Jun 5 2013
REVIEW: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh
The recommended read review of the long awaited release “Heart of Obsidian”. It will answer many questions and leave you with many more. An intense reading experience.
captivity narrative
Jun 4 2013
It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me
When I started this series, I was working toward a consideration of why certain types Romance novels and authors are so popular right now, especially when they have generated so much controversy and even divisiveness among readers. I started with the assertion that Romance, because it covers the territory of love, marriage, family, and relationships(…)
Apr 23 2013
Together We’ll Break These Chains of Love
Last week I discussed the device of forced seduction as part of the literary legacy of North American captivity narratives on genre Romance. As I’ve noted several times during this series, I think that the genre as it has developed in America, at least (and I would include a good deal of Harlequin’s offerings in(…)
Apr 16 2013
Life During Wartime
Avon’s publication of Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan in 2007 sparked quite a conflagration online. Campbell’s unapologetic use of captivity and sexual force generated a great deal of discussion and controversy, some of which is captured nicely in Sarah Wendell’s review and its attendant comments. Many readers characterized the book like Mala Bhattacharjee does, as(…)
Apr 9 2013
Take the Long Way Home
I had initially planned to jump right into late 20th century Romance novels and their reliance/reflection on captivity narratives, but since it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted, I realized that I needed to sit down and catch myself up. And that turned into this catching up post. I apologize in advance if this(…)
Mar 12 2013
Can’t Find My Way Home
This week I want to talk about the use of captivity in the Romance genre, but before I do, I want to clarify a couple of points that cropped up in discussion of my last post and in other discussions of the genre. In my last post, commenter Katie raised the issue of slave narratives,(…)
Mar 11 2013
REVIEW: Captive Prince, Volumes 1 and 2, by S.U. Pacat
Dear Ms. Pacat, I thought about reviewing the two volumes of Captive Prince separately, but came to the conclusion that since they are two parts of the same story and absolutely must be read in order, this made no sense. I understand that there will be a third volume out in 2014, and I will(…)
Mar 5 2013
Gimme Shelter
Note: this is the third part of a series I’m doing on the current popularity of what I’m calling Extreme Romance Novels. Part One can be found here, and Part Two here. I do think the first two installments are best read in order, but you can easily start with this post and then(…)
Jun 30 2009
REVIEW: Don’t Tempt Me by Loretta Chase
Dear Ms. Chase: After I read last year’s book, Your Scandalous Ways, I knew my expectations were going to be set incredibly high for anything that came after. And thankfully, Don’t Tempt Me is not a book in the same vein, but instead hearkens back to the Carsington series, especially Miss Wonderful and Mr. Impossible. (…)
Apr 8 2008
REVIEW: Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian
Midnight Rising by Lara Adian Dylan Alexander is a talented journalist who is overseas enjoying a vacation with friends of her mothers. During a walk, she wanders away from the group and encounters a cave with strange markings. She has photographed these and a homeless man she observed in the caves before said homeless man(…)
Mar 31 2008
REVIEW: Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare
Dear Ms. Clare: I admit to having some reservations about starting this book because I had a real hard time with the heroine in Hard Evidence. However, the gritty and realistic feel that emanated from the pages of this book were captivating and made the book hard to put down. I read that you had(…)
Mar 13 2008
REVIEW: Satisfaction Guaranteed by Charlene Teglia
Dear Ms. Teglia: Thank you for sharing with me your latest book, Satisfaction Guaranteed. I really liked Wild Wild West which was an anthology collection of three women who experience great sex and find love along the way. Satisfaction Guaranteed is modeled after the first book and contains three semi interconnected stories about women taking(…)
Jan 4 2008
REVIEW: Virgin Slave, Barbarian King by Louise Allen
Dear Ms Allen, I had planned on reading this book anyway because 1) I like a previous book of yours I tried and 2) I just had to support the era in which you’d set the story. After all, I can’t remember the last book I read that features Visigoths! When we all got together(…)
Dec 21 2007
REVIEW: Untouched by Anna Campbell
Dear Ms. Campbell: I realized reading your new release Untouched that for me your books are fundamentally a revisiting of older Romance motifs, with both retro and current elements. At your best, your work brings out the best of both past and present Romances, because you are often examining some of the more provocative elements(…)
Oct 15 2007
REVIEW: Taken by the Viking by Michelle Styles
Dear Mrs. Styles, I trust that placing “Viking” in the title has got this one selling well in the UK. Isn’t that one of the words that your mother-in-law’s friend always looks for when deciding which new books to buy? Too bad for us US buyers that Taken by the Viking hasn’t been released here(…)
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