Comments on: BOOK REVIEW: The Sicilian's Baby Bargain by Penny Jordan

By: Natalie

Natalie — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:49:22 +0000

The book was overloaded – if it had just dealt with the rape and consequence it would have been better to follow – the stepbrother – now this is something that was too dark to add to the mix – its left the book feeling over reached and under developed – lots of messy threads – like her house being owned by him – him still being at large and finally no recognition of the long term impact of the abuse, and come uppence for him!

By: Deidre Jackson

Deidre Jackson — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:22:26 +0000

I can’t wait for the day when someone sues Harlequin for causing them to end up with HIV or becoming pregnant from their blackmailing boss who didn’t turn out to be the knight in shining armor they thought they would by page 79.

By: Jenica

Jenica — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:14:05 +0000

Oh, Lord! People are looking at me strangely because I snorted when I read Jean’s “Turkey Vulture!”

By: Meljean

Meljean — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:38:05 +0000

I did think the ‘moving to Sicily’ part made sense, in some respects. She was in hiding from her step-brother, and in constant fear that he’d find her. The way in which the move to Sicily was presented ended up being a fulfillment of a wish the heroine had made. Yes, the hero used her fear of her step-brother to convince her, but since she was already on the run and barely making a living (and the step-brother was a real threat while she was in London) the option he presented didn’t have the same ick factor to me as the sexual healing.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:31:39 +0000

Emotionally blackmailing someone who is recovering from a serious trauma and the aftermath is as low-down dishonorable as it gets.

Fail. If Turkey Vulture was truly seeking to redeem has family honor or whatever, he's be supporting Annie and child wherever She chose to live and however She chose to raise the child.

Exactly! I’m afraid I’d never get as far as the sexual healing fail part because I couldn’t get past this aspect. Set up a trust fund to heal your family shame, Falcon! And ITA about that name…

By: jessica

jessica — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:23:03 +0000

Wait….

Falcon Leopardi?

Seriously?

I’m still stuck at that part…

By: Serena

Serena — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:42:32 +0000

As an Italian, the idea that someone would think that living in Sicily (!!) instead of London would give a child “every opportunity” is ridiculous.

By: Jean Poole

Jean Poole — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:30:03 +0000

So, let me get this right. Our titular haro give a victim of rape the dubious “choice” of staying in London and eking out a living .. or to uproot herself from anything that she might be familiar with and move to Sicily to give the child born of the rape “all the good things”. Might as well rape our heroine a second time.

Emotionally blackmailing someone who is recovering from a serious trauma and the aftermath is as low-down dishonorable as it gets.

Fail. If Turkey Vulture was truly seeking to redeem has family honor or whatever, he’s be supporting Annie and child wherever She chose to live and however She chose to raise the child.

Nothing like disempowerment by emotional blackmail to really help someone rebuld their shattered self-image. Or is it just break-em-down to build-em up as something different — where the subcontext is that Turkey Vulture and his brother are two sides of the metaphorically same person.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:25:54 +0000

Falcon Leopardi? Yikes.

I was just commenting on another message board about the frequency of using sex or love to overcome Issues in romance, and I how I feel like it’s a cheap plot shortcut. The Magical Wang does not make rape and abuse all better, and True Luuuuve does not overcome prejudice in the world around you. I also feel like this sends a terrible message to people who are survivors of sexual abuse or assualt — just have a good lay and you’ll be all better. Really?!?

By: Meljean

Meljean — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:03:47 +0000

I totally agree on this one. I was surprised by the setup (I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it before) but then started taking steps back when he offered to heal her. If it had taken a longer time (or if they’d been married before the sexual healing started, and so that it came out of closeness and a need to be together…oh, yes, and if it had taken more than one night) I might have bought the scenario a little more. But she was there, he thought “oh, my family done you wrong” and offered to make it all right so that later, she could have another husband? *headdesk* It brought on the Ick factor for me.

But the setup was great.

By: Laura Vivanco

Laura Vivanco — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:51:34 +0000

I posted a comment this morning which doesn’t seem to have turned up, yet. It seems to me that truth may well be stranger than fiction in this case, because not that long ago I read a news item about Elisabeth Fritzl having stopped needing therapy because she’s in love with her bodyguard.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:59:42 +0000

If you’ll excuse me now, I’ll just be over here laughing my butt off at the name “Falcon Leopardi.”

By: RStewie

RStewie — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:17:12 +0000

This review is an A+ for me simply because of the use of the word “rogering”. So full of win!

Otherwise, I completely agree. The compounded problems the heroine has (stepbrother, mom, rape AND pregnancy) just seems Too Much for even the mightiest of wangs to heal.

Why don’t more romances extoll the virtues of therapy for their sexually-distressed heroines? I would embrace that Much More readily than the healing powers of The Sicilian’s Theraputic Rogering.

By: Gennita Low

Gennita Low — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:19:02 +0000

Argh.***covering ears*** Earworm for the day. Thanks, Jane.

By: Laura Vivanco

Laura Vivanco — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:35:43 +0000

Annie was so traumatized, first by her stepbrother, then by the abandonment of her mother, and finally by the rape and subsequent pregnancy resulting from that rape, the idea that all this could go away in the fierce passionate embrace of a Leonardi was far fetched to say the least.

This may be a case where truth is stranger than fiction (although since the following news item doesn't give all the details, and we don't know the long-term outcome of this story, perhaps the item is over-optimistic?):

AUSTRIAN incest victim Elisabeth Fritzl has stopped her psychiatric therapy - with the approval of her doctors - because her love affair with her bodyguard has proved to be the best medicine of all. Elisabeth, 43, fell for Thomas W., 14 years her junior, when he was assigned to guard her and the six children she bore by her rapist father shortly after she was freed from a secret dungeon where she was imprisoned for 24 years. Now her doctors say their relationship has worked miracles on her mental wellbeing. (The Scotsman)