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TheDukeofShadowsbyMeredithDuran

by SB Sarah Friday, April 11, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Our Grade:
B-
Title: The Duke of Shadows
Author: Meredith Duran
Publication Info: Pocket Books 2008, ISBN: 1416567038
Genre: Historical: European

Book CoverHello. I’m here to keep you on track.

Oh, shut up. I can ruminate on whatever the hell I want.

Yeah, but someday you’re going to hog all the bandwidth on the internet.

Coooool. *starts making plans*

Hey!

*sigh* FINE.

What would be the screenplay version of Sarah Reading The Duke of Shadows?

*peeking through fingers* “oh, shit oh shit, oh no....”

*tight sensation in chest at depictions of violence* “fucking hormones....”

*train stops, people get off* “SHIT. That’s my STOP. MOVE IT you door-blocking jackass.”

*peeking through fingers* “Oh, shit oh shit this is not good....”

*trying to stop self from turning pages too quickly* “Slow down, dumbass, the pages aren’t going anywhere.”

So you liked it?

Yup.

Best historical you’ve read this year?

Nope. 

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BlackShipsbyJoGraham

by SB Sarah Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Our Grade:
C+
Title: Black Ships
Author: Jo Graham
Publication Info: Orbit 2008, ISBN: 0314068004
Genre: Historical: Other

I have a few reviews to write, two of which are for books that aren’t really romance. One is part of a series that follows a growing romance (hur hur) and one is a YA novel that isn’t a romance though it has vague romantic elements.

And then there this book. It’s not a romance. It does not have a happy ending as per a romance novel. It has a peaceful ending. There’s a big ol multi-sided love triangle with mutiple layers going around and around. There’s adventure on the high seas, oracles, war, parables, retellings of mythology, and very delicious men. But this is not a romance.

However, I read it, and I have a few things to say, but this won’t be like my normal romance reviews where I go off on some tangent about man-titty or swords or something. 

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TheBleedingDuskbyColleenGleason

by SB Sarah Friday, February 08, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Our Grade:
C+
Title: The Bleeding Dusk
Author: Colleen Gleason
Publication Info: Signet February 2007, ISBN: 0451223268
Genre: Paranormal

First, please pardon the obnoxious “Buy now” link. Until I know what’s up with the images on our server, I don’t want to host broken image links or load new graphics that might later disappear.

In book 3 of the five-part Gardella series, Victoria has assumed the rule of Illa Gardella and is in Rome chasing after the keys to the Door of Alchemy. If she and the other venators get into the chamber first, the good guys win. If the vampires get into the chamber first, it would be bad. Very bad.

The good points: Gleason as usual excels at reminding me of what happened in the previous two books without dumping too much detail on my head, or bringing in a “As you know, Bob” character or conversation. As I’ve often whinged about, my memory is for crapcakes and the easy reminders of past events led me to recall a great deal more than what the reference provided, so I went back into the larger story arc with few holes in my recollection. Furthermore, Gleason has mad skills when it comes to creating flawed characters. Even when I wanted to bash Victoria over the head with something for being stubborn and obtuse, I still liked her, or at worst respected her motivation for whatever action made me cringe. Gleason is particularly strong at creating active, palpable tension through both complicated fight scenes and individual character stories.

The not-so-good points: Victoria becomes Illa Gardella, and administrative details ensue. Thus, The Bleeding Dusk is a lot of transition and in my opinion is lighter on action plot.

The writing is solid but it doesn’t contain as much punch-to-kick action as books 1 and 2, and I was left feeling let down by the story on the whole.

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Unmasqued:AnEroticNovelofThePhantomoftheOpera

by SB Sarah Wednesday, September 05, 2007 at 11:16 AM
Our Grade:
C
Title: Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera
Author: Colette Gale
Publication Info: Signet Eclipse August 2007, ISBN: 0451221370
Genre: Erotica/Romantica

Colette Gale’s Unmasqued is a retelling of the story of The Phantom of the Opera which adds erotic sexual scenes, a good dose of BDSM, and a whole new ending. The dedication reads, “To all the women who thought Christine should have stayed with the Phantom.”

My reaction: this is a seriously dark, kinky, sex-driven story, and while I never read or saw Phantom, I can see how Gale had ample room to play with the themes of forbidden love, sexual tension, and sexual control in the original story. Myself, I don’t like musicals much and when I was 14, most of my teenage friends were obsessed and over the moon about Phantom. I never got into it. I’ve never read the Leroux novel, either, so my reaction to this erotic recasting of the story differs greatly from other reviews online. For some people, this story is a childhood favorite, a romance that is part of a cherished memory, and for that reason, I think, Gale’s retelling upsets people both because of the sexual content AND because the content is placed within a storyline that is held sacred by some readers.

First, I’ll talk about my review, then I have to examine the other reviews as well, because some of them really raised my eyebrows.

In Unmasqued, the setup of the story is nearly identical to the original Phantom. Christine Daaé is a young soprano at the opera who has lost her passion for singing. She finds herself tutored by Erik, the “Phantom” of the opera house, and when the lead singer, Carlotta, cannot go on stage one night, Christine fills in, and astonishes everyone with the purity of her voice. She captures the attention of Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, and he pursues her, even as Erik continues to woo Christine through their tutoring sessions.

The character of Christine is a curious mix of sexual curiosity and insipid innocence. Gale makes an effort to set Christine apart from the other singers and dancers. While they have “protectors” and certainly view sexual commerce as part of their way to make a living, Christine, though not a virgin, does not want a protector, and through her wish to remain sexually independent, a sheen of some purity or nobility is added to her character. Her body is not part of her career, or for commercial gain.

Christine finds herself attracted to both Erik and Raoul, who is also a childhood friend, and has to balance her time between both men. Christine herself is not terribly bright and allows things to happen to her more than she takes any initiative, which leads to some submissive roles for Christine and several almost violent sexual encounters with Raoul, his brother Philippe, and Erik. Make no mistake: this book contains some seriously dark erotic content, and is certain to captivate some readers and send others screaming from the room.

And let us discuss the mad sexxoring. Erik’s tutelage of Christine immediately takes on an erotic theme, as he initiates her through several dark sexual scenarios that contain bondage, pain, and dominant/submissive sexual positions. Gale’s efforts to explore issues of control are fascinating. Erik is in control of much of their bondage play, but Christine holds a growing measure of control over Erik’s feelings for her, as well as over his physical safety as the hidden Phantom of the opera house. But socially, Philippe and Raoul hold more power than either Christine or Erik, and both the Comte and the Vicomte hold a grudge against Erik, ultimately involving Christine as sexual pawn in their revenge.

The use of sex as a marker of good and evil is curious. Erik is sexually demanding and certainly involves Christine in situations she’d never before encountered, but there is a constant undercurrent of desire and almost desperation in his actions toward Christine. He doesn’t like that he’s drawn to her, and his sexual encounters with Christine may involve pain but they also focus on their ultimate pleasure. Erik cares for Christine, though his manner is often a bit twisted and heavy handed.

On the other hand, Philippe is a sadist, first and foremost, and his plans for Christine and for his brother contain no consideration for their feelings or their comfort. The fine difference between Erik’s sex scenes and Philippe’s is used to define their characters and instill some degree of nobility in one and remove it from the other.

This is not the book I’d turn to for a comfort read; it’s dark, thought provoking, and focuses on sexual exploration that certainly skirts the edge of disturbing. It is a curious and brave undertaking by the author to tackle an erotic retelling of a classic story. But it wasn’t the sex that got in the way of my enjoying the novel; it was the writing style. Virtually every character talks with an abundance of ellipses, and the dragging dialogue became less of a stylistic element and more of an annoyance. Christine is prone to over-dramatic angsty dialogue that at times seems completely unnatural and stilted, and other characters employ a similar overblown sense of importance in their speech. While the action is fast-paced and story progresses rapidly, the dialogue is so distractingly cumbersome and overwrought that it trips the story up every other page.

So it’s not the sex that turned me off, it’s the writing style. The sexual elements of the storyline were certainly startling at times, but I wasn’t offended by their presence. It was more the characters speaking that got on my nerves. The narration was more eloquent - and while I usually look for dialogue and skim descriptions, I found myself reading the descriptions and wishing Christine and crew would shut up already.

However, the sex really, really bothered other reviewers, and the tone of the reviews in various locations really surprised me. The story certainly is provoking - like cilantro. You either love it or think it tastes like soap and want it nowhere near your dinner. People either gave the book 5 stars or 1, but few were unaffected by the contents. Both positive and negative reviews on Amazon used the word “haunting,” and said the contents stayed with them long after they finished the book.

Yet, as one Bitchery member noted in an email to me recently, few of the reviews actually talk about the writing, and focus instead on the sex. Christine, make no mistake, has a LOT of sex, and not just with Erik. She has sex with people she doesn’t like much, but she cannot stop herself from being aroused by their actions. Her body and her mind are often at war with one another, and she engages in acts she’s not proud of with people she loathes, but she’s also a captive for part of the time, and moreover, this is “an erotic novel” to quote the cover copy. While there’s a lot that can come under those terms (har har), from BDSM orgy parties to incredibly descriptive depictions of buttsecks between two protagonists, I expect some adventurous and perhaps innovative sexual romping in a book labeled erotic.

The reviews I found on Amazon, however, were not so happy with the sexual content:

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HalfwaytotheGravebyJeanieneFrost

by SB Sarah Friday, August 03, 2007 at 01:52 PM
Our Grade:
B
Title: Halfway to the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publication Info: Avon/Harper Collins October 30, 2007, ISBN: 9780061245084
Genre: Paranormal

I usually know to whom to address my grievances, but in this case, I don’t know. Author Jeaniene Frost has written a kickass book with a heroine who fascinated me, a hero who was delicious, and a slowly escalating sense of terror and sexual tension that was very difficult to put down. This book passed the reading-on-the-bus test (wherein I look up from my book at Port Authority and go, “HUH?! We’re HERE? Nuh Uh!") AND the take-the-book-out-of-my-bag test (wherein I ignore everything that is blinking and beeping at me from my laptop in favor of reading the book at home, which I rarely do). This novel was good.

My beef? It is book 1 of a series. And while I know better than to look the gift horse in the mouth and decide that it needs braces, I have to gripe about the ARCs I’ve read: if it’s book 1 of a series, how come it doesn’t bloody SAY that on the BOOK itself? I’m 30 pages from the end, and hello, a major conflict rears its head and I realize that it’s over but it’s not, and I totally whined in my own head: “Oh, no. It’s a seeeeerieeeeeees.”

I’m not ashamed: there was pouting. I was so involved with the characters and the building tension and the storyline that to learn I wasn’t going to get my happy ending in its entirety really, really burnt my toast.

So: note to whomever makes these decisions: please give me a little hint that this is the start of a series? I mean, I don’t even care if you completely humiliate me and say something like ‘Note to whining pain in my ass Sarah: this is a series numnuts.’ That’s fine. Just warn me, because nothing makes me grind my teeth like knowing that the story isn’t really over, but it’s over for me for now until book 2 makes an appearance.

However, you have to balance the good with the bad, so let me just say, while I’m addressing publishing folks - ya’ll. YA’LL. This is a hot rocking cover. Even Hubby picked it up and asked me about it. Sexy, mysterious, and very clever in its art - way to go. Seriously. Damn good.

Wanna hear about the book?

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