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The Davenports

by L. Steele · 3 books reviewed

I liked The Unwanted Wife (with reservations) for its genuinely curvy FMC and plot twists, liked The Unplanned Wedding for its surprisingly compelling MMC, and DNF’d The Imperfect Marriage. I’m undecided about continuing.

Romance

The Books

The Unwanted Wife — L. Steele

My Verdict Liked It (with reservations)

Tropes: Curvy FMC (size 16!), Marriage of Convenience, Inheritance Conditions, Hidden Secrets, Primal/Chase Kink
Spice: 🌶️ 3.5–4/5

I appreciated that the curvy FMC was actually curvy! The unexpected plot twists gave this one more substance than I anticipated, and I liked both main characters. The writing style took some getting used to, though, and the wedding logistics were a little unbelievable.

Relationship Drama: No traditional third-act breakup. There is a brief separation, but I thought it worked well and didn’t drag out the angst.
Personal Turnoffs: The unrealistic wedding logistics and the way the primal/chase kink was handled. I wasn’t a fan of this particular take on the kink, especially the lack of clearly established boundaries.

Reveal Content Warnings (May Contain Spoilers)

Suicide (off-page, discussed in detail): A suicide that occurred before the events of the story becomes an important part of the plot. Although the death itself isn’t depicted, the circumstances surrounding it are discussed, along with the emotional aftermath, grief, unanswered questions, and the impact on those left behind.

Primal/chase kink and consent concerns: Two on-page sexual chase scenes involve encouraged physical resistance, a moment of genuine discomfort, and no prior discussion of safewords or clear boundaries. Although the characters later discuss the experience positively, readers sensitive to sexual assault themes, coercion, or ambiguous consent may find these scenes upsetting.

Read My Full Review →

The Imperfect Marriage — L. Steele

My Verdict DNF (Did Not Finish)

Spice: Not rated — I didn’t finish it.

I wanted to like this one. I really did. I love a curvy FMC, especially when the MMC genuinely appreciates her body, and this book had that going for it.

But the relationship just wasn’t working for me.

First, we have a marriage proposal before these two even really know each other. As in, they don’t even know each other’s names. Okay, interesting start. Let’s see where this goes.

Then his son moves in, and somehow our main characters seem to spend very little time actually together, despite living under the same roof. There was so much back-and-forth that I started losing interest.

And while I wouldn’t necessarily call it a love triangle, some of the relationship dynamics were giving me that uncomfortable almost-love-triangle feeling. Not my favorite.

Eventually, I realized I wasn’t particularly invested in seeing how they worked everything out.

So I put it down. Too many books on my TBR to force myself through one I’m not enjoying!

The Unplanned Wedding — L. Steele

My Verdict Liked It

Spice: 🌶️ 4/5 chili peppers
Series Status: Undecided about continuing

There’s something about Knox that really drew me in. I think it was the way the FMC could see beyond his scars and gruff exterior when so many other people couldn’t.

I’ve seen reviewers complain that Knox was mean to the FMC, and I can understand that criticism. But because we get his internal dialogue, we understand that his behavior comes from a misguided attempt to protect her. He knows he’s being hurtful, and he doesn’t feel good about it. That doesn’t necessarily excuse his behavior, but for me, it made a difference. Eventually, she starts recognizing what he’s doing and why, too.

I liked this one more than The Imperfect Marriage, which I ended up DNFing. Knox definitely struggles with his feelings, but instead of constant back and forth, you actually get to follow his emotional journey and understand what he’s thinking.

That said, it didn’t have the same kind of twists that made The Unwanted Wife interesting to me.

The Dom/sub dynamic was also more prominent than in a lot of the books I’ve read. I’d put the spice around 4 chili peppers.

Even though I liked this one, I’m not entirely sure I’m continuing the series. Ryot’s story is next, and I’m curious about him, but apparently not quite curious enough to commit just yet.

Final thoughts: A better experience than my last book in the series, with a MMC I found surprisingly compelling. I enjoyed the journey, even if I’m not completely sold on reading the next one.