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My comfy character :3
I wanted to draw Frara post revival, it looks so sweet and happy when it gets older. It is happier then.
Ardent and scandalous Seraphina Arden sets the hearts of good English men and women afire with her rakish lifestyle and even more salacious memoirs. They’re a best seller, and for a woman living on her own funding not only her libertine lifestyle but also her feminist causes, money is much needed. Which is why Seraphina returns to the storm-swept coasts of her youth to put her in the mindset to pen the long awaited sequel to her first set of memoirs.
There, she meets Adam Anderson. The kindly widowed Scottish architect with two adorable children and an utterly spotless reputation. He’s the good boy to her bad girl, so naturally she must have him. But Adam is unwilling and unable to give in to the passion offered by her, even though every fiber of his being sings to him to submit.
This isn’t your typical rakish rogue romance.
Set in 1797, the Rakess flips historical romance on its ear. It features an alpha heroine. A hard drinking, hard romancing, alpha heroine. The kind that if she were written as a man no one would blink an eyelid at. Seriously, every single one of Seraphina’s mannerisms wouldn’t be out of place on a stereotypical alpha hero/rake/rogue. And that’s part of the charm and the whole bloody point. Seraphina reminds me in many ways of George Sand, who also was a hard drinking, hard romancing, alpha woman. She’s got shades of Mary Wollenscraft as well. She’s very rooted in her age and her characterization is part of the joy. And like all good rakes, she’s got a dark and troubled past that needs the love of a good person to soothe.
Enter Adam... He’s what we would call a beta hero. He is not dominant, but he isn’t a doormat either. He’s got his own goals and to reach them he’s going to have to decide truly what matters to him. He’s the kind of being a hero who has to worry about his reputation. He’s got two small children a career which requires him to have the goodwill of those in charge. It’s dangerous for him to have a relationship with the Rakess, Seraphina Arden. Adam, our hero, slips into the role that women typically Inhabit in romance.
I’m not going to lie, it does take some getting used to. And let me tell you, my reaction exposed some deep seated internalized sexism and misogyny that I hadn’t realized I was carrying. I suspect that for some this discomfort would lessen their enjoyment of the story. For me, the realization heightened my pleasure.
I mean, let’s take a long hard look at that cover.
Look at it. Look at it hard.
I’ve placed it between two old school covers (please excuse the Fabio) to help illustrate my point.
It’s a call back to the clinch covers that were rampant in the 80s and 90s and still pop up today (although they have been replaced sadly by illustrated covers and headless torsos). There’s the strong grab by the Alpha Character. The one handed “I can do other stuff while I ravage you!” The intense look of “I want to sex you up and you’re going to let me.” All of that is in the WOMAN’S pose of the Rakess when historically it’s been the MAN’S position in Heterosexual romance. Then there’s the Beta character. We’ve got the closed eyes. The thrown back head. The slight grab that isn’t so much dominant but “I must hold on to something else I faint from sheer pleasure.” Again, the roles are switched on the cover. The man is the one succumbing to the pleasure promised whereas historically that role has been the woman’s. The man is the “passive one” while the woman is the “active one” and that is a huge switch. I mean, even the font is a dead on match for some of the “old school” clinch covers.As is the stormy background. And frankly I love it. The publisher, the author, and the cover designer deserve a fuck ton of kudos for this. And there’s a lot more going on here than in the majority of Illustrated covers recently.
But that’s just my opinion. LOL
Going deeper, there is a lot of historical accuracy in play in this book. From ways of preventing STDs (the heroine has a condom that she makes people use), to the reality that sugar was a direct result of slave labor (much like how chocolate is today). The fights that the sirens go through and the troubles that they experience are all very real. The fact that there is a double standard that they face is very real. They are women who are fighting against millennia of built up systems put in place to keep them docile and obedient. And if they stepped out of that place, they were often stamped down or hammered back into place by any means necessary.
So this is me telling you that there’s going to be some social commentary in this book. And there are some triggers that people should be aware of: Prior Sexual Abuse, Death in Childbirth, Prior Child Abandonment, Period Appropriate Sexism, Period appropriate misogyny, period appropriate racism.
So, I Liked this book. I liked it a lot. It’s a fun read. There’s a good plot. I believed the romance. The characters were well written. I like that it challenged my preconceived notions and that it made me somewhat uncomfortable when I realized that I’ve still got my own internalized misogyny that I have to deal with. And like I mentioned before, that may be why so many other reviewers had trouble with this book. This is a book that forces you to take a very hard look at what you expect in romance and understand that there’s still a lot of internalized sexism and misogyny prevalent throughout the genre. Just like the cover, there’s a lot deeper going on here.
It’s a good book.
And it’s a romance I’m happy to recommend. It’s a romance that’s going to stick with me. And it’s a romance that I’m going to want to read again. And for that I give this… Five stars
If this is your jam, you can get it here.
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DOWN & DIRTY QUICKIE REVIEW!
One Sentence Summary:
A friends-to-lovers romance where our human heroine & clawed, knife-toothed, gray-skinned non-human beta hero are arranged married.
What part made you fangirl squeal:
Every damn 75,500 word.
Literally any time Brishen opened his mouth and said any of his swoontastic, respectful, kind words to our heroine.
When both flat out told each other in a blunt but non-mean spirited way “Yo, you ugly.”
Favorite Character:
LITERALLY BOTH! Brishen is a sweetie hero & Ildiko is a walking meat Popsicle with a spine of steel.
How smexy was the smex?
She teaches him about the G-spot AND making out, French-style. Plus dat sloooooooow burn sexual tension that only pops off after heart-feels start to flutter? WHAT YOU THINK THE SMEXTASTIC LEVEL BE!
Name That Trope:
Beta Hero, Friends-to-Lovers, Opposites Attract, Arranged Marriage, Human/Non-human Pairing
Whose Line Is It Anyway:
“I will cut out any tongue that would try and besmirch you. I’m adept at spear and sword as well. Just name who you want me to skewer for you.” - Brishen
Got any bitching to do?
LITERALLY NONE! My only complaint is that book 2 is more of this OTP & I GOT OTHER SHIPS THAT NEED SAILING DAMMIT!
Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:
Famous last words:
I WILL STAKE MY FANGIRL REPUTATION ON THE FACT THAT YOU SHALL lOOooOOOOoOOOOoooOooOOooOOooVE THIS BOOK! The whole thing is our heroine navigating her cultural differences with her new hubbie while he falls hard for her WHILE THEY BOTH GO FROM EWWW TO AWWWW! Get thee to a bookstore or library, YOUR SOUL DOTH NEED THIS, DAMMIT!
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For a more in depth and LOL-fest discussion on romance novels and romance Asian dramas, HERE BE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Is James the "beta hero?"
You know how sometimes a show will have the "beta couple" who is happy and functional and seems to get there quickly without too much effort? Like Lyla and Dig on Arrow, or maybe it is Maggie and Alex on Supergirl? And it kind of paves the way, or holds up a destination sign, and serves as a positive example for the main character's relationship which inevitably goes through much more conflict, drama, and angst before figuring it out because that's TV. I was thinking today about how quickly James became a fully-realized superhero. His superhero arc was incredibly quick and only had minor obstacles and now he IS Guardian. Meanwhile Mon-El's superhero development is crawling along.... granted he started in a much different place, but it's taken him all season to make some minor character shifts and his motivation for being a hero is still mostly Kara, not saving the world. He still has a ways to go before he's worthy of the suit - which is think he'll earn by the end of the season- and then I think we will continue to see him learn and grow throughout next season and beyond as he fights crime with Kara. I think the creators are very invested in his journey and slowburning it as much as possible for maximum effect. Kara is already mostly there- she has a few minor character flaws to work on but she was basically a superhero as soon as she put on the suit. James shows the heart and motivation and grit of a true hero and I think that's partially for us as an audience to use as an example for Mon-El who will be following that path throughout the season and into next. Thoughts?
Set in Sussex and centered around the parliamentary election season. Sweet Disorder features a heroine, Phoebe, who is poor, plump, widowed, and in possession of her father’s votes. Except being a woman she can’t cast them but any many she marries can. And her votes are so very necessary in a very tight election. Welcome to the oddness of English elections in the Regency Period Enter Nick Dymond, Brother to the Whig candidate. He’s there to convince Phoebe to marry a man who will vote for his brother. Except the longer he gets to know her, the more he wants her for himself. That’s a problem because his family will never approve. After all, he’s the son of a noble, and she is the widow of a newspaper printer. Not to mention he’s got his own baggage, PTSD and a very severe wound from the peninsula wars, which left him with a limp.
As for Phoebe, she doesn’t particularly want to get married. She’s been married before and it didn’t turn out well. She’s doing just fine selling stories to the newspapers and living in the tiny and untidy rooms in a boarding house. But when her family needs her, she puts her own happiness on the line and agrees to a marriage of convenience. The only problem is who will she choose?
The Tory Candidate? The Whig Candidate? Or herself?
I like the story. I really liked Phoebe and Nick. Their reasonings and rationales made sense. Like there is a giant/huge class issue and then there’s the fact that they’re not supposed to be falling in love with each other. I especially liked that neither one was seen as less or by the other. But that things like her poverty, her weight, his wealth, and his disability weren’t overlooked and forgotten in the midst of the love must conquer all. Then there’s the families and their drama. So much drama.
Even with the drama, this isn’t your typical Regency Romance. First off, there aren’t any balls. Or dastardly Duke’s. Or gaming establishments. And I loved that. It’s so rare to have a romance between lower class people. Every day people. Even small town people. While Nick came from the gentry, he’s a younger son and his experience as a soldier had colored his sensibilities more. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. And I like that.
This story takes “slow burn” seriously. Very seriously. Which might be off-putting for some people, but when I read it I was in the mood for slow. The plots and twists are well telegraphed, and the book takes time to set the stage and introduce all the players. And all of the players are important. I also liked that Phoebe’s other suitors were all viable, they weren’t horrid for the sake of being horrid. I even liked them as characters and potential romantic heroes. They just weren’t the romantic hero that Phoebe wanted. All of the characters were well rounded, And I really liked that.
Trigger warnings Because those matter, period appropriate sexism, discussion of miscarriage, discussion of depression & PTSD, mild BDSM, period appropriate ableism, and parental neglect/emotional abuse. That being said all of the triggering Content is handled well as I would expect from Rose Lerner (which if you’re looking to support minority authors Rose Lerner is Jewish). Basically this was an adorable slow burn featuring every day people in Regency England. If you’re a fan of Austen, this would likely be up your alley. As it is, I’m happy to give it. Five stars.
If this is your jam, you can get it here.
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Shy and scholarly William has been in love with the now newly-widowed Amelia since they were children. He wanted to make an offer for her when he was still at University but for whatever reason didn't and she married a man old enough to be her grandfather. Now that she's come out of her mourning, he has his chance... assuming his awkwardness and preternatural ability to say just the wrong thing at the wrong time don't get in his way. Maybe dressing up as a dashing highwayman at a costume ball will do the trick?
Beautiful and brilliant Amelia has always loved William. She finds his scholarly bent and love of antiquities charming rather than off-putting, it's why at Lord and Lady Melbourne's masquerade ball in 1794 she decides to dress as Cleopatra. Unfortunately, too many other men get the wrong idea setting the stage for misunderstanding and conflict.
This is a short read with charming characters which unfortunately suffers from a bit of a pacing problem and a historical easter egg problem. Like seriously I spent much of the book trying to pin down the time period since it definitely wasn't typical regency which the cover suggests. Like when I first thought it had been pinned down, it wasn’t. The author kept dropping easter egg after easter egg to the point where it became a fourth wall break because I had to readjust my thinking each time a new tidbit of information was added. JUST ADD THE DATE AT THE BEGINNING AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE!!!
It was only in the author's note at the end when I got an actual date. The book suffers from too much name dropping of various highwaymen, prominent historical figures, and places. In fact there's a whole section in the beginning where William and his friends argue over which highwayman they are which goes on for way too long and is way too confusing. Like I get it, you want to include all of the research that you did into your novel. But take it from me, don’t. First off, if you make one little mistake it throws the whole of the book into disarray. And the author did make a mistake (mostly related to the first Lord and Lady Melbourne) as well as stating that it was alternatively hot and cold at night. It’s only hot at night in England in July and August... and the season is well over then. (Pro-tip to authors: The London Season generally took place January to mid-June and followed when Parliament was in sesson. It rarely ran later. The Little Season ran from Late September to November. It didn’t take place over the heat of summer (because plague and sickness) and it didn’t happen in December. This has been your random info portion of the review.)
There were things I liked in this.
I really really liked William with his perpetual foot-in-mouth syndrome. He was adorable. And sweet. And I wanted to pet him on the head like the confused puppy that he was. I got hints that William might be on the Autism spectrum but considering that the diagnosis didn't exist in the Late Georgian Period there's no clear way to be certain. I also liked that he was most definitely a beta hero. No alpha asshole posturing and toxic masculinity from him. It was a refreshing change of pace.
Seriously. I am so sick of alpha assholes. Can we please chuck toxic masculinity out of romance in 2020? Please?
I also really loved Amelia. She's fun and intelligent and kind. I loved that she generally got herself out of her predicaments and didn't need a man to save her. She was quick-witted and a lovely foil to the many TSTL heroines who populate regencies. Like trust me, I love it when women get themselves out of predicaments. I love it when they solve problems that the hero creates. Can we get more of this please?
Frankly I wanted more of William and Amelia's story.
Unfortunately while things end happily, the story doesn't feel complete. The whole thing takes place over a single night but there's a lot that goes on. (To the point where the timing doesn’t work but I’m going to let it go.) The ending was rushed. It’s implied that the leads are going to get together, but it’s a solid happy for now and not a true HEA. Worse, a secondary conflict was introduced but not resolved (I suspect it will carry over the rest of the series) which led to the feeling of incompleteness.
In all, this is a decent novella with a few rough spots. It's not a bad read. And I really really loved the leads. And for that I give this:
Three Stars
If this is your jam, you can get it here.
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99 FANGIRL FEELS & ONLY 1 CRITICISM! The book gods be blessing my ass!
DOWN & DIRTY QUICKIE REVIEW!
One Sentence Summary:
A badass, sasstacular human witch is targeted by an evil coven, which makes her beta wolf-boy mate none too happy!
What part made you fangirl squeal:
2 words. RITUAL! SEX!
Any time Aislinn kicked magic ass or verbally bitch slapped somebody!
Every time our boy Troy flew his “I’d rather die than disrespect her” flag.
Favorite Character:
BITCH DON’T MAKE ME PICK. Fine, but only after 124 hours of torture- Our heroine’s momma! That hilarious woman is everything I wanna be when I grow up!
How smexy was the smex?
I shit yall not; it’ll make yo dead great-great-great grandma blush!
Name That Trope:
Alpha Heroine/Beta Hero, Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Hero In Pursuit
Whose Line Is It Anyway:
Aislinn: You’ll be seeing dad again soon, right?
Witch Bitch: Probably. What’s your message?
Aislinn: It’s simple. Tell him that he’s not my father, and if I ever see his sorry face again, I’ll rip it off and use it as a Halloween mask.
Got any bitching to do?
Sadly, our OTP went from Meet & Greet, to horny pants, to hearteyes, all without much of a development bridge between the 3.
Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:
Famous last words:
While I feel the romance could’ve been developed a little better, HOLY SHIT YALL THERE’S SOOO MUCH TO LOVE! Hella powerful sismances, badass world building, swoontastic hero, kickass heroine, hot sex- the list is endless! Tl;dr? READ THIS BOOK!
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(For a more in depth and LOL-fest discussion on romance novels and romance Asian dramas, HERE BE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL)
