An Offer From a Gentleman

What a disappointment.

Benedict was the biggest one of all. In the series he's this artsy, queer, romantic figure of the family, someone that I really was eager to read more about and yet in his own book I've found nothing of the sort. He's portrayed as someone who has an instant crush, and from since then all kind of revolve around this mysterious girl. If it was only that, it would be ok, but this crush made a jerk out of him? I won't spoil anything but he wasn't a good character in this book and I'm sad about it.

And Sophie... Well, at the end we don't know much about Sophie except the fact that she had a difficult life. Nothing about what drives her in life, her personality... That makes only but a very bland character. At the end she was just the trope of the victim who gets to be saved by the love of a wealthy man. I wish that I could sympathize more with her but she wasn't real enough for me to do that.

And finally, the both of them together felt flat as well. Like, I couldn't even say what brought them together. I struggle a bit with those instant crush tropes because sometimes they seem way too easy, like... It can't get out of nowhere. Instant crush doesn't mean that nothing can explain what drive the characters together, you need at least a basis of connection to make it genuine and believable.