bea is selected to become the next star of "Main Squeeze" - a Bachelor-like show. She is confronted with twenty-five suitors and has to try to find love, but will her past hang-ups stop her from finding anything real?

I enjoyed this book, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. I grabbed One to Watch from the library because it was classed as Romance, however I don't feel this book truly belongs in the romance genre. This is definitely more of a women's fiction book - the whole story is Bea's journey to accepting herself, and the romance and the television show is just a prop for that. There is no clear love interest, just different men that Bea interacts with who each teach her something different about who she is or what she wants. There's nothing wrong with this, and overall it's a great book, I just don't think it's right to try to shoehorn a book somewhere that it doesn't belong - the target audience won't see it, and the people who do will be disappointed. Personally I couldn't believe the "happy ending" or, really, any of the relationships Bea formed with the men, because we simply didn't have any time with them. This was Bea's book, through and through.

Overall this book was fantastic. Bea's journey is relatable to anyone who's ever had a negative thought about themselves, especially women who don't necessarily fit the typical idea of "beauty". Stayman-London told a lot of the story through different modes as well, which was fresh and interesting, and a great way to let the audience be privy to information that Bea was not. There were blog posts, Twitter threads, TMZ articles, chat-room logs, tons of other, more epistolary entries, which was a great idea.

I can't wait to see what Kate Stayman-London writes next!