Notorious is an apt description of our two leads: exiled son of a North African sultan, Gabe and prickly daughter of a wealthy merchant, Dru. The pair are thrown together when Gabe agrees to chaperone his half sister, Eva, and her best friend, Dru, for the Season, a whirlwind of balls and parties. Although I found Dru quite relatable, at times her constant self-comparison to the gorgeous Eva was disheartening. Between Eva’s disregard for social norms, her mother’s madness hanging over her head, and some clever spying, Eva seemed the more Notorious of the two. Luckily, I can pursue my curiosity in the next book in the series, Outrageous.
As for Dru and Gabe, through a somewhat confusing inciting incident, the pair must marry to save each other’s reputations. Refreshingly modern dialogue made it easy to follow as they learned to understand each other, continued to banter and have some very frank conversations about consent. However, Gabe’s actions were often heavy handed when it came to his new wife. I disliked him forbidding her to interact with some characters and reminding her of a wife’s place. Perhaps that was meant to be more of a period detail, but it was jarring nonetheless. Additionally, Gabe has a fascinating LGBTQ+ relationship before Dru that is quickly (and all too easily) discarded without adding much depth. Overall, Notorious was a solid bodice-ripper, decidedly for mature readers.
As for Dru and Gabe, through a somewhat confusing inciting incident, the pair must marry to save each other’s reputations. Refreshingly modern dialogue made it easy to follow as they learned to understand each other, continued to banter and have some very frank conversations about consent. However, Gabe’s actions were often heavy handed when it came to his new wife. I disliked him forbidding her to interact with some characters and reminding her of a wife’s place. Perhaps that was meant to be more of a period detail, but it was jarring nonetheless. Additionally, Gabe has a fascinating LGBTQ+ relationship before Dru that is quickly (and all too easily) discarded without adding much depth. Overall, Notorious was a solid bodice-ripper, decidedly for mature readers.