This is a lovely angst-free insta-love followed with
dedicated wooing romance. It's all good and all sweet.
Evan Fox is the child-like CEO of the very successful Fox
Toys. She has dreams -- many dreams. One of her dreams to to build an
eco-friendly, all-inclusive community where everyone feels safe and which can
become an example for the rest of the world. This is an expansion of Evan's
idol, Isodora Fitzroy's vision.
Clementine Fitzroy, Duchess of Rosebrook, Isodora's
grand-daughter has no love lost for her grandmother who beggared the family
pursuing her vision of an ideal village. Clementine has multiple titles but
neither land nor money to fulfil the role she was brought up for. She's
struggling for finances since her mother, the dowager duchess, is suffering
from Alzheimer's and after a particularly bad incident has had to be admitted
into an expensive home. With a strong sense of noblesse oblige, Clementine
feels responsible about the few people let in her village and tries to ensure
that their needs are met even if she has to go without. She is also very
present for her mother even at the cost of losing the jobs she gets as a
freelance architect. So, a tough life for her.
When Evan appears all positivity, promises and plans,
Clementine had no time for her and no belief in her dreams.
Usually we aren't big fans of stereotypical butch-femme
romances but loved this one despite the fact Evan is so masculine-presenting
that the dowager duchess thinks she's a man and despite the fact that Evan is
called 'gentleman' more than once and refers to herself as 'gent' at least
once.
The circumstances are faintly reminiscent of Frame's Unexpected what with with the struggling--erstwhile rich-currently burdened-by-circumstance-but-diginified-femme meets the easygoing-kids loving-positive-will do anything for the lady-rich 9or definitely much more well-to-do than the counterpart) butch.
The circumstances are faintly reminiscent of Frame's Unexpected what with with the struggling--erstwhile rich-currently burdened-by-circumstance-but-diginified-femme meets the easygoing-kids loving-positive-will do anything for the lady-rich 9or definitely much more well-to-do than the counterpart) butch.
We thoroughly enjoyed the whole
romance-the-disbelieving-duchess with gallantry, unwavering care and grand
gestures. Since this is very firmly in the butch-femme zone, it appealed that
part of our traditionally-conditioned-typecasting mindset that all the wooing
and work is done by Evan without throwing even a small fit at any point. We
liked the fact that Clementine has layers and depth. She has her own personal
and personality hurdles that make her behaviour understandable and create the
right opportunities for Evan to play the romantic knight convincingly.
Evan and Clementine have great chemistry. Though there at
some things (that whole banjo thing and the over-emphasis about Evan's
positivity) repeated too frequently and too much, we can take it in our stride
since the romance just clicks and works perfectly.
We really wish that this book also had an Archie-Ash
romance. We wished for it so much that we built it all up in our head enough to
actually believe that it was actually there.
We definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a
feel-good mushy romance.
⭐⭐⭐⭐★
