Oh boy, a vain heroine, bring on the one star reviews.
Plot: Titania is the heiress to a fortune she cannot access until she marries to a person some guy she doesn’t know signs off on an appropriate match for her. She has had the upbringing of a lady, which is to say she knows very little about anything, but she does know that she’s pretty, and witty, and wields this knowledge ferociously to gain every morsel of power denied to her by virtue of her sex. It works too, with every man in line of sight to her becoming besotted with the version of her she presents to them – one which is eager for their brilliant presence. All except one man, of course, whose resistance to her charms becomes something of an obsession for her. Shenanigans ensue.
Yes, Long has done the unthinkable – she’s asked her readers to root for a heroine who craves power, and the only way to access it is to access men. She’s asked her readers to root for a heroine who is immature and irresponsible in wielding the charms she has. She’s asked her readers to be patient with a young woman learning for the first time who she is and who she wants to be. And boooooy did they not like it. If these sound like thing that will bother you, I’d say you should skip this one, because Titania has a lot to learn and she will drive you insane.
If it doesn’t bother you, this book is fun as hell. Titania and Ian drive each other completely crazy. They are ridiculous. They both have a lot to learn, but they are also very self possessed in a way that is really enjoyable to read. They do what they like and are entirely unapologetic about it. But they are also willing to learn! They do stuff, and when the outcomes hurt people, they do their best to atone, do better, and then move on. Ian is such a flightly rake that only a flighty rake would match, and Titania is that match.