Helpful Score: 12
This was very disappointing for me for a Sophie Jordan read.
The 'rescue' scene in the very beginning where our so called hero, the Duke, offers a ride to Fallon just moments after she's had one man try to maul her and take advantage of her.
He, our Duke, has two ladies of the night in his carriage and decides to put a show on for her by pulling down one ladies gown and going at her breasts. Since Fallon has been sacked from every single job she's had thus far thanks to the man of the house trying to take sexual advantage of her, I thought this absolutely disgusting! And that he/she should be turned on by this display besides - gross!! I was ready to stop reading right then and there.
Well I didn't because I usually love Jordan's stories so I persevered. What a waste of time and $. The story was completely predictable, the relationships and characters - all of them - were superficial at best and there was nothing remotely enjoyable in it for me.
The only good thing I can say about this is it was a 1-nighter! =(
The 'rescue' scene in the very beginning where our so called hero, the Duke, offers a ride to Fallon just moments after she's had one man try to maul her and take advantage of her.
He, our Duke, has two ladies of the night in his carriage and decides to put a show on for her by pulling down one ladies gown and going at her breasts. Since Fallon has been sacked from every single job she's had thus far thanks to the man of the house trying to take sexual advantage of her, I thought this absolutely disgusting! And that he/she should be turned on by this display besides - gross!! I was ready to stop reading right then and there.
Well I didn't because I usually love Jordan's stories so I persevered. What a waste of time and $. The story was completely predictable, the relationships and characters - all of them - were superficial at best and there was nothing remotely enjoyable in it for me.
The only good thing I can say about this is it was a 1-nighter! =(
Kim H. (rubberducky) reviewed Sins of a Wicked Duke (Penwich School for Virtuous Girls, Bk 1) on + 79 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
A letdown and more than a little disgusting, IMO. The hero is a complete slut; I wouldn't touch him with tweezers, and I really don't understand why the heroine would find him attractive. He has reasons for being like he is, they always do, but he was too repulsive early on for me to care what they were. The heroine comes from rough circumstances and is actually fairly street smart, so you'd think she'd be afraid of contracting an STD from him:P Of course, she's in his household masquerading as a man - my least favorite plot device - so he feels fairly relaxed about letting her see the seedier side of his life, and I suppose the author meant for those circumstances to lessen the ick factor to some degree. Unfortunately, it doesn't work, and from his discovery about halfway into the story that she's actually a woman, it just continues to go downhill.
Grade: D+
Sensuality Rating: R
Grade: D+
Sensuality Rating: R
Catherine M. (Catherine1) reviewed Sins of a Wicked Duke (Penwich School for Virtuous Girls, Bk 1) on + 60 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
After reading multiple enthusiastic reviews at multiple sites I decided to pick this book up. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me nearly as well as it did for those other happy readers. The description of the book sounded promising and the details mentioned by the reviews were ones that I usually like. For some reason it just didn't come together for me in this book. I spent most of the book with one eyebrow cocked struggling to believe in the characters and their motivations.
For some reason I could never bring myself to like Fallon. I know that her pity party of one was supposed to make me feel for her, but it didn't work. I found her whiny and the type of person that would cut off her nose to spite herself. Her father died years ago following the demands of his employer. Fallon is unwilling to move past it and has a hatred for all noblemen (because her father's employer was one). The employer had paid for her to go to a school after her father's death, but that only deepened Fallon's dislike of him. The school she was sent to had a sadistic headmaster who got his jollies out of beating the girls enrolled there and watching them suffer.
This sounds like a nice background for character growth and the realization that it is narrow minded to blame a large group of people for the actions of one man. Unfortunately I didn't see that happen until the last few pages. When it finally did happen I didn't believe it. It seemed like she stayed mired in her bitterness the whole book until the author realized the end was coming up and had Fallon play lip service to character growth so that she and Dominic could get their HEA.
Very little was ever made out of the fact that Fallon was a servant and Dominic was a duke. I know it was brought up a few times by Fallon to explain why they could never be together but it seemed like lip service. When they finally got together in the end the class difference was ignored in a way that I found laughable. I know that Fallon blamed her looks and the fact that she wouldn't put out for not being able to keep a job, but I really don't believe that. She seemed to have no awareness of the fact that she was a servant and what that meant to her standing in the world. The girl couldn't keep her mouth shut and her rudeness contained if you stapled her lips shut. I think that was the real reason she couldn't keep a job.
Dominic was a pretty bland character. He was made out to be this dissolute rake that still managed to be sexy to Fallon. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. Usually there is something about the rakes that wallow in darkness that fascinates you even as their actions repel you. He didn't have that spark. Because of this lack I couldn't understand what Fallon was so fascinated by. She apparently saw something in him that fascinated her enough to look past his skeezy behavior. I wish I had seen it too.
One last point... I really dislike the fact that Fallon's charade lasted for so long. It made the rest of their relationship seem really rushed. It seemed like the minute Dominic saw she had breasts he worshipped her. Very irritating. I don't know if I'll try this author again. If the rest of her books are styled in this manner I don't think they'll work for me.
For some reason I could never bring myself to like Fallon. I know that her pity party of one was supposed to make me feel for her, but it didn't work. I found her whiny and the type of person that would cut off her nose to spite herself. Her father died years ago following the demands of his employer. Fallon is unwilling to move past it and has a hatred for all noblemen (because her father's employer was one). The employer had paid for her to go to a school after her father's death, but that only deepened Fallon's dislike of him. The school she was sent to had a sadistic headmaster who got his jollies out of beating the girls enrolled there and watching them suffer.
This sounds like a nice background for character growth and the realization that it is narrow minded to blame a large group of people for the actions of one man. Unfortunately I didn't see that happen until the last few pages. When it finally did happen I didn't believe it. It seemed like she stayed mired in her bitterness the whole book until the author realized the end was coming up and had Fallon play lip service to character growth so that she and Dominic could get their HEA.
Very little was ever made out of the fact that Fallon was a servant and Dominic was a duke. I know it was brought up a few times by Fallon to explain why they could never be together but it seemed like lip service. When they finally got together in the end the class difference was ignored in a way that I found laughable. I know that Fallon blamed her looks and the fact that she wouldn't put out for not being able to keep a job, but I really don't believe that. She seemed to have no awareness of the fact that she was a servant and what that meant to her standing in the world. The girl couldn't keep her mouth shut and her rudeness contained if you stapled her lips shut. I think that was the real reason she couldn't keep a job.
Dominic was a pretty bland character. He was made out to be this dissolute rake that still managed to be sexy to Fallon. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. Usually there is something about the rakes that wallow in darkness that fascinates you even as their actions repel you. He didn't have that spark. Because of this lack I couldn't understand what Fallon was so fascinated by. She apparently saw something in him that fascinated her enough to look past his skeezy behavior. I wish I had seen it too.
One last point... I really dislike the fact that Fallon's charade lasted for so long. It made the rest of their relationship seem really rushed. It seemed like the minute Dominic saw she had breasts he worshipped her. Very irritating. I don't know if I'll try this author again. If the rest of her books are styled in this manner I don't think they'll work for me.
Willy W. reviewed Sins of a Wicked Duke (Penwich School for Virtuous Girls, Bk 1) on + 503 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This was a story of missed opportunity. Sure we've all read the girl dresses as boy and fools everyone plot. Sophie Jordan is a good enough writer that this book should have been better. She had the heroine, dressed as a footman, save the hero's life. When after she's revealed a woman, this fact is never mentioned again. She's relegated to maid in this fairly unconventional household. All the other servants hate her, that is never resolved. His life's work, after sex, is painting. He's got a hidden room full of amazing artwork - never resolved. He kissed her while she was dressed as his valet. Why doesn't he notice his attraction to a "man" and feel conflicted by it? Just seems like there was so much that Jordan could have done with this story and it totally fell flat.
I suppose the love scenes were steamy enough but didn't titillate and again fell flat.
2.5 stars
I suppose the love scenes were steamy enough but didn't titillate and again fell flat.
2.5 stars
