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This series is excellent. The history is so rich and the romance will sweep you away. I’m am already partial to Historical Romance as a genre, but Evie Dunmore has hit on something altogether extraordinary. Each book is unique and edgy and will keep you coming back for more. And I need more. I need Hattie and Catriona’s stories and I’m glad to see it looks like we will get them.

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The second in the A League of Extraordinary Women series, A Rogue of One’s Own follows Lady Lucie, one of the suffragists, who has her eye set on taking over one of London’s major publishing houses for the cause. There’s just one problem and his name is Lord Ballentine. Will Lady Lucie’s hard work pay off or has she met her match in Lord Ballentine?

This one was a bit slow to star off with and I had trouble getting into the story at first. Once the story did pick up though, I had issues putting this one down. I really enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Lady Lucie and Lord Ballentine and I loved some of the surprises throughout the book. Overall this was a good read with some great steam and gets 4 stars!

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I'm always wary when we have our hero portrayed as a rogue, a womanizer, whatever you want to call it. We had already met Tristan Ballantine in the previous book when he tried to charm Annabelle before sweet, possessive Sebastian intervened. I'm glad to say Ballantine redeemed himself. We got to know him and see where he was coming from. Behind the smiles and the flirtation, he is his mother's son who wants to protect her from his abusive father. Growing up, he's had an eye for our heroine Lucie but their first meeting wasn't the best and it started some kind of rivalry where Tristan kept playing pranks on her. And years later, when Lucie tries to have control over a press for the suffragists, Tristan offers it to her one one condition : that she spends the night with him when she desires him for him. Other than his seductive nature, Tristan does have a sweet and protective side, one Lucie will find out with time and experience.

A Rogue of One's Own was another win in my book. It was lovely to listen to and I just adored the ending and seeing them together was so good. They deserve to be happy and I'm so glad they (and their cat) get to have their HEA ;) I can't wait to read the next story in this series. I don't know who will be the main characters but I'm excited no matter who it's going to be.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

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The author's second novel does not shy away from the problems of Victorian England, while still creating a fun and engaging romance.

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4.5 STARS!

"I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves." - Mary Wollstonecraft

Evie Dunmore has once again bewitched my heart with her writing! A Rogue of One's Own was passionate, heartfelt, and truly empowering. It had just the right amount of longing and angst that I crave in romance!

Lady Lucinda "Lucie" Tedbury has known Tristian since they were in their teens. She is irritated by his mere presence but she can't help feel attracted to the carrot-head (her words not mine). Everyone thinks of her as a spinster and a shrew but she's a free thinker, and someone who wants to give women a voice in a world dominated by men.

Tristian enjoys watching her squirm... Anything to provoke a reaction. Lord Tristian Ballestine was instantly smitten with the girl riding a horse and he would never forget the time she slapped him. Presently, they're older. Tristian is a veteran and a known rake and rogue. His main goal is to get away from his father's control, and Tristian will stop at nothing to gain his financial freedom. In doing so, he becomes co-owner of the publishing house Lucie has been fighting for.

Their back and forth banter was a definite highlight in this novel and had me giddy like a kid in a candy store! You can practically feel Lucie's attraction through the pages but she fights it every step of the way. Not only was the chemistry between Tristian and Lucie palpable but I loved being front and center of the formidable suffragist movement. It was an empowering time in history to say the least. I was also swept away by the beautiful country sides and the rich details of that time period; really makes me wish I could experience that era just once.

A Rogue of One's Own is just the story you want to read if you're a fan of historical romance. It has the love story, but because of the issues this novel covers it can easily be classified as women's fiction, too.

Once I reached the end of this book I just knew which character would get the spotlight next and I'm so excited for her story to unfold!!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

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EEEk! Thank you so much to Berkley Pub for this ARC of A Rogue of One's Own, book two in Evie Dunmore's series, A League of Extraordinary Women.
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I really enjoyed Bringing Down the Duke, so it was a no-brainer to read A Rogue of One's Own. And actually, color me surprised that I enjoyed book two even more! The characters were likable and endearing (I felt there was much more character development in Rogue than in Duke!), the writing was lovely and rich, the plot moved at a steady pace, and OSCAR WILDE MAKES A CAMEO. (My favorite classic author - yes, Evie had me at Oscar!)
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While book one was about Annabelle, Rogue is about Lucie, a strong suffragist who has dedicated her life to The Cause. This alone makes Lucie an admirable character. She is strong in her convictions and dedicated to her life's purpose - she wants equality folks.
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Tristan and Lucie have known each other much of their lives and are very much opposites. Lucie considers Tristan a scandalous rogue, and Lucie has her own reputation as being just a few years from an old maid. So what will happen when suddenly Tristan buys half the shares of the publishing house where Lucie owns the other half? Guess you will have to read to find out :).
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For fans of:
- Bringing Down the Duke
- Historical fiction and the suffragist movement
- Enemies to loves trope
- English history
- Hottie hot hot lords like Tristan Ballentine *swooooooon*

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A wonderful follow-up to Bringing Down the Duke! The enemies-to-lovers trope was used expertly and it was unputdownable!! Eagerly awaiting the next in the series!

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I liked this one better then the first! This could be a very exciting series.

Continues with a group of suffragettes telling Lucy's story with the nemesis of her youth, Tristan. It was an easy story to get into and enjoy.

I did receive an advanced reader copy to prepare this review.

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I received an ARC through netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was waiting for this book since I finished the first book in the series. If you have not read it, you will still heartily enjoy this book, as there is a new couple at the centre of this book.

Lady Lucie has devoted 10 years to the suffragist cause - oftentimes to the detriment of her personal life. Together with fellow suffragists, they have collected enough money to own the majority of a major publishing house. The purpose of this is to publish suffragist columns in the magazine, knowing it will result in a massive decline in readership, perhaps even bankrupt the company. But there is one person standing in her way, Lord Tristan Ballentine.

Tristan and Lucie know each other from childhood - their mothers are best friends. But Lucie dislikes Tristan. Tristan has recently been thrust into the role of heir when his eldest brother dies. His father is a brute, and seeks to control Tristan by threats against Tristan's mother. Now Tristan needs the revenue from the publishing house to thwart his father and save is mother.

This puts Tristan and Lucie at odds. When Tristan makes a scandalous offer, Lucie must decide what she wants, and what she is willing to do to get it.

I must say that Tristan and Lucie are perfectly matched. They make each other a better version of their selves. I am so glad that Tristan didn't try to change Lucie, in fact he became her biggest champion. The conclusion -- without giving anything away -- made my heart so happy.

And now I must wait another year the for the 3rd book in this series featuring Hattie

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I love Lucie and Tristan so freaking much!

Tristan is a known rogue and Lucie is very committed to the Cause. However, Tristan has always liked Lucie, and maybe Lucie doesn't hate him as much as she thinks she does.

They have such amazing banter and I love how they support each other. They don't know how they would ever work, but they still support each other and their goals. The more they learn about each other, the more they appreciate the other. I loved watching Tristan really get to know and understand what it is that Lucie is fighting so hard for. He is properly outraged and doesn't ever attempt to dissuade her from her tasks, but instead finds his own ways to help and support her.

They have a great "sex only" relationship that ends up turning into so much more and I loved every second of it. The resolution of this book is absolutely everything because it really shows how much he truly understands Lucie while also letting us see their HEA. I can't wait for the next book in this series!!!

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This is Dunmore's second entry into her series. It took me a lot longer to get into this story, and I felt like the characters weren't as strong as her first novel. That lack of character development had me struggling to find a reason to cheer for them.

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Unfortunately, this book turned into a DNF for me. While I was initially more invested in this book than the first in the series, the casual "rejected gay villain" storyline and unchecked colonialism that ran through the book, along with a growing dislike of the characters made me put this one down. I was reluctant to read it in the first place, as celebrations of the suffrage movement that do not include an examination of the blatant racism of the movement make me grind my teeth, but I decided to give the author another chance.. I likely will not be doing so again.

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Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

A Rogue of One’s Own is the fabulously entertaining follow up to Evie Dunmore’s Bringing Down the Duke, but it can definitely be read as a standalone novel. With characters that leap off the page, it will keep readers captivated long into the night.

Lady Lucie has devoted her life to the suffrage movement and women’s rights. She feels so passionate that she has sacrificed her own happiness, but she is elated to have the financial backing to purchase a portion of a major publishing house to further the reach of her message. However, things do not go as planned when Lord Ballentine sweeps in and buys the majority share. Lucie and Tristan have history. Their mothers were very close friends, but Tristan has become everything Lucie despises about the male-centered social construct. He has quite the reputation as a womanizer and living his life without a care in the world, but, little known to Lucie, he has carried a torch for her since childhood. When he makes an indecent proposition in exchange for the majority, she is insulted but also cannot deny her attraction. This oil and water pair must learn to work together in business and personal matters alike.

I like Lucie a lot. She is feisty, full of conviction, and not so unlike women of the twentieth century. She is realistically flawed and relatable. Tristan is much deeper than his frivolous façade would suggest. Even though he is completely unlikable when introduced briefly in Bringing Down the Duke, here he grew on me, and I now find him quite endearing. Is he perfect? Heck, no, but readers learn his motives and how he has also been a victim of society and his father’s cruelty. Lucie’s friends do make appearances throughout the book, and they are always great fun. The other characters, including parents and Lucie’s cousin Cecily are not very likable, but they do play important roles within the story.

My problem with this book is the virgin/rogue trope. It is used to show the vulnerabilities and shortcomings of Lucie and Tristan and their growth as individuals and as a couple, but I wish there was some other way to convey it. That said the chemistry between the characters is palpable, the sex scenes sizzle, and the banter between Lucie and Tristan is marvelously smart and witty. Overall, it is a very satisfying historical romance. I recommend A Rogue of One’s Own to any romance reader looking for well researched history, snappy dialogue, engaging characters, and an intense romance.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

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This review will go live on The Blogger Girls on September 9, 2020.

Lady Lucie Tredmore is one step closer to control one of London’s major publishing house, which is part of the plans from her band of Oxford Suffragists. They plan to release the report of how women are suffering because of the Married Women’s Property Act. Unfortunately, one rake stands on their way, her childhood nemesis, Lord Tristan Ballentine…

I am always a bit leery with enemies-to-lovers trope … because for me to believe in the change from “enemies” to lovers, well the romantic development has to be very convincing. Part of what charmed me about Dunmore’s debut, Bringing Down the Duke (2019), was reading (and believed wholeheartedly) the change of heart from Duke of Montgomery, in the process of falling in love with Annabelle.

Now, as separate characters, I enjoyed Lucie and Tristan, her more than him. Lucie is a heroine that I admire. She believes in the Cause and she marches in her own drum. Lucie stands tall against the male counterpart, and she challenges the “traditional” notion of marriage. But Lucie also shows vulnerabilities, especially when she tells Annabelle about being jealous and worry that marriage has changed her friend. Lucie is not perfect and her heart does ponder… and that’s make her wonderful.

Tristan is one of those rakes that hide secrets of his own; that what he shows to the tons of society and to the women are façade of what he is truly, inside. Tristan writes a collection of romantic poetry, for God’s sake *laugh*. He has admired Lucie from early on, but Tristan also needs to help his mother from his ruthless father, and he may hurt Lucie in the process.

Unfortunately, the romance between Lucie and Tristan failed a little, in my own humble opinion. Yes, there were tensions between them, quite delicious sparkly tensions… I swear, almost halfway through, I was almost screaming to my kind, “KISS EACH OTHER SILLY ALREADY, FFS!”

However, I felt that Dunmore spent more time in that built-up tension, or in Lucie and Tristan as characters of themselves, but not enough in the “romance”. I felt that when they finally got together, there weren’t enough time about them as a couple. Then there was the family drama that followed them. I guess it felt like missing that intimate ‘bond’, one that made me root for them at all cost.

I am rounding my rating up, though, because the whole book is still a good sequel. The historical context of British women’s fight for equality, mentions of real-life historical figures (there’s even a cameo from Oscar Wilde!), they all make a wonderful reading material. I am definitely in for the next book – look’s like it will be Hattie’s

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Thank you Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review! For my first historical romance I was really in love with this book! I thought Evie did an incredible job with her writing. The sexual tension was jumping off the pages! I loved everything about it!

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​Following a stellar debut, Evie Dunmore does it again with a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance in A Rogue of One's Own. Fans of Bringing Down The Duke will find much to love about Dunmore’s new release: a strong Lady, a clever Lord, lots of British politics, and the tell-tale sardonic humor that seems to follow Dunmore’s characters through every scandal.

We meet our heroine, Lady Lucie Tedbury, in the aftermath of her friend Annabelle’s recent scandal. As Annabelle attempts to repair the damage done to high society by her mere existence, Lady Lucie has been hard at work gathering funds and supporters for the purchase of a publishing house. Just as she closes the deal, she finds out the business is majority owned by notorious rake, Lord Ballentine, a family friend from Lucie’s long left behind past.

As Lucie attempts to find a way to majority ownership so she can publish a damning report on marital abuse in the upper classes, she finds Lord Ballentine and his perfect jawline at every corner, blocking her progress. As the two are forced to work together, they find that the tension between them is not purely business.

Dunmore does her sophomore work justice, and I enjoyed it greatly - she has a reader in me in her next novels for sure. That being said, I have to mention that there are serious representation issues to grapple with. While I cannot speak to how offensive the South Asian representation is, it felt wrong to me, and those with voices I’d like to amplify on this issue can be found here: (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3299721565?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1)

As a bisexual reader, the introduction of Arthur was welcome, only to follow the pattern of so many queer characters before him: a villanous threat to the heroes of our story, over petty jealousy and nothing else. While I see that Dunmore does try a fresher take in revisiting Arthur later on, it felt like a hollow reminder of how Arthur’s mere existence in the novel serving a plot point and nothing else.

Still, as a bisexual reader, I adored the way Dumore approached Tristan’s sexuality, which she does clarify here: (https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1880632-is-tristan-bisexual-that-would-be-so/answers/1034901-hi-laura-thanks-for#)

Her treatment of Tristan as a man who experiences attraction to his own gender and others as a small thing, but a distinct thing, brought joy to this bisexual reader in its non-chalance and ability to find into the story as nothing but the truth. This queer reader was very put off by the treatment of Arthur, but glad of Tristan’s. I am willing to give Dunmore another opportunity to do characters like Arthur justice in the future.

Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will not be disappointed by this one, where at every turn angotonism and impulse follow the characters through bad decisions and worse solutions. The tension is made more palpable given Lucy’s strong character and standing as a leader of the women’s right movement. A less skilled author would have found it hard to wade through the politics of consent and HEAs that are, well, equal, given Lucy’s politics. But this reader found Dunmore’s treatment of romance tropes matched with progressive politics to be handled deftly. Dunmore’s historical romance is romance with a bite - sexy fluff and smut intertwined with hard-boiled policy and etiquette in a way that seasoned writers find difficult.

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This historical romance novel was predictable in its storytelling, which had me less focused on the story and more on how problematic it was. 21st century authors should be aware of cultural sensitivity, diversity inclusion, and completeness of world-building by now. Even in historical fiction! The story centers around two white cis heterosexual characters, which was fine. However, what’s not okay is to make a villain out of the only LGBTQ character, have the only BIPOC character be a valet with no other backstory or personality, and fetishize/other Indian culture. These issues made it through way too many people from the author to publication for them to not be caught and changed.

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I loved this feminist historical romance even more than the first in the series! Sparks fly when Lucie, a steadfast suffragist, meets Lord Tristan, a scoundrel, again as adults. Their enemies to lovers story is heftier due to the social issues (women's rights, British society rules, parental disapproval, etc.), which are handled really well. Their chemistry is steaming hot and their relationship woes entirely believable. I fell a little in love with Tristan. And the cat too! Highly recommended!

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3.5⭐

Summary
Lucie and her suffragists finally scraped enough money together to buy majority ownership of a publishing house and use it to in a coup against Parliament. But when her nemesis Lord Ballentine steps in and buys the other half, all their plans fall apart.
Lord Ballentine has his own reasons for owning the publishing house, but he agrees to give Lucie majority on one condition - one night in his bed.
As the two try to outmaneuver each other, they learn there is "truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…"

Overview
➸ POV: 3rd Person, Lucie & Tristan's POVs

➸ Lucie Tedbury: Spinster, Closed-off, Leads the Oxford suffragists, Trying to buy a print house

➸ Tristan Bellentine: 2nd Son to Earl of Rochester, Soldier in the British Army, Spent summers at Lucie's family estate, New heir to the Earldom after his brother passed away

➸ Content Warnings: Cheating, Abuse (including physical abuse of a child), Sexism & Misogyny, Death of a loved one, Animal death/abuse, Mental illness (undefined), Controlling & Manipulative behavior, PTSD

My Thoughts
While I overall enjoyed this follow up to Bringing Down the Duke, but I had some mixed feelings. In general, these weren't my favorite characters of the series, but I thought the romance was fantastic.

Since I have so many feelings I'm going to do this in list format. First up...

What I Liked
1. I love how Evie Dunmore addresses sexism and misogyny in this series. She weaves real life events and articles and people throughout this which adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story. It really brings everything to life and packs a massive punch.
2. I LOVED the chemistry between these characters! I'm always down for an enemies to lovers romance and this one was so well done. This romance was so slow burn and it had me sweating. I definitely had all the butterflies every time these two interacted. The author really brought their connection to life.
3. One of my favorite thing about Evie Dunmore's romance is how high stakes her romances feel. One thing about romance is you know how the story ends. So sometimes the drama or conflict can feel manufactured. But that is definitely not the case with this series! I honestly had no idea how these characters were going to make their relationship work.

What I Didn't Like
1. I didn't care for the games they played with each other... Tristan propositioning Lucie made me super uncomfortable and I just felt weird about them getting together that way. Since we're inside Lucie's head we aware of the fact that she actually wanted him, but it was still weird that she caved as an exchange for something.
2. And in general... I didn't like Lucie. I was so frustrated with her actions for the majority of this book. She was so quick to judge and snap on everyone around her. Between her accusing Annabelle and then yelling AWFUL things at Tristan, I was just over her. She wasn't without good qualities nor was she completely unbearable, but she's definitely my least favorite of the group.
3. While I liked the slow burn romance, the pacing of this was a little off in my opinion. This story took awhile to get going for me and I struggled to stay invested during the first quarter. However I will say the last half of this absolutely flew by!

Overall I enjoyed this sequel and LOVE this series. I can't get enough of Evie Dunmore's writing and I absolutely love this female friend group! While I had a couple of issues this particular book, I can't begin explain how excited I am for Hattie's story!!

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1.7/5 ☆ = 2-

A Rogue of One's Own follows Lucie, the Oxford Suffragettes' leader who plans to acquire London's leading publishing houses to commence a coup against Parliament. What she did not expect was a nemesis (Tristan Ballentine) from the past who has the power to ruin all of her plans and hard work. The price for preventing Lord Ballentine from ruining her plan is outrageous - a night in her bed.

As I usually enjoy reading historical fiction, I expected nothing less of A Rouge of One's Own. A feminist novel following a suffragette? An enemies-to-lovers story? Count me in! Simply put, I was intrigued to see how this story would unfold. Maybe my expectations were too high since I did not find myself enjoying the story most of the time. In fact, I sometimes felt uncomfortable.

When reading historical fiction rom-coms, I don't expect there to be any representation of LGBTQ+ or BIPOC people. This book surprised me, yet not in a good way. Tristan has a servant, which (surprisingly not) is the only POC character in the entire book. And I wonder what happened to the POC suffragettes? The antagonist is a gay jealous ex as if the trope got any better since the ex was gay. Tristan's sexuality is not explored deeply, but having the villain be a jealous rejected queer is problematic. https://twitter.com/acosmistmachine/s...

You thought that was it? Nope. There's even racism in this. Check out Aarya's review here that explains the problem in better words than I ever could: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Moreover, the erasure of POC suffragettes made me a bit annoyed. The author had all the chances to include a better representation. After all historical fiction is just - fiction. Staying accurate to the time and place seems to always be an important factor, yet the author does not manage to address that POC suffragettes existed. Or at least better queer representation. I do feel the author tried to include the LGBTQ+ community but didn't do the proper research and rather tokenized it.

Moving on to some criticism, oh there are a few matters I want to discuss. Firstly, I didn't connect to any of the characters at all. To me, they all felt unauthentic and superficial. I didn't get to understand them, as they never stayed consistent throughout the book. Does Lucie go through some character development? In my eyes, she does not. To me, she stayed the same. She's extremely judgemental, and I get why she doesn't trust men, but it got to a point where her attitude was almost ridiculous. Tristan is told to be a misunderstood man, who always ends up in the spotlight of sexual scandals by the malicious gossip magazine. We're told his most of his encounters are just gossip, but then later told he participated in orgies and liked voyeurism (which is totally fine as long as there's consent). And then he decides to seduce Lucie into having sex with him. Like, what? It definitely felt gross to me. Of course, there was consent from each part, yet it was just so....uncomfortable. What are we, the readers, supposed to think? I personally never managed to really connect and understand the characters, as they never seemed consistent.

Secondly, the hatred between Lucie and Tristan came almost out of the blue. Maybe after the incident in the first chapter had something to do about it, but it didn't really explain why she hated him so much. Was it just because she had decided to hate all men? Yet, all her male figures in her life had been horrible to her. And that could be an explanation for her hatred of the male species. But does that make a good feminist, who's supposed to be advocating and fighting for equal rights?

Looking aside from the problematic misrepresentation and issues, was there something I liked in this book?

There was. The story and plot were entertaining. Some of the banters between Lucie and Tristan were fun. In fact, I found myself laughing at some points while reading. I imagine this book was supposed to be a cheesy rom-com. I would have enjoyed it too. Unfortunately, some problematic factors ruined it all for me.

I am not invalidating all reading experiences with this book. You are allowed to enjoy reading this book. I only wish you, the reader, will think of the problematic factors and set the author accountable for these harmful misrepresentations. Hopefully, you'll acknowledge that this novel is not perfect. It has some good parts, but also some problematic parts. Do not paint this book to be perfect, is all I ask.

I really thought I would enjoy this book. Which was the reason why I requested the DRC of this book. Yet I found myself disappointed. It was not as I expected. I don't think I will read any of this author's other works. Hopefully, we can all learn something from this.

Over and out. -Nora <3

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