May 3 2011
REVIEW: Love Me by Kelly Jamieson
Dear Ms. Jamieson,
Someone who knows I like f/f/m recommended you on Twitter and I’m so glad they did. I’m always on the lookout for well-written stories featuring sexy situations, likeable characters, and some hot girl-on-girl action. Love Me fits the bill nicely. I really enjoyed it.
I’ve complained before that f/f/m ménage romance is difficult to find. There is very little to choose from and my expectations are low. This story came as a sweet surprise. By the first page, I was smiling.
Love Me opens with the heroine, Melina, wondering if her boyfriend, Gavin, is cheating. He’s been working late and seems distracted. The last time they had sex, he fell asleep—while going down on her! Melina loves Gavin and wants to make love to him as often as possible. But when he comes home in the middle of the night, he starts masturbating instead of bothering her. Melina feels frustrated and rejected.
The next morning we see the problem from Gavin’s point of view. He’s in charge of the most important project of his career and the poor guy is stressed out. Melina puts constant pressure on him to pay attention to her and talk about his feelings. He knows he’s been neglecting Melina and plans to make it up to her as soon as his big project is finished.
That night, Melina wants to discuss their relationship, but they have a housewarming party to attend. While Gavin hangs out with his buddies, Melina strikes up a conversation with Abby, an acquaintance. To her dismay, all of her fears about Gavin spill out and she starts crying. Abby comforts Melina and suggests that she flirt with someone else to catch Gavin’s attention.
There are no handsome, single men at the party, so Abby offers herself as a flirt partner. She’ll be happy to help make Gavin jealous.
Melina is intrigued by the idea and annoyed with Gavin for always choosing work and his friends over her. He’s barely spoken to her at the party. She goes along with Abby’s plan and they get very cozy on the couch, touching each other’s hair and holding eye contact. All of the men in the room take notice, even Gavin, but he walks away, presumably to get another beer.
Let me just interject that I don’t believe any man would leave the room when his girlfriend is about to kiss another woman. No way. But I’ll accept the author manipulation because it takes the story to a place I want to go.
Melina is angry with Gavin for ignoring her and confused by her reaction to Abby. She’s getting turned on for real. After a smoldering kiss, the two women retire to an upstairs bedroom to continue their “flirtation.”
Thus begins a long, steamy make-out session. Melina and Abby forget about Gavin entirely. They’re in bed together, naked from the waist up, when he walks in on them.
Gavin is shocked by what his sweet little Melina is up to, but he’s more aroused than upset. Abby tells him that Melina just wanted to make him jealous. Melina apologizes, admitting that she doesn’t think he’s interested in her anymore. Gavin assures her that he’s still crazy about her. When Abby suggests a threesome, and Melina agrees, he can’t say no.
At first, Gavin just watches, and the scene from his point of view is hot, hot, hot:
The kiss deepened, their arms wrapped around each other and they rolled on the bed together, their naked breasts pressed together. When their mouths drew apart, they started touching each other’s breasts, with pretty little moans and sighs. If possible, Gavin got even harder, hand pressed to his crotch.
Abby noticed him and lifted her head, her pouty mouth gleaming wetly. “Go ahead,” she told him. “Take it out. Touch yourself.”
He shook his head, but the temptation was too great, and he unzipped his fly. His cock practically jumped out of his pants, hot, hard and thick, and he fisted it. His whole body taut and buzzing, he avidly took in the erotic show in front of him. His thighs tensed and his balls tightened.
“Should we get all the way naked?” Abby whispered to Melina.
The encounter progresses with a lot of touching between the women and ends with Gavin and Melina having blistering sex while Abby watches. They part ways and go home soon after. Still turned on, Gavin lifts Melina against the wall the minute they get through the door. They spend the rest of the night making love.
On Saturday morning, Gavin gets up early to go to work. Instead of being reassured by his enthusiastic banging and declarations of affection, Melina feels despondent. If their relationship needs a ménage to get jumpstarted, it must be hopeless.
At this point the story takes another quick, not-so-believable change of direction. I wasn’t sure why Melina continued to doubt Gavin’s feelings for her. When a couple has great sex, it usually gives them a more positive outlook about their future. I think this is scientifically proven! Maybe including a third person, even for a one-off, throws a wrench in the works.
Anyway, I’ll go along with the detour because even the steamiest erotic encounter can’t solve the problems that came before it. Abby is a catalyst for their breakthrough, not a panacea or a permanent addition. After a rocky week, Melina realizes that she’s been unfair to Gavin and he surprises her with a sentimental gift. I liked the way they talked through their problems and felt very pleased with the romantic resolution. B+
Best regards,
Jill
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May 03, 2011 @ 16:03:55
I actually had a big problem with this story because the heroine definitely cheats on the hero with another woman and she cheats on him because she a) feels neglected and unloved and unappreciated at home and b) because she wants to make him jealous.
It doesn’t matter to me that he joins in the fun or this is every man’s fantasy. Her initial coupling with the other girl is without the hero’s consent and with the intent to a) make him jealous and b) to feel good about herself again.
Further, the story is about a relationship in trouble and it never addresses the emotional issues that arose from that coupling. Instead, it made it seem like sexy times is all that was necessary to cure their broken relationship.
May 03, 2011 @ 16:10:36
I really enjoyed this book too, although I wish it had been a bit longer so that the overall emotional issues could have been addressed fully as well.
I didn’t really see it as cheating because I happily bought into the whole fantasy element of the scenario.
But it was really nice to see such well written f/f/m sex :)
May 03, 2011 @ 17:04:59
@Kate Pearce: what do you mean by “I happily bought into the whole fantasy element of the scenario”?
May 03, 2011 @ 17:05:27
See, I think of this as series writing done right. The ending was satisfying and I felt certain the h/h’s relationship was back on track. At the same time, it was open-ended enough that I had to get the second and third book because I was so curious to learn what else happened to the characters.
May 03, 2011 @ 17:06:21
@Jane: I don’t condone cheating but I agree with @Kate about the fantasy element. The heroine was swept up in the moment and I went along with it easily.
I don’t agree that they never worked out their issues, or that any additional problems arose from the threesome. They needed to learn to communicate and both made steps in that direction.
May 03, 2011 @ 17:23:49
@Jill Sorenson: No , I agree that no problems arose out of the threesome but I didn’t agree with how that was written. I felt it was all very convenient that there was no emotional entanglements that arose out of the threesome, that it was very manufactured to me. Well written, but manufactured.
And I am still confused by the fantasy thing. So it’s okay to cheat so long as it is a fantasy thing? Would you still feel that way if it was the hero having it on with the girl and then he and the girl invites the other girl in? I just… it didn’t work for me.
May 03, 2011 @ 17:39:47
OMG I’ve been reviewed at Dear Author! And it’s good! Thank you Jill for reading and reviewing my book, and Jane, even though the story didn’t work for you, I’m thrilled that you read it!
May 03, 2011 @ 18:17:44
The cheating thing makes sense to me, in sort of the same thing people have brought up re: rape fantasies: the reader okays it for the character. I can’t do that with rape; I can with cheating; other people’s buttons work the other way ’round.
This sounds intriguing, and I’ll have to pick it up sometime.
May 03, 2011 @ 18:19:54
@Jane: Very hard to answer questions about why a fantasy works or doesn’t. We’ve been discussing trust and consent around here lately so I’ll try to relate it to that. I trusted the author because she set up the characters as hardworking, devoted, and sweet. I knew they didn’t want to hurt each other. I was anticipating an f/f/m scene, so I felt confident that the hero would have a positive reaction when he stumbled into the bedroom. All of these elements worked together to create a situation I felt okay with as a reader because the author did her job well.
I’m assuming that there are women who like m/m–as a fantasy–and find the idea of walking in on their man with another man exciting. Same idea here. Gavin was excited, Melina was tearful/sorry, and they moved on to the erotic sequence that was the main point of the story.
One emotional entanglement came from the threesome. Gavin wondered after if Melina had switched teams and was seeing Abby romantically. They discussed this, among other things. I agree that the emotional side could have been explored more thoroughly.
@Kelly Jamieson: You’re welcome! Thanks for a great story.
May 03, 2011 @ 20:12:17
Am I right in thinking that the f/f/m is only a one off event and Gavin & Melina don’t end up including Abby in the relationship? (I guess when I saw the f/f/m tag I immediately thought there was a menage relationship but from reading the review I think I was wrong in that thought?)
I’m intrigued by the story – I’d like to try a f/f or f/f/m story one of these days – I’m not sure what I would think about the consent/cheating issue though… I’ll have to give it some thought. thx for the review Jill! :)
May 03, 2011 @ 20:52:32
@Kaetrin No it’s a one off. Melina is feeling unappreciated (justly so) and Abby flirts with her at a party. They go off and have sex and Gavin walks in. After the menage, Melina and Gavin go off on their own & have their HEA.
May 03, 2011 @ 20:53:38
@Jill Sorenson I guess I wasn’t expressing myself very well. I understand that all these books are some kind of fantasy, but I wasn’t sure how the fantasy element excuses cheating. I guess for you and others, this wasn’t viewed as cheating or if it was, then it was excused because you believed that the characters excused it.
May 03, 2011 @ 21:17:22
@Jane By the time I came back here, you’d all answered the fantasy question for yourselves.:)For these characters it just worked for me because the author made me believe it and that’s good writing.
May 03, 2011 @ 21:22:17
@Kate Pearce It worked for you and Jill but not for me. It was still cheating and the menage seemed more sex for sex’s sake. But different strokes. I don’t excuse cheating simply because it is of the same sex.
May 03, 2011 @ 21:33:34
I liked this book. It is the rare good f/f/m book out there that doesn’t have the f/f solely for the dude’s pleasure.
About the cheating issue, that’s something that really bothers me normally, but I didn’t feel this as a cheating issue as much as a person in a dysfunctional relationship who’s been miserable and feeling neglected getting caught up in a moment that was unexpected.
The way it was written, Melina had no intentions of stepping out and I didn’t believe that she thought having a kiss with Abby would turn into what it did.
I see cheating in romance more as an emotional betrayal along with sex more so than just a sexual encounter. But everyone is different on that and even with me, it depends on how it’s written.
I can totally imagine a woman who feels ignored getting caught up in an unexpected moment with a person who’s giving her some attention.
I just didn’t feel it was a big deal. I can buy that in a relationship where both parties are stressed and not happy that an experience like this could bring the couple closer together. It doesn’t feel that far fetched or unbelievable.
And I really loved that Gavin only has eyes for Melina during the threesome sex. He’s not interested in Abby at all even thought they all get it on.
I also thought leaving it off that Melina and Gavin are working on it was a good idea. It’s just a snapshot of a brief moment in their relationship and not about their whole story.
May 03, 2011 @ 21:43:12
@Jane: How can a reader excuse any questionable behavior, like forced seduction? Does the fact that the heroine becomes aroused or has an orgasm make it okay?
I don’t have the answers for other readers/situations but I tried to explain why this scenario worked for me despite the cheating. For some readers rape is a dealbreaker. We all have different hot buttons. If your stance is “cheating is wrong,” I agree. But rape is wrong also. Isn’t it? Or does it depend on the author/story/execution/characterization?
Look, I’m sure I won’t change your mind about this story. You didn’t like it, no big deal! What I am sensitive to is the feeling that someone might shame me for enjoying this kind of material the same way some readers try to shame those who enjoy rape fantasy. I’m not saying you’re doing that at all. I’m just sharing this fear because it’s on my mind. As always, thanks for the discussion.
@Kaetrin: I think this would be a good starter story! It’s cute and light and the price is right.
May 03, 2011 @ 22:32:33
@Jill Sorenson I’m not trying to shame you. I’m sharing how this story didn’t work for me. For me, infidelity or cheating is a serious character issue. Melina chooses to engage in this act because she is unsatisfied in her own relationship yet it was never really addressed. If she is unhappy again, will she turn to Abby or another woman? Or perhaps another man? I think the stereotype is that every man delights in a little girl on girl action but there wasn’t any indication that was a fantasy the hero had prior to seeing Melina and Abby together. I just felt like the cheating was glossed over and that it was glossed over because it was of the same sex. If it had been the guy with Abby, I think the story would have been different.
May 03, 2011 @ 22:38:26
@LVLMLeah See, I did think it was an emotional and physical betrayal. Melina was seeking comfort and a morale boost from someone else and she choose to share her body intimately with someone else. It wasn’t made to be a big deal in the story, I agree with you, and that is the flaw that really brought down the book for me. It wasn’t a thoughtful and careful excursion into Melina’s mindset and given that the snapshot we were given was off a broken relationship, not following the thread seemed to make the menage more gratuitous than meaningful. But I agree with you and the others that it is portrayed as not a big deal and that the two of them were in a dysfunctional relationship but that is why I felt it was important to explore why Melina went off with Abby and what kind of repercussions that decision had on their relationship. I don’t forgive the book that flaw (to me) because it was of the length of the book. The author isn’t forced to write a short (particularly as a digital author there is no page count restrictions really) but choose to tell the story in that format.
May 03, 2011 @ 22:42:29
Well, I haven’t (obviously!) read the book (although I probably will now with all this discussion about it, even if it’s only to trial a f/f story) but I can definitely see what Jane is saying. If I found my husband/partner with another person of either gender, I’d be very angry and I don’t believe my first reaction (or in fact any later reaction) would be titillation. This isn’t a set up previously agreed I gather, but Melina acting on feelings of hurt – I’m with Jane on this – if there is a problem in a relationship, I believe it should be resolved within the relationship.
I can also see the fantasy aspect that others have picked up – I’ve seen other books where there’s been a threesome (usually m/m/f) and there’s some sort of a game played but it’s been agreed with rules set up from the beginning. This sounds like a situation that got out of hand. Personally, trying to make a guy jealous is, IMO, not a very mature way of trying to resolve a problem in a relationship and exactly the sort of thing which might lead to even bigger problems. If that aspect of the story wasn’t addressed, then I can certainly see the romance aspect not working for a reader – even though the erotica might.
May 03, 2011 @ 23:00:11
@Kaetrin I should say that I’m not all that passionate about the book. It was a quick read and because of the infidelity issue, not terribly satisfying. What I am passionate about is this topic of infidelity. I’ve read 8 cheating books this year which is more that I think I read all last year, 5 of them new releases. I know that infidelity is a non starter for a number of readers and it used to be for me as well. I’ve been more intrigued by it of late, wondering if authors can pull it off, make me believe in the HEA. Mostly I think that they don’t although it can make for a powerful and emotional story.
May 03, 2011 @ 23:09:50
@Jane – I get that, it’s just an interesting kind of side discussion using this book as an example I suppose. I’d be interested in reading a book where the infidelity thing was pulled off but, like you, I’m not sure it can be done.
Infidelity is for me a big issue as well. The only time I can remember being satisfied with a HEA after infidelity (and it was nevertheless somewhat bruised) was in Sharon K. Penman’s book Here Be Dragons, which was the literary equivalent of a docu-drama about Llewelyn of Wales and Joanna (or Joan) a daughter of King John (of Robin Hood fame). Quite a way into the book, she cheats on him (IIRC, it was against the background of her distress at not being able to provide him with an heir/children/problems with childbirth or something of that nature, but memory is foggy now) and he (of course) finds out about it. They are estranged for a time but his love for her is so great, he eventually forgives her although it did great damage to her standing in the Welsh Court and, from memory, things were never quite the same. I gather that the infidelity really happened (although I could be wrong on that) – I still remember my absolute horror and distress at her actions – I was yelling at her to “Stop!” beforehand and I was broken up for Llewelyn (as you can probably tell, I was very invested in the book!) – I very much wanted them to work it out and they mostly did in the end but I still wish she hadn’t done it! Given it was based on factual events, I’m not sure it was a matter of whether or not the author “pulled it off” – but I still remember that book and my reaction to it – even though it was mostly a HEA I have bittersweet memories of it.
Sorry, badly off track here… :) Sorry didn’t mean to hijack…
May 03, 2011 @ 23:18:51
@Kaetrin Obviously this will make a good Tuesday topic.
May 04, 2011 @ 00:08:56
@Jane: Probably the same reasoning used for novels where the hero/ine is The Other Wo/Man, or when the hero/ine is in a relationship with someone else.
In the genre (and indeed a community who enjoy romantic films), there are three major camps:
a) those who judge on case-by-case basis, deciding which falls under Good/Justified Infidelity and which under Bad/Unjustified Infidelity.
b) those who completely reject infidelity.
c) those who don’t care as long as the story is good.
Fantasy does play a huge role in the A group how it determines what’s ‘rightful cheating’ and what isn’t. Such as
dehumanisingdemonising the other half to justify hero/ine’s sexual attraction to hero/ine, so that we don’t have to think about the other half’s feelings or that the new romantic involvement is an actual act of infidelity. Or an easy acceptance that “it’s how it was back then” for historical romances.The question is why? I think it’s same as the old rape/forced seduction issue:
- no personal accountability (“My wife/husband is so evil/cold that I couldn’t help but fall in love with the hero/ine”)
- the question of priorities (it’s about heroine/hero and their emotions, and that’s all it matters).
I have been thinking about this since I read negative comments about certain members of the British Royal family. Clearly to many: Diana is the Heroine, Camilla is the Other Woman and Charles is the Hero. The Hero chose the Other Woman over the Heroine, which makes the Hero and the Other Woman the Villain.
And yet, we have quite a few romance novels where the heroine is the Other Woman who’s in love with the hero, who’s engaged/married/in relationship. And vice versa.
There’s a contemporary romance that’s quite popular with romance readers. The married CEO hero and the heroine have an one-night stand and, mortified, she runs away. She ends up having a secret baby. The hero finds out and leaves his wife for the heroine.
One reader who recommended that book is also the one made negative comments about Charles and Camilla recently. This got me thinking: Why does she reject C&C, but not the h/h in that contemporary romance? What’s the moral difference between C&C and the h/h?
Sorry for being so incoherent (it’s 6AM), but yeah, I’m really curious to know how each reader decides what determines ‘Justified infidelity’ and ‘Unjustified infidelity’. Jane Eyre is obviously filed under Justified Infidelity as it’s listed on many romance readers’ top 100 favourite romance novels.
I think it’d be fun to discuss how one draws a line between what’s acceptable and what isn’t, and why, where infidelity is concerned.
(Apologies to Jill for derailing a bit.)
May 04, 2011 @ 07:33:43
This. I agree that trying to make someone jealous in that way is very immature. And it’s probably why I thought these two aren’t that serious to begin with or that they were doomed.
But also, I didn’t read this book as a romance. It’s not strictly a romance. No lead up into a definite HEA. So I guess in my mind what happened wasn’t a big deal because to me they weren’t having a deeply committed love story to begin with. They’re on rocky ground and as I recall, it seemed like it was like that from the get-go. This put this whole story more into erotica/fantasy for the reader territory for me even though it’s not strictly erotica either.
This is the typical thing where everyone brings in their own stuff to a book and interprets what they read through their own lenses.
May 04, 2011 @ 07:38:17
@FiaQ I agree with your definitions and think that some problems in modern romance arise when the author attempts to deal with ‘acceptable infidelity’. This can often mean making the person cheated on almost inhuman in their faults – and yes the reader can identify with the cheater, but they can’t identify with the person cheated on. This can lead to the ‘oh s/he deserved it, for being so cold/cruel/neglectful’, rather than a more believable flawed relationship.
May 04, 2011 @ 13:06:36
@Jane: “I just felt like the cheating was glossed over and that it was glossed over because it was of the same sex. If it had been the guy with Abby, I think the story would have been different.”
You’re right. These characters don’t consider the f/f contact (which was mostly just kissing) to be cheating. Some people don’t think that two women together counts as cheating or even as sex. Unless a penis is involved, it’s not sex! Lesbians are virgins if they’ve never been with a man etc. I agree that this kind of thinking is a problem but it didn’t bother me in the story.
Someone said on twitter that every couple or person defines cheating in a different way. If you don’t feel like you were cheated on, you weren’t.
I haven’t read many m/m/f menage romances but it’s been said that the parties negotiate and give consent so it’s not cheating. But I see some similaries here. I’m paraphrasing your comment that Melina was “missing something at home” so she sought out another person. I think what she was missing was attention and communication, and after Gavin gave it to her the problem was solved. But–is any character who engages in a menage looking for something their partner can’t give them? In m/f/m, is one man lacking, so the heroine needs two to satisfy her? Or can characters just have a hot sexy time without it being about deeper flaws?
Another point I’d like to make, which was brought up when I posted my first lesbian romance review, is that we often have an easier time accepting questionable behavior (in that case it was sex without foreplay) in familiar pairings. I have no problem with wham-bam sex in m/f. Maybe you would be likelier to accept a cheating hero or heroine in a more comfortable backdrop of heterosexuality? Too many unfamiliar and/or troubling details can alienate readers.
This is very interesting and I’m looking forward to the Tuesday piece because I’ve just read another f/f/m story with a similar theme. Taken by Selena Kitt features prolonged cheating with little or no remorse, f/f contact with BDSM, and some weird paternal vibes. I found it disturbingly unromantic.
May 04, 2011 @ 13:08:09
I think I’m in moderation. Used the p-word. :p
May 04, 2011 @ 14:34:56
@Jill Sorenson: The spam filter grabbed your comment but I fished it out.
@FiaQ:
I’m not that reader but I think there is a huge moral difference between fiction and reality. When you read a novel, no matter what bad things happen, you can tell yourself that it’s fiction, so no one actually got hurt in reality.
Plus I think for some of us at least, perhaps if we had access to Charles and Camilla’s thoughts and feelings the way we do with fictional characters, we might have more empathy there too.
Also, a friend recently pointed out that Diana may have gotten more sympathy than Camilla and Charles partly because she was more physically attractive. In romances, the protagonists are usually described in an attractive way.
Finally, for me as a reader at least, whether or not I forgive a character for infidelity or any other selfish and hurtful act has to do with the alchemy between that character and myself as a reader. It has to do with the way they are written, and with my own personality. A friend of mine once pointed out that just as in real life there are people with whom we hit it off and others with whom we don’t, the same holds true for character and reader. Some characters are like chalk on blackboard while others are as charismatic to me as certain movie stars. I’ll empathize with the latter a lot more than with the former, and therefore be more likely to forgive them when they trespass.
For that reason I don’t think moral differences are the only factor at work. A lot of it is about the writing. Shakespeare can get me to understand his villains a lot better than some authors get me to understand their protagonists, so for me, it’s in how a character is written and not just what wrongs they commit.
May 04, 2011 @ 18:38:28
@Janine: Thanks Janine.
Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful comments and thanks to @Jane for letting me rec this here at DA even though she didn’t like it! I appreciate that. Hope anyone who tries it will feel free to come back and discuss.
May 05, 2011 @ 10:13:43
These characters don’t consider the f/f contact (which was mostly just kissing) to be cheating. Some people don’t think that two women together counts as cheating or even as sex. Unless a penis is involved, it’s not sex! Lesbians are virgins if they’ve never been with a man etc.
I know people who actually believe this. It is depressing.
I’ve been following this blog and a couple of others, because while I am aware that commercially speaking I’m probably not the target audience for the romance genre, I’m still on the lookout for romances that I find satisfying. There are a lot of romance tropes that seem to come as standard that I don’t really understand, and this is one (another is the concept of the HEA, which I’m aware probably impedes my enjoyment significantly but I can’t seem to work past) ; in my experience it is very rare that the f/f part of an f/f/m menage “counts”, either emotionally or sexually. I’m aware that sometimes this happens, that it’s the case of a loving wife or girlfriend wanting to fulfill her male partner’s fantasy or that it just kind of winds up that way and then never needs to be done again, but in an f/f/m relationship most of the focus is still on the male. Just once, I’d like to see a story about two girlfriends who share a boyfriend but still have a fulfilling sexual and emotional connection in their own right.
May 05, 2011 @ 11:25:18
@Rei: Thanks for your comment! I think I should have labeled this review “erotic romance” instead of “menage romance” because the menage doesn’t lead to a meaningful 3way relationship. If you’re looking for that kind of story, I recommend La Bonne by Michele de Lully and Bound by Steel by Kirsten Saell. Both feature a real love connection between the women and HEA for all.
May 05, 2011 @ 11:33:10
I actually stopped reading this book when Melina walked out the night after the sex. I didn’t think that well of her (immature to me). I might have to pock it up again and finish it.
DA Week in Review: May 1 through May 8
May 09, 2011 @ 10:27:38
[...] REVIEW: A Sense of Sin by Elizabeth Essex REVIEW: A Discreet Affair by Shelley Munro REVIEW: Love Me by Kelly Jamieson REVIEW: Sabine and the Beast by Moira Rogers Recommended Reads for May REVIEW: Warprize by [...]
May 09, 2011 @ 11:38:42
@Kaetrin:
Historically speaking it was certainly Llewellyn who was the one with the open zipper. So, she cheats once and it’s major national news, he gets to have kids all over creation and that’s just dandy. Oh, look, double standard. And he got to be magnanimous too…what a hero! Can you tell who I feel had more to be forgiven for?
May 09, 2011 @ 17:32:13
@ GrowlyCub. The only things I know about Llewelyn (the first one) are what I read in the Sharon K. Penman book and it was a long time ago now that I actually read it. From memory though, in the book, he was faithful to her at least from the time they consummated their marriage (I think she was way too young initially – but memory is foggy here). I can’t remember if he did the goose/gander thing after she was unfaithful. Again, in the book. I read the subsequent story (can’t remember the name now, sorry) about the second Llewelyn also but I can’t remember much about the detail of it now.
I was just really commenting on the book I read which was (apparently) based on fact and where the author had filled in the unknown details (‘here be dragons’, hence the title) to create a story rather than a non fiction biography. I guess I’ve always accepted, perhaps wrongly, that it was accurate as far as facts were known.
But then, after reading the Sunne in Splendour, I also was on the side of Richard III NOT being the one who killed the princes in the tower, so as you can probably tell, Ms. Penman’s writing skills completely draw/drew me in!
If the real Llewelyn was a cheating scumbag? I spit on him! :)