betty reviewed The forbidden rose by Joanna Bourne (Berkley Sensation Historical Romance)
Review of 'The forbidden rose' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Okay, if you sometimes binge on historical romances, and then read all the ones your friend recommended and then try heading out on your own and suddenly realize, oh wait, the majority of the genre is awful, full of 'his forceful kisses stifled her protests!' type stuff where the protagonists are cardboard cut-outs distinguished only by how annoying they are...
Here is an author to start your next binge with.
I suspect the 'historical' part is not something you should lean on too hard, so if that's going to be a big deal for you, this may not be your book, but to be honest, I don't want too much historical realism in my romances; when you look at the degree of agency afforded to women and the lower classes throughout most of history, it's just damn depressing. On the other hand, I find stories where every girl is …
Okay, if you sometimes binge on historical romances, and then read all the ones your friend recommended and then try heading out on your own and suddenly realize, oh wait, the majority of the genre is awful, full of 'his forceful kisses stifled her protests!' type stuff where the protagonists are cardboard cut-outs distinguished only by how annoying they are...
Here is an author to start your next binge with.
I suspect the 'historical' part is not something you should lean on too hard, so if that's going to be a big deal for you, this may not be your book, but to be honest, I don't want too much historical realism in my romances; when you look at the degree of agency afforded to women and the lower classes throughout most of history, it's just damn depressing. On the other hand, I find stories where every girl is climbing down a drainpipe and dressing as a boy, or, alternately, where women are afforded all the respect and dignity men are almost as aggravating, because if that's the case, why does this society still appear to be run by men?
So, clever women who see how their society constrains them and work to get around the barriers? I'm not going to be too critical.
Bonus for total lack of 'overpowering your objections is sexy!'
(Side-note: The female protagonist has the cutesy elocution Georgette Heyer uses to indicate someone is a native French speaker. Basically, she talks like Leonie from [b:These Old Shades|311182|These Old Shades (Alistair, #1)|Georgette Heyer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173644611s/311182.jpg|2682162]. This might annoy you? I didn't mind.)
