October 6th, 2009 — About
Carly Simon was onto something when she claimed, “you're so vain
.”
What is romance, after all, but being (seemingly) attended to as you secretly think you deserve? ~Michael Sims reported by Bittergrace
That was one of the most interesting things I heard about romance in a long while. It made me think. Are our emotions wrapped up in vanity? Well, are they?
The more I thought about the more I was sure this statement was correct. I came away agreeing that attentiveness and falling in love go hand in hand.
You wouldn’t dream about ignoring someone you were interested in romantically or sexually. We obsess and we worry over the details. Was that smile a friendly one or a “I’m interested” one? Did he/she notice that huge blunder we just made? And so on.
We are flattered by attentions of others whether desired or not. I think this because we all want to be admired and noticed.
Romance novels allow readers to feel that thrill of attention, admiration, and chase over and over again. What’s better than falling in love? Other than chocolate which is a given.
The pursuit of love that is all consuming is so attractive because it’s so consuming. We crave to be consumed as much as we want to consume. To be wrapped up in our own little worlds; it’s thrilling and terrifying and tremendously tantalizing.
When the attention fades, so does the love. Rekindle both and you’re right there at the height of passion all over again.
What do you think? Do you dis/agree?
Photo Credits: John Everett -- Millais
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July 10th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Contemporary, Erotica, Firefighter, Friends, Rape/Abuse, United States of America, Widow or Widower
Grace on Fire grabbed me in the first sentence:
“Grace Muscat’s totally frigid. I’d be scared my dick would freeze off if I put it in that
icebox of hers.”
Firefighter Don Marshall, the man of Grace’s dreams, just compared her vagina to a freezer in the middle of a bar to his friends unsuspecting of her presence. Ouch! That’s quite a blunder for a hero! I immediately wanted to see if Elle Amery could save him from a fate worse than death…
In order to beat Don Marshall in the game of love Grace turns to Wyatt Bennett, the brother of one of her best friends for sex lessons. He would help her overcome her fear of men and erase all the abuse her husband Duane heaped on her (which is extensive) before he died.
Wyatt Bennett has loved Grace for 10 years, ever since he kissed her when she was fourteen. It’s been two years since she was widowed… if he waits any longer for her to heal, he just might end up losing her again. But when she asks for sex lessons in order to be a good bed partner for the likes of Don Marshall, Wyatt sees red. Eventually he decides to help her out in hopes of making her fall in love with him.
Despite the darker undertones to the story, Grace on Fire is a good read. Not as much sex in it as you would think based on the concept, though there is plenty. There was one instance of the dreaded lathed instead of laved as Smart Bitches has discussed in full. It’s interesting how it ends and took me
Grace on Fire is the second of a trilogy by Elle Amery. You do not need to read them in order, but you appreciate characters and their relationships to each other better by doing so. If I’m right, the trilogy matches three brother/sister pairs which also equals two sets of three best friends (6 people in total).
Sophie Huntsman with Jake Muscat in Saving Sophie.
Grace Muscat with Wyatt Bennett in Grace on Fire.
(My guess…) Tally Bennett with Brett Huntsman in Tally’s Gift.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Grace on Fire
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