TV TALK

1. What I Just Finished Reading?

Fortune Favors the Wicked (A Royal Rewards Duo #1) - by Theresa Romain

Romain writes unconventional historical romances that sort of defy established tropes.
In this one, the heroine is a courtesan and the hero is a blind naval officer. They are in the small town of Strawbridge, England, which isn't far from Scotland, hunting treasure. Apparently a bunch of people stole from the Royal Mint. This appears to be a Regency -- since the king is considered mad, and it is post 1700s. But I have no clue.
I tend to hand-wave the history in these things. Honestly, I don't read them for the history.

The naval officer is actually based on a historical character who was blind, and wrote books in the 1800s, and apparently some of the quotations from the actual character's books are inserted in the novel. Here the naval officer had attempted to get his memoirs published as non-fiction, but the publishers laughed in his face and said there was no way anyone was going to believe a blind man could do all that. They would however publish it as fiction, if he was so inclined. So, he's hunting the treasure in order to have money to publish it himself and to provide his sister with a "season". As a naval officer he only makes enough to live on. Small pension, and a room at Windsor Castle, as a Naval Knight of the Realm, and only as long as he remains single (not necessarily celibate). He'd prefer to be on a boat at see, but becoming blind sort of got in the way of all of that.

The courtesan was the vicar's daughter, that is until the local squire seduced her and got her to pose nude for him. She ended up having his daughter out of wedlock and passing the daughter off as her sister's. He also painted a lot of portraits of her nude.
Made a bit of name for himself on a few of them. As a result, she had little choice but to become a courtesan. She's running away from a wicked Marquess who thinks he owns her. And wants the treasure so she can raise her daughter in the country free of all of this.

I don't think I need to spell out what is unconventional here. There's no wealthy princes or landowners that can save either, the story is rather realistically rendered, and they sort of save themselves.

It's okay. I didn't love it. It lack oomph somehow. I'm not sure how else to explain it?
There just was something missing from the writing. Also there were a few characters or subplots introduced that were dropped. And the mystery, which was intriguing took back seat to the less than enthralling sex scenes. This writer's sex scenes felt rather awkward. I wish people wouldn't write them it they feel awkward. If you aren't comfortable writing full-fledged sex scenes, less is more.

2. What I'm Reading Now?

A Gentleman in the Street (The Campbell Siblings #1) - by Alisha Rai

Alisha Rai is an erotica contemporary romance writer. And somewhat unconventional in her writing. In this novel, she's flipped the gender trope. In addition the heroine is Japanese.

The heroine, Akira, is a wealthy, bitchy, owner of a string of nightclubs and restaurants. She's powerful, self-absorbed, a real player, and takes no prisoners. The hero, Jacob Campbell is a writer of spy novels, and the sole provider for his siblings. He's taken care of them his entire life and feels responsible for their welfare. They met when their parents married for all of ten minutes, or rather a year. And had the hots for each other, but instead of acting on it, treated each other like shit. He ignored her, or avoided her, while she was bitchy and mean to him.

Now, years later, after her mother has died, she's hunting a family heirloom, a chinese puzzle box. She comes to Jacob for it. He finds it for her, and they enter into a relationship of sorts...lots of kinky sex ensues.

The big difference between sex scenes in historical and contemporary novels is well they are kinky in contemporaries, and often cruel. There's spanking, three-somes, orgies, etc. Mainly because sex gets boring to write after a bit and there's a lot of it in contemporary erotica fiction and the writer has to come up with some way to entertain themselves and the audience. Also a way to push the characterization, plot and action -- the more crazy the sex is, the more you push the characterization and action in erotica. Historical romance doesn't need this extra push, because often just having sex out of wedlock in a historical is crazy enough. And back then, having oral sex or sodomy was...well, a big deal. Now? Not so much. So hence the kink.

I'm not sure about some of the positioning of the characters. Nor do I quite buy that Jacob does some of the things she has him do, it seems out of character and jarring. Also, the sex scenes happen a bit abruptly. There's not enough build up to them -- a problem in a lot of erotica. However, there is more character development, supporting and otherwise in this novel than the others I've read. And the writing is a bit cleaner, and less paint-by-numbers formula. In other words this feels like an actual story and not just erotica.

I'm finding it interesting, however, in that it does a good job of demonstrating how limited one's perspective truly is. To say Akira is self-absorbed is a gross understatement. All Akira thinks about twenty-four seven is Akira. To the degree that she's convinced everything Jacob or anyone else does is a reflection on her. When in actuality, it has absolutely nothing to do with her. Jacob isn't avoiding her because he hates her, but because of his own parental baggage and responsibilities and hangups. But she's too self-absorbed to see it -- until he literally confesses it.

He's actually the opposite -- not self-absorbed at all, in fact all he thinks about is everyone else.

I'm wondering right now, why he'd be interested in her? I mean looks only take you so far. She's user, and has little to no respect for others. In short, the writer flipped the tortured rich asshole hero into the tortured rich asshole heroine. Which in of itself is interesting. Just not sure it works.

While I'm reading the book, I kept imagining it as a horror story. I think it is the chinese puzzle box. And I can't help but think it would make a really cool erotic horror romance. But that may be a wee bit too unconventional.

Tried Sous Chef -- got bogged down with the irritating second person close point of view. Kitchen Confidential it's not. Unfortunately.