Reflection

A hiatus has occurred in reviewing. It's not my fault at all.

I ordered some books from amazon. Supposed to be 'in stock.' Despatch date turned out to be a whole 2 weeks into the future. Imagine that! I wonder how they define 'out of stock.'

I also ordered an older romance through the abe network. That didn't arrive at all. Even though they took my money.

Actually. I did read another Shiloh Walker e-book. Eli and Sarel. Number 2 in the Hunters series. However I'm not going to review it right away. Because then I'll have reviewed 3 pieces of smut in a row. And some people might think that I'm obsessed with nookie. Which I am most definitely not! (How dare they!)

Still. I've taken the opportunity to re-read all my 'Ice' novels and my 'Crazy' books. I still love them all. I also went to the movies. (Those are the breaks.)

I'll Be Hunting You by Shiloh Walker

This is a follow-up to Declan and Tori. I only read it because I knew that Declan died. I thought. "Serves you right...sharing your girl with that wimp Eli." However I also concluded from the review I read that Declan doesn't actually stay dead. I didn't mind that. One of the things I hate about death is that it's so permanent. So why not fantasize about it being temporary?

I have to say though. This e-novella is total badly written schlock. Tori is really made to suffer grief. Poor woman. She and Declan had been together for 15 years. But it's only for one whole year. Very few romances nowadays deal with grief. And I felt all her anguish. Even though it wasn't particularly realistic.

However I would have been annoyed if she then fell in love with another guy after just one year. Like happens with so much women's fiction nowadays. Blah. But instead she falls for a guy called Brian. Who actually turns out to be an amnesiac Declan. With a small completely unrealistic child in tow. I didn't really get Brian's memories of his life. And as the story progressed I didn't really like that it was obvious that he was destined to meet and bang Tori. Brian is another wimp's name. So how could Brian turn out to be Declan but have none of Declan's memories? We are not talking reincarnation here. Just memory loss. I thought it was all a bit stupid. To say nothing of the fact that the story criss-crosses America but all the towns seem equally anonymous places.

I also don't like the vigilantism thread of the Hunter series. It just doesn't happen. Miscarriages of justice are too commonplace to be treated superficially in some stupid romance. (I don't mean banged up for a crime not committed. I'm talking about being jailed for say 4 years for a really horrible assault or even murder. Sadly all too common.)

I thought all the romance scenes were a bit tepid too. A less well-read reader might think they were hot though. It's a bit boring really is what I'm trying to avoid saying. But those are the facts. The novella did make me interested in reading more about 'the mean bitch' Sarel. Oops. I've swallowed the bait. Maybe that's the whole point of this story.

The Hunters 1: Declan and Tori by Shiloh Walker

I am over 21. So should you be to read this novel. I bought it as an e-book. But it is also available in print form. At only 165 pages it's a quick 'series romance' type read.

Better plotted than a Lora Leigh story. More effective world-building than the hyper-inflated J R Ward. And it's still a stonking hot read. As in 'very very hot'. There's a lot of voyeurism, girl-friend sharing and girl-anal. tbh While I could go along with the threesome I found myself left behind when Tori humps Eli in front of Declan...out of sympathy or to keep a promise. Tori is Declan's girl. She liked him before she turned into a vampire. I found Eli to be too much of a wet wimp to deserve Tori on his own. But that's just opinion. Also. I think the author, like so many writers of paranormals, needed to be a little more aware of both ethnic sensitivities and master-servant issues.

Basically, Declan and Tori is a vampire, shapeshifter story. Although it's a contemporary novel I did miss the named cars and clothes aspect of, say, the Sam n Rick books. This is the beginning of a series so I'll wait til I read a few more before I pass judgement.

The Devil To Pay by Liz Carlyle

This novel is so utterly profoundly boring I almost slit my wrists after reading the first 154 pages.

The basic problem is that every single character, including the main couple displays such ugliness in lifestyle and behaviour. I kept seeing those grotesque cartoons from old editions of Punch come to life. Drunkenness is not attractive. Yet the hero loses days due to the effects of consuming too much alcohol. He is also a case of syphilis waiting to happen. Pus-filled boils and all. He treats women like pieces of meat. A grown financially independent man, he still allows his mother to try to marry him off. The heroine is not much better. She pretends to be a hooker, takes the money but does not deliver. A street tart has more honesty than her. Again she earns a living as an instructress in her own house. She's supposed to be intelligent and resourceful. Yet it seems she is attracted to the cigar and pipe smoking drunken mess that is the hero. Yuk! Could it be because he has a title and money? That is so disgusting. The heroine's name is Sidonie. Yet straight away the hero calls her Sid. When he is little more than a stranger to her. In an age when public deportment counted for so much. It's like he's telling her 'You're unworthy.' Of course she says nothing.

This novel aspires to be a rip-off of Connie Brockway's All Through The Night. It is nothing more that a miserable smelly vomit inducing failure. I felt I needed a shower after reading the book. Also. Totally ghastly decor in all the houses.

What I really objected to was this novel's misogynistic portrayal of women as a whole. Completely at the beck and call of males. And the way that the cockney dialect is used as a euphemism for being an unworthy second class female. You know. Even the hero's mother is shackled. Since it is obvious that the hero's father, her husband, would be making her life a complete misery if she didn't at least try to reconcile the two of them, son and husband. Sick-making.

Billionaires Prefer Blondes by Suzanne Enoch

Very disappointing. Way, way too much crime caper stuff. Nowhere near enough humping. And half of what there is is alluded to!!! As in 'Let's go to bed' said Sam...The next morning.... Jeez. I don't buy romances for that kind of dish-water. What's worse. Sam allows herself to get groped by a blackmailing piece of slime. Ugh. I started off reading quickly. By half-way I'd slowed right down.

What was the point of re-introducing the supposedly dead dad, Martin? Romance novels in general are not very good at portraying family ties. And this is no exception. Martin reads like a really horrible amoral person. Doublecrossing everyone he meets, including his daughter. Why am I supposed to be entertained by his intrusion into this novel? Sam may get an adrenaline rush from burglarizing but I found it all very sordid. Particularly when innocent people can't even sleep safely in their own beds without being in danger from felons. This story actually proves to be an excellent illustration of why people should avoid associating with anything criminal. Unless you enjoy having threats to your safety, peace of mind, free-will on a daily basis.

I'm very glad that Rick decides that he will not cross the line. If Sam goes back to her life of crime he will split from her. Despite the fact that he loves her. Well said Addison. Hola!