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I first heard about Crimson Rapture from a HaBo post over at Smart Bitches: Trashy Books. I can’t remember now if this book was the actual book or just one of the suggestions, but I guess it hardly matters. It sounded cool and I got it immediately from Paperback Swap.
It was originally published in 1986 and definitely has forced seduction in it—the kind where he does it for her own good and because he desires her too much to let another moment pass. There’s a lot of it, but it is well written, so if you’re in the mood for it, I would highly suggest this novel. A warning though… the comeuppance of the uppity bitch in the story is gang rape by the pirate crew which the pirate captain (hero) sanctions because she tried to kill someone (no, not the heroine.)
The story is one of those that goes everywhere (Boston, London, open seas, remote island in the Phillipines, Jamaica) and does everything (kidnapping, monsoons, shipwrecks, runaways, fake marriages, babies, plots and betrayal, and so on.)
It starts when the ship the heroine and hero are on is caught in the doldrums. The heroine is headed for Australia to live with her cousin and his family after her father’s recent death. The hero, Justin Phillips, is locked up in the hold somewhere on his way to his execution. He spies her presence one day and strikes up a conversation. He can’t really see her, but he figures she’s extremely plain.
Christina Marks is actually very beautiful. As the daughter of a reverend she is kind, naive, and innocent. Also, she is terribly shy except when she talks to Justin through the small opening. She gives him her rations to help him keep his strength up. When the wind breaks and Justin’s crew comes to his rescue he kidnaps Cristina determined to ensure her safety and wellbeing.
The adventure has only begun though and passion can’t be denied.
Disclaimer: My tips are not guaranteed to work in real life. They are merely conclusions drawn from the literature I love to read and are meant to be fun and taken lightly.
First tip right off the cuff: Never insult a girl who reads romance novels. Whether you find them trashy or not, you need to support the literature of her choice. If you don’t she will throw a 1980s rapist alpha hero at you. I don’t imagine the results will be very pretty for you. So do take care.
The second thing you need to know is that every romance novel perpetuates love between the hero and the heroine as an automatic given. He gets the girl after courting her, even if he doesn’t realize he’s courting. He might think of it simply as seduction. And some heroes are just clueless about the whole process.
Romances play off the idea of the soul mate, the one and only and occasionally second chances. Does that mean number two is not as good as number one? No, that’s why the book was written about the second love instead of the first. Where am I going with all of this?
The sizzle of attraction.
I’m not talking about simple ordinary chemistry. I’m talking about potent chemistry. Chemistry that has your entire being screaming (as it did in Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie) “THIS ONE!”
Attraction is the foundation for first contact between leads in romances. If you’re not attracted to her, why are you pursuing her? If she’s not attracted to you, it’s not going to work either.
3 Tips on Being Attractive Without Being Friend Zoned:
Nearly every romance novel has a condensed relationship. Physical attraction is rapidly pushing both characters toward each other (and I don’t mean just in the sack!) Make your move sooner rather than later. Snails move faster than you.
Since I’m pulling from romances, I’m going to warn you that this tip is superficial. You guessed it: appearance. Almost every hero is smartly dressed and muscular/fit. Some heroes have chest hair, some have facial hair, some are smooth as a baby’s bottom, but they’re all well groomed. So comb your hair, throw away those shirts with holes, and take a shower.
Alphas, Betas, Omegas, and Nerds in romances all possess purpose. Being purposeful gives you an aura that is both sexy and attractive. Find what inspires you, makes you happy and psyched without a girl and keep that a vital part of your life. It's just a bonus if it's something you and her can share.
Courtship.
Usually by the courtship stage in a romance there are many indicators of interest on both parties (even if they are still refusing to acknowledge it openly) starting with physical cues.
Blushing, stammering, blood racing, eyes gleaming, all these are physical cues which go right back to that potent chemistry I was talking about earlier. Look for these clues in her and yourself. Do you get a buzz from being around each other?
Other indicators are touching, flirting, and kissing. The hero and heroine in a romance novel are always participating in casual touches, banter, and passionate kisses. Some of the most common descriptors for kisses in romance are devastating, intoxicating, slow, deep, and hungry.
It’s the hungry that I would like to take a look at more closely. What does a hungry kiss imply? It implies a few things—the first and foremost a singular craving for the other person. You are dying for a taste. (Back off Edward Cullen, I didn't mean quite so literally!)
It also indicates that the physical hunger is in part, a manifestation of deeper underlying emotions. Not only is she physically appealing to you, but the inner person is appealing also. (Chocolaty on the outside, crunchy on the inside with just a hint of caramel.)
Be sure to express the pleasure you find with her in every manner possible in both verbal and nonverbal ways.
Declaration of Love and Marriage Proposals.
Heroes of romances always have great lines even if they tank in practice.
Take Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy: “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and adore you.”
Who doesn’t swoon at that? (Well, okay, except for Elizabeth.) Sigh...
Mr. Darcy is the person in front of you in a competition who just wiped the floor with you before you even had a chance. But don’t be disheartened, just because Darcy’s a tough act to follow doesn’t mean you’re completely incapable of making a woman swoon. Like I said earlier, he's got the lines but his execution left a little to be desired. Darcy's first proposal to Elizabeth tanked, just as Mr. Thornton tanks his when proposing to Margaret. Don't know who Mr. Thornton is? Watch and find out:
Conclusion: Don't be afraid of a shaky dismount, just be sure to stick it. If they can come back from being shot down so completely, you can too.
But the words! How do I find the words?
Of course, all the great lines from heroes are scripted to them by writers, most of them female. We know how tough it is to come up with great lines in the heat of the moment, heck they're hard to find when you've got time to plan them out, and we don’t expect you to hand us the perfectly scripted line. In fact, I’m pretty sure the perfect line will be one that comes to you naturally, even if it’s silly or embarrassing. If it sounds like you we’ll trust it, love it, and accept it.
Though you really can't go wrong if you stick with, "I love you, please marry me."
Anthony Hamilton had always been scandalous. Even his parentage was questionable though his mother's husband accepted him as his son. Anthony had been thrown out of school several times for gambling although he did finish Oxford in record time. His debts are sometimes rumored to be very high and at other times he seems flush with cash. He keeps company with married women and it is rumored that he also talks them out of their funds. Anthony Hamilton is scandalous; too scandalous for marriageable young ladies. One evening at a ball he sees Celia Reece, the sister of an old school friend, trying to discourage an ardent admirer. He steps in to help. Suddenly he realizes that Celia, who is eight years younger, is no longer the child that used to follow Anthony and her brother, begging to join in their summer pastimes. Her beauty stuns him. The more that he watches her and remembers how much he always enjoyed her company, the more that he thinks that maybe this is a woman he could marry. Given his reputation, he does not think that her family would accept him, but after several weeks he finally gets up the nerve to ask for her hand. Unfortunately.... Celia marries someone else.
A Rake's Guide to Seduction has a straightforward plot with almost all of the action centered on Celia and Anthony, but the unique approach and Linden's fluid writing style sweeps the reader away into another time and place and presents us with a timeless romance. The main antagonist is doubt. Anthony and Celia doubt their own judgment, and must struggle to trust their own hearts. This wonderfully presented story makes for very enjoyable reading.
Four Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-29 05:33:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
This lovely little book was a quick and delightful read. I was sad to finish it because it meant that I would have to let the leads Julian Ravenwood and Sophy Dorring go their own way. The novel starts out with Julian accepting Sophy’s refusal to marry him. The word was passed down to him through her grandfather and Julian is stunned. Little Sophy could not hope to make a better match and his offer was generous to the extreme. Determined to gain an audience with Sophy Julian contrives of a way to do so. He tracks her down and demands to know her requirements to marry him. She spouts of a few outrageous ideas and he agrees and adds a few of his own turning the tables and leaving Sophy stunned.
Julian is an earl and all that implies. He’s the epitome of the controlling domineering alpha male. He’s also a widower; his late wife drowned. Not that this was a hardship, there was something wrong with the woman. Elizabeth, the dead wife, was for the lack of a better word a nymphomaniac. She loved to cuckold Julian, especially since she didn’t want to marry him in the first place. She took what was warm and good inside Julian and killed it. After the second duel to defend her honor, Julian came to the realization that his wife was not virtuous and didn’t have any honor. He labeled all women susceptible to the madness and vowed never to risk his fool neck for a woman again, but he needs a wife to supply him an heir and Sophy as far as he’s concerned is as different from Elizabeth as night and day.
Sophy is a typical unusual female for her times, but in slightly new way. She’s not put together and far from sophisticated. Pieces of her clothing and accessories like ribbons and feathers are always askew. She loves to read (mostly herbals and a treatise on women’s rights). She doesn’t trust seduction or lust without love. The reason Sophy doesn’t trust a man’s passion is because her sister, Amelia, was seduced and killed by one man’s passion. Sophy thinks sex without love is the epitome of masculine ruthlessness. She has the ring of the man who seduced Amelia and plans to find him and ruin him.
When Julian corner’s her for her list of demands she begs of him three things. One, that she not be forced into the childbed right away or more accurately forced into the marriage bed. Julian promises her three months of leeway. This is acceptable to her because she’s loved Julian since she was 18 not that the fool would notice, panting after Elizabeth as he was. She hopes to make him love her in the time they are not sharing a bed. Two, she wants to control her inheritance. Julian counters that his quarterly allowance for her exceeds the money her grandfather will leave her, but she insists. Three, she wants no interference from him on what she can and cannot read.
Sophy was quite loveable as a character I thought; Julian on the other hand at times was not. While his motives are quite known he still comes off as stern, intractable, and unwilling to reach compromises not in his favor… he breaks his side of the bargain while Sophy always keeps hers and dares to get mad when Sophy questions his honor. Depending on the reader you might be tempted to throw the book because of his outlandish behavior. Also true, however, is that you might enjoy his high handedness. In addition Julian is protective and concerned for his new wife. By the end I was persuaded to like him, but he was definitely ridiculous at times. Perhaps that makes him flawed realistically. Grin.
I liked the other Violet Winspear so much that I picked this one up without a moment’s hesitation.
The story revolves around the Greek tale of Hades and Persephone. The hero is Don Diablo and the heroine is Persepha. A perfectly convenient match, but a delightful one nevertheless.
However that’s about the last good thing that I can say about this book. It’s definitely period as it was published in 1975 for the first time. Knowing it was period was really the only fact that kept me reading after they hero and heroine joined in a quick marriage of convenience.
The heroine wakes up from grief of her loved and recently departed guardian. She says it was a mistake to marry in such haste. Diablo refuses to let her go and what followed was the least romantic series of events.
She struggles. He overpowers. It’s not said in so many words but it’s clear it’s rape or at the very least an extremely forced seduction. He wears her out and then proceeds to “love her.”
The hero sums up their relationship quite succinctly when he tells her later in the novel he believes she didn’t cuckold him on his business trip despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“I should hate to think that I had misjudged you after all, querida, and you were not so intrinsically virtuous that even a husband feels he is raping you each time he takes you in his arms. It isn’t a pretty word, is it? But to the point.” -- pg 155
Another Greek myth is mentioned and very nearly plays out in full. Don mentions reenacting out the story of Lucrenzia. I looked it up. The story of Lucrenzia is a story of a young wife who was raped in her own bed because the man threatened to do it anyway and then kill her and a slave and arrange their bodies to look like she’d committed adultery. Afterwards she confesses to her husband and family and then takes her own life.
The last ten pages (180-189) the heroine still is crying out how much she hates the hero, doesn’t love him, doesn’t like him, doesn’t want his kids, wishes he’d die, etc. He overhears her telling this to his grandmother and she realizes he’s heard. Off she runs and manages to run to the very spot where his mother committed suicide. He thinks she’s about to do the same – grabs her and hauls her back to her room. He explains about his brother’s death, his mother’s actions and in less than five pages she claims to have fallen in love with him.
It’s completely ridiculous and I closed the book miffed.
Regency romance is overrun with Dukes, but how can you snag one for yourself? With this guide to help, I'm positive you will come up with the right combination to snare a Duke for yourself.
Before we begin you must ask yourself why you want a Duke.
If you're looking for a quick flirtation or to keep him long term this guide will help you obtain that.
If you're looking to gain a Duke's wallet or advice on the stock exchange I would suggest you look elsewhere for your advice!
Cross-Dress. Of course he’s terribly confused and upset about his attraction to a boy, but when he discovers your true identity he’ll be most relieved and eager to be with you.
Be in Distress. Nothing makes a Duke feel more powerful and masculine than helping a lady in distress. He’ll get to show off his strength and protectiveness at the same time and that will help you win his heart.
Refuse Him. A Duke never hears the word no, so be bold and brave and different and tell him firmly that you’re not interested. He’ll pursue you all the more readily to prove to you and himself that you desire him.
Challenge His Authority. In addition to refusing him, tell him he’s wrong. Nothing baffles a surefooted Duke than being told he is mistaken. Again he’ll endeavor to prove you wrong thus giving you more time to lure him with your charms.
Wound His Ego. A Duke’s pride and arrogance will get in the way of your seduction so be sure to prick his masculinity, but don’t destroy it. He won’t forgive you that.
Call Him Out on His Exaggerations. I would have used a more impolite word here, but a successful seduction relies on well-bred manners and a plucky attitude.
Sneer at His Wealth. A Duke is used to his wealth opening doors and subservient behavior. Don’t give it to him. That’ll get his interest!
Dismiss His Rank. If wealth doesn’t attract the bevy of ladies in society to him, his rank will so you must be sure let him know that his being a Duke is completely irrelevant to you and your dealings with him.
Love Books over Clothes and Gossip. If books aren't your thing, anything unusual will do to set you apart and gain his interest in what makes you tick.
Undress. The simplest thing you can do of course is disrobe; he is a man after all.
Alexandra Benedict’s novel Too Scandalous to Wed flirts with disaster and happily ever after at every turn. A strong wind could not tumble the stack of fantasies Henrietta has built around Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood, or could it? Sebastian does not want to be the hero of Henrietta’s dreams, he doesn’t want the little hoyden at all, but he can’t seem to get rid of her. Of course, he hasn’t been really trying – running away simply doesn’t count when the girl is determined to have him.
Henrietta has fancied herself in love with Sebastian for years and has been trying to catch his eye. She is certain that he loves her, even if he does not know it. At every turn the brute chooses to ignore her attempts of flirtation or reprimand her for the silliest things. If only she could get him to kiss her! When Sebastian runs off to hide on the continent to keep the lovely Henrietta at bay she turns a desperate idea of hers to keep him into action and visits England’s highest ranking courtesan for help.
Sebastian doesn’t know what hit him, but he is certainly feeling its affects as his eye and his thoughts are drawn more and more toward the bewitching vixen that’s replaced the girl who always adored him. The more she treats him with reverence the more he wants to hear her say his name. The changes in her are disconcerting and enchanting at the same time to Sebastian. He knows even as he tries to figure her out, that he should not get close to her as he is not a good man. The quickening in his heart and loins won’t let him rest either until Henrietta’s every mystery is solved.
Henrietta struggles to keep the lessons of seduction in place, pretending aloofness even while lightning sizzles through her at a single smoldering blue-eyed glance. Sebastian was finally finding her irresistible, becoming the man of her dreams before her eyes. Remaining coy and composed she flirts dangerously with disaster, because if Sebastian ever found out what she’d done to snare him, he’d never forgive her.
There are elements of intrigue and flights of fancy throughout the novel, from a revenge seeking enemy to Henrietta’s father calling her his ‘darling boy,’ you’ll be sure to gasp and giggle your way through the book.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-09-16 05:06:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I’ve always been a fan of the Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman version of Sense & Sensibility, but I must say this new miniseries has quite blown my mind. It’s wonderful, sumptuous, superbly acted adaptation. Andrew Davies did a fabulous job with the screenplay.
We all know the story behind Sense and Sensibility. It’s a tale of two sisters: one beautiful and romantic—the other pretty and far too sensible. The first, Marianne Dashwood, is vulnerable to any man bent on seduction. The second, Elinor Dashwood, is vulnerable to the dictates of society. She’ll lose her heart but keep that fact to herself, because young women should be reserved.
The first few times I saw this film, I was lukewarm toward David Morrissey, who plays Colonel Brandon. I warmed considerably to him by the third watching. He’s a great actor.
Dan Stevens is gorgeous. Oh my, is he handsome. He’s so much fun to watch as Edward Ferrars. I wish he was in more scenes! Edward chopping wood in a wet, white shirt… be still my heart… sigh.
Hattie Morahan who is Elinor in this miniseries is stunning both in looks and acting. She’s quite moving to watch.
Charity Wakefield is lovely. I enjoyed her a lot. I know of a few people who did not, but I really thought she was exceptional.
Dominic Cooper as Willoughby… ugh. Not a fan. He’s so smarmy. Greg Wise from the other version was a much better fit in my opinion.
I disliked extremely the beginning seduction scene. It’s so disjointed from the rest. When I saw it the first time I thought I was watching a preview for another movie and it took watching it a second time to realize it was actually a part of the first episode.
This past month has been a blast! May was filled with reviews, guest bloggers, author interviews, and many fun articles covering a wide range of topics from TBR piles to romance heroes. I celebrated my blog's 1st year on the 26th with mantitty and twitter. Thank you everyone who commented and played because you made the day very special! Shared below is the month's highlights:
I was very excited to get my Breaking Dawn in the mail from Amazon. They managed to get it to me one day before they told me that it would arrive on my doorstep and I devoured the novel, all 700+ pages, in two days, which is consistent with how I’ve read the other three that came before.
The novel did many things I did not expect, and one thing in particular that I did expect. This review will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. Suffice it to say I give Breaking Dawn four stars.
The wedding, surprisingly takes place within the first hundred pages. I thought that it would happen at the end after Jacob did something to delay it so he could win Bella for his own. This is not the case. The wedding is lovely and Bella gets through it just fine and afterwards can’t believe how uptight she was about the whole thing.
On their honeymoon, Bella and Edward make love successfully; unfortunately the scene fades to black, which annoyed me. The morning after Bella stirs and is blissfully happy but sore, Edward is composed and staring blankly at the ceiling and ruins her buzz by killing the mood. He won’t make love to her again, claims that she’s lying when she says she’s feeling fine—no great, all because he can see how rough he was with her. Bella only recalls that he held her tighter when she wanted him to, etc. Edward is sickened by how much of her skin is covered in bruises that match his hands.
Luckily, Bella manages to break him out of his funk through the use of sexy lingerie Alice packed for her and some innocent seduction. The second and third and so on times, Edward manages to ruin furniture instead of Bella’s skin, making him extremely satisfied… Bella too.
Meanwhile, I started to think about how much food Bella was consuming and came to the conclusion before it was revealed that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy is ridiculously accelerated and Edward freaks out. Bella knowing something is up, makes plans of her own to protect the life inside her and calls Rosalie for help, making the female vampire happy for the first time with her decisions.
From here the novel switches from Bella’s point of view to Jacob’s, which made me call up my friend and ask for some spoilers because I just don’t like the werewolf. During this part of the novel we witness Bella’s pregnancy, a break in the werewolf tribe as Jacob takes partial leadership, and Bella becoming very attached to Jacob’s presence.
The pregnancy takes a lot out of Bella until they realize that because the child is part vampire Bella’s diet needs to change from human food to a liquid diet of blood. Drinking blood immediately affects Bella’s health for the better, but also that of the baby’s. Every time the child moves inside Bella it leaves bruises on her skin and potentially breaks a rib in the process.
Edward is seriously going crazy and blames himself at this point and goes as far as offering Bella to Jacob if she really wanted a child as long as she’d be willing to give their child up as it was hurting her so much. Of course Jacob thinks on the idea and manages to bring it up to Bella who denies that its children she wants so much as her and Edward’s child that she wants.
Bella dies during birth, but luckily Edward manages to successfully turn her into a vampire while Jacob does CPR to keep the venomous blood flowing through her veins before it activates. Jacob leaves when he thinks it’s failed and goes downstairs where he intends to kill the child, now in Rosalie’s care. He never does, because once he lays eyes on their baby girl he bonds with her. This ends Jacob’s point of view in the story and switches back to Bella’s viewpoint.
The rest of the story deals with what I thought would happen to postpone the wedding—the Volturi are coming and they plan to execute the Cullen family for their Immortal Child (which is not what Edward and Bella’s child is per se, the term refers to something else). Alice and Jasper leave after Alice gives some very stern instructions to the family. The whole Western hemisphere is being herded together to witness the growth and humanity of the child.
It ends happily and Bella has amazing control on her thirst and on her special gift. I love the last few scenes between her and Edward. I am looking forward to reading the series again from Edward’s point of view, starting with Midnight Sun.
What did you think of the series ending?
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2008-08-13 05:03:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Regency romance is overrun with Dukes, but how can you snag one for yourself? With this guide to help, I'm positive you will come up with the right combination to snare a Duke for yourself.
, but I must say this new miniseries has quite blown my mind. It’s wonderful, sumptuous, superbly acted adaptation. Andrew Davies did a fabulous job with the screenplay.
