3.5? The bored antihero just doesn't really do it for me. I think I would have liked it better if we hasn't already read Worst Man, which felt like a 3.5? The bored antihero just doesn't really do it for me. I think I would have liked it better if we hasn't already read Worst Man, which felt like a silly draft/character sketch for this one.
The anti-hero who is bored because of how depraved his life has become is not the anti-hero trope I prefer. Unlike our hero, Kit, from The Absolutely Positively Worst Man in England, Scotland, and Wales, though, our Read Romance group did consider Rohan an anti-hero. He may have some firm lines that he won’t cross - no virgins in their orgies, no children, and he hasn’t r a p e d anyone for at least a decade - but his public persona is as not a nice human. Elinor Harriman, believes herself plain, but moral. Her pox-ridden mother has lived a high-flying life, so she’s cared for her beautiful younger [half] sister while her mother gambles. Elinor and Rohan meet when she goes looking for her missing mother. Something about Elinor’s fortitude stirs something in Rohan’s heart, which apparently he still has.
I’m glad some members of our group love Anne Stuart. I do not. That’s ok. I think I would have actually enjoyed this one if we hadn’t read Worst Man not too long ago. Worst Man has a very similar plot, with very similar characters. In fact Worst Man felt like a character sketch for Ruthless. As was pointed out in group conversation, we did get some good character backstory here, and much of the motivation for the characters’ actions was believable.
Kit Adderly is the Worst Man in England. (He’s not actually, but we’ll get into that.) He’s bored, so he concocts a hairbrained scheme to convince hisKit Adderly is the Worst Man in England. (He’s not actually, but we’ll get into that.) He’s bored, so he concocts a hairbrained scheme to convince his best friend, George Latherby, to kidnap his fiancee to take her to Gretna Green, so the marriage can happen sooner. Instead of capturing only Latherby’s fiancee Bryony Martin, the hired men also capture her cousin Cecelia, and they are taken to a ramshackle country manor that Kit won in a card game. Kit is fascinated by his friend’s fiancee - she’s nothing like the women he normally bed, instead she’s a soft, freckled, red-headed virgin. And he’s enamored. He won’t admit to being enamored, because how could the Worst Man have feelings?!
I would never have picked up this book, if it weren’t for the conversation with the fabulous women in our readalong group. We’re reading anti-heroes this spring, and that’s not really my jam, but I admit to agreeing to read just about anything for the chance to hang out with these friends.
That said, I started this book having heard some things from the other readers - people disliking all the characters, not loving the kidnapping plot, etc. - and having accidentally left this one for the last minute, I approached this as a sort of sarcastic read. And I enjoyed it! I didn’t like the characters (except for Bryony), I didn’t like the plot, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Kit is far from the Worst Man, and it’s almost ironic every time he’s referred to as such, especially when you look at his pox-ridden drunken best friend (who may or may not have killed two wives already??). @maddy_reads_writes_romance and I agreed that this was best read like a Shakespearean comedy. ...more
Seren is chased by Gawain and Agravain, former Knights of the Round Table, as they tell her she is to be the mother of the next Merlin. All a lot for Seren is chased by Gawain and Agravain, former Knights of the Round Table, as they tell her she is to be the mother of the next Merlin. All a lot for a young weaver’s apprentice to take in, so she flees, and is “rescued” by a dark knight, who turns out to be the Kerrigan. Now king of a Camelot ruled by Morgen and her evil forces, Kerrigan is the embodiment of evil. Except he’s a little bored (wouldn’t you be after several centuries?) and when Seren enters his life, he’s drawn to her quiet strength and ultimately, her power. Seren is convinced that all men have some good in them, but Kerrigan is no longer human, so where does that leave them?
I had such mixed feelings reading this one. I liked the concept a lot, but had a very hard time following the plot and didn’t care for the writing itself which felt a little sparse. There are elements of time travel, magic, and legend. We have a testy dragon shifter, two point five sorceresses, talking gargoyles, and INXS playing in the background. I had a very hard time grounding myself to the ever-shifting references to the 21st century and the traditional Arthurian legend, and yet I enjoyed the premise so much I might consider continuing with the series.
The timing on this one is a little wild for me as I’m also reading Spear by Nicola Griffith, a reimagined queer Arthurian novella, which has a *very* different tone.
Can’t wait to talk about this with the Reads Romance ladies tonight! I’ll be curious to hear everyone’s take on whether Kerrigan is an antihero or if this is a villain redemption story. ...more
Lissa Alcester is resourceful, and in the years since her parents’ death, The Scandal, and rumors that continue to circulate about her mother, she hasLissa Alcester is resourceful, and in the years since her parents’ death, The Scandal, and rumors that continue to circulate about her mother, she has cared for her now-blind younger sister and raised her much younger brother, surviving on the graces of a pension provided by a kindly old aunt. Only, there is no kindly old aunt, there is only Ivan Tramore, Lord Powerscourt, bastard and former stableboy, late of Alcester House. As the only son, Ivan has been legitimized and inherited his father’s estate, and yet something from their past has caused Ivan to exact revenge on Lissa. When he moves back to Powerscourt, though, he finds he cannot stay away, and will do whatever it takes to possess her.
I toyed for a bit about whether I’d write a full review of this one. It wasn’t my favorite. In fact, it’s my least favorite so far this year. But I will read nearly anything for our Read Romance book group, and one thing I love best is how differently we feel about certain components and then take a deep dive into discussing them. And while I really didn’t love this book, others in our group really did!
I don’t so much dislike anti-heroes (you’ll see in an upcoming review that there are a few I really love), as much as I dislike the ones whose catalyst for their poor behavior has questionable motivation. Ivan’s motivation for revenge fell flat to me, and while I’m often ok with a miscommunication trope, I’m not ok with it leading to 5 years of vengeance when a conversation might have solved the issue.
This book was published in 1990, and while it doesn’t feel as old school as I expected it to, there are some 90s-era content warnings for racism and questionable consent. On the flipside I’m slightly enamored with the combination of beautiful and horrendously campy cover. (My coworker said it reminded her of a very specific jewelry box of her mother’s, a vibe I like!) And the inside of the ebook from the library even has a stepback!...more
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