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haley49's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Easy read with a easy plot. I like the idea of 3 sisters running a business at this time and place but all the characters felt so 2-d. The secret if the book was interesting but it didn’t get the narrative and emotional weight it should have. Overall good but it didn’t really stick out as a historical romance.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Classism
natashaleighton_'s review
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
A swoon-worthy new regency romance that kicks off the brand new Designing Debutantes series from Sabrina Jeffries which follows three sisters (Diana, Verity and Eliza) who run a successful event planning business (which aims to help debutantes find suitable husbands) and the surly, stubborn Civil Engineer-turned-Duke, Geoffrey who hires them the help his sister.
But the minute Diana and Geoffrey meet, sparks fly (along with their barbs) and things only get more interesting (and sexier) from there.
As you probably know by now, I absolutely love an enemies or rivals to lovers premise and though it wasn’t as enemies to lovers-esque as I would’ve liked the tension between our protagonists was really good. I did enjoy that both Diana and Geoffrey seemed to be disillusioned by the ton and its aversion to scandal, it definitely helped to showcase just how well matched they were.
The pacing was a little slow at times, however the romance did more than make up for it, being completely off the charts. Their locations for illicit meet-ups were also surprisingly top tier. At Almack’s, in carriages and even an old Laboratory—there were soo many delicious moments that I really loved.
It’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy old school regency romances or any of Sabrina Jeffries’ other books.
And also a massive thank you to Headline Eternal for the finished copy.
But the minute Diana and Geoffrey meet, sparks fly (along with their barbs) and things only get more interesting (and sexier) from there.
As you probably know by now, I absolutely love an enemies or rivals to lovers premise and though it wasn’t as enemies to lovers-esque as I would’ve liked the tension between our protagonists was really good. I did enjoy that both Diana and Geoffrey seemed to be disillusioned by the ton and its aversion to scandal, it definitely helped to showcase just how well matched they were.
The pacing was a little slow at times, however the romance did more than make up for it, being completely off the charts. Their locations for illicit meet-ups were also surprisingly top tier. At Almack’s, in carriages and even an old Laboratory—there were soo many delicious moments that I really loved.
It’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy old school regency romances or any of Sabrina Jeffries’ other books.
And also a massive thank you to Headline Eternal for the finished copy.
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book was really cute! I might be slightly biased in my like of this book because I shared a name with the titular character, but Diana and Geoffrey had such an adorable and tension-filled relationship.
Their relationship kept me on the edge of my seat and their dialogue was amazing! I also loved their respective families, making the book feel real.
The only thing that I didn’t really love were the historical inaccuracies, but I understand that that’s not always possible, with the book being written in a completely different time.
I received this book as a giveaway.
Graphic: Misogyny, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and War
tostita's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, and Death of parent