The Sins of Lord Lockwood by Meredith Duran
The sixth book in the Rules of the Reckless series
3.75 stars
Lord Lockwood once lived a charmed life, but his life was drastically altered on the night of his wedding and became a nightmare when he was kidnapped and thrown into a boat headed to Australia. Branded a convict and forced to work as a slave, the things he sees and experiences forever changes him. The wife he left behind, Anna, has always thought they Liam abandoned her. When they are reunited it becomes obvious that things are not what they seem and that Lockwood’s quest for revenge is reaching its highest peak. Will Lockwood survive or be defeated once more by the man who ruined his life? This was a fun historical romance that I was not expected to really enjoy. I thought that I might like it, but it far surpassed my expectations. I think what makes this novel so enjoyable is the topics that Duran tackles. She doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of history and her incorporation of the Australian convicts was incredibly fascinating. I’ve never seen an author bring this aspect of history into a historical romance before and it was a hard subject to read about, but one that I greatly appreciated because it was a new aspect to a story that has been told numerous times in this expansive genre. Duran’s writing style is also fast-paced and gripping. This is always, in my opinion, the best style of writing to have for this genre. I don’t want to read a HR novel that is boring and feels like I’m slugging to get through. HRs should be fast-paced in Duran excels in this area. In fact, I would say she excels too much and at times, completely misses informing readers of important sections. It could be jarring every now and then, but her pacing was done well enough that it wasn’t too troublesome.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.75
The main male character is Lord Lockwood. I think Lockwood is a very strong character. He has a hulking presence within the story, but also a character. I really admired the direction his character took and how he was struggling to cope with the events he experienced. It was an interesting look into PTSD, but my biggest qualm was the his PTSD seemed to be cured by one conversation at the end of the novel and that just isn’t realistic and it also sends out the message that love heals all wounds, so find yourself a partner and that’s just unrealistic. I did really enjoy Lockwood’s character and he was my favorite thing about this novel.
Swoon Worthy Scale: 4.5
The main female character is Anna. Anna isn’t nearly as likable as Lockwood, which is odd but this novel is very centered on Lockwood and the page that Anna gets portrays her to be slightly annoying and insufferable. She isn’t horrible and I’ve come across worse heroines in romance stories, but she isn’t particularly strong and I believe if this novel wasn’t so heavily centered on Lockwood and more so on her, it would be a bland one.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3
The Villain- We know who the villain is from the start, but that doesn’t take away from this novel’s plot. It’s really fun to see Lockwood’s quest for revenge and the power struggle that occurs between these two characters. Plus, the final showdown was not at all what I expected it to be.
Villain Scale: 3.5
There aren’t a whole lot of prominent side characters in this novel. There are side characters, but none of them really shine and I would have loved if a couple more of them had been fleshed out and given larger roles.
Character Scale: 3.5
Overall, this is a really fun historical romance novel that tackles darker themes and focuses on more than just the romance. The romance is there, but it wasn’t what sold me on this story and I think many readers will feel the same way. I definitely recommend this novel to romance fans looking for something fast-paced and less romance-centered.
Plotastic Scale: 4.25
Cover Thoughts: Her feet look awkward, but I want that dress.
Thank you, Netgalley and Pocket Books, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
The sixth book in the Rules of the Reckless series
3.75 stars
Lord Lockwood once lived a charmed life, but his life was drastically altered on the night of his wedding and became a nightmare when he was kidnapped and thrown into a boat headed to Australia. Branded a convict and forced to work as a slave, the things he sees and experiences forever changes him. The wife he left behind, Anna, has always thought they Liam abandoned her. When they are reunited it becomes obvious that things are not what they seem and that Lockwood’s quest for revenge is reaching its highest peak. Will Lockwood survive or be defeated once more by the man who ruined his life? This was a fun historical romance that I was not expected to really enjoy. I thought that I might like it, but it far surpassed my expectations. I think what makes this novel so enjoyable is the topics that Duran tackles. She doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of history and her incorporation of the Australian convicts was incredibly fascinating. I’ve never seen an author bring this aspect of history into a historical romance before and it was a hard subject to read about, but one that I greatly appreciated because it was a new aspect to a story that has been told numerous times in this expansive genre. Duran’s writing style is also fast-paced and gripping. This is always, in my opinion, the best style of writing to have for this genre. I don’t want to read a HR novel that is boring and feels like I’m slugging to get through. HRs should be fast-paced in Duran excels in this area. In fact, I would say she excels too much and at times, completely misses informing readers of important sections. It could be jarring every now and then, but her pacing was done well enough that it wasn’t too troublesome.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.75
The main male character is Lord Lockwood. I think Lockwood is a very strong character. He has a hulking presence within the story, but also a character. I really admired the direction his character took and how he was struggling to cope with the events he experienced. It was an interesting look into PTSD, but my biggest qualm was the his PTSD seemed to be cured by one conversation at the end of the novel and that just isn’t realistic and it also sends out the message that love heals all wounds, so find yourself a partner and that’s just unrealistic. I did really enjoy Lockwood’s character and he was my favorite thing about this novel.
Swoon Worthy Scale: 4.5
The main female character is Anna. Anna isn’t nearly as likable as Lockwood, which is odd but this novel is very centered on Lockwood and the page that Anna gets portrays her to be slightly annoying and insufferable. She isn’t horrible and I’ve come across worse heroines in romance stories, but she isn’t particularly strong and I believe if this novel wasn’t so heavily centered on Lockwood and more so on her, it would be a bland one.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3
The Villain- We know who the villain is from the start, but that doesn’t take away from this novel’s plot. It’s really fun to see Lockwood’s quest for revenge and the power struggle that occurs between these two characters. Plus, the final showdown was not at all what I expected it to be.
Villain Scale: 3.5
There aren’t a whole lot of prominent side characters in this novel. There are side characters, but none of them really shine and I would have loved if a couple more of them had been fleshed out and given larger roles.
Character Scale: 3.5
Overall, this is a really fun historical romance novel that tackles darker themes and focuses on more than just the romance. The romance is there, but it wasn’t what sold me on this story and I think many readers will feel the same way. I definitely recommend this novel to romance fans looking for something fast-paced and less romance-centered.
Plotastic Scale: 4.25
Cover Thoughts: Her feet look awkward, but I want that dress.
Thank you, Netgalley and Pocket Books, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Are you a fan of darker historical romance novels? What are some of your favorite? Let me know down below in the comments!
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