Nov 20 2008
REVIEW: Apache Eyes by Yeva Wiest
Dear Ms. Wiest,
“Apache Eyes” is the second novella from you I’ve read. And it’s totally different from the first one. Not just because it’s a f/f historical but because it lacks the black humor that made “Practical Purposes” such a joy to read. But that’s okay, as it shows that you’re not just a one note author.
The novella starts strongly with intense descriptions that put me in the heart of the action. Jenny Barden is alone, in the heat of a blazing Arizona day, burying her slime of a husband who was killed during an Apache raid on the Barden homestead. Jenny, raised in the area, had been aware of the fact that an Apache band was watching the place and had hidden, thus escaping her husband’s fate. But she knows she’s still being watched and senses it’s a woman doing the watching.
Miakoda, daughter of Cochise, saves Jenny a second time by tending to her heatstroke before both yield to the intense attraction between them. But they have to overcome many barriers to their long-term future since there’s no love lost between the Apaches fighting to retain their homeland in the face of White aggression to wrest it from them.
“Apache Eyes” formatted to 103 pages on my ebook reader (Microsoft Lit 128 kb), so you don’t have a lot of space to work with in which to deal with the complexities of the plot. And thus, though I was disappointed that you resorted to a number of tried and true Romance cliches/stock characters, it’s understandable.
1) Jenny’s husband is a no good slime. He courted her for her homestead then treated her like dirt. Thus when we learn the Apaches tortured and killed him, he’s no great loss and no impediment to Jenny falling for one of his killers.
2) In most of the Native American historical romances I’ve ever tried to read, the white heroine (and I see Jenny as the heroine and Miakoda more as the hero) is treated badly by her own people and, after an initial getting-to-know-you period when she learns all about her new Indian people and maybe is tested by them, well by the Indians. Jenny’s lived a lot of her life in the Arizona Territory, seems to have always lived among white people and never even had any Indian acquaintances much less BFFs but within a few days, she’s batting for the other team. In fact, she makes it her goal to wreak havoc on an Army fort by allowing her new lover and Miakoda’s Apache band access.
3) Of course this isn’t supposed to bother the reader since you’ve painted most of the white people as mean, greedy, savage bastards and the Indians as pure defenders of their Homeland. I suspect the truth lies somewhere between these extremes but with the exception of one bad Injun and two nice white women, we see little of that.
4) Everybody loves Jenny – or at least wants to shag her. Her no good husband shagged her – with little thought for her pleasure, the bad Injun wanted to rape her, two bad white men wanted to rape her, the hero(ine) Miakoda wants to shag her, and another white woman wants to shag her too. Gosh, everyone wants in Jenny’s knickers and how many times should the heroine avoid rape in one story?
5) Most of the men in the story are terrible. The one exception is the store owner who helped Jenny after the death of her husband. The rest? Cruel bastards. Yeah, I know this is a f/f story but not all men are Evil.
I also noticed some historical details that made me pause and consider whether or not they were correct. The army fort sounds like something out of a John Ford western movie. My impression is that most western army forts, and especially those in Arizona where there aren’t that many trees, didn’t have stockade walls so Jenny’s whole “sneak in the fort to open the gates” plan was unnecessary. Second, why would a General be in charge of a frontier fort? And why would you say a Colonel is his superior officer? Not in any army I’ve ever read about.
Fictionwise lists “Apache Eyes” as erotica instead of romance and I tend to agree with that. Most of the f/f scenes are hawt erotica. You make the effort to incorporate a HEA and show that Miakoda and Jenny genuinely love each other. Yet, since for most of the novella they can barely communicate vocally, by necessity it becomes a case of actions needing to speak louder than words. As I said in my other GLBT reviews, erotica generally doesn’t work as well for me as romance and since in this case you don’t supply Miakoda’s POV even to Jenny, it’s hard for me to see as much romance as erotica in the story. But the novella is clearly labeled as erotica so I’m not taking off points for this.
Finally, I wasn’t impressed with the deus ex machina aspect of the supernatural elements. Jenny can’t speak to Miakoda to convey some plot point? Just sprinkle magic dust on a fire and it’s better than a cell phone. Jenny is gravely injured? No worries since Miakoda is some kind of a moon witch and can call on magical snakes to heal her.
And thus, the book is going to get a D grade. It’s not because it’s a lesbian story or erotica, since it is clearly that way and I knew it going into the story, but mainly due to the cardboard secondary characters, historical details that I question and contrived magical stuff. I’m still interested in trying more f/f books but except for the romance aspect, I can’t recommend this one.
~Jayne
This book can be purchased at Books on Board (or other etailers).
Send to Kindle
Nov 20, 2008 @ 19:20:55
Hey Jayne, thanks so much for doing a review of an f/f romance! I’ve always been curious about f/f romance and while this book sounds like it has a lot wrong with it, the story and the characters intrigue me, especially the fact that it’s an interracial couple. You don’t get to read too many romances where a Native American is one of the protagonists, at least not in my experience. Usually it’s the other way around, a la Cassie Edwards.
I also hate the trope of bad white people/good saintly Native American people in historical romances featuring Native Americans. I know historically, horrible things were done to the Native Americans by the ‘white man’ but they weren’t innocent of crimes against white people either and they weren’t all saints, just as all white people back then weren’t all evil, even if many of them were socially taught to be racist. To me, a good story has to have some truth or heart to it, and if an author paints everything in black and white or uses cardboard cut-out archetypes, it’s very hard to keep me interested as a reader or invest anything in the characters.
And I hate, hate, hate deus ex machina! Except it would have been nice in Brokeback Mountain if Jack had faked his death in the end and gone to live up in the woods on Brokeback Mountain and then let Ennis know so that he could pretend to turn into a crazy hermit and go live up there with Jack. That would have been fine, Ang Lee. :D
Nov 20, 2008 @ 21:39:10
LLeeo, I haven’t given up on trying more f/f novels but this one just did almost nothing for me. While not quite as bad as a Cassie Edwards novel (and yes, I have suffered through one), it’s not one I would suggest anyone try. Unless you want to read a book where every character is a stereotype.
Nov 21, 2008 @ 11:25:02
Jayne– I also appreciate that you reviewed a f/f book. I like reading f/f and since there is a serious lack of it and even worse, of good quality, I think when it’s reviewed by sites like this, it does get more exposure and maybe more authors and publishers will offer it.
That said, you did an excellent review of this book. I haven’t read it, and probably won’t because I read lots of f/f and most of it is like this book in story telling quality, so I don’t need to read it. But you clearly pointed out the flaws in this story, which look valid to me, and didn’t just dismiss it because of the f/f aspect. I thank you for that even though unfortunately the first f/f reviewed here turned out to be a lemon.
There are some very good quality f/f book out there, but it’s rare. I do hope that you continue to review more f/f in the future.
Thank you!
Nov 21, 2008 @ 11:40:35
Another voice in the crowd that’s grateful for an F/F review. Even if this book doesn’t sound all that appealing.
Nov 21, 2008 @ 14:03:22
Now all we need is for DA to review a f/f/m menage…
Nov 21, 2008 @ 14:50:37
Oh dear. Those two comments aren’t promising.
Nov 21, 2008 @ 14:51:58
Such a review probably won’t come from me since menage books do nothing for me.
Nov 21, 2008 @ 15:32:46
I have to say, though, Jayne, there are excellent f/f books out there. There just seems to be more bad or meh or laughable or annoying ones than good.
And in that, I think, f/f is not so different from m/m. The big difference is there’s a much smaller pool of books to choose from, and therefore fewer good ones floating around in it.
The way to get more quality f/f written is to demand it–that is, give both positive and negative reviews when they are deserved, and bring some exposure to the genre. I know I would read more of it (and f/f/m), if I could only find it. I can’t possibly be the only one.
Nov 22, 2008 @ 15:25:03
Hi Yeva,
I had the honor of reviewing your book through TwoLips reviews. It truly was an honor. The story was beautifully written and only a women can write such beautiful prose.
keep up the good work.
Nov 22, 2008 @ 22:38:15
marc, if you want to be sure that she’ll see your comment, I’d suggest you google her and go to her facebook page. We post book reviews here but there’s no guarantee the authors will stop by here and see them.
Dec 08, 2008 @ 23:31:20
Thanks Marc! At least you read the book. I noticed that most of the folks downing it did not give it a chance, but instead took one reader’s opinions as fact.
Yeva
Dec 09, 2008 @ 05:17:56
Hi Yeva and thanks for dropping by Dear Author. My opinions in this review are just that – my opinions, offered up as a long time reader of romance. Perhaps you’ll like my opinions of “Practical Purposes” better.