Header PromotionShattered Dreams by Sally Wentworth (HP 629)
Spoiler Warning: All my reviews contain spoilers to some degree
Favourite Scene:
Kate found that she didn't want him to go like this, with just a casual goodbye, not tonight of all nights. She lifted her hand towards him. 'Hugo.'
'Yes?'
Slowly she dropped her hand and shook her head.
'Oh—nothing.' 'Just—Hugo?'
'Yes.' Her glance met his and she thought she saw an I understanding light in his eyes—understanding and something else she couldn't fathom.
He stepped forward, pulled her to him, and kissed her hard on the mouth.
My Review:
The heroine was a virgin and a model. The hero couldn't get her into bed no matter how he tried/propositioned her, so he respected her and decided to marry her. She was happy as a clam to become his wife. Everything up to the wedding was pretty good, pretty standard courtship and obstacles. Then the heroine overhears the hero jumping to a nasty conclusion about her and another man, showing that he doesn't love her and had the worst intentions in marrying her.... this drives the heroine to run out after her wedding.
I thought it would take a lot to make me believe why the heroine didn't simply correct the misunderstanding right away and say "he's my brother, not my lover, don't call me a slut you dumbass". But the author gave great motivation for the heroine NOT to want to: the heroine saw that the hero married her to get her into bed, and all her illusions of love and forever crumbled.
So I started off thinking, hey, good book, believable reaction and good reason for a wife to run away. Then all hell breaks loose when the hero tracks the heroine down. I think readers will pretty much be shocked at what the hero does... the hero is a military man with training on interrogating. He interrogates the heroine very roughly and very undeservedly. He actually tackles her and puts a knee to her back, holds her head underwater, and interrogates her with light in her eyes, all on separate occasions over the weekend. Quite a brutal man. Couldn't believe he thought it was ok to treat any woman or even any civilian this way. I recommend anyone without a penchant for abuse avoids this one. No sexual violence, but plenty other kinds.
My Rating: 1.5/5 stars, it's purely the unappealing violence responsible for this rating.
aww i love books with these
aww i love books with these family misunderstanding situations but the interrogation sounds just crazy! Did the heroine at least beat up the hero at any point to get her own back? :)
Hey Elly. I too can like
Hey Elly. I too can like the "brother-not-lover" kind of misunderstanding. And I ADORE a battle of the sexes, where they fight each other. I like when in the heat of passion they get a little rough trying to find a horizontal or vertical surface. As long as there's more sensuality and desire present then pain, go for it.
I don't mind too much when a little "slap" is used for the hero, a butt smack for the heroine being naughty... as long as it's not deliberately humiliating and treating the other person in a condescending "you are a child, I'm your punishing daddy" kind of way.
But the interrogation in this case.... just was shockingly appalling. It was bad both mentally and physically. He was torturing a "confession" for something out of her using lights, deprivation, tying up. Then he let her go and played with her emotions and got her to TALK and reveal things by making her feel secure. Wow. I would just be SCARED that someone could lie so easily to me and use me that way.
The other scene where the hero TACKLED the heroine... well you could say the heroine "fought back" but really she mostly flailed helplessly, got pinned by him, and not really in a sexy "lets now roll on the ground and get inside each other's clothing and finish working off our aggression in a more satisfying way" kind of way. How is a foot on your back holding you down sexy? Nuh-uh....
Yikes! He held her head
Yikes! He held her head under water?!! What is wrong with him? I can't imagine how the heroine was suppose to feel loved after that.
Janet, You always make me laugh with your comments. "butt smack"
Margie :)
Hey Margie! Been a while,
Hey Margie! Been a while, I've been stock piling my reviews and so I haven't been replying back and forth with you in a while. I missed saying "Bump this one for Margie... she should read it". *grin*
I have another 40 July books half-written or fully-written but not posted yet. I know 2 of the HPs are keepers, so I'll recommend THOSE two to you when I post 'em. They'll be coming. Don't you worry... *tease*
About the butt smack... wow Margie. Should I be blushing? We were talking after all about what kinds of violence can be a turn on or a turn off....
LOL, Sorry but it just
LOL, Sorry but it just sounded so funny. It's been a long day.
I was wondering if you had had time to write up all your reviews. I figured I would be very busy trying to read them all. Make sure you bump up those keeper ones.
By the way, I found the other book by Anne McAllister on Amazon. There are several used copies. I'll check eBay too even though I had that trouble there.
Margie :)
Margie, I was teasing you
Margie, I was teasing you about the bum smack. *smacks Margie's tushy*
About the book reviews.... yep, it's hugely time consuming to write them up. I'm so horrible. I honestly had 50 that I counted yesterday and I thought "shit, I better start typing / organizing them or I'll never post them by the end of July, and it will only keep builidng up". So whew... I'm working on 'em.
I posted a keeper today. Ice In His Veins by Carole Mortimer. Just tonight. Check it out, it was "bumped" for ya.
About the Anne McAllister books... I read three by her. I recommend "The Antonides Marriage Deal" and "The Santorini Bride" HIGHLY... hilarious and so warm and tender at times. The third book is good but it's not quite as good, it's "The Alexakis Bride". (I figured I should tell you my preference so that you buy the one I recommend the most, if you have to pick and choose)
H did what to h?
Janet
As you've directed me to this blog, so I must read this review of yours. Well, curiosity kill the cat, & it got me alright!
I am so glad that I know about this book, so that I can stay far away from it. 
This H was abusive! OHHH!
. A story about abusive, violence, perverts could be tolerable in supporting characters or as the background story, but definitely not right for H's and/or h's characters for this series. This story might be more suitable for another line of HQN, but not in Present series. Too dark. I once read an HR that the h had a lot of scars on her back because her step-father's abused her. I like that story, how she overcame & the support of the H, very very emotional & well written, but it was too dark for the Romance series. I am glad that HQN has so many different lines, so that read can choose the ones they are interested. Sometimes, some stories were better suit in different series, maybe the editor made a slight oversight on some stories.
Okay, okay, back to something we started discussion on, 'Passionate', 'Rough', 'Consent BDSM' Lovemaking. There is a fine line between these. I have no problem with all of these, as long as both sides consent on that. For example (these are real examples): when H & h first met, sparks flew every direction (Good), a little bickering (Good), H kissed h passionately (Good), H held h down or push up against the wall kissing/touching when they didn't even know each other's name (Bad), H said to h: 'you wanted me to kiss you' & h denied it (Good), but when they started to go back & forth everytime they meet & debating who wanted whom to do what, then I got tired, that's no story, like porn-sex without story. Description on kissing, couldn't get their hands off each other, foreplay & hot sex, seduction (Good); angry sex, bitter revenge sex, (Bad) .
(Somebody stop me!) Dont' want to overwhelm you, I save some of my $0.02 for next time.
Orchid
Orchid
Orchid... the violence in
Orchid... the violence in this book was just plain "violence" not "sensual aggression". So just making that clear, since I'm probably misleading everyone about what was in the book now that we're talking about what kind of aggression IS acceptable.
I like the examples you gave, I agree with your goods and bads. And yeah, I have a similar "porn-sex without story" threshold. It reaches a point sometimes where it's just athletic sex or pure-sex-no-emotion. If there's no connection to the emotions and the senses, then it ain't sensuality, it's pure mechanics.
Description on kissing, couldn't get their hands off each other, foreplay & hot sex, seduction (Good); angry sex, bitter revenge sex, (Bad) .
Hmmm... angry sex, bitter revenge sex.... I think if done with a grudging helpless tenderness beneath it, then it can be good. But close line. Gotta watch it, it can be really hurtful, hypocritical, unforgiveable, and unsympathetic.
(Somebody stop me!) Dont' want to overwhelm you, I save some of my $0.02 for next time.
Oooh good girl. You're after my own heart, with your lengthy
rantschats!