Viper Spaulding
Intriguing plot I loved the subtle commentary on the timely issue of news with integrity vs. paid propaganda, and I appreciated Eliza's inner social justice warrior. I thought the plot was unique and found myself as captivated by the elusive Duke of Chester as the characters were. However, I struggled to like Eliza, finding her quite morose and cynical, and since the entire story is told exclusively in her POV it was difficult to get a balanced read on the rest of the characters. I was frustrated by Eliza's inability to either stand up to or stand by her father; her frustrations with his selfish manipulations seemed at odds with her unfailing determination to win his approval. It was difficult to know what I was rooting for. Johnny's indecision wasn't as easy to read through Eliza's POV, but he made it clear he'd never marry her and even at the end, when we're supposed to believe in their HEA, he doesn't offer marriage. In a contemporary romance this wouldn't be a problem, but in a regency where the main conflict is her father's attempts to marry her to the wrong man this omission leaves the conclusion far too open to interpretation. The writing style wasn't as smooth as I'd like. The author put significant effort into arranging the dialogue to fit what she must believe was appropriate for the day, yet her own use of grammar, especially personal pronouns, falls short of what is even acceptable today. This was my first book by this author, and I'm not sure I'd take a chance on another. There's a lot of promise in the creative premise but the execution could have been better. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.