Series: A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women, #2
Traits & Tropes: enemies to lovers; doctor hero; slow burn
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England, 1815
Publication Date: 04.27.21
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 3/5
Well-respected village doctor Ned Thurlowe takes pride in his strong intellect and clear thinking as chairman of the Logical Men’s Society. But all that cool composure is lost when a feisty and lovely woman show up claiming to have inherited the local pub. Ned won’t stand for it as the beloved tavern has become the favored meeting place of the Society and he hopes to claim it himself, even if the men haven’t exactly been taking care of the place.
Widowed Gemma Estep is done relying on others for her living and is determined to turn her late uncle’s tavern into her own establishment, a respectable tea garden. This is her chance to finally be free and she has no intention of letting her new enemy Ned Thurlowe get in her way, even if he sparks wholly unfamiliar feelings in her. As the two bicker, it eventually becomes apparent they’re very alike and beneath their mutual animosity is an entirely different sort of heat.
This book was rather bizarre to me and much of the time had me simultaneously entertained and highly annoyed. I’m pretty sure this was the intended reaction given the incredibly high levels of sexism displayed by the men in this novel, including and especially the hero. The meddling matrons were frustrating in their own regard, but the backwards men certainly took the cake. The romance here was rather lost in the battle of the sexes and the hero’s bloodless engagement to another woman, both of which went on a bit too long for me. Ned went from being ridiculously immature in his behavior, harassing Gemma when he knew he had no claim simply because his attraction to her made him uncomfortable, to complaining about being too old. His reasons for his dislike of women were also rather feeble and made him difficult to like as his change of heart and growth as a character came about quite late. Ned and Gemma went from being at each other’s throats, with Ned being especially and irrationally nasty, to suddenly being in love. This wasn’t just a slow burn to me, but their feelings didn’t make sense after how he treated her. Lust was believable, but it was rather an abrupt about face for deep emotions, especially since it took them so long to fight for their love. I also would’ve liked to see some comeuppance for Gemma’s awful family; I kept waiting for them to pop up and try to cause trouble since she left so abruptly, and it was a bit odd that we never heard from them again. Overall, this story was entertaining but rather less than romantic. I was intrigued by the side characters and enjoyed the writing style though so I will likely continue the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3810368144
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3275420142
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