Wed Reading Meme...
Dec. 7th, 2016 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatBeen struggling with depression this year, because it has been disappointing on multiple levels. But there are some really inspiring things happening (ie. Standing Rock) ...so must focus on that. Also, this is why I've decided to read romance novels again, specifically historical romance adventure novels. Pure escapist fair, with love as a heavy theme.
Before I discuss further? I ventured into my local Barnes and Nobel, or rather the one on 5th Avenue near my workplace. It's huge. Think "department store" for books. Which cool as that might sound? Lately, B&N has been irritating me. Mainly because they shelve and market a lot of books that..feel mass produced. I wandered through the romance section, which is really tiny, and discovered none of the novels that I read, nor any of the authors I've read were shelved or available in the store. This disappointed me. Not that I'd buy them in print, no room, and I can't read the tiny print. Read everything on e-book at the moment. Will not rant about this. Ranting in lj is a bad idea.
1. What I just finished reading?
The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt -- it's a story about two not overly attractive people, who fall in love in Georgian England. He's a widowed Earl, she's a widow of a lawyer who was cheating on her. She becomes his secretary, and eventually they fall for each other. There's lots of banter, and it is rather funny in places. Can't tell if it is historically accurate, for two reasons 1) I'm not an expert on Georgian England, no real clue when that is to be honest, guessing sometime in the 1800s? 2) Not clear when this is taking place, she doesn't provide dates, which is admittedly slippery of her. But it is a historical "romance", emphasis on the romance, so it hardly matters. I only care about historical accuracy in straight historical novels, and mysteries. Romances? Not so much. Particularly if the writer is scant on details and I've no clue what period I'm in. This story, like most of Elizabeth Hoyt's novels has a heavy emphasis on fairy tales, actually Hoyt makes up one and sort of tells is within the story. The Title is taken from the fairy tale that Hoyt made up.
2. What I'm currently reading?
His at Night by Sherry Thomas -- another writer that I've read quite a bit of. (I have about five or six go-to writers in this genre.)
Reminds me a lot of The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orzy, except that was better written. Thomas sucks at plotting. Also, this is book three of her London Trilogy. I've read all three books in the Trilogy, this is the third, and to date my least favorite. The first was Private Affairs, the second The Luckiest Lady, and now His at Night. In all three, I wanted to smack the hero upside the head for being a monsterous twit to the heroine. And in all three, I wanted the heroine to leave him in the lurch, and make him come crawling, begging, on his hands and knees to her. Which of course doesn't happen. Except for possibly The Luckiest Lady, which I liked the best of the three.
The book is compelling, but the plot rambles and doesn't make a lot of sense. Not helped by the distracting and uncompelling romance between the hero's artist brother, Freddie (a hold over from Private Affairs) and their childhood friend. I kept skimming over this romance, mainly because I found it to boring. Freddie isn't that interesting, and his paramour, Angelica, isn't developed enough to be. It was a subplot that doesn't really add much to the central story and I could have done without. Thomas isn't quite as good at developing sibling and familial relationships as Milan.
We have a moustache twirling villain in the heroine's evil uncle. And the frail damsel, in her aunt.
The heroine entraps the hero in marriage, in order to escape her situation. The hero sort of figures out that's what she's aiming to do. But instead of trying to help her out of her situation, he just falls into her trap. Then spends three-quarters of the book resenting her for it, when he isn't making passionate love to her. He appears to have little sympathy for her situation or empathy as to why she felt desperate enough to foist herself upon him. I wanted to smack him.
The hero, Penny (short for Spencer) or Lord Vere, is a covert agent who solves crimes for the Crown.
But he pretends to be a fool -- so he can sneak in and out of places undetected. The reason he's in a position to get entrapped by the heroine is that he's connived to get into her house via a friend's house-party. Basically, he arranges through a superior to have the friend's house party plagued by rats. Everyone at the house party vacates to the heroine, Elissand, domicile. The hero and heroine take one look at each other, and swoon. That is until they converse, and he pretends to be the fool, and she pretends to be a charming hostess who while agree with his every word and smile enchantingly. As they a result, she thinks he's an idiot, albeit a lovely one, and he thinks she's a manipulative bitch, albiet a lovely one. Her opinion of him changes, but his does not. He can't forgive her for manipulating him into marriage.
That's what doesn't quite work. Why doesn't he forgive her? She clearly was desperate and felt she had no other choice. It's not like she screwed up his life. He could have gotten out of it easily enough, or even found a way to help her and get an annulment without consummating the marriage.
But no, he punishes her for it, almost gets her killed by forcing her to return to visit her uncle, which makes him feel awful (as well he should).
In the original, the Pimpernel believes his actress wife has betrayed him, and he can't reveal who he is to her, for fear that she will betray his identity and get him killed. That makes sense.
Here? It makes no sense why he can't reveal who he is to her or why he keeps her at bay. The misunderstanding or conflict that the plot revolves around doesn't quite hold water and as a result the story falls short.
Almost done. Maybe it will redeem itself in the last fifty pages or so. But somehow I doubt it.
3. What I'm reading next?
To Steal a Heart by K.C. Bateman -- about a tight-rope walker/circus performer who gets roped into helping a spy during the Napoleonic Wars. He buys her from her wicked cousin after catching her trying to plant information in his office for said cousin.
My mother read it and recommended it to me. We've been discussing romance novels and various books.
Mother read Hillbilly Elegy, and My Beautiful Friend previously. She recommended Elegy, but not Friend. I don't think I can handle either at the moment. Friend irritated me fifty pages in, so I gave up. It's a mood thing. I want the literary equivalent of chocolate mousse at the moment, not broccoli.
The election has had a derogatory effect on my reading habits and television viewing habits. I can't watch Designated Survivor or Westworld at the moment, and I am devouring romance novels.
Before I discuss further? I ventured into my local Barnes and Nobel, or rather the one on 5th Avenue near my workplace. It's huge. Think "department store" for books. Which cool as that might sound? Lately, B&N has been irritating me. Mainly because they shelve and market a lot of books that..feel mass produced. I wandered through the romance section, which is really tiny, and discovered none of the novels that I read, nor any of the authors I've read were shelved or available in the store. This disappointed me. Not that I'd buy them in print, no room, and I can't read the tiny print. Read everything on e-book at the moment. Will not rant about this. Ranting in lj is a bad idea.
1. What I just finished reading?
The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt -- it's a story about two not overly attractive people, who fall in love in Georgian England. He's a widowed Earl, she's a widow of a lawyer who was cheating on her. She becomes his secretary, and eventually they fall for each other. There's lots of banter, and it is rather funny in places. Can't tell if it is historically accurate, for two reasons 1) I'm not an expert on Georgian England, no real clue when that is to be honest, guessing sometime in the 1800s? 2) Not clear when this is taking place, she doesn't provide dates, which is admittedly slippery of her. But it is a historical "romance", emphasis on the romance, so it hardly matters. I only care about historical accuracy in straight historical novels, and mysteries. Romances? Not so much. Particularly if the writer is scant on details and I've no clue what period I'm in. This story, like most of Elizabeth Hoyt's novels has a heavy emphasis on fairy tales, actually Hoyt makes up one and sort of tells is within the story. The Title is taken from the fairy tale that Hoyt made up.
2. What I'm currently reading?
His at Night by Sherry Thomas -- another writer that I've read quite a bit of. (I have about five or six go-to writers in this genre.)
Reminds me a lot of The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orzy, except that was better written. Thomas sucks at plotting. Also, this is book three of her London Trilogy. I've read all three books in the Trilogy, this is the third, and to date my least favorite. The first was Private Affairs, the second The Luckiest Lady, and now His at Night. In all three, I wanted to smack the hero upside the head for being a monsterous twit to the heroine. And in all three, I wanted the heroine to leave him in the lurch, and make him come crawling, begging, on his hands and knees to her. Which of course doesn't happen. Except for possibly The Luckiest Lady, which I liked the best of the three.
The book is compelling, but the plot rambles and doesn't make a lot of sense. Not helped by the distracting and uncompelling romance between the hero's artist brother, Freddie (a hold over from Private Affairs) and their childhood friend. I kept skimming over this romance, mainly because I found it to boring. Freddie isn't that interesting, and his paramour, Angelica, isn't developed enough to be. It was a subplot that doesn't really add much to the central story and I could have done without. Thomas isn't quite as good at developing sibling and familial relationships as Milan.
We have a moustache twirling villain in the heroine's evil uncle. And the frail damsel, in her aunt.
The heroine entraps the hero in marriage, in order to escape her situation. The hero sort of figures out that's what she's aiming to do. But instead of trying to help her out of her situation, he just falls into her trap. Then spends three-quarters of the book resenting her for it, when he isn't making passionate love to her. He appears to have little sympathy for her situation or empathy as to why she felt desperate enough to foist herself upon him. I wanted to smack him.
The hero, Penny (short for Spencer) or Lord Vere, is a covert agent who solves crimes for the Crown.
But he pretends to be a fool -- so he can sneak in and out of places undetected. The reason he's in a position to get entrapped by the heroine is that he's connived to get into her house via a friend's house-party. Basically, he arranges through a superior to have the friend's house party plagued by rats. Everyone at the house party vacates to the heroine, Elissand, domicile. The hero and heroine take one look at each other, and swoon. That is until they converse, and he pretends to be the fool, and she pretends to be a charming hostess who while agree with his every word and smile enchantingly. As they a result, she thinks he's an idiot, albeit a lovely one, and he thinks she's a manipulative bitch, albiet a lovely one. Her opinion of him changes, but his does not. He can't forgive her for manipulating him into marriage.
That's what doesn't quite work. Why doesn't he forgive her? She clearly was desperate and felt she had no other choice. It's not like she screwed up his life. He could have gotten out of it easily enough, or even found a way to help her and get an annulment without consummating the marriage.
But no, he punishes her for it, almost gets her killed by forcing her to return to visit her uncle, which makes him feel awful (as well he should).
In the original, the Pimpernel believes his actress wife has betrayed him, and he can't reveal who he is to her, for fear that she will betray his identity and get him killed. That makes sense.
Here? It makes no sense why he can't reveal who he is to her or why he keeps her at bay. The misunderstanding or conflict that the plot revolves around doesn't quite hold water and as a result the story falls short.
Almost done. Maybe it will redeem itself in the last fifty pages or so. But somehow I doubt it.
3. What I'm reading next?
To Steal a Heart by K.C. Bateman -- about a tight-rope walker/circus performer who gets roped into helping a spy during the Napoleonic Wars. He buys her from her wicked cousin after catching her trying to plant information in his office for said cousin.
My mother read it and recommended it to me. We've been discussing romance novels and various books.
Mother read Hillbilly Elegy, and My Beautiful Friend previously. She recommended Elegy, but not Friend. I don't think I can handle either at the moment. Friend irritated me fifty pages in, so I gave up. It's a mood thing. I want the literary equivalent of chocolate mousse at the moment, not broccoli.
The election has had a derogatory effect on my reading habits and television viewing habits. I can't watch Designated Survivor or Westworld at the moment, and I am devouring romance novels.
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no subject
Date: 2016-12-08 09:38 am (UTC)So I have been spending time reading fanfic - your fanific over at ao3. Thank you for that gift!
no subject
Date: 2016-12-09 01:03 am (UTC)Nothing else.
Unfortunately, I've managed to pick a popular tag name -- I suck at picking original tag names. LOL!
But I do have a published novel available on Amazon and Kindle -- "Doing Time on Planet Earth" (it's not the one by Adrian Duncan).
no subject
Date: 2016-12-09 02:08 am (UTC)