Series: Fairy Tales, #3
Traits & Tropes: titled hero; widower; heroine is betrothed to someone else
Publication Date: 12.27.11
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Kent, England, March 1812
Heat Level: 3
Rating: 2/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
Olivia Lytton’s betrothal to the heir to the Duke of Canterwick is certainly not the happy ending she would’ve chosen, but attaining a title will at least enable her to dower her twin sister, Georgiana. Hoping that Georgiana will be able to secure an engagement with the scholarly Duke of Sconce, Olivia and Georgiana venture to his estate, only to have a wrench dropped in their plans when it is Olivia who falls in love with him.
Tarquin, the Duke of Sconce, is devoted to logic and reason over emotion. He can see that Georgiana is the ideal bride on paper, but willful, brash Olivia is the one who catches his notice and fires a passion he thought himself incapable of. As they grow closer, Quin and Olivia risk everything for a chance to find true happiness.
I have lots of mixed feelings about this book and I’m still not sure what to rate it. I’m not even sure if I liked it or disliked it, though I don’t seem to have any strong inclination one way or another. As always when I’m like this, you risk spoilers if you continue reading this one.
Of course, no one wants to be forced into a marriage, especially not with someone who’s practically still a child while you’re in your early twenties, but the way Olivia’s original fiancé, Rupert, was dealt with was quite insensitive. Rupert had experienced a lack of oxygen at birth resulting in mental delays and his perceived lack of intelligence was the punch line of many jokes in this story. If he’d just been plain out unintelligent that would’ve been one thing, but he has a medical reason for it. He does end the story as a hero, but the way he just faded out of the picture as a rather feeble plot device to enable the addition of elements from The Princess and the Pea felt very off and wrong. Not only that, but this entire sequence served to highlight just how idiotic Olivia is and how poor her decision-making is. She already seemed rather empty-headed given that all she can seem to come up with for conversation is ribald humor and dirty jokes. Her insistence on a journey to France just endangered everyone else unnecessarily and made her seem like a dunce, which is rather ironic given her belittling of Rupert’s intelligence. There is also an incredibly cringeworthy scene between Olivia and Rupert in which their respective parents essentially force them to consummate their engagement before they’re even married because Rupert’s father is desperate for an heir to the dukedom and Rupert is going off to war. It was utterly nonsensical, not romantic (obviously) and thoroughly gross, though thankfully nothing happens as Rupert’s equipment doesn’t function, probably because he’s basically still a child, at least mentally. Our hero, Quin, at least calls this farce out for the disgusting disgrace it is, but that’s all that is said on the matter.
All that said, I will give Olivia credit for defending Rupert to his father and to the hero’s mother. Her loyalty there is to be commended. Olivia’s slightly younger twin sister, Georgiana, was another character who got the short end of the stick. The two were only at Quin’s house in the first place because his mother was considering Georgiana as a potential wife for him, meanwhile he’s off kissing Olivia. This felt icky to me for awhile though, of course, Georgiana confided in Olivia that she didn’t even like him and didn’t actually want to marry, plus she could see how he looked at Olivia and therefore she was fine and supported a relationship between them. They were also never actually engaged and she was one of several ladies invited to the duke’s home as a marriage prospect, so there was at least no cheating. Also, thankfully, Georgiana wound up getting what she wanted in a roundabout way, but it felt gross for a bit and I was glad to see her call Olivia out on some of her more outrageous behavior. Mostly, Olivia came off as a spoiled brat and I found it hard to like her, her loyalty to Rupert’s friendship notwithstanding. She’s that person who never knows when to quit, who takes a joke too far. Turns out, they’re just as annoying in books as they are in real life.
I actually really did like Quin’s oddness as a hero. He had a traumatic past given the infidelity of his previous wife and the loss of his son, so it was nice for him to start to come alive and care about life again. In this respect, Olivia was good for him and I loved how he stood up to his mother for her and declared what he wanted for his life and that he wouldn’t be controlled. That aspect was lovely, but I was left wanting more of it and still not really feeling like he and Olivia were quite a good fit or that they had much of a connection beyond physical lust.
I’m still not really sure how I felt about this, though I’m liking it less and less the more I think about it. Overall, there was just a lot going on and a ton of angst that didn’t always feel right or necessary. The mix of light, fantastical fluff with some deeply emotional moments was very jarring. The whimsical banter wasn’t bad, but the characterizations seemed weak and I at times had trouble remembering who was whom. The heavy, more serious tone of the latter half of the book definitely did not match the farcical depiction of the first half and that threw me off a bit as well. This was definitely one of the stranger books I’ve ever read, to say the least. However, I do remain puzzled because I didn’t dread listening to this or especially not want to finish it, though that was possibly because I was trying to get through it and get it returned before the library took back my audio borrow. That said, I also wasn’t looking forward to listening to it either. I guess that makes me ambivalent but leaning towards dislike on this one.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/611531178
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1967596634
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