Wed Reading Meme
Apr. 5th, 2017 10:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. What I finished reading
Finished reading How to Be a Proper Lady by Katherine Ash
Back to reading historical romance novels after a brief hiatus. I have an itch, it must be scratched. And contemporary romances or contemporary dysfunctional fiction won't do it for me. Will most likely jump back to sci-fi or fantasy again at some point.
I'm stressed at work. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed at work, I read romance novels. Hmmm...been reading a lot of them lately, haven't I? Go on vacation? I read sci-fi. Also am writing sci-fi novels at the moment. (I don't often write in the genre that I read, which is odd, but there it is. And yes, I know this is supposed to be a review and not a blog post.)
Was somewhat disappointed in this one. Love the premise - female privateer sinks male hero privateer's boat. Male hero who is a famous privateer and former pirate, named the Pharaoh, has been hunting female privateer aka heroine for about two years, or thereabouts, in order to pay a debt. Apparently, the male lead from the previous book, which I have yet to read, had saved Jinan, our hero, from slavery when they were both children. So Jinan feels indebted to him. The female privateer, Viola, is the lost sister of the previous book's heroine, who everyone but the previous book's heroine thought was dead. Jinan has decided to return her to her family. Just one small problem, she's a grown woman, captain's her own ship, and has no interest in returning to England or her family. Much hijinks ensue.
Great premise - right? Except poorly executed. The writer is more interested in the characters fretting over whether the other loves them, and hot sex, then the plot or characters. It made me miss those old 750 page boddice ripper novels of the 1970s. Not the boddice ripper bit, but the detailed back stories. In those books, you start with Jinan being rescued from slavery. Or you start with Viola being kidnapped by her father. And we follow them, Dickensonian style, through one hard ship after another, until finally by about the second half of the book they meet. Today's readers aren't patient, nor are the writers, so we get a summarized back story, some banter, some conflict, and lots of sex. I want more build up, more banter, more conflict, less hot sex. I may be reading the wrong genre?
Also, it doesn't make sense that the two characters have as much sex as they do, considering the time period, and the fact that there is no protection against STD, or pregnancy. Why would Jinan who cares deeply for Viola, have sex with her...if he's honorable? I mean it is the 1800s, (at least I think it takes place in the 1800s and not the 1700s), and you just didn't do that back then. If she's a sea captain, she most likely would have...but why doesn't she get pregnant, is she not fertile? And he's a bastard son hunting his father...who he thinks abandoned him, so... The problem with some of these historical romances is the writers come into them with contemporary sensibilities. I realize it's fantasy, so tend to hand-wave it, but I did wonder. (Sex is seldom realistic in a romance novel.)
What I really missed though was the sibiling and family relationships, which are there, but again summarized. It's as if the conflict occurs off stage or ...never realized. It's sort of hand-waved to one side. (The Baron, Viola's father, clearly despises Jinan, and indicates it...yet this never becomes an issue and is pushed to one side. And the love triangle between Jinan, Viola, and Aidan never really materializes. It gets resolved almost too quickly. Also, both Viola's sister and Jinan's friend are oblivious to their interest in each other. Everyone else sees it, but them. Which is odd. Nor does Viola ever really confide in her long lost sister...their relationship feels sort of superficial. )
I felt cheated somehow of the emotion that lay beneath the surface of this book. I also felt the oddest desire to rewrite it and flip the genders, make Jinan female and Viola male. Jinan a former slave, now pirate, sea captain hunting her friends and former captain's wife's sister. In a way, I'm glad she didn't do that story. But I wanted more emotion from it, more insight into the characters. It felt...as if a lot of it had been left out.
Clearly I liked the book well enough. Because I bought four more in the series, and am reading the first one next. But it could have been so much better. They are cheap and easy to buy on the Kindle.
2. What I'm reading Now
Captured by a Rogue Lord by Katherine Ash
Hmmm...at the 50% mark and I want to throw the book against the wall and/or smack all the characters upside the head. This is not a good sign. I'm skimming...A LOT.
The heroine and hero have decent banter. But her sister and his brother are a pair of weak, wet blankets, that I want to smack. And the hero/heroine are incredibly stupid. Add a one-dimensional wicked stepmother and a weak father...and well, like I said, one frustrating little read. We'll see if I finish it.
The premise? Alex Savege aka Pirate Redstone, spends half his time stealing from wealth English Lords who deserve to be parted with their cash, and the other half on his estate in Devon. He's a reluctant Lord, who feels responsible for his twin brother's war injury and other ailments. The Twin Brother is feeling sorry for himself because he was crippled in the WAR. I actually saw that story done better elsewhere. Can't remember where. But no matter. It's his fraternal twin brother. Serena Carlyse is firmly placed on the shelf at the ripe old age of 25. (I kid you not. Which is why I prefer historicals to contemporaries, because I can buy that sort of thing in a historical. Yes, contemporary novelists try to pull it off too, it does not work.) Much like the first novel that I read, albeit not the first in the series (I'm reading them out of order), the heroine is NOT a virgin. (Nice change of pace that, also allows the hero to engage in a lot sexual congress with her, without worrying about her virginity, since hello, already been compromised, or marrying her right off the bat. I still, however, find it unrealistic that an honorable hero would be shagging an unmarried lady, that he respects, prior to marrying her in the early 1800s or 1700s...seems a bit off, somehow. But hey, it's a romance. You hand wave these sorts of things.
Anyhow...the heroine is chaperoning her wet between the ears, limp as a biscuit, but apparently beautiful step-sister, Charity. Who is hardly charitable, and seems to be more Weepy, than anything else. All this girl does is sob, cling to her sister, whine, and flutter her lashes. Charity's evil mother, Davina, has decided she must be betrothed to Lord Alex Savege, the Earl. Why? I've no clue.
Apparently she can't find a better match? But she is willing to do anything, even though her daughter is clearly terrified of Lord Savege (again no idea why, although Charity appears to be afraid of her own shadow), and cares for Saveg's injured brother.
Davina sets up a scenario where they'll get caught kissing, which forces him to ask for her hand. (This makes no sense. It's clearly set up. The girl goes from being injured to not injured at all in seconds. And throws herself at him. They are caught in exactly one kiss. Considering Serena lost her virginity to a man who married another, I honestly don't see why anyone pushed it. If I were his Lordship, I'd cry foul and say, uh no. It was just one kiss. I've done more with Serena, so since I compromised her, I marrying her. My brother will may the bubble of tears, since he clearly likes her. But alas, he doesn't because he's afraid of hurting Serena. As a result everyone caters to the Dragon Lady, Davina...who honestly I just want to smack.)
I'm told the other books are better.
Finished reading How to Be a Proper Lady by Katherine Ash
Back to reading historical romance novels after a brief hiatus. I have an itch, it must be scratched. And contemporary romances or contemporary dysfunctional fiction won't do it for me. Will most likely jump back to sci-fi or fantasy again at some point.
I'm stressed at work. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed at work, I read romance novels. Hmmm...been reading a lot of them lately, haven't I? Go on vacation? I read sci-fi. Also am writing sci-fi novels at the moment. (I don't often write in the genre that I read, which is odd, but there it is. And yes, I know this is supposed to be a review and not a blog post.)
Was somewhat disappointed in this one. Love the premise - female privateer sinks male hero privateer's boat. Male hero who is a famous privateer and former pirate, named the Pharaoh, has been hunting female privateer aka heroine for about two years, or thereabouts, in order to pay a debt. Apparently, the male lead from the previous book, which I have yet to read, had saved Jinan, our hero, from slavery when they were both children. So Jinan feels indebted to him. The female privateer, Viola, is the lost sister of the previous book's heroine, who everyone but the previous book's heroine thought was dead. Jinan has decided to return her to her family. Just one small problem, she's a grown woman, captain's her own ship, and has no interest in returning to England or her family. Much hijinks ensue.
Great premise - right? Except poorly executed. The writer is more interested in the characters fretting over whether the other loves them, and hot sex, then the plot or characters. It made me miss those old 750 page boddice ripper novels of the 1970s. Not the boddice ripper bit, but the detailed back stories. In those books, you start with Jinan being rescued from slavery. Or you start with Viola being kidnapped by her father. And we follow them, Dickensonian style, through one hard ship after another, until finally by about the second half of the book they meet. Today's readers aren't patient, nor are the writers, so we get a summarized back story, some banter, some conflict, and lots of sex. I want more build up, more banter, more conflict, less hot sex. I may be reading the wrong genre?
Also, it doesn't make sense that the two characters have as much sex as they do, considering the time period, and the fact that there is no protection against STD, or pregnancy. Why would Jinan who cares deeply for Viola, have sex with her...if he's honorable? I mean it is the 1800s, (at least I think it takes place in the 1800s and not the 1700s), and you just didn't do that back then. If she's a sea captain, she most likely would have...but why doesn't she get pregnant, is she not fertile? And he's a bastard son hunting his father...who he thinks abandoned him, so... The problem with some of these historical romances is the writers come into them with contemporary sensibilities. I realize it's fantasy, so tend to hand-wave it, but I did wonder. (Sex is seldom realistic in a romance novel.)
What I really missed though was the sibiling and family relationships, which are there, but again summarized. It's as if the conflict occurs off stage or ...never realized. It's sort of hand-waved to one side. (The Baron, Viola's father, clearly despises Jinan, and indicates it...yet this never becomes an issue and is pushed to one side. And the love triangle between Jinan, Viola, and Aidan never really materializes. It gets resolved almost too quickly. Also, both Viola's sister and Jinan's friend are oblivious to their interest in each other. Everyone else sees it, but them. Which is odd. Nor does Viola ever really confide in her long lost sister...their relationship feels sort of superficial. )
I felt cheated somehow of the emotion that lay beneath the surface of this book. I also felt the oddest desire to rewrite it and flip the genders, make Jinan female and Viola male. Jinan a former slave, now pirate, sea captain hunting her friends and former captain's wife's sister. In a way, I'm glad she didn't do that story. But I wanted more emotion from it, more insight into the characters. It felt...as if a lot of it had been left out.
Clearly I liked the book well enough. Because I bought four more in the series, and am reading the first one next. But it could have been so much better. They are cheap and easy to buy on the Kindle.
2. What I'm reading Now
Captured by a Rogue Lord by Katherine Ash
Hmmm...at the 50% mark and I want to throw the book against the wall and/or smack all the characters upside the head. This is not a good sign. I'm skimming...A LOT.
The heroine and hero have decent banter. But her sister and his brother are a pair of weak, wet blankets, that I want to smack. And the hero/heroine are incredibly stupid. Add a one-dimensional wicked stepmother and a weak father...and well, like I said, one frustrating little read. We'll see if I finish it.
The premise? Alex Savege aka Pirate Redstone, spends half his time stealing from wealth English Lords who deserve to be parted with their cash, and the other half on his estate in Devon. He's a reluctant Lord, who feels responsible for his twin brother's war injury and other ailments. The Twin Brother is feeling sorry for himself because he was crippled in the WAR. I actually saw that story done better elsewhere. Can't remember where. But no matter. It's his fraternal twin brother. Serena Carlyse is firmly placed on the shelf at the ripe old age of 25. (I kid you not. Which is why I prefer historicals to contemporaries, because I can buy that sort of thing in a historical. Yes, contemporary novelists try to pull it off too, it does not work.) Much like the first novel that I read, albeit not the first in the series (I'm reading them out of order), the heroine is NOT a virgin. (Nice change of pace that, also allows the hero to engage in a lot sexual congress with her, without worrying about her virginity, since hello, already been compromised, or marrying her right off the bat. I still, however, find it unrealistic that an honorable hero would be shagging an unmarried lady, that he respects, prior to marrying her in the early 1800s or 1700s...seems a bit off, somehow. But hey, it's a romance. You hand wave these sorts of things.
Anyhow...the heroine is chaperoning her wet between the ears, limp as a biscuit, but apparently beautiful step-sister, Charity. Who is hardly charitable, and seems to be more Weepy, than anything else. All this girl does is sob, cling to her sister, whine, and flutter her lashes. Charity's evil mother, Davina, has decided she must be betrothed to Lord Alex Savege, the Earl. Why? I've no clue.
Apparently she can't find a better match? But she is willing to do anything, even though her daughter is clearly terrified of Lord Savege (again no idea why, although Charity appears to be afraid of her own shadow), and cares for Saveg's injured brother.
Davina sets up a scenario where they'll get caught kissing, which forces him to ask for her hand. (This makes no sense. It's clearly set up. The girl goes from being injured to not injured at all in seconds. And throws herself at him. They are caught in exactly one kiss. Considering Serena lost her virginity to a man who married another, I honestly don't see why anyone pushed it. If I were his Lordship, I'd cry foul and say, uh no. It was just one kiss. I've done more with Serena, so since I compromised her, I marrying her. My brother will may the bubble of tears, since he clearly likes her. But alas, he doesn't because he's afraid of hurting Serena. As a result everyone caters to the Dragon Lady, Davina...who honestly I just want to smack.)
I'm told the other books are better.