The Ugly Duchess (Fairy Tales Book 4)
by Eloisa James
Synopsis
“Eloisa James is extraordinary.”
—Lisa Kleypas
“Nothing gets me to the bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.”
—Julia Quinn
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James gives the classic Hans Christian Andersen story of “The Ugly Duckling” a wonderful, witty, and delightfully passionate twist. The Ugly Duchess is another fairytale inspired romance from the unparalleled storyteller whose writing, author Teresa Medieros raves, “is truly scrumptious.” A sexy and fun historical romance, James’s winning tale of a glorious reawakening does not feature ducks and swans—rather it’s a charming story of a young woman unaware of her own beauty, suddenly duty-bound to wed the dashing gentleman who has always been her platonic best friend…until now.
Review
Well. What can I say - this book broke my heart. A lot.
But I'm starting in the middle. Let me back-track a little (and beware of spoilers - sorry!).
I'm so used to enemies to lovers stories, or friends to lovers, that this book really surprised me. It's basically a friends to lovers to enemies story. I tend to stay away from estranged spouses stories, but I was hooked into this one when I read just how much they loved each other. They loved each other not just as a man and a woman, but as friends. This is mainly why it broke my heart when they broke each other's hearts. And then 7 years pass (SEVEN YEARS!) before they see each other again, and the pain and hurt Theo feels throughout the story is just truly heartbreaking.
Reader, you may feel that I've given away a lot from this story, and for that, I'm sorry. However, this story has so much more than the small synopsis says above. This story was strong with character development, and detailed emotional passages for both Theo and James. This was my first Eloisa James, and even though heartbreaking books are brutal, I will definitely look into more of her books because fictional heartbreak is necessary for the good bits some times.
But I'm starting in the middle. Let me back-track a little (and beware of spoilers - sorry!).
I'm so used to enemies to lovers stories, or friends to lovers, that this book really surprised me. It's basically a friends to lovers to enemies story. I tend to stay away from estranged spouses stories, but I was hooked into this one when I read just how much they loved each other. They loved each other not just as a man and a woman, but as friends. This is mainly why it broke my heart when they broke each other's hearts. And then 7 years pass (SEVEN YEARS!) before they see each other again, and the pain and hurt Theo feels throughout the story is just truly heartbreaking.
Reader, you may feel that I've given away a lot from this story, and for that, I'm sorry. However, this story has so much more than the small synopsis says above. This story was strong with character development, and detailed emotional passages for both Theo and James. This was my first Eloisa James, and even though heartbreaking books are brutal, I will definitely look into more of her books because fictional heartbreak is necessary for the good bits some times.
RSS Feed
