tacuazin's review against another edition
Caution: minor spoilers ahead. Tread at your own peril.
I should have loved this book, since it contains a lot of the elements I enjoy in a romance:
• Historical + western + romance. As the saying goes, you had me at hello
• A well-liked author. The Mackenzie collection and Mr. Perfect are among my favorite reads from 2012
• A brooding hero, and an outlaw to boot.
• A lady doctor, from whom backbone and some maturity is expected. I loved Dr. Quinn TV show back in the 90s.
• An enemy-to-lovers storyline, always promising.
• A miner town, so Jack London, and I loved The Call of the Wild even more than Dr. Quinn.
And how did it go? Terribly disappointing, let me tell you.
He’s a dark, tall fugitive who kidnaps a woman doctor in a miner town. He’s on the run, has been shot and needs time to recover. So she’s forced to follow him to an isolated cabin/shack in the mountains with the promise of being taken back to the city as soon as he’s healed.
But from the first page, my cheesy-alert signal started bleeping. Never a good sign. Repetitive sentences, sappy undertones, out-of-character or out-of-situation inner dialogues and so on.
After 50 pages, it was obvious the cheesiness was there to stay. 30 pages more, and the allegedly courageous heroine was sounding more like a scatterbrained damsel in distress. Bear in mind we are told this woman has studied medicine in opposition to society rules and strictures, overcoming its rebukes and criticisms and finding her place in a miner town. She’s supposed to have come out of that ordeal, if not unscathed, at least knowledgeable. But what she does is not consistent with what we’re told about her. She’s supposed to be smart and independent, but acts rather foolishly. She’s clearly infatuated with the hero from the beginning and therefore forgives his rudeness, abruptness and cruelty. She starts doing stupid things. For example, at some point she attempts to escape (finally, some initiative), but does it all wrong, proving she’s not capable of fighting to save her own ass. He catches her immediately –there was no challenge there, really- and she’s so thankful with him for saving her life…
So far, this book had found its place in the cheesy bookshelf. Right there, it was awarded a place of honor among other TSTL heroines. Only by adding a jerk hero could it get worse. It does.
So now, the hero. Brooding heroes are expected to… well, brood. Fine with me. Brooding entails a dark past, personal struggles, issues to work out… all of which provide some flesh to an otherwise black-and-white character.
But this guy doesn’t just brood. He’s cold and rude and cruel and selfish and, according to what we’re told he can’t control his urges. There is something inconsistent with the character here too. While on one hand he’s portrayed as cold and inexpressive, on the other he can’t get hold of his temper or desires.
And then we come to the attempted rape scene. He wakes up in the middle of the night with a hard-on. She’s sleeping by his side, half dressed (to prevent her from escaping), and he removes his underwear to be closer to her. Closer as in inside her. She wakes up with an acute pain and fights her way out of the makeshift bed before his final thrust. When she confronts him, he claims he’s not a rapist and that he prefers his women conscious. But then, what would you call it, since she was asleep and therefore unaware of his actions?
I didn’t like this scene, and I didn’t like how it was resolved. The lady doctor seemed to be terminally stupid, and the hero insufferably mean.
I’ll put off this book as unfinished, because I refuse to keep reading it.
I should have loved this book, since it contains a lot of the elements I enjoy in a romance:
• Historical + western + romance. As the saying goes, you had me at hello
• A well-liked author. The Mackenzie collection and Mr. Perfect are among my favorite reads from 2012
• A brooding hero, and an outlaw to boot.
• A lady doctor, from whom backbone and some maturity is expected. I loved Dr. Quinn TV show back in the 90s.
• An enemy-to-lovers storyline, always promising.
• A miner town, so Jack London, and I loved The Call of the Wild even more than Dr. Quinn.
And how did it go? Terribly disappointing, let me tell you.
He’s a dark, tall fugitive who kidnaps a woman doctor in a miner town. He’s on the run, has been shot and needs time to recover. So she’s forced to follow him to an isolated cabin/shack in the mountains with the promise of being taken back to the city as soon as he’s healed.
But from the first page, my cheesy-alert signal started bleeping. Never a good sign. Repetitive sentences, sappy undertones, out-of-character or out-of-situation inner dialogues and so on.
After 50 pages, it was obvious the cheesiness was there to stay. 30 pages more, and the allegedly courageous heroine was sounding more like a scatterbrained damsel in distress. Bear in mind we are told this woman has studied medicine in opposition to society rules and strictures, overcoming its rebukes and criticisms and finding her place in a miner town. She’s supposed to have come out of that ordeal, if not unscathed, at least knowledgeable. But what she does is not consistent with what we’re told about her. She’s supposed to be smart and independent, but acts rather foolishly. She’s clearly infatuated with the hero from the beginning and therefore forgives his rudeness, abruptness and cruelty. She starts doing stupid things. For example, at some point she attempts to escape (finally, some initiative), but does it all wrong, proving she’s not capable of fighting to save her own ass. He catches her immediately –there was no challenge there, really- and she’s so thankful with him for saving her life…
So far, this book had found its place in the cheesy bookshelf. Right there, it was awarded a place of honor among other TSTL heroines. Only by adding a jerk hero could it get worse. It does.
So now, the hero. Brooding heroes are expected to… well, brood. Fine with me. Brooding entails a dark past, personal struggles, issues to work out… all of which provide some flesh to an otherwise black-and-white character.
But this guy doesn’t just brood. He’s cold and rude and cruel and selfish and, according to what we’re told he can’t control his urges. There is something inconsistent with the character here too. While on one hand he’s portrayed as cold and inexpressive, on the other he can’t get hold of his temper or desires.
And then we come to the attempted rape scene. He wakes up in the middle of the night with a hard-on. She’s sleeping by his side, half dressed (to prevent her from escaping), and he removes his underwear to be closer to her. Closer as in inside her. She wakes up with an acute pain and fights her way out of the makeshift bed before his final thrust. When she confronts him, he claims he’s not a rapist and that he prefers his women conscious. But then, what would you call it, since she was asleep and therefore unaware of his actions?
I didn’t like this scene, and I didn’t like how it was resolved. The lady doctor seemed to be terminally stupid, and the hero insufferably mean.
I’ll put off this book as unfinished, because I refuse to keep reading it.
taisie22's review against another edition
5.0
Another great historical Western by Linda Howard. Annie Parker came west to practice medicine but didn't count on the outlaw Rafe McCay kidnapping her away to treat his gunshot wound. Bounty hunters are chasing him for a crime he didn't commit. In reality, there's a fascinating historical reason concerning the South's missing gold after the Civil War.
The historical details are wonderful, and I liked how actual history was incorporated into this story. Annie and Rafe are an interesting pair, with her being a female doctor and him being one of Morgan's Raiders previously. It's a sweeping story that encompasses the breadth of the country.
The historical details are wonderful, and I liked how actual history was incorporated into this story. Annie and Rafe are an interesting pair, with her being a female doctor and him being one of Morgan's Raiders previously. It's a sweeping story that encompasses the breadth of the country.
mangomari's review against another edition
TW for consent issues. I was recommended this book without knowing about them, and i am disturbed by the victim blaming ("well i almost r*ped you, but only becuase you responded in your sleep")
The fact that sexual assualt is portrayed as "almost rape" and that even though the heroine has told the hero she doesn't want to sleep with him he just decides to trap her in the mountains with him until she relents is gross to me. I dnfed right after this bc I can't read any more romanticized violence...
The fact that sexual assualt is portrayed as "almost rape" and that even though the heroine has told the hero she doesn't want to sleep with him he just decides to trap her in the mountains with him until she relents is gross to me. I dnfed right after this bc I can't read any more romanticized violence...
readinginthegarden's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 stars! DNF
I actually struggled to keep my eyes open when reading this. I actually nearly fell asleep about 12 times.It’s actually so boring I’m so disappointed I really was looking forward to reading this but I seriously can’t finish it.
I actually struggled to keep my eyes open when reading this. I actually nearly fell asleep about 12 times.It’s actually so boring I’m so disappointed I really was looking forward to reading this but I seriously can’t finish it.
bookstodiscover's review against another edition
2.0
*1,5 tähteä.
Ei napannut ei. Pidän enemmän Howardin humoristisista kirjoista.
Ei napannut ei. Pidän enemmän Howardin humoristisista kirjoista.
shmoyful's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
sewcialist_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
Western romance. An outlaw who didn't do it and a lady doctor who only wants to practice medicine are an excellent combination. The historical setting using famous individuals is a nice touch.
bookhero6's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book a little odd. Man kidnaps woman, they fall in love. True, he's a good man, not actually guilty of the crime of which he's been accused, but the transition from fear to seduction was a little awkward for me.
nishagmenon's review against another edition
3.0
It's been so long since I've picked up an old-school romance. I guess I do miss Linda Howard's work.
laurla's review against another edition
-it was ok. some of the sex scenes were uncomfortable with the guy being too pushy/hurting.