Saturday 1 December 2007

"Your Wicked Ways" by Eloisa James

Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James 2004

Description from back of book:
"Helene, the Countess Godwin, knows there is nothing more unbearably tedious than a virtuous woman. After all, she's been one for ten long years while her scoundrel of a husband lives with strumpets and causes scandal after scandal. So she decides it's time for a change - she styles her hair in the newest, daring mode, puts on a shockingly transparent gown, and goes to a ball like Cinderella, hoping to find a prince charming to sweep her off her feet...and into his bed. But instead of a prince, she finds only her only volatile, infuriatingly handsome...husband, Rees, the Earl Godwin. They'd eloped to Gretna Green in a fiery passion, but passion can sometimes burn too hot to last. But now, Rees makes her a brazen offer, and Helene decides to become a wife again...but not in name only. No, this time she decides to be very, very wicked indeed."

This is one of my very favorite of Eloisa James's books. And that description leaves out one of the most salient points of the plot - Helene isn't a loose woman who just wants some man to bed her, she's a woman who desperately wants a baby, and knows her childbearing years are running out. That's why she does everything she does. That discription makes her sound a bit...wanton. But anyway, the Helene/Rees plot in this book is brilliant. Rees is a perfect anti-hero - he's clueless when it comes to women, a bit of a jerk, poorly dressed - and absolutely loveable at the same time. And it's obvious from the moment they sit down at the piano together that they're a perfect match - if only they could get over their less than perfect past together. The problem with this book, as with many of James's other books - is that she has to ruin a perfectly good and entertaining story by interspersing it with a secondary plot between Lina and Tom that is boring and pointless. I found myself desperately wanting to skip the chapters with them in order to see what was happening with Rees and Helene! The habit she has of doing this is getting more and more annoying!

RATING:

1/2

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

No comments:

RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Saturday 1 December 2007

"Your Wicked Ways" by Eloisa James

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