Who doesn't love an abusive, assaulting orgy master?

[dangermousie]

Ah, and now I remember why I gave up on romance novels - blistering hero hate!

I got lulled into security by reading four romances in a row where the heroes were likeable, treating heroine and others around them with respect, and not in need of reform.

But that's all right.

Things are back to normal with Gaelen Foley's Lord of Fire. What an apt

Comments

[calixa]

DO NOT READ ANNE STUART'S NEW "HOUSE OF ROHAN" TRILOGY!!! The heroes in those are pretty much exactly the same as the guy you're talking about. Ew.

[dangermousie]

Oh God, there is more of that sort of thing?

*runs*

[calixa]

I think some authors try to make their "rake" heroes actual rakes but, uh, that's probably not a good idea when you're writing romance novels for a 21st century audience.

[dangermousie]

Oh Good Lord. Leaving aside everything else, if someone is sleeping around in a regency novel, chances are they are more riddled with STDs than the whole venereal diseases ward at a major hospital. "Ooooh, your genital warts are so sexy, milord!"

[meganbmoore]

This may be the one Foley I tried and didn't read much of. I don't remember what Foley I tried to read, but I hated it for similar reasons.

[dangermousie]

The other book of hers I read was completely normal (hero was actually very stickler-for-rules and into social reform and a nice person) so I have no idea whether that was an aberration or this is. Ugh.

Did I mention that the heroine is all "OMG I was so rude to him, I wounded his feelings" and I am all but yelling at the page "he molested and kidnapped you and you are worried about his feelings????"

Seriously, this book is insane.

[kycoo]

Oh my, I love reading your critiques of bad romance novels. I'm convinced you could make a living out of this... if you could stand reading that many of them, that is, haha.

But admittedly, Gaelen Foley is a very cool name.

[dangermousie]

I think I would go mad if I tried :)

I finished the book and oh, such total failure. No matter what the hero did - make sexy sexy love with her, rescue her from certain death at hands of evil spies, kneel weeping and begging at her feet etc, I just could not get over "he molested and kidnapped her in the beginning, what start for a relationship is that?"

Bleh.

[dangermousie]

I read one of those - with a psy and a human police officer, I think. It was fun but I am sort of allergic to books with were-anythings and term "mate." (I also read her angels novels and the hero of that one makes LoF hero seem like a Quaker).

[dangermousie]

Nope, never even heard of her. *off to investigate*

[gurlygirl10]

I also read Lord of Fire and absolutely hated it, it was so far-fetched, the entire story line was so out there and didn't flow well, also I felt the hero wasn't in love with the heroine enough... anyway have you ever read Lisa Kleypas?
I love Dreaming of You, by her, it is very good and the hero pines like crazy...also Stardust of Yesterday by Lynn Kurland is great

By the way Mousie, I wrote a message to you a while ago and haven't gotten a reply, did you get it? Please write back

[dangermousie]

Can you resend me the message? Sorry, it must have slipped through the cracks, apologies.

I liked the one book of Lynn Kurland's I read but a lot of them are not on kindle. I do have her romance/fantasy trilogy I plan to get to.

LoF was just insane. I mean, he is supposed to be this hardened/messed-up/closed-off spy and he falls madly in love and lets her into everything in what...a week? Though I suppose I could by his latching on to somebody, anybody, he did seem pretty desperate, I suppose. My real problem is that even if he was the hottest man living, I could NOT understand how she would be "oh, he groped me against my will and basically kidnapped me...he is so sexy and fine and wounded and I luuuuurve him." I mean, it's so far from a normal human reaction. Plus, the idiotic set-up basically negated everything he did for her - whether he saved her life or grovelled on his knees, all I'd think about would be "but you molested and kidnapped her, ugh ugh ugh!"

[gurlygirl10]

I know and sadly a lot of books are like this, I mean just look at all the harlequins produced these days and don't get me started on Anne Stuart- trust me don't ever pick up one of her books especially her Ice series, you might as well call these "heroe" serial killers.

I must admit though that I do fall for mean/ bad guy falling in love and getting girl. It has to be done correctly though! Some authors just go into dangerous territory when making their heroes bad, there are certain things that can never be forgiven- so I just don't buy it when the heroine does forgive the hero for the way he acted because "he is just so gorgeous!

I'll resend my message too, thanks!

[dangermousie]

Yeah, if done correctly, that is my favorite kind. Sadly, it gets screwed up more often than not :P