***/***** (3/5)
Read this a while ago, adding the review now though --
Very enjoyable at times, but I thought the plotting suffered from the frequent shifts between: the Brotherhood history/Brotherhood background, the who-done-it assassinations, the tournaments, and the actual romance, all very jarring. I felt the novel lacked a seamless integration of so many of these plot threads, and it seemed like one plot thread was dropped and instantly resolved for another with little sense or logic.
The most entertaining portions of the novel involve Rowena & Stryder's belligerent interaction early on and then sprinkles of their growing love until the end. I really liked both lead characters, and fortunately enough, I didn't find the heroine to be this uncompromising, stubborn girl who will only accept her man on all of her terms or none at all, forcing him to give up everything he is or ever wanted to be -- plotting we find all too often in romance novels towards the end.
The blurbs are a good place to gauge the general story, but again, I felt there were too many other weak and insubstantial plot threads intermingled with the romance, handicapping the entire reading experience. Still I had too much fun with the romance to find too much fault with the novel as a whole, and I would definitely recommend this one.
The Story (briefly).
Beautiful Lady Rowena is an extremely gifted singer, and the heiress to rich and strategic lands for the King of England. Rowena spurns warriors, finding them little more than oafish barbarians. She resolves to marry someone of her own choosing, and never to marry a warrior. Rowena has lost her warrior father to a war and abhors fighting in general.
The King's champion Stryder is such a warrior, tall, dark and handsome of course. Stryder and Rowena meet at a tournament for troubadours and warriors and after discovering each other's identity, they hate each other. It was refreshing to read about a lead pair going at each other rather than just the heroine insulting and jabbing at the hero. Usually it's the heroine who puts the hero in his place verbally, while the hero is "intrigued," and counters with seduction. Not so in this case. Both verbally spar with each other and equally hate each other.
The King and Queen however hatch a devious scheme to marry Rowena with their champion Stryder. The King will allow her choice to marry only if she's able to teach and train Stryder the finer arts of entertainment. If Stryder is able to win the troubadour tournament under Rowena's tutelage, the King will grant Rowena's wish to marry whomever she wishes. Otherwise, the King will implant someone he trusts as Rowena's husband and gatekeeper of her rich lands. Either way, the King and Queen believe they win.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
How to Seduce a Duke, by Kathryn Caskie [1]
*/***** (1/5)
Your typical, juvenile Regency romance fare. Must. Stop. Reading. These! When will I learn?
Although the book features a very juvenile romance story, the characterizations thankfully aren't as childish as I've grown to expect from such common Regency romances. I would rank Caskie's HOW TO SEDUCE A DUKE a slight cut above Julia Quinn's THE DUKE AND I, Kresley Cole's THE PRICE OF PLEASURE, Medeiros' THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST, and Paula Quinn's LORD OF DESIRE, all of which I consider as weak, boring and annoying in the worst ways; worst in terms of: romance, characters, plotting, settings.
HOW TO SEDUCE A DUKE contains two distinctly disparate plots, both mired by sluggish pacing and uninteresting events. One, that of the romance between our tall, dark and handsome Duke of Blackstone Rogan Wetherly and the beautiful Miss Mary Royle. And two, the setup of all three Royle sisters (Mary, Anne and Elizabeth), the Old Rakes Gentlemen's Club, and their combined investigation into the Royle sisters mysterious parentage. The Royle sisters have some clues from a box their alleged father left them, and Anne is already convinced they're all princesses. The book works its way through a couple threads in the later parentage plot, but the parentage is never completely resolved at the end of this book, and supposedly later books address that subject further. I for one didn't care for these random and ambiguous plot threads dealing with their parentage; I mean it's clear they're princesses, it's only a matter of proving it to the rest of Society I suppose. Certainly, this book didn't make me want to read more books in the Royle sisters line to find out what happens in that regard, or any regard for that matter.
The Story.
The beautiful Miss Mary Royle (intentional play on words) has her sights set on marrying the handsome and honorable Viscount Quinn Wetherly, the Duke of Blackstone's younger brother. For the upcoming Season, Mary is prepared to press her cause. In fact, she's already begun to do so by batting shy eye lashes at the Viscount at a certain time of day their paths cross every day. Mary is one who gets what she wants, but unfortunately, the Duke of Blackstone gets in the way.
Tall, dark and handsome Rogan Weatherly, Duke of Blackstone, is a rogue, scoundrel and your common flavor of Regency rake. He has some issues about trusting women and vows to protect his younger brother Quinn from money-grubbing women. When he discovers that Mary targets his younger brother, Rogan intercepts Mary at every turn, thinking to protect Quinn from what he believes another money-grubbing miss in Mary. Mary however is just very frugal, not the devious, greedy woman Rogan unfairly judges her to be.
When Mary realizes Rogan is keeping her from Quinn, she plays a dangerous game of dare hoping to send Rogan running with her virgin wiles of seduction. Both dare each other to go to the next level in their dangerous game which ends in a night of passion.
The rest of the story is a bit of blur as the story seems to ping-pong between the quest for the Royle sisters' true parents and a dry game of dare between Rogan & Mary. Both plots are equally unimaginative and uninteresting. Still, the characters aren't as immature as I often find in such stories, so that was nice. Our lead pair seemed to confide in each other at the right time.
The ending isn't anything special at all, and very dry. Seemed like the book was reaching to concoct something in the romance as Mary leaves Rogan just when both are about to marry. The ending actually spent more time trying to set up the parentage plot for the next book. I really didn't care.
Your typical, juvenile Regency romance fare. Must. Stop. Reading. These! When will I learn?
Although the book features a very juvenile romance story, the characterizations thankfully aren't as childish as I've grown to expect from such common Regency romances. I would rank Caskie's HOW TO SEDUCE A DUKE a slight cut above Julia Quinn's THE DUKE AND I, Kresley Cole's THE PRICE OF PLEASURE, Medeiros' THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST, and Paula Quinn's LORD OF DESIRE, all of which I consider as weak, boring and annoying in the worst ways; worst in terms of: romance, characters, plotting, settings.
HOW TO SEDUCE A DUKE contains two distinctly disparate plots, both mired by sluggish pacing and uninteresting events. One, that of the romance between our tall, dark and handsome Duke of Blackstone Rogan Wetherly and the beautiful Miss Mary Royle. And two, the setup of all three Royle sisters (Mary, Anne and Elizabeth), the Old Rakes Gentlemen's Club, and their combined investigation into the Royle sisters mysterious parentage. The Royle sisters have some clues from a box their alleged father left them, and Anne is already convinced they're all princesses. The book works its way through a couple threads in the later parentage plot, but the parentage is never completely resolved at the end of this book, and supposedly later books address that subject further. I for one didn't care for these random and ambiguous plot threads dealing with their parentage; I mean it's clear they're princesses, it's only a matter of proving it to the rest of Society I suppose. Certainly, this book didn't make me want to read more books in the Royle sisters line to find out what happens in that regard, or any regard for that matter.
The Story.
The beautiful Miss Mary Royle (intentional play on words) has her sights set on marrying the handsome and honorable Viscount Quinn Wetherly, the Duke of Blackstone's younger brother. For the upcoming Season, Mary is prepared to press her cause. In fact, she's already begun to do so by batting shy eye lashes at the Viscount at a certain time of day their paths cross every day. Mary is one who gets what she wants, but unfortunately, the Duke of Blackstone gets in the way.
Tall, dark and handsome Rogan Weatherly, Duke of Blackstone, is a rogue, scoundrel and your common flavor of Regency rake. He has some issues about trusting women and vows to protect his younger brother Quinn from money-grubbing women. When he discovers that Mary targets his younger brother, Rogan intercepts Mary at every turn, thinking to protect Quinn from what he believes another money-grubbing miss in Mary. Mary however is just very frugal, not the devious, greedy woman Rogan unfairly judges her to be.
When Mary realizes Rogan is keeping her from Quinn, she plays a dangerous game of dare hoping to send Rogan running with her virgin wiles of seduction. Both dare each other to go to the next level in their dangerous game which ends in a night of passion.
The rest of the story is a bit of blur as the story seems to ping-pong between the quest for the Royle sisters' true parents and a dry game of dare between Rogan & Mary. Both plots are equally unimaginative and uninteresting. Still, the characters aren't as immature as I often find in such stories, so that was nice. Our lead pair seemed to confide in each other at the right time.
The ending isn't anything special at all, and very dry. Seemed like the book was reaching to concoct something in the romance as Mary leaves Rogan just when both are about to marry. The ending actually spent more time trying to set up the parentage plot for the next book. I really didn't care.
Monday, June 4, 2007
The Leopard Prince, by Elizabeth Hoyt [4]
****/***** (4/5)
Elizabeth Hoyt's stories are quickly becoming a delight to read, and THE LEOPARD PRINCE follows THE RAVEN PRINCE very satisfactorily, albeit just a notch below THE RAVEN PRINCE. Hoyt sprinkles the right touches of a heart-felt romance, humorous wit (real wit), frenzied passion, a relatively engaging plot and unconventional, well-developed characterizations. Settings are stronger in this book, with the rain, the smells, and the lavish estates. Unlike THE RAVEN PRINCE, I thought THE LEOPARD PRINCE dragged a bit in the second half though, especially after Harry Pye's recuperation from the beating. Still, the ending was grand; unique, hilarious and pleasantly trite all at the same time. Like Julia Quinn's endorsement on the front cover, I really didn't want THE LEOPARD PRINCE to end.
I found the combination of an ordinary, average-of-height hero finding love with a spinster, a wealthy heroine very refreshing to read about. Our 30 year-old hero is a lowly but street-smart land steward while our 28 year-old heroine is an earl's sister but the head of her family's finances, the lone benefactor of a wealthy aunt's bequeathed vast fortune and estates. The obstacles our leading pair must surmount to be together is greater than most; the hero is not only much poorer (though he's done well for himself), but also from a lower class.
Similar to the slight discourse on feminism in the beginning of THE RAVEN PRINCE, I thought the brief railing against hierarchal society detracted from hero's strength of character and the story in general suffered because of it. I didn't think hero Harry Pye as one to mope around over the unfairness of life and aristocracy. Thankfully the book doesn't dwell on the subject.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Hoyt weaved the story of the The Leopard Prince as the story within the story, very much akin to her previous novel.
The Story, possible SPOILERS.
Twenty-eight year-old Lady Georgina "George" Maitland, an earl's sister and the sole benefactor of vast fortunes and estates, exhibits a sparkling wit, and a hilarious innocence. She's on her way to her estate at Woldsly Manor as per her 15 year-old sister Violet's request. The book describes George's striking ginger hair at length, but she isn't a stunning beauty by any stretch of the imagination.
I loved the way Hoyt relates our heroine George's innocence in matters of passion and love in the beginning. I found George's wit and humor over her innocence regarding matters of lovemaking very refreshing and, ironically enough, mature. The satirical humor lent the whole virgin experience in a very humorous yet passionate light. Of course George exhibits a very witty humor in general, one I suspect stems from Elizabeth Hoyt.
George's land steward Mr. Harry Pye accompanies George to her estate, a wound-up man, reticent in manner and speech, not to mention all too proper. George pokes some fun in her musings to herself at Harry's very phlegmatic demeanor, Harry the unknown recipient of George's humorous gibes. Harry returns her carefree fun with some straight-faced sarcasm of his own. Harry Pye is average all around, both in looks and height. However, he possesses a hidden, overpowering physical strength and absolutely devastating emerald eyes.
On their way to George's estate, the carriage overturns in the midst of a torrential downpour and Harry & George spend the night at a dilapidated cottage nearby, hailing the onset of a very passionate yet funny romance.
While riding the following day, George & Harry observe some dead sheep from poisoning on a neighboring estate owned by Lord Granville, our proverbial villain. Once at Woldsly Manor, George's sister Violet reveals rumors implicating Harry Pye in the sheep poisonings. More details surface of a mutual enmity between Lord Granville, whose lands currently suffer from the sheep deaths, and Harry Pye. I found this plotting with the sheep poisoning a weak backdrop to our story, though curious enough to hold my interest. For all of Harry's investigation over the poisoning conspiracy, it didn't seem like he got anywhere until they spoke to the wizened Granville nanny, Mistress Humboldt. The entire investigation was boring not to mention unproductive.
The investigation did provide an excuse for our leading pair to spend more time together though, and George's claim to Harry's "maleness" was funny, not to mention very passionate. At one point, George blurts out she'd like to see a naked man once.
I didn't mind the torture scene after Granville captures Harry. I thought that was very empowering to read about -- Harry enduring the beatings showed much more strength than a heavily-muscled, chiseled hero from common romance novels.
THE LEOPARD PRINCE belonged to...? I'd say both George and Harry equally share possession of the novel, and though Harry had more of a mysterious background, George had more flair, more panache. I really liked the ending, and it didn't seem to unman our hero as other romance novels often do; ironically enough, our lowly, average steward seemed much stronger in character and spirit than most tall, dark and handsome heroes which pine and wilt before the heroine and her whims in so many romance novels.
Another very fun, enjoyable novel and wow, Elizabeth Hoyt is on fire!
Elizabeth Hoyt's stories are quickly becoming a delight to read, and THE LEOPARD PRINCE follows THE RAVEN PRINCE very satisfactorily, albeit just a notch below THE RAVEN PRINCE. Hoyt sprinkles the right touches of a heart-felt romance, humorous wit (real wit), frenzied passion, a relatively engaging plot and unconventional, well-developed characterizations. Settings are stronger in this book, with the rain, the smells, and the lavish estates. Unlike THE RAVEN PRINCE, I thought THE LEOPARD PRINCE dragged a bit in the second half though, especially after Harry Pye's recuperation from the beating. Still, the ending was grand; unique, hilarious and pleasantly trite all at the same time. Like Julia Quinn's endorsement on the front cover, I really didn't want THE LEOPARD PRINCE to end.
I found the combination of an ordinary, average-of-height hero finding love with a spinster, a wealthy heroine very refreshing to read about. Our 30 year-old hero is a lowly but street-smart land steward while our 28 year-old heroine is an earl's sister but the head of her family's finances, the lone benefactor of a wealthy aunt's bequeathed vast fortune and estates. The obstacles our leading pair must surmount to be together is greater than most; the hero is not only much poorer (though he's done well for himself), but also from a lower class.
Similar to the slight discourse on feminism in the beginning of THE RAVEN PRINCE, I thought the brief railing against hierarchal society detracted from hero's strength of character and the story in general suffered because of it. I didn't think hero Harry Pye as one to mope around over the unfairness of life and aristocracy. Thankfully the book doesn't dwell on the subject.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Hoyt weaved the story of the The Leopard Prince as the story within the story, very much akin to her previous novel.
The Story, possible SPOILERS.
Twenty-eight year-old Lady Georgina "George" Maitland, an earl's sister and the sole benefactor of vast fortunes and estates, exhibits a sparkling wit, and a hilarious innocence. She's on her way to her estate at Woldsly Manor as per her 15 year-old sister Violet's request. The book describes George's striking ginger hair at length, but she isn't a stunning beauty by any stretch of the imagination.
I loved the way Hoyt relates our heroine George's innocence in matters of passion and love in the beginning. I found George's wit and humor over her innocence regarding matters of lovemaking very refreshing and, ironically enough, mature. The satirical humor lent the whole virgin experience in a very humorous yet passionate light. Of course George exhibits a very witty humor in general, one I suspect stems from Elizabeth Hoyt.
George's land steward Mr. Harry Pye accompanies George to her estate, a wound-up man, reticent in manner and speech, not to mention all too proper. George pokes some fun in her musings to herself at Harry's very phlegmatic demeanor, Harry the unknown recipient of George's humorous gibes. Harry returns her carefree fun with some straight-faced sarcasm of his own. Harry Pye is average all around, both in looks and height. However, he possesses a hidden, overpowering physical strength and absolutely devastating emerald eyes.
On their way to George's estate, the carriage overturns in the midst of a torrential downpour and Harry & George spend the night at a dilapidated cottage nearby, hailing the onset of a very passionate yet funny romance.
While riding the following day, George & Harry observe some dead sheep from poisoning on a neighboring estate owned by Lord Granville, our proverbial villain. Once at Woldsly Manor, George's sister Violet reveals rumors implicating Harry Pye in the sheep poisonings. More details surface of a mutual enmity between Lord Granville, whose lands currently suffer from the sheep deaths, and Harry Pye. I found this plotting with the sheep poisoning a weak backdrop to our story, though curious enough to hold my interest. For all of Harry's investigation over the poisoning conspiracy, it didn't seem like he got anywhere until they spoke to the wizened Granville nanny, Mistress Humboldt. The entire investigation was boring not to mention unproductive.
The investigation did provide an excuse for our leading pair to spend more time together though, and George's claim to Harry's "maleness" was funny, not to mention very passionate. At one point, George blurts out she'd like to see a naked man once.
I didn't mind the torture scene after Granville captures Harry. I thought that was very empowering to read about -- Harry enduring the beatings showed much more strength than a heavily-muscled, chiseled hero from common romance novels.
THE LEOPARD PRINCE belonged to...? I'd say both George and Harry equally share possession of the novel, and though Harry had more of a mysterious background, George had more flair, more panache. I really liked the ending, and it didn't seem to unman our hero as other romance novels often do; ironically enough, our lowly, average steward seemed much stronger in character and spirit than most tall, dark and handsome heroes which pine and wilt before the heroine and her whims in so many romance novels.
Another very fun, enjoyable novel and wow, Elizabeth Hoyt is on fire!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The Protector, by Madeline Hunter [3]
***/***** (3/5)
Another stellar Madeline Hunter novel with mature and poignant characterizations in the midst of a captivating historical backdrop. I enjoyed the beginning and ending, pleasantly surprised by the action therein. I found the middle portions involving the travel to Windsor and stay at Windsor to see the English King however fairly dry and boring. The negotiation and counter negotiations for marriage were very fun, especially Morvan's counter. After the consummation back in Brittany, the book seemed to relapse a bit again until the finale. Who was the real protector in THE PROTECTOR, our hero or our heroine? I found the ambiguity of this question very intriguing, since even though the hero swears the oath, it's our heroine who does most of the protecting and saving.
I'm not exactly sure what it was but something was missing from the romance. It seemed a bit flat. The middle portions didn't help. The historical backdrop of this novel is probably the strongest of any Madeline Hunter novels I've read so far though. Times of chaos (the plague, war, France, England, etc.) help from a storyline point-of-view, for sure.
I was looking forward to seeing the duel between Morvan and John in the beginning, and later, between Morvan and our villain Gurwant. Unfortunately, Hunter skips relaying both duels and we're just told later on that Morvan won. Very anticlimactic. I guess Anna did all the important stuff in hatching the plans and the rest is rudimentary. Besides playing the domineering lord, Morvan has little to do and I'm not convinced of his prowess with the sword as I was with Addiss in BY POSSESSION.
The Story, possible spoilers.
Tall and lovely Lady Anna de Leon of La Roche de Roald is something of a tomboy, and finds herself heiress to rich and vast lands in Brittany during a time of turmoil and chaos. Both France and England lay claims to Brittany and the young 10 year-old duke of Brittany fosters under the English king's care while chaos ensues in Brittany. Anna however has no desire to inherit her rich lands and even less desires to marry, she's returned home to fulfill her duty until her younger sister marries, and to care for the sick when the black plague runs rampant across Europe.
Anna is probably the strongest of Madeline Hunter's heroines I've read so far, at least from an athletic, warrior standpoint. She's deadly with the crossbow and arrow, a decent sword, tall, lean and finely-toned, and of course, an heiress to rich lands. She isn't one to sit around and wait for the hero to do things, she takes charge, admirably and plausibly. She's also one of the more passionate heroines, abandoning all and giving everything during the scattered but few love scenes with Morvan.
Lowly English knight Sir Morvan Fitzwaryn finds himself in Anna's care at her home in La Roche de Roald after he's contracted the plague. Morvan lost his family's ancestral home in England to the Scots, and now he awaits the King's aid and the chance to reclaim it. The books describes Morvan as incredibly handsome, and only slightly taller than our relatively tall Anna. Morvan suffers from the plague when he first meets Anna, and like other Madeline Hunter novels, Morvan and Anna share an instant spiritual connection from Anna's "deathwatch." After Anna nurses Morvan back to full health, Morvan vows to protect Anna.
When Anna's snubbed former betrothed Gurwant arrives with an army to conquer La Roche de Roald, she devises a genius plan to repel the attack. Of course, Anna implants herself in the thick of the battle and when Morvan returns her to the castle, it's Anna who prevents the inevitable confrontation between Morvan and Gurwant by shooting Gurwant's upper arm. There's some foreshadowing here as Morvan comments that maybe Gurwant lives because he's meant to kill Gurwant. Unfortunately, THE PROTECTOR entirely skips the part at the end which has them squaring off one-on-one. Booo, and very anticlimactic.
Later, Anna & Morvan travel to England to petition the King: Anna wants to join the convent and to pass off La Roche de Roald to Anna's sister to inherit. King Edward however has very different plans for Anna and her lands whose people favor England. Very fun negotiations of marriage ensue reminding me of THE RULES OF SEDUCTION, Morvan getting the better of those dealings. Anna has the last laugh though, making things very difficult for Morvan back at La Roche de Roald when she smiles sweetly and plays the docile, demure lady of the keep -- and fails miserably (knowingly). After a vassal's betrayal, Gurwant captures Morvan, and again it's Anna who comes to the rescue with a brilliant plan of her own. I thought it worked out too nicely without a single drop of blood except for the villain's.
Some additional musings and comments...
In the beginning Anna waves off Morvan's romantic advances as a means to an end, since she's an heiress to rich lands. Later during a moment of heated passion, Morvan stops himself before going further, and Anna believes he was pretending to desire her, that she isn't very attractive to men in general because of her height and tomboy nature. I had to smile, because basically, he's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Unlike other adolescent heroine characterizations from other authors however, I understood her reactions and they seemed believable from a passionate virgin. Further, the book adequately addresses her ambivalent and confused reactions.
As much as I find Madeline Hunter's analogies and imagery as a means to impart something deeper, too abstract sometimes, I did feel one particular imagery from this novel squarely hit the mark. It was Morvan's first night at Anna's castle at La Roche de Roald when Morvan faces sure death from the black plague. He looks on a gorgeous sunset and feels an impending dark isolation. Morvan then stretches on a large rock overlooking the sea and feels another profound human spirit touching his "invisible self", his soul. At the same time high up on the castle's gallery, Anna notices a solitary figure on a rock and her heart wrenches with "astounding empathy," empathy and compassion for the isolation and impending death that figure faces. There's rumors of her being saint and having angelic powers, and I thought this was a beautiful connection, and a beautiful way to describe it.
Again, quality material and something I've come to expect from Madeline Hunter. If not for the rather boring middle parts and being deprived of the final duel between Morvan and Gurwant, I'd warm up to this novel a bit more. As it stands, it seemed like something was missing overall, including in the romance.
Another stellar Madeline Hunter novel with mature and poignant characterizations in the midst of a captivating historical backdrop. I enjoyed the beginning and ending, pleasantly surprised by the action therein. I found the middle portions involving the travel to Windsor and stay at Windsor to see the English King however fairly dry and boring. The negotiation and counter negotiations for marriage were very fun, especially Morvan's counter. After the consummation back in Brittany, the book seemed to relapse a bit again until the finale. Who was the real protector in THE PROTECTOR, our hero or our heroine? I found the ambiguity of this question very intriguing, since even though the hero swears the oath, it's our heroine who does most of the protecting and saving.
I'm not exactly sure what it was but something was missing from the romance. It seemed a bit flat. The middle portions didn't help. The historical backdrop of this novel is probably the strongest of any Madeline Hunter novels I've read so far though. Times of chaos (the plague, war, France, England, etc.) help from a storyline point-of-view, for sure.
I was looking forward to seeing the duel between Morvan and John in the beginning, and later, between Morvan and our villain Gurwant. Unfortunately, Hunter skips relaying both duels and we're just told later on that Morvan won. Very anticlimactic. I guess Anna did all the important stuff in hatching the plans and the rest is rudimentary. Besides playing the domineering lord, Morvan has little to do and I'm not convinced of his prowess with the sword as I was with Addiss in BY POSSESSION.
The Story, possible spoilers.
Tall and lovely Lady Anna de Leon of La Roche de Roald is something of a tomboy, and finds herself heiress to rich and vast lands in Brittany during a time of turmoil and chaos. Both France and England lay claims to Brittany and the young 10 year-old duke of Brittany fosters under the English king's care while chaos ensues in Brittany. Anna however has no desire to inherit her rich lands and even less desires to marry, she's returned home to fulfill her duty until her younger sister marries, and to care for the sick when the black plague runs rampant across Europe.
Anna is probably the strongest of Madeline Hunter's heroines I've read so far, at least from an athletic, warrior standpoint. She's deadly with the crossbow and arrow, a decent sword, tall, lean and finely-toned, and of course, an heiress to rich lands. She isn't one to sit around and wait for the hero to do things, she takes charge, admirably and plausibly. She's also one of the more passionate heroines, abandoning all and giving everything during the scattered but few love scenes with Morvan.
Lowly English knight Sir Morvan Fitzwaryn finds himself in Anna's care at her home in La Roche de Roald after he's contracted the plague. Morvan lost his family's ancestral home in England to the Scots, and now he awaits the King's aid and the chance to reclaim it. The books describes Morvan as incredibly handsome, and only slightly taller than our relatively tall Anna. Morvan suffers from the plague when he first meets Anna, and like other Madeline Hunter novels, Morvan and Anna share an instant spiritual connection from Anna's "deathwatch." After Anna nurses Morvan back to full health, Morvan vows to protect Anna.
When Anna's snubbed former betrothed Gurwant arrives with an army to conquer La Roche de Roald, she devises a genius plan to repel the attack. Of course, Anna implants herself in the thick of the battle and when Morvan returns her to the castle, it's Anna who prevents the inevitable confrontation between Morvan and Gurwant by shooting Gurwant's upper arm. There's some foreshadowing here as Morvan comments that maybe Gurwant lives because he's meant to kill Gurwant. Unfortunately, THE PROTECTOR entirely skips the part at the end which has them squaring off one-on-one. Booo, and very anticlimactic.
Later, Anna & Morvan travel to England to petition the King: Anna wants to join the convent and to pass off La Roche de Roald to Anna's sister to inherit. King Edward however has very different plans for Anna and her lands whose people favor England. Very fun negotiations of marriage ensue reminding me of THE RULES OF SEDUCTION, Morvan getting the better of those dealings. Anna has the last laugh though, making things very difficult for Morvan back at La Roche de Roald when she smiles sweetly and plays the docile, demure lady of the keep -- and fails miserably (knowingly). After a vassal's betrayal, Gurwant captures Morvan, and again it's Anna who comes to the rescue with a brilliant plan of her own. I thought it worked out too nicely without a single drop of blood except for the villain's.
Some additional musings and comments...
In the beginning Anna waves off Morvan's romantic advances as a means to an end, since she's an heiress to rich lands. Later during a moment of heated passion, Morvan stops himself before going further, and Anna believes he was pretending to desire her, that she isn't very attractive to men in general because of her height and tomboy nature. I had to smile, because basically, he's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Unlike other adolescent heroine characterizations from other authors however, I understood her reactions and they seemed believable from a passionate virgin. Further, the book adequately addresses her ambivalent and confused reactions.
As much as I find Madeline Hunter's analogies and imagery as a means to impart something deeper, too abstract sometimes, I did feel one particular imagery from this novel squarely hit the mark. It was Morvan's first night at Anna's castle at La Roche de Roald when Morvan faces sure death from the black plague. He looks on a gorgeous sunset and feels an impending dark isolation. Morvan then stretches on a large rock overlooking the sea and feels another profound human spirit touching his "invisible self", his soul. At the same time high up on the castle's gallery, Anna notices a solitary figure on a rock and her heart wrenches with "astounding empathy," empathy and compassion for the isolation and impending death that figure faces. There's rumors of her being saint and having angelic powers, and I thought this was a beautiful connection, and a beautiful way to describe it.
Again, quality material and something I've come to expect from Madeline Hunter. If not for the rather boring middle parts and being deprived of the final duel between Morvan and Gurwant, I'd warm up to this novel a bit more. As it stands, it seemed like something was missing overall, including in the romance.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Causing Havoc, by Lori Foster [2]
**/***** (2/5)
Welcome to Lori Foster's world of larger-than-life heroes and social drama. You can't fault Lori Foster for weak heroes, not even the slightest. CAUSING HAVOC's Dean Conor, Gregor and Simon are ripped mammoths, 6-foot-5+ "hunks" through and through. Strong of conviction, tough, imposing in size and strength and rich, Dean Conor is a man's man. He doesn't cower and submit to everything in the end, and that in and of itself was nice to read after THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST. This contemporary romance offers little else though, and besides the hero's endearing efforts to help his estranged sisters and reluctantly implant himself as part of their lives, the book was mostly boring. It took a while to read, and I finished 3 other books while trying to finish this one.
The Story.
Dean "Havoc" Conor receives a letter from his estranged sister, a plea asking him to return home to Harmony, Kentucky, and try to be a family again. Dean Conor is hard-pressed to return to a home he was kicked out of 20 years ago, and return to sisters he believes has long forgotten him. He's wary of his sister's motivation asking him to return home. Despite his reservations, famed SBC fighter Dean Conor returns to a home he longs to forget and sisters he wishes didn't exist.
Once in Harmony, KY, he meets his sister's gorgeous best friend Eve Lavon and their mutual attraction draws them together.
The rest of the novel tells of Dean's insuppressible love for his sisters and the passions he shares with Eve, eventually blossoming into a love. There's a plot dealing with the history of Dean and his sisters' parents, dead 20 years ago after an accident ended their lives. Their parents didn't share a loving relationship, and we find out more about the siblings' mother's love affair with another man. They weren't the most caring, loving parents either, as the father left them to their own devices while the mother was happier in her affair. After their deaths, an uncle takes Dean away from Harmony, KY, while his two sisters grow up under their Aunt Lorna's care.
I actually found myself more interested in Roger's character than Dean's though. Roger was very interesting as the suspicious man who claims to love the eldest sister, Cam. I also thought Cam had more depth than the other two women in the novel, Cam's sister Jacki and our heroine Eve Lavon.
The ending isn't bad and concludes in a true romance-genre fashion. The story is really about a long-estranged brother finding his place amongst his family again and discovering true love on the side.
Welcome to Lori Foster's world of larger-than-life heroes and social drama. You can't fault Lori Foster for weak heroes, not even the slightest. CAUSING HAVOC's Dean Conor, Gregor and Simon are ripped mammoths, 6-foot-5+ "hunks" through and through. Strong of conviction, tough, imposing in size and strength and rich, Dean Conor is a man's man. He doesn't cower and submit to everything in the end, and that in and of itself was nice to read after THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST. This contemporary romance offers little else though, and besides the hero's endearing efforts to help his estranged sisters and reluctantly implant himself as part of their lives, the book was mostly boring. It took a while to read, and I finished 3 other books while trying to finish this one.
The Story.
Dean "Havoc" Conor receives a letter from his estranged sister, a plea asking him to return home to Harmony, Kentucky, and try to be a family again. Dean Conor is hard-pressed to return to a home he was kicked out of 20 years ago, and return to sisters he believes has long forgotten him. He's wary of his sister's motivation asking him to return home. Despite his reservations, famed SBC fighter Dean Conor returns to a home he longs to forget and sisters he wishes didn't exist.
Once in Harmony, KY, he meets his sister's gorgeous best friend Eve Lavon and their mutual attraction draws them together.
The rest of the novel tells of Dean's insuppressible love for his sisters and the passions he shares with Eve, eventually blossoming into a love. There's a plot dealing with the history of Dean and his sisters' parents, dead 20 years ago after an accident ended their lives. Their parents didn't share a loving relationship, and we find out more about the siblings' mother's love affair with another man. They weren't the most caring, loving parents either, as the father left them to their own devices while the mother was happier in her affair. After their deaths, an uncle takes Dean away from Harmony, KY, while his two sisters grow up under their Aunt Lorna's care.
I actually found myself more interested in Roger's character than Dean's though. Roger was very interesting as the suspicious man who claims to love the eldest sister, Cam. I also thought Cam had more depth than the other two women in the novel, Cam's sister Jacki and our heroine Eve Lavon.
The ending isn't bad and concludes in a true romance-genre fashion. The story is really about a long-estranged brother finding his place amongst his family again and discovering true love on the side.
Friday, June 1, 2007
The Bride and the Beast, by Teresa Medeiros [1]
*/***** (1/5)
My second Teresa Medeiros novel THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST follows a thoroughly entertaining find, CHARMING THE PRINCE. Unlike CHARMING THE PRINCE however, I didn't enjoy THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST at all; in fact, I hated it, and its admirable attempts at humor and vivid settings missed the mark by a wide margin. I found THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST a rather annoying look at outward appearances, highlighting a woman's insecurities about her plump, chubby bearing, something the townsfolk view as fat, and yet predictably, something our well-muscled, handsome hero views as generously curved.
When I wasn't annoyed by the novel, I was bored by the rest of it. The bulk of the middle portions, a good 150-200 pages, was insanely boring, especially after the town folk offer the heroine to the Dragon. There's nothing going on there. Nothing at all.
The ending crosses its t's and dots its i's in an out-and-out heroine-taming-the-beast routine. In fact, the title of the book should be: TAMING THE BEAST, would have helped me save my time. Fifteen years of biding his time for revenge dissipates like it never existed, watching his parents murdered, now an entirely forgettable experience in the face of the heroine's uncompromising wishes. The taming in question involves more of an emasculation than anything else. When an old woman (Izzy) holds an ax to him towards the end threatening he marry the heroine before taking her, like a gentleman he happily consents. In all matters, there's no real male character here, he bequeathes everything about him, and I mean everything to the wishes and whims of others. Among books I've read, BRIDE AND THE BEAST's hero Bernard now ties PRICE OF PLEASURE's Grant in the dubious honor as the weakest and most annoying feminine "hero" I've ever read.
Although we can't see our hero's face in the beginning, it's clear he's muscled, and I found his lusting over our heroine's ample and plump assets very annoying. Whether it's town folk ridiculing her corpulence or her own self-deprecating referrals to her portliness, we're reminded again and again of the insecurities of our heroine's appearance.
These reminders about our heroine's insecurities I don't have so much of a problem with.
I do have a problem with a chiseled, handsome guy instantly and incessantly lusting after a rather plump woman, while bearing the brunt of her rather "witty" and condemning expletives, and enjoying it. There's no natural progression to this unfathomable lust on the hero's part at all, it's instant. And he gaily accepts her barbs all the while! I understand the book reads more as a fairy tale than anything else, but I just couldn't get past this intense and immediate lusting on the hero's part. It required too much of a suspension of disbelief.
As much we like to deny it, appearance forms the foundation of an attraction and cements it, but you'd never know from this novel. There's a reason why a vast majority of romance heroes are tall, dark and handsome, right? Our hero certainly fits the requisite appearance stereotype in romance novels: tall, broad-shouldered, chiseled, dark and handsome. Appearances matter!
When our plump heroine mistakes our hero's friend Theodore Tuppingham (Tupper) as the Dragon, she scoffs at Tupper's wide girth, heavy belly and balding hairline, finding him unworthy. So it's disparaging and insulting when the heroine is viewed as such, but perfectly okay when the heroine views another guy as such? Nothing better than the pot calling the kettle black.
After our hero's friend Theodore Tuppingham chances on the disheveled dishabille of our heroine's younger sister Kitty, Tupper instantly lusts after Kitty as well. Again, this secondary and meaningless pairing represents another play on appearances, just switch the genders. I should have known only a secondary pairing would allow a plump man paired with a beautiful woman. In this case, our under-average looking Tupper finds Kitty irresistible, even though Kitty's disheveled clothes clearly betrays a recent tryst. Any normal guy -- even one ample-girthed - would find such an compromising condition on a woman a huge turn-off considering another man's scent and marks in obvious display on the woman. Not Tupper though, he's flattered Kitty mistakes him as the Dragon as well, and he delicately kisses Kitty's hand. Yuck, don't want to know where that hand has just been! At least let her wash first ha!
As much I enjoyed Medeiros' twist on a classic fairy tale in CHARMING THE PRINCE, I'm loathe to try her other two books I've blindly checked out from the library. Especially after reading this horrible novel. Certainly, CHARMING THE PRINCE's hero was altogether forgettable, but at least he wasn't so bad, so annoying, so emasculated.. as BRIDE AND THE BEAST's Bernard.
The Story, SPOILERS.
Town folk offer portly but virginal Gwendolyn Wilder to a dragon beast preying on them in hopes of appeasing him and lifting a curse which alludes to innocence offered in blood. The town folk, infinitely too smart for their own good, presume the virginal blood of our plump heroine Gwendolyn will lift the curse. The Dragon Bernard MacCullough didn't ask for a human sacrifice though, he was looking for someone to come forward with the gold they earned as repayment for betraying the MacCullough laird 15 years ago and causing the deaths of his mother and father. He wanted revenge.
Our tall, dark and handsome Bernard is instantly smitten with lust for Gwendolyn's plump body. How? Why? Huh? Whatever, you got me. The book devolves at this point into a series of boring encounters between our leading pair as Bernard holds Gwendolyn as his prisoner in his decrepit castle. Bernard is very noble for a beastly dragon though, never taking advantage of her and then just letting her be, giving her the opportunity to escape.
After the town folk discover that the dragon preying on them isn't really a true dragon, they arrive with torches and weapons ready to kill. Then they discover the true identity of the mysterious Dragon, and Gwendolyn deeply resents Bernard for it. She acts like a spoiled brat just because he didn't tell her who he really was from the beginning and pouts for 3 months over it, gaining some more weight in the process. I didn't understand the behavior and the explanation for it seemed nonsensical.
But such is the story focused on taming the hero. When will authors realize that revenge plots are much more interesting than the weak saving-the-hero's-tortured-soul routine? I'd like to see a romance novel heroine actually help a hero's revenge plot for once. Just once. Would make for an interesting twist in and of itself, and would be so nice to see the leading pair working with each other for a change.
The end quickly turns into a desiccation of the hero's will and personality. He submits, cowers (against Izzy), and hops, skips and jumps into the arms of our heroine. Nothing is left of the hero even remotely worth mentioning or admiring. And I mean nothing. This isn't saving a soul so much as it is stripping the soul from our hero. I didn't feel the heroine does or says a single thing which warrants this emasculation on the hero's part for her. She was completely undeserving, from beginning to end.
I need to read Madeline Hunter after this crap.
My second Teresa Medeiros novel THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST follows a thoroughly entertaining find, CHARMING THE PRINCE. Unlike CHARMING THE PRINCE however, I didn't enjoy THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST at all; in fact, I hated it, and its admirable attempts at humor and vivid settings missed the mark by a wide margin. I found THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST a rather annoying look at outward appearances, highlighting a woman's insecurities about her plump, chubby bearing, something the townsfolk view as fat, and yet predictably, something our well-muscled, handsome hero views as generously curved.
When I wasn't annoyed by the novel, I was bored by the rest of it. The bulk of the middle portions, a good 150-200 pages, was insanely boring, especially after the town folk offer the heroine to the Dragon. There's nothing going on there. Nothing at all.
The ending crosses its t's and dots its i's in an out-and-out heroine-taming-the-beast routine. In fact, the title of the book should be: TAMING THE BEAST, would have helped me save my time. Fifteen years of biding his time for revenge dissipates like it never existed, watching his parents murdered, now an entirely forgettable experience in the face of the heroine's uncompromising wishes. The taming in question involves more of an emasculation than anything else. When an old woman (Izzy) holds an ax to him towards the end threatening he marry the heroine before taking her, like a gentleman he happily consents. In all matters, there's no real male character here, he bequeathes everything about him, and I mean everything to the wishes and whims of others. Among books I've read, BRIDE AND THE BEAST's hero Bernard now ties PRICE OF PLEASURE's Grant in the dubious honor as the weakest and most annoying feminine "hero" I've ever read.
Although we can't see our hero's face in the beginning, it's clear he's muscled, and I found his lusting over our heroine's ample and plump assets very annoying. Whether it's town folk ridiculing her corpulence or her own self-deprecating referrals to her portliness, we're reminded again and again of the insecurities of our heroine's appearance.
These reminders about our heroine's insecurities I don't have so much of a problem with.
I do have a problem with a chiseled, handsome guy instantly and incessantly lusting after a rather plump woman, while bearing the brunt of her rather "witty" and condemning expletives, and enjoying it. There's no natural progression to this unfathomable lust on the hero's part at all, it's instant. And he gaily accepts her barbs all the while! I understand the book reads more as a fairy tale than anything else, but I just couldn't get past this intense and immediate lusting on the hero's part. It required too much of a suspension of disbelief.
As much we like to deny it, appearance forms the foundation of an attraction and cements it, but you'd never know from this novel. There's a reason why a vast majority of romance heroes are tall, dark and handsome, right? Our hero certainly fits the requisite appearance stereotype in romance novels: tall, broad-shouldered, chiseled, dark and handsome. Appearances matter!
When our plump heroine mistakes our hero's friend Theodore Tuppingham (Tupper) as the Dragon, she scoffs at Tupper's wide girth, heavy belly and balding hairline, finding him unworthy. So it's disparaging and insulting when the heroine is viewed as such, but perfectly okay when the heroine views another guy as such? Nothing better than the pot calling the kettle black.
After our hero's friend Theodore Tuppingham chances on the disheveled dishabille of our heroine's younger sister Kitty, Tupper instantly lusts after Kitty as well. Again, this secondary and meaningless pairing represents another play on appearances, just switch the genders. I should have known only a secondary pairing would allow a plump man paired with a beautiful woman. In this case, our under-average looking Tupper finds Kitty irresistible, even though Kitty's disheveled clothes clearly betrays a recent tryst. Any normal guy -- even one ample-girthed - would find such an compromising condition on a woman a huge turn-off considering another man's scent and marks in obvious display on the woman. Not Tupper though, he's flattered Kitty mistakes him as the Dragon as well, and he delicately kisses Kitty's hand. Yuck, don't want to know where that hand has just been! At least let her wash first ha!
As much I enjoyed Medeiros' twist on a classic fairy tale in CHARMING THE PRINCE, I'm loathe to try her other two books I've blindly checked out from the library. Especially after reading this horrible novel. Certainly, CHARMING THE PRINCE's hero was altogether forgettable, but at least he wasn't so bad, so annoying, so emasculated.. as BRIDE AND THE BEAST's Bernard.
The Story, SPOILERS.
Town folk offer portly but virginal Gwendolyn Wilder to a dragon beast preying on them in hopes of appeasing him and lifting a curse which alludes to innocence offered in blood. The town folk, infinitely too smart for their own good, presume the virginal blood of our plump heroine Gwendolyn will lift the curse. The Dragon Bernard MacCullough didn't ask for a human sacrifice though, he was looking for someone to come forward with the gold they earned as repayment for betraying the MacCullough laird 15 years ago and causing the deaths of his mother and father. He wanted revenge.
Our tall, dark and handsome Bernard is instantly smitten with lust for Gwendolyn's plump body. How? Why? Huh? Whatever, you got me. The book devolves at this point into a series of boring encounters between our leading pair as Bernard holds Gwendolyn as his prisoner in his decrepit castle. Bernard is very noble for a beastly dragon though, never taking advantage of her and then just letting her be, giving her the opportunity to escape.
After the town folk discover that the dragon preying on them isn't really a true dragon, they arrive with torches and weapons ready to kill. Then they discover the true identity of the mysterious Dragon, and Gwendolyn deeply resents Bernard for it. She acts like a spoiled brat just because he didn't tell her who he really was from the beginning and pouts for 3 months over it, gaining some more weight in the process. I didn't understand the behavior and the explanation for it seemed nonsensical.
But such is the story focused on taming the hero. When will authors realize that revenge plots are much more interesting than the weak saving-the-hero's-tortured-soul routine? I'd like to see a romance novel heroine actually help a hero's revenge plot for once. Just once. Would make for an interesting twist in and of itself, and would be so nice to see the leading pair working with each other for a change.
The end quickly turns into a desiccation of the hero's will and personality. He submits, cowers (against Izzy), and hops, skips and jumps into the arms of our heroine. Nothing is left of the hero even remotely worth mentioning or admiring. And I mean nothing. This isn't saving a soul so much as it is stripping the soul from our hero. I didn't feel the heroine does or says a single thing which warrants this emasculation on the hero's part for her. She was completely undeserving, from beginning to end.
I need to read Madeline Hunter after this crap.
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