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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pathetic hero enslaved by sexually-accomplished heroine, December 25, 2007
This review is from: Enslaved (Men of Roxbury House, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
Hope Tarr's ENSLAVED showcases its sexually-experienced showgirl heroine enslaving her honorable, handsome hero Gavin Carmichael. I'd characterize Gavin Carmichael as a regular doormat of a hero and the novel represents another case of grinding an honorable guy to dirt for a sexually accomplished heroine (in the romance genre being an honorable guy loving a sexually-experienced heroine means he has to debase himself for her). As much as the book likes to think the enslaving was mutual, all the evidence points elsewhere: Gavin's instant lust and shock at any number of Daisy's staged lascivious gestures and outfits, his lovesick thoughts (relatively early), his gentle tenderness, his monetary protection, his support of her acting career, his suffocating need of Daisy in the long-term, the book's detailed account of Gavin going down on Daisy every single time to persuade her to stay with him long-term, Gavin loving Daisy's daughter and taking her in as though she's his own daughter, Gavin repeatedly returning to Daisy after one of her lies and rejections, etc., etc., etc. What exactly is Daisy bringing to the table here? Her sexual expertise? Please. Certainly isn't love, affection, caring, honesty, trust and loyalty. Daisy relishes controlling Gavin like the pathetic lovesick lapdog that he is and even when he's repeatedly going down on her, it's a form of manipulation (because he wants to give her pleasure to convince her to stay with him forever).
Another reviewer said guys could read this book. I strongly disagree, I wanted to tear my eyes out from the emotional melodrama mostly chronicling Gavin's lovesick angst (like a virginal heroine) and Daisy's (s)exploits/fear of commitment (like a libertine hero). This book's message: no matter how badly you treat a besotted, honorable guy and how many times, don't worry, he'll come back to you so feel free to keep running roughshod all over him. Tarr's previous book VANQUISHED (**) featured a gripping plot dealing with the women's suffrage movement and the villain contracting the hero to destroy the heroine's reputation, all of which paralleled a budding romance. ENSLAVED, however, offers little more than juvenile misconceptions, misunderstandings and cliched introspective thoughts we've seen from a myriad of other romance novels. The writing in this one, though above average, deteriorated from VANQUISHED significantly, the settings are nonexistent and the plotting is a big stinker (adolescent musings and predictably trite). Again, Hope Tarr doesn't shy away from brassy carnal scenes, though ENSLAVED's lead pair severely lacked the passion and chemistry portrayed between VANQUISHED's h/h. The positive? Well the book is a page-turner and definitely qualifies as a mindless, vacuous read which you might find enjoyable if you're not so annoyed by the plotting and disgusted by the lovesick puppy dog hero who is just plain pathetic.
I was sickened by Gavin's incessant (and unwarranted) groveling for a woman who constantly lies to him and shuns him. It's a dumb and very trying pattern: they have some sex, she prevaricates and lies, misunderstandings exacerbate the situation because they never talk it through (until the very end), Gavin leaves only to come begging and crawling back to her, they have more sex, rinse and repeat. All the plotting is the same, and I've seen it all countless times in other romance novels with the genders reversed. Which is why I cherish Madeline Hunter's unique depiction of her sexually experienced pair in STEALING HEAVEN (*****) so much.
The plotting and introspection essentially reverses the common hero-and-heroine gender roles in the romance genre. Similar to Julia Ross's GAMES OF PLEASURE (*), the sexually accomplished and cynical heroine makes a mockery of the honorable, sex-crazed hero who is too witless to notice and too pathetic to care. Gavin is always blushing, always shocked, and completely manipulated by Daisy. Daisy holds back any long-term commitment so he'll just go down on her every time and she'll enjoy his tongue and mouth. She has a fear of commitment just like libertine heroes. Daisy even thinks how if she has sex with Gavin enough, she'd be sated of him and ready to move on. A thought so reminiscent of libertine heroes, don't you think? Of course Daisy can't get enough of Gavin. Gavin wants nothing more than to go down on Daisy 24/7. Also consider, for example, Daisy sleeping the night away with Gavin following their first sex scene. No matter if sex with men (in general) lasted an hour or turned into an all-night affair, Daisy studiously sent her lovers away forbidding them to actually sleep with her (p. 187). Gavin, she allows to sleep with her. Just like notorious libertine heroes slumbering with their virginal heroines after their first night of sex and the libertine thinking how he's never cuddled and slept with any of his previous mistresses. Furthermore, there's some marks on Daisy's abdomen which Gavin starts to pet but Daisy pointedly censors. She eagerly wants him to touch and lick her everywhere except the abdomen. Just like a tortured hero forbidding his virginal heroine from touching some scars on his back, for example.
If, as Daisy says, lying and rejecting Gavin constantly hurts her more (p. 369), why then were all the moments when she's lying to him and rejecting him portrayed from Gavin's perspective highlighting his hurt? Just saying at the end that she hurt more doesn't make it so when all the evidence in the book points to the contrary. We're privy to Gavin's angst and hurt a lot more. And he didn't deserve it, she didn't deserve him! I would love to see Daisy DIE after they marry so Gavin could marry someone else who appreciates and deserves him.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enslaved- A Joyfully Recommended Title, April 9, 2008
This review is from: Enslaved (Men of Roxbury House, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
Daisy Lake and Gavin Carmichael are orphans at Roxbury House. Daisy is the classic orphan, who doesn't even know her last name. Gavin's family perished in a tenement fire. Along with their friends, Harry and Rourke, they form a club that makes them as strong as a family. Then, Gavin's long-lost grandfather shows up to claim him, and things change. Gavin and Daisy share a special bond, and agree to keep in touch no matter what happens.
As things go, though, they lose touch. Many years later, Gavin is a successful barrister in London. He has been searching for Daisy to no avail. When he receives yet another bad report from a private investigator, Harry and Rourke convince him to visit a supper club where a new French entertainer, Delilah du Lac, is performing.
When Gavin realizes that Delilah is Daisy, he thinks his prayers have been answered. But a long time has passed, and things have changed since they were children. Can Gavin, raised by his stuffy grandfather, find love with Daisy, who is now a stage actress with a past?
When I first read the blurb for this I thought, well, this is a well-used plot about two people who are very close, who are broken apart, and come back together again. It should be okay to read. But in the deft hands of Hope Tarr, Enslaved became something much more.
Fantastic characterization brought this book to life, making me feel as if I'd known the players all my life, instead of it being my first introduction to them. I loved watching Gavin and Daisy grow together, learn about each other and themselves. When I got to the last page and had tears in my eyes, I knew this was a story I would want to read again.
Hope Tarr has a new fan. I can't wait to check out more of her work, and see what she has in store for her readers. Enslaved certainly put chains around my heart. It is a Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read for me.
Amelia
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hope Tarr's ENSLAVED is a bonafide romantic thriller!, October 23, 2007
This review is from: Enslaved (Men of Roxbury House, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
I grabbed a copy of this book at the store as soon as it was available and I actually read it in three evenings! Hope Tarr is a writer who knows how to keep the reader's attention all the way through her books and this one is no exception. ENSLAVED is a historical fiction tale I liked best for it's "teasing" subplot, the sexual tension between Gavin and the woman he falls for deeper as time goes on. Nothing like having a delicious prize dangling before you just inches away! :) I won't spoil any of it for others in this review, but suffice it to say Ms. Tarr is one Romance Novelist whose stories can be read and enjoyed by ANYONE, female or male! ENSLAVED is a very unique storyline written in a way that the reader can clearly visualize what he or she is reading! After you put the book down, you feel like you've just stepped through a time-warp to another Century. Hope Tarr has done it again...she has a man (who never reads romance novels~ME) reading her stories!!
Her "descriptives" are amazing, i.e. the way she'll describe the movement of a hip or shoulder, the way she designs the climate for each scene, etc.
Now I will be waiting for her next titles to come out in 2008 with anticipation! There's only one Romance Writer worth going to the Book store for, and that is Hope Tarr :)
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