Third time’s the charm

[dangermousie]

This is certainly the case with my intro to Jo Beverly and the romance genre. After the deadly dull “Devilish” and “Tempting Fortune” which started great but went downhill after the first 50 pages, I have finally hit the jackpot with “My Lady Notorious,” which I got so much into that I almost missed my metro stop in the morning and had to run out the doors before they closed. Success. Of course, considering that MLN was her very first book and that Devilish was written after Tempting Fortune, it seems she is getting worse with experience, not better. Grah.

So, why does this book work and the other two don’t?

1. The hero and the heroine actually talk to each other. They spend a lot of time in each other’s company and they have conversations. It’s not the “I am in lust means I am in love” scenario of the heroine of TF. They are obviously powerfully attracted to each other, but that isn’t the sum total, or even the main thing in their interactions. You know, I can see those people actually have a life together outside of bed? Heck, if she was a lesbian or whatever, I could see them as good friends. And considering her unorthodoxness and bravery and sense of fun, and the huge favor he is doing them, I can also see another reason for falling in love.

2. I love the hero. TF and Devilish ones are very very alpha “I am so sexy and serious and smouldering grrr” which would get so tiresome so quick. Cynric? I have to like a guy who joins a completely crazy scheme, suggests (and carries out) cross-dressing as a girl, flirting and milking it outrageously (because unlike the alphas in the other two books, Cynric is pretty), is travelling with a girl crossdressing as a guy (and he knows he knows but she doesn’t know he knows) and does it all out of a sense of fun and being bored while on leave from his regiment and never loses his good humor.


3. There is a cool adventure plot that is woven into the story. There isn’t just the tiresome romance dance, there’s other stuff there too (Devilish tries with its political stuff but it’s clearly an afterthought and TF abandons the idea alltogether).

4. These people are fun to read about. And they are individual and quirky enough for you to see why they are perfect for each other. In Devilish, they are both nice people but their attraction seems to be based on “he/she is hot” and “she is a strong woman and he likes strong women.” Which is so generic as to be deadly dull. The “Devilish” couple will have a happy marriage undoubtedly but they would do so with a number of others as well. Plus, they are freakin’ dull to read about. Cynric and Chastity (yes, these are their unfortunate names) wouldn’t click half as well with anyone else, and not because their collection of qualities fit each other (they do) but just in a very individual sense hard to describe.

5. There isn’t the hideously annoying and tiresome plot ploy of heroine misunderstanding the hero/thinking he is evil/whatnot which not only makes her last minute understanding that she wuvs him ridiculous, but makes me wonder about her brain (TF). Nor is the hero spending all his time distracted and pining (Devilish) making him hideously dull.

6. I love the heroine. She is not an idiot like Portia in TF and not boring like Diana in “Devilish.” She is funny, and fun, and adventurous and also good-humored. And she doesn’t mope over Cynric even though she loves him.

7. The villain. You need to have a villain, a hissable evil to the bone villain. Chastity’s father provides that. He beats her and is nutty etc etc. So it gives you something to dislike and hope that Chastity will rescue herself or Cynric will rescue her or whatever.

8. Orgy. Fun one.

This also marks the last Beverly book I'm likely to read because the other 2 Malloren books are not my thing: one is set on a farm and has a bunch of characters who bored me from other books and one has as the hero the brother of the heroine from this novel and I hate him with a passion as in TF he forces a childhood friend to marry someone just to ruin them, and in MLN he hits his sister because he thinks she is a whore and allows their father (however reluctantly) to beat her. Prince Charming he ain’t.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The hero and the heroine actually talk to each other.

I HATE books with plots that could be resolved with 5 minutes' honest conversation. I don't know which I want to hit more - the stupid characters who don't talk or the author for foisting them on the public.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. I mean, happy resolution and all, how much future would a couple like that really have? Argh.

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

jo b wrote several books before mln. check her on amazon.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Did she? Thanks. For some reason I thought MLN was the first. I guess it was just the first Malloren book.

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

Sorry about before--I was typing with one hand and on my way out the door.

Here's a list of Jo's work:
http://members.shaw.ca/jobev/booklist.html

These are her best books, I think:
Regency Historicals (Mostly in the world of the Company of Rogues)
For more details about the Rogues.
AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE,1991
AN UNWILLING BRIDE, 1992
CHRISTMAS ANGEL,1992
FORBIDDEN,1994
DANGEROUS JOY,1995

In Arranged Marriage, the h/h don't have a lot of interaction and there's a plot issue that many readers find disturbing (regarding rape). But I liked Unwilling Bride even though ... there's a plot issue many readers find disturbing (hero hits the heroine). I think I like Christmas Angel best, and the first half of Dangerous Joy was one of the Best Books of the Decade until I got to the second half. :)

Of the Malloren books: I loved MLN, was eh on Tempting Fortune, but then loved Elf's book (Something Wicked), and then I was eh again till Devilish, which I liked but I get why one might not love it.

OK, sorry to go on, but I did once very much enjoy her work. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Re: rape. I don't mind that if someone random does it in the novel but marital violence/rape is really unappealing (if it's the hero who does to the heroine). There is a reason one of my least favorite Veryan books has the hero spanking heroine and not in a sexy way.

I mean, a good writer can pull off anything in showing a compelling but dysfunctional relationship, but I have yet to find a romance author who could have pulled it off.

Re: Elf's book. The reason I am kinda staying away from it is because I find Fort so horrible.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

The lack of talking has always bugged me with romance novels. It's like the hero and heroine meet all of once or twice and suddenly they're violently in love with each other. How can you be in love? You don't even KNOW them. The other error romance writers make is one that I think stems from lazy writing, as they do the whole "two months and many deep conversations later..." without ever explaining anything about it. That's basically a "let's get y'all to the sex scene" move.

You can see why I, an avowed cynic, am really driven up a wall by romance.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup, it's because it's a lot easier to write a sex scene than to create believable characters or fun conversations.

I've read very good love stories in novels. But not in romance novels, with few exeptions.

A friend of mine, when I told her I was trying a romance novel and wanted a fun plot told me: "Who reads it for the plot? It's like Playboy for the guys. You just flip through until you find 'good bits'"

And it seems a lot of authors can't write anything but good bits.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

What gets me then are the historical romances that don't even have the sex scenes. What is the point of THAT then if they're supposed to be like a Playboy? It boggles my mind. And you can't tell be virginal lasses were skipping about the country side looking for big manly men to indoctrinate them into the way of the world anyway back then.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Those people are basically modern people playing dress-up with is just as ridiculous as a Bulwer-Lytton novel I read about Harold (the one defeated by William the Conqueror in 1066) and his love for Edith the Swan-necked where Harold is basically a 19th century upper-class Englishman: he reads the classics in Greek and Latin and he won't even kiss Edith (who was his mistress in RL! B-L explicitly says in his intro that he changed that aspect of history to make it more acceptable) because they can't get married because of Church's decrees about consanguinity. Oh, and Edith is a child-like woman who faints a lot.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Having read the Malloren and the Company of Rogues books, I have to agree that the Mallorens - with a few exceptions - are not the best books by JB.
My pet peeves most are the lack of real historical feel - esp. the Malloren books even though they are situated in Georgian England lack a lot of the Georgian feel. If there weren't mentioned of lace and stomachers then it could also be situated in Regency England or Victorian times. The erotic scenes even though they are racy lack the same kind of texture, one tuck and they are both nekkid. Jeesh even Casanova wasn't that good, and he had problems with stomachers, paniers and whatnot.
Then there is the characterization. Some are so bland that I wonder how she ever got that through editing - even I can do better characterization than that.

Re: Unwilling Bride:
I love Nicholas, he is a typical tragic hero, but instead of being broody and boring, he is an outgoing, consciencious, honourable man who almost kills himself out of a sense of duty both to his brother and his country. The romantic problem in AUB is quite understandable, and that the hero cannot say anything to his bride is also feasible. That makes it even more painful to read what he does for king and country.
As to the rape mentioned earlier, that is not happening during the marriage but the marriage is a consequence of the rape. There is definitely a rape theme in this book, as it not only shows the consequences of rape on a woman and its reconcillation but also when it is committed against a man.
I really enjoyed the Company of Rogues books, with the first three JB was definitely pushing the envelope here (An Arranged Marriage - women's lib & also implied incest (I thought it was in a way though it isn't)/An Unwilling Bride - rape/Christmas Angel - age difference with a twist (younger man, older bride)). After that she has written a lot of common dime a dozen romance novels with the same kind of set up and characters - brooding, cynical hero and unwilling/head-strong bride.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info! But the rape thing is really off-putting, if she marries her rapist (which is what I assume happens). Urk.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Here is a spoiler: No she doesn't marry her rapist. But Nicholas marries her because of the rape. Nicholas Delaney is a very likable hero, and in the further bookshe is definitely the King Rogue.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, OK. That's fine then. Because for a second I was "whaaaaa?"