Comments on: REVIEW: Red by Jordan Summers

By: Red by Jordan Summers « Scooper Speaks

Red by Jordan Summers « Scooper Speaks — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:25:58 +0000

[...] other people’s thoughts about Red at Village Books, Dear Author and Musings of the [...]

By: Larissa Ione

Larissa Ione — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:38:40 +0000

Loonigrrl, I didn’t mean to imply that I thought you read the book as a traditional romance, so that’s why you didn’t like the book. I simply meant that *I* went into it with a mindset that probably made it work more for *me* than it might have had I gone into it thinking it was going to be a more traditional romance. I was actually responding more to Kim’s comment that she didn’t see anything to explain the romance.

I just really enjoyed the book. I found the grim, gritty atmosphere to be refreshing (which, I realize, sounds odd! *g*)

By: Ann Bruce

Ann Bruce — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:02:52 +0000

Robin – I’ve read books where it seems obvious the author wants the reader to know the villain is evil because of his or her sexual deviancy and the H/H are good because there are rainbows and sparkles when they have sex. However, I’ve also come across books where the villain sex scene just isn’t offensive, such as the ones in Sandra Brown’s or Ann Maxwell’s books (or maybe I’m desensitized). So, I’m going to conclude that it’s going to vary from book to book.

By: loonigrrl

loonigrrl — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:53 +0000

I hope you enjoy it Sasha. Mine is just one opinion, of course.

However, the idea that has been suggested a couple times now that I read it as a “traditional romance” is wrong. I read a great deal of urban fantasy in addition to paranormal romance and I honestly couldn’t care less whether a book is classified as one or the other. Based upon the cover, the summary on the back and visiting the author’s blog, I expected Red to be dark and gritty. Therefore, you can count this reader as someone who went into it expecting it to be a non-traditional romance. And as you can see, I still found the above faults.

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:34:22 +0000

I posted yesterday but don’t see it here so I thought I’d say again how much I’m looking forward to this book. I think the key is definitely going into it knowing it’s not supposed to be a traditional romance. But to me, that makes it all the more appealing. LOL

By: MoJo

MoJo — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:59:32 +0000

…villain sex scenes…*cough* Stella Cameron *cough*…

Oh, it wasn’t just me? I’m still scarred.

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:44:52 +0000

@ME – DNF is Did Not Finish. In other words, we started the book but for various reasons didn’t finish it.

By: ME

ME — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:42:16 +0000

K people…educate me….what does DNF mean exactly?

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:17:43 +0000

However, I will admit that there were the occasional villain sex scenes from the 80s I found more enjoyable than the boring sweet protagonist love scenes. Back then, skanky villain sex might just be two people going at it a little rough or performing oral sex. (I recall a couple of Catherine Coulter books that gave the opinion oral sex is an act more heinous than murder.)

Sometimes I used to think the villain sex scenes served to rachet up the hotness factor of a book to make it sell *cough* Stella Cameron *cough* …without offending those readers who consider kinkier sex to be deviant. Hey, as long as it’s not the hero and heroine tying each other up or sharing their partners, it’s all good.

The above scene from Red, however, made me hug my knees to my chest after reading it.

I’m with you on the need to hunch over protectively after reading that scene, lol. But I wish Summers would explain it for those (like me) who read it as loonigrrl did and who are apparently incorrect(?)

As for the villain sex thing, I’ve wondered about the various uses of the contrast and how that reflects on the way we’re supposed to see the “good” sex between the H&H. Like are we supposed to see certain sexual acts as inherently defiled or is it merely that someone villainous practices them. Is the villain sex intended to amp up the hotness factor without offending the sensibilities of the reader who doesn’t want really edgy H&H sex? Or is it subversive, intended to titillate us and undermine the good/bad contrast? Because it often feels that there’s some moral judgment we’re supposed to levy against the villain, I have to wonder sometimes at the use of villain sex in Romance, especially when it’s not straight out rape or torture or something else that most people would mark as not part of a healthy relationship (i.e. actual rape rather than rape fantasy). Or is it intended to offer something like rape fantasy for readers who may be uncomfortable with that in the main relationship? I know the answers are varied across books, but it’s something that interests me, because it seems to common in genre Romance to include villain sex, even though it isn’t “romantic” per se.

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:19:05 +0000

Jody W, I like your explanation and your new genre-blending “urban fantasy romance”. Certainly, Red be a urban fantasy romance especially since it is about the romance and there were no real paranormal powers utilized to save the world here if we go by Ann Bruce’s definition (which is a good one too).

I started reading one of Cheyenne McCray’s books with the detailed skanky villian (demon) sex and that was it for me on her. It was total DNF for me. Don’t want to read about nasty sex – want to read about loving sex – if I read the sex at all which I normally don’t. I’m a prude that way – I skipped completely past Red/Morgan’s get together especially when the harsher words were used and really ick on watching it again from the villain’s POV. I’m so glad there are so many great authors to choose from! Definitely different strokes for different folks. :D

Thanks!