Book: The Duke’s Stolen Bride by Sophie Jordan
Series: The Rogue Files #5
Source: I received a copy from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: October 22nd, 2019
Pages: 368
Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository // Barnes & Noble // Indie
Trigger warnings: Stalking, threat of sexual violence, physical assault, and kidnapping.
These trigger warnings have been taken from a review on Goodreads since it’s been a while since I have read this book.
Hello friends, remember in my post about reviewing different ARC formats, where I said I’d be doing a review of an Edelweiss book that came out last year? Well, here it is! Since this book came out last October, and I read it last September this review will be really short because it can only be based on the notes I took after reading it. (Bless you past me!) Now, on to the review!
Live footage of me looking through my notes to write this review
This book caught my eye because I thought it sounded somewhat similar to The Kiss Quotient. It’s about a young woman whose family has no money, and so she decides to become a courtesan. But of course, she needs training, and who better to train her than the biggest rake in town! There’s more that goes on of course, but that’s all I needed to know to be intrigued and request this book!
I had so much fun reading this book! In fact, I practically binge read it. When I’m stressed or super busy, I tend to reach for romances, and during our three-month long absence from the blog last year, the time at which I read this book, I was busy. However, while this book was really entertaining and readable, it wasn’t super memorable. So even with the notes that past me so wonderfully chose to write, it’s still a bit difficult for me to summarize how I felt about this book in specific. Particularly, the characters are a big blur to me. I would love to tell you more about them, but I honestly can’t remember and I didn’t take enough notes to accurately remind myself of how I felt about them.
In fact I don’t really remember any character too well
Now I will say that this book is definitely flawed. Some of the drama was super contrived and unnecessary, but I was just happy that nothing was drawn out, and that the couple remained together despite it. For example, the love interest kidnaps our main character to keep her from getting married to a creepy dude. Did I care that he kidnapped her? Nope! To me all it meant they got to spend more time together! There also were some plot points that just felt too convenient, but that would be a spoiler to mention plot-wise since it has to do with the ending. Speaking of the creepy dude however, I have the triggers listed at the beginning of this review because he made me really uncomfortable as I read, and that’s not an experience I want to have while reading in general, but in particular while reading a romance.
But even though this book had its flaws, for the most part I didn’t care. I got what I was promised. I would have liked a better ending or some sort of epilogue, but the middle was so solid, I’m not gonna complain too much. I think I’d still recommend this to people who are looking for something similar to The Kiss Quotient in a historical setting, that aren’t really reading for the plot, but rather for the romance.
4 Stars
I also want to mention that I think that timing had a very big impact on my rating of this book. I normally would give a book like this 3 stars, but the fact that there was minimal drama at a time where I was craving a stress free book, made me bump up this rating. Speaking from the future, I definitely think this is more of a 3 star book now that times has passed, 3.5 if I’m being generous, but since this book was what I needed at the time, I’m not going to be changing my rating! 4 stars it shall remain!
Paper Procrastinators 
Oh yeah, I’ve definitely had books like that before, where it’s low-key problematic trash but it’s also just FUN. Those can honestly be really great reads sometimes.
(Also romance novel covers make me laugh sometimes like where did her petticoats and stockings go. What is going on)
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I don’t know if this one qualifies as problematic trash, but that might just be because I’ve read so many other books that were even more trash than this one was (even if I loved them). The fun but ridiculous books are my favorite when I’m stressed and need something mindless to read. That’s why I read so many of them during the school year!
I low-key kind of love covers like this. They’re just so over the top and promise me such a good time! (Also, obviously her love interest removed her petticoats and stockings already. It’s very scandalous! I mean, do you see her bare leg? And her shoulder’s bare too! It’s all very improper!)
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I think I’m more likely to reach for graphic novels when life gets busy. Just need to get away from blocks of paragraphs and feast my eyes with colourful illustrations.
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Oh I definitely hear that! I tend to read graphic novels when I’m in a reading slump because like you said, it’s a break from blocks of paragraphs and the illustrations can be beautiful!
Honestly, the only reason I don’t read more graphic novels is because I find it difficult to find ones with stories and art styles that I like. Plus, they can be really expensive so I need to rely on my library to have a copy! But for my birthday this year I’m definitely hoping to stock up on graphic novels to read when times get tough and I need a break from books in prose!
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Exactly! Since art is very subjective, it can be quite a challenge to find the styles that we like. And the price. Of course, the price. I feel you! Oh, I hope you’ll be able to find graphic novels you love easily for your birthday!! When is it, may I ask?
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Thank you! I’ve started doing some research and some digging, and I’ve found quite a few graphic novels I’m interested in with art styles and stories that I think I’ll enjoy. But I guess only time will tell!
My birthday is August 24th, so it’s coming up soon! I’m one of those people who loves birthdays so I’m very excited!
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I’m impressed you managed to write a review so long after reading. I’ve tried it a couple of times and it’s always a mess so I get not being able to say more on characters. I’ve got mixed feelings on Sophie Jordan’s historical romances, I’ve read a couple and I don’t know what to think. There are usually one or two plot points that have me shaking my head and the kidnapping so she doesn’t marry a creepy dude? That would be one of them, love it meaning more time for them to spend time together but that was really the only option?
Glad I’m not the only one rating a book partially based on how it fit my mood at that moment even though thinking back it probably wasn’t as great as my rating might make you think.
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I had a small paragraph of notes that I took almost immediately after reading this book, otherwise there would be no review! It was really difficult to write this even with those notes!
This is the only Sophie Jordan novel I’ve read, and I genuinely only picked it up because I liked the sound of the synopsis. But my friend has read more of her books and has told me some of the wild things that go on. As I said, in this book I was here for it, but it definitely was over the top!
I definitely base my ratings on my personal feelings on a book, not some objective scale! I sometimes wonder if that’s a bad thing, but I haven’t changed my method since it just feels right to me to rate based on my emotions.
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