What do you think?
Rate this book
300 pages, ebook
First published April 1, 2018
This is the night my life ended, and though I didn’t know it at the time, the night I was reborn. — Her Serene Highness Friederike Marie Louise Victoria Caroline Amalie Alexandra Augusta—Prinzessin von Hannover und Cumberland (aka Fricka)
Your judgement of this book likely relies heavily on what you want for a book, what your expectations are. I don't read literature, it doesn't appeal to my tastes because I read to keep myself occupied usually fun and either sexy of fluffy. I can tolerate badly written books if they have redeeming features. This book is definitely not literature and it's not all that well written. It is problematic at points but has an enlightened take on marriage. Sort of. Expanding on that is spoilery. There were some aspects I didn't like in the writing. The intimacy wasn't great, it was all in the past tense too, which worked well. But I will warn that there is a sexual assault, not written the first person but it is there. Gretchen was so one dimensional, Blair Babylon did her best to make Gretchen irredeemable. But she essentially is the protagonist of so many novels.
It is a bit confusing but I think that might be deliberate. I am wondering what the post chapter heading passages are. Sometimes they are direct quotes from the chapter other times they just encompass it. It feels like they should be explained but aren't my current suspicion is it is a storytelling element to a reporter or biographer. this is part of a larger world I haven't read. The three series run almost concurrently. Wulf and Raes The Devilhouse start a little earlier Alexandre and Georgies Billionaires in Disguise: Georgie appears to run later. Knowing the extended world isn't necessary. What you need to know is explained.
The characters are decent. Dieter is confusing there is a lot going on there, a lot of unanswered questions. Russians are involved, so is minor aristocracy that is not a good combination. Dieter is also tropey as all get out. The older man, in love with his charge, in love with his best friends sister, the man of mystery, the bodyguard. Before I move on I like Yoshi, of the little-used side characters. I can't help but think he's not a nothing character. You don't introduce a character like that and do nothing with him.
Fricka is a hard character to male a judgement on. She isn't the worst protagonist I've read she's sassy intelligent and using her position for good. She is vested in the world. But as a human being? She might be awful I don't know. She reminds me a bit of Princess Charlene. Depressing as that is, Charlene lights up around kids but I really can't imagine that marriage is happy. Also the Monaco and heir connection. My mind wandered. Fricka had one of the best responses to finding her husband of two days with his pants down. “Seriously? The barista? Come on, Pierre. I need you out there. People are noticing your absence. Keep it in your pants for a few hours.”. Theirs is a marriage of houses not of passion.
This book honestly has little to do with the blurb which is disconcerting. Another disconcerting aspect. Time. It makes it very hard to remember that the earliest chapters are out of time. That we see a broken Fricka very early on.
It's something and nothing. But I think it's what I needed. I got this free on Amazon, book two was free too. So I will read that too and see if I keep going after that. I can see why it gets the ratings it does.
I will betray my best friend three times before this story is finished, and my name is not Dieter Schwarz. — Dieter Schwarz
A representative gif:
This book is for you if… you are in search of worst practice examples of how to not write a book.
⤐ cringeworfy af. This book was so cringeworthy, I don't even know where to start and frankly, I don't wanna.
⤐ worst German since US-America started making Nazi-films.If you wanna use a foreign vernacular, know what you are talking about. As a native speaker of the German language and a lot of contact with Swiss German, this book was absolutely awkward and downright insulting. I almost eye-rolled myself into oblivion.
⤐ awful names. Just to make this clear. If you wanna make for a sexy alpha male, you do not go for Dieter Schwarz. Dieter Schwarz is not a sexy name. Kinda like Donald Trump. Just. Don't. Do. It.
⤐ messy and unstructured boring plot.