TW: pedophilia / pedophilia cover ups

So here's a thought, maybe DON'T structure the plot of your romance novel around the need to cover up a pedophile in the family! First off it's morally reprehensible full stop. But at the VERY LEAST you've got to realise that leaves the reader with zero sympathy for the hero (who is attempting the cover up of his cousin)??
This novel had a promising premise but I don't know if I can go much further now that I've realised that's what is at stake, because it's just sickening.

Edit: I did end up finishing it, lol.

Well, if you want a book where the evil scheming antagonist to the hero is a pedophile and the hero is mostly just worried about family reputation, have at this. The ridiculous stepback showing multiple events from the book was the best part of it (for me).

Quotes I noted:
"'Your passion for little boys has become something of a family liability,' he observed, withdrawing a Sevres snuff-box from his pocket. 'That rather nasty business with the Dalton boy seems to have become common knowledge.'" (77)

"'I lost interest long ago in trying to persuade you to choose another way of life,
Tarquin said. 'You are a vicious reprobate and a pederast, but I'll not have you bringing public dishonor on the family name. Which is what will happen if the parent of some other altar boy decides to bring charges against you. Take a wife and be discreet. The rumors and the scandals will die immediately.' He tapped the broadsheet with a finger." (78)

"The house had been quiet as usual throughout the morning, but in the last hour it had come to life, and Juliana had sat in her room waiting for something to happen." (84) that's a self-burn, author

Good language. However, all book was about a serial of rescue operations. Hero saved heroine from dire situations five times. And heroine also saved another woman once from a possible death hole too.

At the beginning, I did not like the story. Then I started to think, is it possible that women had to live this way? Maybe they did as life was hard and often very difficult for women with no support from family or friends. Toward the end, the main characters find their way. And then troubling issues are resolved .

I always enjoy this author when I'm in the mood for a historical romance because her characters are not weak-willed females who dither about wondering if someone loves them. Instead, she has strong female characters who find themselves in odd situations. In this novel, you will learn all about prostitution in victorian London. It is interesting and - of course - romantic.

Leído en Marz 2011

Хубавото на баба Джейн е, че покрай откачените си любовни истории (тази тук не прави изключение), вкарва винаги някаква друга тема. В случая това е животът на лондонските проститутки по викторианско време. Презирани, но иначе силно търсени от високопоставени и недотам господа, те започват да осъзнават, че също са човешки същества и имат някакви права - да не ги пребиват, алчните “мадам” да не им прибират всичките пари, да могат да отидат на лекар… Точно в супер благовъзпитаното викторианско общество този занаят е в бурен разцвет - все пак доброто възпитание трябва да си намери отдушник… А момичетата от занаята не винаги са посягали към него по избор или от любов към приключенията.

Иначе съм доволна - историята започва със сватба и убийство и завършва с друга сватба и убийство, класика.

H asked h to become his mistress and to marry his cousin
She support prostitutes ,, when H questioned that he was told he made her feel one of them.
no "I love you"

Very good although I have bile in my stomach throughout the book. The poor women of this time, how horrible they were treated, ill-used by everyone and how totally dependent on others they were. Heartbreaking, and very well described milieu by the writer.

The heroine was one of those spunky but naive girls (17) who happens to get into trouble every other page.
The hero is an extremely Ducal Duke who gets his way in everything throughout the book, to my great annoyance. His actions are not honorable, everything he does is for selfish reasons and I wished he would have understood heroine’s situation and been less of a blockhead. He does understand he loves her in the end so that’s good.
Also, the villain came away too easy. Otherwise a book/audio I couldn’t put down.

I never would have picked this up, but I had a challenge to read a book with the same title as one of Brad Pitt's films. This book is NOT the same as the movie. I really liked this book. It did have some problems the age difference got to me a little, the abuse of sex workers and woman in general was hard to read at times, but mostly I liked it.

Didn't like the plot

Laut Amazon habe ich mir das Buch vor 10 Jahren zugelegt, keine Ahnung ob ich das Buch damals überhaupt gelesen habe, aber es landete irgendwie auf meinem SUB wegen meines Bücher-Ausmist-Projektes.

Ich wusste nur noch, dass ich etwas zwiegespalten bezüglich der Autorin war, also nicht wirklich begeistert....


Und jetzt nach dem Lesen, kann ich sagen zumindest dieses Buch der Autorin ist für mich nichts.
Weder der Inhalt noch der Schreibstil waren das Meine. Fast noch negativer würde ich den Schreibstil bewerten. Schwülstige Sprache, umständliche Sätze. Ja, ich hab einige Passagen überflogen.

Zum Inhalt - MIT SPOILER! :
Juliana Ridge hat nicht wie auf dem Buchrückentext angegeben den "niederträchtigen Stallburschen" erschlagen aufgrund ihrer Ungeschicktheit, sondern ihren Mann in der Hochzeitsnacht indem sie ihm eine wärmende Bettpfanne überzog.
Sie flieht und landet als Jungfrau in einem Bordell.
So kommt es, dass sie der Duke of Redmayne erblickt und nachdem er sie heimlich nackt sieht, als geeignet für seine Pläne erwägt.
Sie wird mit seinem verhassten homosexuellen bald an Syphillis krepierenden Cousin Lucien verheiratet und der Duke Tarquin will sie schwängern um den Besitz zu sichern.
Dann gibt es noch den Sohn des erschlagenen Kerls, der Juliana will und sie versucht zu vergewaltigen und zu entführen.
Und dann ist da noch Juliana, die sich mit einigen Huren angefreundet hat und diese auch als verheiratete Adelige nicht aufgeben will, was natürlich zu Problemen führt. Sie will sogar eine Art Gewerkschaft gründen. Alles ziemlich absurd für die damalige Zeit, wie generell der ganze Plot. Es kommt auch zu einer Szene wo ihr grausamer Mann (Lucien) und seine schwulen Freunde sie versteigern um Wettschulden zu begleichen, bei der sie auch fast vergewaltigt wird.
War wirklich grottig bzw. bestätigt genau die allgemeinen Assoziationen bzw. Vorurteile, die man beim Anblick eines Liebesroman-Covers hat.


FAZIT:
Wie schon erwähnt: Schlecht geschrieben. Das Buch fliegt in hohem Bogen aus meinem Bücherregal.