I need to remind myself- regularly- how much I do not enjoy reading this author.
Lee: cookie-cutter, foul-mouthed, disrespectful-of-women, man-whore pI need to remind myself- regularly- how much I do not enjoy reading this author.
Lee: cookie-cutter, foul-mouthed, disrespectful-of-women, man-whore pro athlete hero? Check. Shayna: supposedly intelligent but actually stupid, spineless FMC who still hankers after the arsehole who mistreated her in college after 8 years have gone by? Check.
Moreover, both MCs still talk and act like they are in college, not pushing 30.
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Let's look at an example of the deeply intellectual level of the conversations had between the hero (this is from his POV) and the lads on the footy team:
Chase shakes his head at me with a look of disgust. "There's more to life than pussy. Get over it." I lean in a bit toward him. "I take it you've never had pussy like Shayna's then." The words were crude and Shayna would castrate me of she overheard me, but I'm making a point. He guffaws. "Had lots of pussy, man, and you know it. One's no different than the next."
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Firstly, the whole tone of the 48% I read was incredibly insulting to pro athletes. I guarantee there are more decent, hard-working and sensitive athletes than there are misogynist, promiscuous athletes. Secondly, Shayna would not castrate him- she'd probably feel flattered. She lacks the backbone required for castration. Finally, the last sentence of the quote in Italics could just as well describe the characters in this book as it does all the faceless, nameless pussy good ole Chase has had.
Really good sports romance is out there- Karla Sorenson, for example, is an author who does this genre well. So if you are looking for character development, an interesting and multi-layered storyline, well-written steamy scenes and an emotionally satisfying love story, I would definitely avoid this book.
Yikes- Anderson, the guy, is a man-whore who has sex with a random in the room next door to the FMC Natalia, who works ion the same company, while on Yikes- Anderson, the guy, is a man-whore who has sex with a random in the room next door to the FMC Natalia, who works ion the same company, while on a business weekend away. He makes sure Natalia hears it, and she, charming girl, listens through the wall and gets off on it. Then he whores himself out the next day to save a business deal, blithely telling Natalia and her brother, his business partner, at breakfast the next morning that he slept with the other woman for this express purpose.
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Just wondering how we would see that if a woman had done the same thing. And if we struggled with that, why should we sanction this behaviour in a man? He was gross for 80% of the book. I nearly gave up, but hoped it would get better. Nope. Natalia became just as oversexed as he was, although I guess she didn’t sleep with anyone else after she had met him.
Finished it feeling a bit besmirched- it was tawdry smut, not sexy smut. No actual romance. If you are into that, cool.
Welcome to the story of Arden the doormat and Brody the arsehole- great combo for what looked like it could have been a let-down of a book. Enemies-toWelcome to the story of Arden the doormat and Brody the arsehole- great combo for what looked like it could have been a let-down of a book. Enemies-to-lovers romance doesn’t work if the only one doing the hating is the guy, and the girl just takes whatever crumbs she gets and forgives his arrogant shit every time.
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I was worried at the start. Hell, at her first meeting, she gets down on her knees and BEGS. WTAF? While accidentally becoming involved in restoring her grandparents’ house as part of a reno reality show, she is also bullied and harassed by his even bigger arsehole brothers whenever she has the misfortune to run into them. (What I got about them for most of this book is: The older one, Mason, is a controlling, vindictive bastard, the other, Chase, an immature man-whore idiot. Like ima gonna read THEIR stories.) Ultimately, the total lack of communication between the two MCs was ridiculous, and all could have been resolved in half an hour of honest discussion. Even when we find out why the brothers all hated her, it didn't excuse the awful way they behaved towards Arden. The oldest brother was particularly unpleasant.
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What authors need to realise is that female MCs without a backbone are boring and embarrassing. A stronger FMC who pushed back and stood up for herself more, instead of wallowing in misplaced guilt and sentimental attachment to a building.
It finished up better than I expected, but I still can't say I actually enjoyed reading this book....more
2.5 stars I guess this one is borderline YA, although the heroine is 23. I have read the first two Lux series books so know the context, and it was gre2.5 stars I guess this one is borderline YA, although the heroine is 23. I have read the first two Lux series books so know the context, and it was great to see the other side of the story, as we are initially led to believe that the Luxen aliens are the good guys, and the Arum are the baddies. Conceptually interesting and I was hooked enough to want to know what happens in the end, but the behaviour of the Arum, Hunter, was very problematic.
OK, he was an unfeeling, vampire-like alien who fed off human and Luxen energy, which would ultimately kill them if he didn't control himself. Mostly, he killed them. He was highly sexed and borderline rapey in his attitude towards the heroine, but she was dopey and also over-sexed (her best friend was murdered in front of her and all she can think about is how hot Hunter is? Please.) They had a shit-ton of sex. All I could think was....
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Hunter became more likeable in the course of the book, and she became stronger, but certainly had too many TSTL moments for me.
If you like very dominant, rough and virile hero, you will like this. If you prefer a more nuanced and subtle characterisation with a heroine who has real backbone and puts up a bit more of a fight, and a hero who understands the concept of consent, then avoid it....more
This was a difficult book for me, because I struggled with the hero, Gray, who behaved like an arse far too often and with Ivy, for letting him get awThis was a difficult book for me, because I struggled with the hero, Gray, who behaved like an arse far too often and with Ivy, for letting him get away with it when she should have kicked him to the kerb so that he would learn to be a better person. I also found that the juxtaposition of the moral, sexually inexperienced Ivy with the promiscuous, vacuous college girls that appeared in the book too stereotyped to feel authentic. Are there only these two kinds of college girls in America? That's a bit worrying! [image]
At the start, Ivy is living in England for a bit, visiting her mum, and the hero, Gray, is able to use her (pink) car while she is overseas. They start to correspond, and begin their relationship as friends, but he wants more. Problem is, her dad is his sports’ agent and Gray is a man-whore-plus, (frankly, you'd have to dip it in sterilising solution before I'd go near that penis), really living on the surface, avoiding anything that might have him thinking too deeply. [image]
There are clearly a few obstacles these two need to push out of the way, and most of them are to do with Gray. This is often something that I dislike in Romance- the damaged hero saved by the selfless (often doormat) heroine. There was definitely a bit of this going on here. Later books by KC have much less of this, thank goodness.
Why is Gray such a shallow prick? (view spoiler)[We do find out that Gary’s dad and older brothers used to beat up on him under the pretext of toughening him up for football when he was younger (because that’s sure gonna do it). Also, his mother died of cancer and he was the only one in the family who cared for her at the end. (hide spoiler)] This leads to an appallingly cowardly and cruel decision on his part that shocked and pissed me off big time. Gray does work to banish his ghosts and comes through for Ivy in the end, but I did struggle with his promiscuous past and failure to be a Mensch when he needed to be. He just about redeems himself when Ivy faces another crisis, however, which gave me hope that he might actually grow up and be deserving of Ivy. KC writes well, as usual, and while her characters are often very flawed, with the men bordering on alpha-holes, the stories are engaging. An interesting addition to the Game On series....more
Ok, this one was really not my thing. I couldn't finish it, I was feeling a bit too uncomfortable.
A very conflicted girl from a conservative culturalOk, this one was really not my thing. I couldn't finish it, I was feeling a bit too uncomfortable.
A very conflicted girl from a conservative cultural background is guilted into not giving up her virginity and instead has a sexual relationship with a free-thinking artist, where absolutely anything goes (she gives head like a porn star) because she is very passionate and highly-sexed and needs to get off without actually letting a peen get into her vag.
The hero is a man-whore who has known her for years and suddenly decides she's the one for him when she turns up with a date. I didn't like him at all and she was way too submissive for me in her relationships, while being a tiger in bed who loves it really rough. Excuse me? WTAF? It was just the strangest dichotomy between apparent purity and lust. And how is there not one judgement made about the putative hero's promiscuity. He's a "womaniser". He "sleeps with many women". But what a great guy! The poor girl is constantly harangued by the other women to "not give up your cherry" and "stay away from him, he's bad for you". That's not being protective- that's harassment!
When the man-whore shags her hard, then gets up, dresses and tells her her got what he came for and leaves her, because he pissed off when he finds out about her previous sexual experience - hello hypocrisy- and she just accepts it all sadly, I was done. (He never apologises for the way he spoke to her, btw, and she never demands it).
The author's writing is fine, but this is my second book of hers, and I'm afraid it will be my last. I just don't think I understand the characters she writes about....more
1.5 stars. This is a very popular author, and her writing is good. Her characterisation is not so much to my taste, unfortunately.
There were several th1.5 stars. This is a very popular author, and her writing is good. Her characterisation is not so much to my taste, unfortunately.
There were several things that pissed me off about this story, but the two biggest things were:
a. the hero- what a prevaricating, non-committing, spineless dude! Happy to bed her but his character was very weak. And the whole fiancee-leaving-him-at-the-altar schtick, and how the heroine was related to said fiancée, was just OFF.
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b. the weak heroine, who allowed herself to be used, IMO, and never made the arsehole hero work for it when he should have been grovelling for forgiveness.
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Don't get me started on the Christmas decorations scene- an excruciating exercise in bad taste. ...more
Pretty sure I will not read any more by this author. The hero was the most immature, vapid SEAL character I have come across. Tyler and his blokey, dicPretty sure I will not read any more by this author. The hero was the most immature, vapid SEAL character I have come across. Tyler and his blokey, dickhead SEAL mates were sent on anti-terrorist missions? God help America, because these guys were ridiculous. Example: the tradition for the night before they went on a mission? Get blind drunk and do dumb-arse stuff like race a canoe, while seriously drunk, at night, when it's dark. The night before an anti-terrorist mission WTAF?
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What was worse, from a romance point of view, was the douchery that this hero commits.
Example 1: when Tyler's misogynist, man-ho mates make ribald suggestions and fish for details about his relationship with the heroine (who is a virgin), Tyler's masculine credentials feel so threatened at the thought of admitting that he hasn't slept with her yet, he lies and tells them that she has been giving him BJs. I kid you not! What a gentleman. What a stand-up guy. Then he's uncomfortable and angry with his friends when they treat the heroine in a suggestive, almost degrading way. Guilty conscience? Maybe, but not enough to confess to them that he LIED.
But it gets worse. Tyler has talked himself into going slow with Caroline. He wants to treat he differently from all the other women he has had. But he's fighting his true, nasty nature here. And failing. Tyler is really drunk on his night-before-a-mission bender. He decides it's time to screw the heroine- he's waited long enough. He tries to do this in his truck, outside a bar where all their friends are. She resists, and says: "Are you sure? ..When you're a complete drunk asshole? You pick now?" Whereupon gentleman Tyler loses it. He pins her to the seat. There's little doubt that there could be rape happening at any time. She struggles and this charmer says: "Stop being a cunt. I am not a drunk asshole. I fucking love you". He unzips his pants, and only then realises she is crying. He then stops, but upon her confession that she's a virgin, does a runner! Hang on- doesn't he "fucking love" her? Hmmm... maybe not, then.
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Apparently, he believes he is not good enough for her. Now? Why now? Because she is a virgin? Was it ok to behave like a pig when he thought she was experienced? And calling her THAT?
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Look, I finished the book because I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything and didn't want to be unduly harsh. I missed nothing. He was a horrible person and she tolerated way too much from him.
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Yes, he grovelled a bit at the end, but I was never convinced that he had changed. He was an immature, selfish lad all the way through. Having read reviews by friends of some other books by this author, (for example, Crazy Good), I now know she is not for me. His SEAL mates were just as obnoxious and I am not at all interested in their stories.
Only read if you enjoy sexist, insensitive, immature, man-ho, douchebag heroes and their doormat women....more
2.5 stars. As some of my friends said, this is definitely a better book than the next one in the series. Having said that, the hero was SUCH a man-ho I2.5 stars. As some of my friends said, this is definitely a better book than the next one in the series. Having said that, the hero was SUCH a man-ho I struggled to like him. He was also an unnecessarily nasty arse-hole in the middle of the book, refusing to accept her apology. Frankly, he did not have any right to the moral high ground and she was very forgiving and tolerant of his manchild hissy fit. Still, lots of drama if you like that in your CR....more
2.5 stars. I need to make something clear from the start: I do not like and do not read so-called mafia romance. The term is an oxymoron that dangerous2.5 stars. I need to make something clear from the start: I do not like and do not read so-called mafia romance. The term is an oxymoron that dangerously romanticises a cowardly, violent cult founded on blackmail, drugs, prostitution and murder.
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I read this book because it was the second in a series, the first of which had absolutely nothing to do with the mafia, and I was curious as to whether this book would really have a hero in the mafia, in which case it would have been a DNF for me. Thankfully, the hero was actually not in the mafia, although his cousin was. (view spoiler)[ They were working together with the FBI to bring one of the mob organisations in New York down. (hide spoiler)]
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So, as far as the book goes, it was ok. The writing was solid and the story interesting enough, but the the heroine was abjectly lame and the hero uber dominating at times (it didn't help that she continually referred to him as my "Italian god"- really? WTAF?). Now, I like me a sensitive alpha, and I don't mind the hero who prefers to take over in the bedroom, but a dude that says: "Stop talking!" all the time? Not so much. Still, I much preferred Vincent to Deirdre.
What I did find weirdly contradictory in this tale was that the wimpy, juvenile, almost-doormat heroine was a writer of dark romance books, specifically mafia "romance"! Go figure!
Also, an aspect that might have been amusing if it didn't resonate so strongly with me: the poor hero just lost it when he saw the (shite) she wrote, with titles like Tempting the Don or, my personal favourite Loving the Enforcer (translated: Loving the Murdering Hitman).
For example: Vincent finds her research for her latest book, also some of her published books, on a table.
Vincent: "What exactly do you write, Deirdre?" Deirdre: "Mafia romance. Dark romance." Vincent: "That book. The one about the girl the don kidnapped..." Deirdre: "Tempting the Don?" Vincent: "Yeah, that one," he sneered. You think that's romantic? A man kidnapping a woman, keeping her in his basement? Abusing her? Breaking her?" Deidre: "By itself, no. Of course I don't." Vincent: "Yet that's what you write about?" he challenged me. Deidre: "They're words, Vincent. It's a book. A sub-genre. No. In the real world, that's not cool. It's not romantic, but this is fantasy. It's make-believe.......The characters fall in love. They make up. They forgive.....And I'm proud of it." Vincent: : Proud of it? Doll, you are sadly confused. There is nothing, not a goddamn thing, romantic about the mob." Deirdre: "It's not real, Vincent...I know what the mafia is like. I -" Vincent: "Oh, I can see that."
Deidre:"Why are you so angry about what I write?" Vincent: "Because there's nothing romantic about the mafia, Deirdre. They're a disease, a cancer. They kill and maim everything, everyone, they touch. There's no magical world where they hurt people then forgive and get forgiven. They don't fall in love with their victims and then live happily ever after! They kill people. They kill the people those people love, and they don't give a fuck about anyone who gets hurt in the process".
You would think after this and his further description of how the mafia has poisoned so many aspects of his family's life that Dumbdumb- I mean, Deirdre - would get it. But no. "But these are just books!...Why does it bother you so much?" she whines. (She whines a lot.)
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I wanted to yell at Vincent: Walk away! She's an insensitive dumbass. Honestly, she was an appalling character. And frankly, she behaved in such a naive and immature fashion, I found it hard to work out what he saw in her, apart from the lust thing. He was ten years her senior, but she was supposedly 26. FFS.
So, I wanted to write this review because, whether or not the author was trying to defend "mafia romance", or actually criticise it while trying not to offend fellow authors who write it, Vincent's little tirade about the Mafia perfectly encapsulated why I hate that particular genre. Do I read novels about the mafia- absolutely? There are some brilliant ones, we know it. Like many people, I've read The Godfather etc. and while it was disturbing as much as it was fascinating, it didn't pretend to be a "romance" book. So female authors, stop it with this stupid, mafia anti-romance shit.
Here's a definition of romance: A "romance refers to the actions and feelings of people who are in love, especially behaviour which is very caring or affectionate" (My Italics). Collins dictionary. Violent, abusive actions towards someone are not romantic gestures.
Looks like social distancing and staying at home is making me more judgey than usual. May look back at this in a couple of years and want to edit it, but for now......
One of my favourite tropes is the enemies-to-lovers scenario. If well done, both MCs end up learning so much about themselves and each other, and the One of my favourite tropes is the enemies-to-lovers scenario. If well done, both MCs end up learning so much about themselves and each other, and the journey is both revelational and emotionally satisfying. Many are not done well, and the combination of immaturity and petty scoring against each other, with way to early capitulation by the wronged party (almost always the girl) makes for a dissatisfying, shallow read.
I have to say this one is well done. Macon and Delilah are complex people, a little older (thank goodness, no college drama here, although their history starts with school drama) and successful in their respective careers. They do still carry the scars of their childhood and teen years, and while Macon (view spoiler)[has been deeply damaged by a violent, bullying father (hide spoiler)], Delilah's scars have been caused to a large extent by Macon. And this is where the problem lies, for me.
I am not a fan of so-called "bully" romance. That is an oxymoron. I am no psychologist, but to me, a teen bully is someone without empathy, and I struggle to accept that they could ever have a healthy relationship, where they are not battering their partner either literally or psychologically. I don't care what the explanations or excuses are: my sympathies ultimately lie with the victim. So Macon, in this book, is someone I struggled to actually respect for a lot of the book, because he was incredibly cruel to Delilah in High School.
Delilah confronted me with another of my dislikes: the heroine who constantly allows people to take advantage of her because she loves them or because they are family, even when tough love would lead to a happier outcome for everyone concerned. Delilah's sister was an irredeemably manipulative, lying bitch, but it's always: Delilah to the rescue.
So I had to get over all that, and it took a while. But Macon and Delilah developed as characters over the course of the book, increasing in both self-awareness and self-esteem, and it was ultimately a very satisfying, mature novel about the stupidly cruel things we do as children and teenagers in an effort to protect ourselves, and how it is possible to acknowledge them and move on. It was as much about self-forgiveness as it was about forgiving each other.
A nicely crafted, well-written story by an author I always enjoy. It's not Darkest London (I'm a sucker for PNR set in Victorian England) but it was a great read.
Why oh why do I go there? I should know by now what to expect from books by this author, but I always hope this one will be different. And I do[image]
Why oh why do I go there? I should know by now what to expect from books by this author, but I always hope this one will be different. And I do enjoy a good alpha male/strong female story.
I even got to 60%, which is pretty good for me with this trope. Then the MC dude hero (who has always shared his girls in the past and has no qualms about taking the veterinarian heroine -yeah, sure - to a party at his "clubhouse" (are these guys, like, 10 years old?) where club whores- not the men, although that is exactly what they should be called too, but the women- are having sex with the lads in the main room) announces he's looking at opening a strip club. The freaking heroine responds with : "you should talk to my uncle and mom" because they've been running a strip club for years, taking over from grandpa when he retired.
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Daddy was worried that his baby was seeing a biker, yet his wife runs a strip club? The WTAF factor hit my limit, even while I guffawed at the crazy contradictory plot. Would Mommy and daddy like their daughter to strip in her club?
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This misogynist rubbish masquerading as romance is beyond me. The "club whores" were there at the first visit to the clubhouse. Having sex in public. The heroine doesn't call anyone on it but decides to get drunk so she can deal with it. This is someone with a degree in Veterinary Science? The total lack class in everything that went down in this story was mind-boggling. Hero to heroine when he is at her place for the first time: where's your TV? Heroine: in my bedroom. Hero: You only got one? So they adjourn to the bedroom to watch TV! Heaven forbid they share a meal and have a conversation. Man with no class meets woman with super-low expectations. A match made in heaven.
I have to say again, I will NEVER understand the strip club culture that seems to permeate so much of American life. Some might argue that perhaps it is the men who go to them who are being exploited. If your only value is how you look naked, then there is only one interpretation as far as I am concerned, and that isn't it.
I can only speculate that this shite appeals to women who secretly want to be demeaned, objectified and exploited. It consistently gets high ratings on GR. One of my fave authors has even written a novella for this Until series. But ladies, there are plenty of bdsm stories out there to get you off. Just don't pretend it has anything to do with romance.
Ends in a cliffhanger. She was silly and a bit skanky and he was unethical and a weird combo of dominant and masochistic in the relationship. UnfortunEnds in a cliffhanger. She was silly and a bit skanky and he was unethical and a weird combo of dominant and masochistic in the relationship. Unfortunately, I don’t care enough to find out what happens in the end....more
2.5 stars. I was really looking forward to this book- you could be forgiven for thinking: a guy who is so broken by the death of his wife must be someo2.5 stars. I was really looking forward to this book- you could be forgiven for thinking: a guy who is so broken by the death of his wife must be someone who is capable of deep feelings and boundless loyalty.
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For example, he regularly used prostitutes to assuage those manly urges, (yep, missing the wife) and he was very controlling, even cruel, to Ilsa, who had been living a terrible life with Apollo’s twin (Pol), a violent gangster, in our world.
Worst of all, after dragging her out of our world and into his world because he wanted a second Ilsa, Apollo decides: oops, she is not what I want after all. And virtually abandons her to her own devices. [image]
Perhaps he thought that was better than her old life and he was doing her a favour? He also procrastinates about resolving the issue his son has with the new Ilsa, someone who looks exactly like the boy's mother but is not her. Way to give the lad a psychological problem! This avoidance led to some nasty incidents that impacted very badly on Ilsa.
A hot badass with mildly kinky sexual preferences (again with the controlling shite- and backdoor action, just to have my cup overflow-) does not a hero make. I just could not warm to him. Even his apparent devotion to his kids could not melt my heart. Bottom line:
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Finally, I found the climax, which was meant to resolve all the issues from the series, a bit underwhelming.
What a pity that the fourth book in this fascinating series had to have the least likeable of all the heroes. ...more
Again, this was worthy addition to the series but nothing like her old ones.
I had trouble suspending my disbelief.
Adopting a street urchin from the rAgain, this was worthy addition to the series but nothing like her old ones.
I had trouble suspending my disbelief.
Adopting a street urchin from the rookery? Really? Victorian ladies are SO gonna be down with that. And the kid will have no problem at all integrating into and being accepted by the upper classes when he grows up.
Secondly, Tom, whose witty and acerbic comments and observations were often very funny, came across as way too callous and self-absorbed to be capable of actually reforming or developing empathy, compassion and a conscience. I could not help wondering why I should admire a man who rose from nothing, became endlessly rich, yet never gave back. Did he support orphans? Widows? Establish hospitals? No. He whined about being restless and bored and complained that getting even richer was not as satisfying as it once was. [image]
And if someone comes at me with that great (American Capitalist) bullshit of trickle-down economics, and that providing work (but no training or education, btw) gives people the means to "lift themselves up by their bootstraps", I will show them how this does not work. Just because Tom built railways and was super rich did not make him a good guy.
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Tom deserved a better story, not one where the chick helps him to get in touch with his feelings, he gets the girl and saves one kid from the work-house (or the morgue.)
Cassandra was imminently forgettable. Too soft, too forgiving, too milquetoast.. Her endless rabbiting on about being fat got on my last nerve. (If she didn't like how she looked and that her dresses were getting too tight, she should have stopped stuffing herself with all those sweets. Calories in, calories out, girlfriend.) And just a question: why is it always up to the woman to be the bloke's social conscience? Are men fundamentally inferior and incapable of caring abut the less fortunate? It seems to be the cliché running through many of these novels.
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Well, on International Women's Day (today) I'm saying the above is not true. A lot of us gals need a good man to make us better people. Just sayin'.
There is no doubt that the writing was immaculate as always. LK can write some awesome HR. I just felt the story went nowhere. Nothing much happened and I almost lost interest. Gah! I also freely admit that I bring my own social and economic perspective to my reviews.
But I miss heroes like Cam and Leo and Harry. I miss my gals Poppy, Bea and Kat. I miss Sebastian and Evie, Lillian and Marcus.
3.5 stars. I need to begin his review by saying that this is, in many ways, quite a different book from the first in the series. This is especially so 3.5 stars. I need to begin his review by saying that this is, in many ways, quite a different book from the first in the series. This is especially so with regard to the heroine, Maxine (Max). She is no Faith from Bound To The Battle God. Firstly, she is quite a bit younger than Faith was. That may have explained some of her actions initially, but dear God, could anyone have been more clueless than Max was for much of the book? Where Faith was tough, potty-mouthed and aggressive, Max was inexperienced, vulnerable, naive to the point of gullible, and a space cadet, living in her fantasy gaming world with only a tenuous connection to reality. I was, like,.. [image] then [image] and [image] Finally: [image]
I soldiered on, because I just love the whole concept of this world that RD has created, and I hoped it would get better. So the heroine seemed, well, a bit unintelligent. Maybe she gets better. Maybe she learns. Maybe....
Look, it did get better for me. And what I did like about Max was how sweet she was. How can you not like the fact that she was a nice person? Hell, she had to deal with the freaking god of death in Rhagos, and he was a pretty cold, unpleasant bastard. Her sweetness and kindness, her compassion and capacity to care about others, yes, they made her seem stupid and a pushover. But they were the qualities Rhagos lacked. This was why he was sent down to the mortal realm. I can't think a Faith-type would have been the right sort of anchor for Rhagos.
Also, I really liked Rhagos. In many ways, I liked him more than Aron from the previous book. It was not an easy gig, living down in the Underworld while the other gods gambolled about up in the Aether (heaven). He was so damned lonely and misunderstood, and Max was sensitive enough to pick up on that. She had his back, even when everyone was giving him hard time, and I loved that about her. Yes, she was ditzy. Yes, she was completely inexperienced when it came to relationships, both sexual and emotional. Is that such a crime? Don't remember when being a porn star, being practical or being a bitch was a requirement for a heroine to be solid. Sometimes, those kick-ass, foul-mouthed heroines can be an actual pain-in-the-arse. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a softer, kinder chick.
So yes, Max is initially a bit TSTL. No question. You will want to shake her and scream with frustration. I get why some of my GR friends just. Could. Not. Even. But (cute kitten, cos that's Max)
OK people: get ready for a teeny, tiny rant. Set in the late thirteenth century, English Earl Richard (Black Falcon) and Welsh Gwen are forced to marryOK people: get ready for a teeny, tiny rant. Set in the late thirteenth century, English Earl Richard (Black Falcon) and Welsh Gwen are forced to marry by the English King. He is fighting to effectively annexe Wales and make it part of England.
Richard calls young Gwen a whore etc, is incredibly insulting about Welsh women generally. They are all whores, apparently. The way the English men talked about Welsh girls while they busily screwed their accommodating English servants actually sickened me. To top it off, our hero was himself the biggest man-whore. Ever. Indeed, It is only an accident that he stays faithful to Gwen after they marry, because he nearly doesn’t on their wedding night, (view spoiler)[(he actually has the servant girl present her arse in the pantry and drops his pants, before thinking better of it). (hide spoiler)] Richard's theme song..... [image]
What a surprise, then, that Gwen is a virgin. As she should be, he thinks happily, even though he ponders at one stage later in the book that he has “had” women the length and breadth of Europe (and even the Middle East) but Gwennie is the best. Lucky girl. [image]
Then, just when it looks like Richard (yes, the nick-name “Dick” is beautifully apropos here) might be learning to be a good man, he reveals his true, shitty character. How, you ask? When he tells her that he has to go off on the Crusades again and Gwen asks if he will be faithful, he promises that, when the need overtakes him (ie. he has to have sex, because, well, MAN) he will keep her in mind and think only of her while doing the deed! That’s a comfort, I’m sure. Devastated, Gwen counters with: well, you won’t have any objection if I take a lover then. Boom! The (jealous freak) husband explodes. Poor Dick (who, I might add, can get it up more than four times a night, often straight after ejaculation - shame that a crazy libido does not equal a good man) reluctantly agrees to remain faithful. Must be hard when you are such a stud. Standard, meet double. [image]
And the recurring theme of Gwen insisting how much she hates him, then bonking him enthusiastically over and over again, got old. Fast.
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(This film was so much better than this book, btw)
Final irony- This promiscuous bastard has spent years murdering people (and probably raping women, too) in the Crusades. Why? Well, hey: Christians are so much better than Muslims, folks. Let’s invade their country and impose our religion and culture on them. Oh… isn’t that colonisation? Oops. The story may well be historically accurate, but I do not enjoy reading about it in a romance novel.
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A douche can learn to be kinder. A rake can reform. An arrogant hero can learn humility. This dude took way too long to become even a bit of a better person.
2.5 stars. This was a pleasant story with some sexy times, competent writing and a hot undercover cop hero, but the premise that the heroine was about 2.5 stars. This was a pleasant story with some sexy times, competent writing and a hot undercover cop hero, but the premise that the heroine was about to marry a shallow sports star because it was all good publicity and then dumped him in the last minute was a bit much to swallow. Hey, I know it's fiction but it still has to work! Also, I am not into TSTL heroines who are easily manipulated/controlled and have never had a life outside of reality TV, even if they started it as a child.Oh, and could somebody kill that poor girl's mother, please?...more
Cruel alpha types, masquerading as knights to-the-rescue, torturing whiney females? Females who (view spoiler)[ then stab the villain to death in a frCruel alpha types, masquerading as knights to-the-rescue, torturing whiney females? Females who (view spoiler)[ then stab the villain to death in a frenzy of blood (hide spoiler)] Not sure what a psychologist would say except: That's not the best way to get over trauma! Not for me, thanks....more
I have read this author's Three series and found it an interesting PNR variation, although I didn't enjoy the first and last ones as much as the seconI have read this author's Three series and found it an interesting PNR variation, although I didn't enjoy the first and last ones as much as the second (not a vampire or MC romance fan). I have assiduously avoided her MC books, because I really dislike that genre. So I embarked on this Dream man series with some trepidation. This book was better than I anticipated, but still drove me nuts. That a young woman will happily allow a complete stranger, whom she has never seen in daylight, visit her randomly at odd nights in order to have wild sex, only to have him disappear again until the next random visit was, quite simply, unbelievable. But then, the heroine was such a pain in the arse for so much of the book, I figured it fitted her weird, shopping obsessed personality. Her love of designer shoes was just odd and I struggled with what seemed to be her very shallow, materialistic personality. It was probably meant to make her quirky. It annoyed me.
But I went with it, and with the über-alpha hero, and with the TSTL heroine, and was entertained.
I am not convinced I will ever be a fan of the kinds of main characters that KA creates, although she seems to have a solid fan base, but her writing is good and this one captured my imagination enough to want to read the next book in the series. If you can suspend your disbelief and handle the OTT personalities (one of whom reminded me forcibly of Lula in the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series) then you will most likely enjoy this crazy tale....more
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