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A review by spicycronereads
One Season with the Duke by Addy Du Lac
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this book! It was so much fun. It sucked me in and I really thought I was going to finish in one day. Had it not been for grownup responsibilities, I might have. It’s been a little while since I felt that absorbed in a book.
The book is set in London, Edinburgh, and the Scottish Highlands in 1837. The FMC, Henrietta, Hettie, is a Black woman who has been raised in London by her white aunt and uncle. Her cousin, Philip, also Black, is trying to blackmail her into marriage. Her childhood friend, Finn, now a Scottish Duke, arrives in London just as Hettie’s engagement to Philip is set to be announced. Finn has been pining for Hettie and there is instant chemistry. Banter, romance, intrigue, and drama ensue. There were times when I was laughing. There were times when I read page after page with tears streaming down my face.
Secondary characters, aside from Lady Aoife, are fairly underdeveloped. She serves as a foil to Hettie and helps move the plot along on some places. The character of Philip, as the villain, takes kind of a turn partway through the narrative. I can’t decide how I feel about it.
The middle part of the narrative did get a bit soggy. There are lots of spicy scenes as life is unfolding. We definitely see the physical attraction between characters, but I would’ve liked to have seen more of those subtle cues that they were falling in love. The kind where the reader knows before they do.
Hettie, Philip, and Temperance (Hettie‘s cousin’s off-page wife), are all Black or multiracial. It is refreshing to see non-white characters in a period bodice ripper.
There is quite a bit of spice. When I got to the end, and encountered the word “turgid,“ I realized that the nature and quality of the spice reminds me of those old-school Harlequin romances. A lot of the languag is euphemistic, but it’s still plenty steamy. I actually thought this was really neat. Kind of an homage to those 1980s and 1990s romances. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall, such a fun and engaging read. Reminiscent of earlier romance novels, while bringing the genre of the bodice ripper up-to-date (adding racial diversity and leaving out any threat of SA). I can’t wait to see what is next from Addy DuLac! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The book is set in London, Edinburgh, and the Scottish Highlands in 1837. The FMC, Henrietta, Hettie, is a Black woman who has been raised in London by her white aunt and uncle. Her cousin, Philip, also Black, is trying to blackmail her into marriage. Her childhood friend, Finn, now a Scottish Duke, arrives in London just as Hettie’s engagement to Philip is set to be announced. Finn has been pining for Hettie and there is instant chemistry. Banter, romance, intrigue, and drama ensue. There were times when I was laughing. There were times when I read page after page with tears streaming down my face.
Secondary characters, aside from Lady Aoife, are fairly underdeveloped. She serves as a foil to Hettie and helps move the plot along on some places. The character of Philip, as the villain, takes kind of a turn partway through the narrative. I can’t decide how I feel about it.
The middle part of the narrative did get a bit soggy. There are lots of spicy scenes as life is unfolding. We definitely see the physical attraction between characters, but I would’ve liked to have seen more of those subtle cues that they were falling in love. The kind where the reader knows before they do.
Hettie, Philip, and Temperance (Hettie‘s cousin’s off-page wife), are all Black or multiracial. It is refreshing to see non-white characters in a period bodice ripper.
There is quite a bit of spice. When I got to the end, and encountered the word “turgid,“ I realized that the nature and quality of the spice reminds me of those old-school Harlequin romances. A lot of the languag is euphemistic, but it’s still plenty steamy. I actually thought this was really neat. Kind of an homage to those 1980s and 1990s romances. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall, such a fun and engaging read. Reminiscent of earlier romance novels, while bringing the genre of the bodice ripper up-to-date (adding racial diversity and leaving out any threat of SA). I can’t wait to see what is next from Addy DuLac! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Racism and Death of parent