3 stars. It was an enjoyable read. ( )

3 stars. It was an enjoyable read. ( )

In The Dissolute Duke Sophia James has crafted an interesting, if a little rambling, novel. The Dissolute Duke started off fascinating, quick, enchanting. And then it hit a stone wall. The action dragged along. Lady Lucinda’s family evolved throughout the book—at the beginning Lucinda was sure that they hated her, that they were disappointed in her, that she was the odd one out. By the end she had convinced herself that they were the closest family and all her brothers loved her (which I would have assumed was true at the beginning, but James depicted it otherwise). It just seemed off to me. All in all, I can’t say much but that this was a long and convoluted story that by the end had me skipping pages to get to the ending. I also really did not enjoy the way that amnesia played into the story. It just seemed like a cover up.

I liked Taylen. I will say that. But I think he deserved better.

The only positive of the entirety was the idea of the love story. However, even that seemed very rushed, which is astounding in such a lengthy work. That was what put me off the most, the exquisite length mixed with the brevity of the action.

I recommend this if you have a lot of time to spare and would like a rambling romance. ( )