Chapter 17. Fortunately, there's not much left. The first couple of pages of this book starts off with a boring history lesson that reads like Margaret was trying to write a Wikipedia article, then it's Oh, woe is Ariadne! before we're introduced to Dionysus in the second chapter. Margaret's Dionysus is what I like to call Bare Minimum Man. He does the bare minimum to earn Ariadne's affections and Ariadne is too sheltered to realize that he ain't shit. (And this is coming from someone who LOVES Dionysus—just not Margaret's version, ugh.) He doesn't even court her! Also, for a book that supposedly takes place during the Regency era, there's no pining whatsoever. Dionysus and Ariadne have a pleasant conversation when they first meet in chapter two, there's mention of how they've exchanged letters in chapter three (followed by them sharing another dance), and, then, in chapter four, he proposes. You heard right—proposes. They've only known each other for, like, a month or so and he decides that he wants to MARRY her?
What was far more annoying, though, was this part from chapter 12 in which Margaret's Dionysus says this after Ariadne accidentally steps on his foot mid-dance: "Is this how you thank me for my compliments, my dearest?"
Spoiler alert: bro did not recently compliment her
In fact, SHE was the one who complimented HIM right before that happened, claiming that he was the best thing that has ever happened to her 🗣️
AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SWOON?! HAS THE BAR GONE THAT LOW (ʘ言ʘ╬)
Anon, you were not kidding. The next few pages are going to be a racist rant about the Turkish people, right?
Historical retrospectives are such a mood killer. Shouldn't you be setting the tone and enveloping the reader in the world of 1827? The people in 1827 don't know what's going to happen in the future! There's such a thing as show don't tell. Sigh.
I'll need to read for myself first before I can properly evaluate. I will say that for the Regency period it was not proper for unmarried women to write letters to men who were not brothers, fathers, or betrothed. As for courtship, it varies. One of the most common tropes in historical romances (especially of the Regency era) is the quick courtship, so she's accurate as far as Julia Quinn (🤮) is concerned.
