17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Before reviewing a book - READ, don't skim!, June 26, 2006
This review is from: Innocence Undone (Mass Market Paperback)
I almost didn't give this book a chance because of the poor reviews. Luckily I stumbled across it in a local used bookstore and decided for $2 it was definitely worth a read. I'm very glad I did. Something I like to do after finishing a book is scan the reviews to see if I'm in agreement. For this book, I found that most of the reviews were sadly exaggerated.
One of my biggest problems with people who read a romance set somewhere in the 19th century, is that many tend to judge it by 21st century standards. These people are generally not good critics for this time period and should stick with contemporary romances and stay away from the historicals.
While this wasn't one of my all-time favorite romance novels, I was disappointed with the lack of support it seemed to receive. It's entertaining - plain and simple. And why do we read romance novels if not to be entertained? Some of the points that I felt should be corrected are the fairly strong ones that would influence someone else buying or reading this book. Here are some of the things that have been criticized, but deserve an argument for the positive aspect of the novel and not just a one-sided approach to what happened:
1) Matthew calls her the daughter of a whore once (that I recall) throughout the course of the book. He mentions it to his father, not knowing that Jessie can hear him since she supposedly went to bed. This is a fact and while Matt does think of it and worry about it from time to time, Jessie is more stressed out about it than any of the other characters in the book.
2) While Jessica has fallen in love with Matthew at the beginning of the book, Matthew definitely doesn't have the same feelings for her - giving the book an edge that it needs (and not falling into a sappy pattern of having them both fall in love quickly).
3) They do not have an arranged marriage. There is not even a hint of it. His father would like the two of them to marry and says as much in the beginning of the book, but Matthew refuses and the story builds from there.
4) One reviewer claims that he "says this about her through out the whole book, which is very unflattering-good to swive but not to wive" - I never once read this phrase. While he does think that he would like her for a mistress, he doesn't ask her because he knows she's innocent and he wouldn't put her in that situation.
5) There is a segment of one chapter where he has sex with another woman (maybe about 2-3 pages for the entire scene, including them discussing that this will be their last night together). While I'm not a fan of reading about the hero and another woman, Jessie is openly looking for a husband during the London Season (with the support of Matthew's father). Matt has not made her any promises and has actually acted as a chaperone (to an extent) while she attends these functions. Reading about him and another woman was not my favorite thing about the book, but considering the time and the fact that the two main characters were not (and had not been) together, I didn't find it horrible. It's repeatedly stated in romance novels that men are going to find gratification where they can (at least before marriage) and I wasn't surprised that a scene like this happened to show up in a romance novel.
6) While Gwen and St. Cere are interesting (enough that I think they actually deserved their own book for their story), I don't think they took over the book at the end. They have a mild flirtation and share a brief, chaste kiss before going their separate ways. By the time they meet up again, Adam is becoming a changed man (for Gwen) - I would've liked to have seen more character development for him (in their own book) but it was a fun side story.
7) There was a spanking scene in the beginning when a younger Matthew and a 12 year old Jessie get into an argument (ending with the child getting a spanking for throwing rotten apples at his new naval uniform). There was also a teasing throwback to that later in the novel (after a grown up Jessica pours water on Matt's boots - on purpose) in which spanking is lightly thrown in as playful foreplay. I considered it a fun scene, showing that these two were having fun chasing each other. There is also a segment of the story that focuses on Gwen and her abusive stepfather. All three in hindsight show the difference between discipline/adult play/abuse and do a good job of deciphering what's considered right and wrong.
8) There is only one wedding in the entire book. And it is highly entertaining. While three marriages do take place, we only read about one actual wedding and the other three are mentioned after the fact.
9) Matthew NEVER rapes his wife. There is a chapter when he thinks she's being unfaithful and goes to confront her. She is initially a little nervous when she sees that something is bothering him, when he kisses her, she offers no resistance and is obviously turned on by it. The scene is passionate and hot and Matthew does vent his frustration, but it doesn't border on rape. He's careful not to hurt her, she's VERY into it (to the point that she worries that she's following in her mother's footsteps in the enjoyment of passionate sex). He definitely doesn't rape her - especially not twice (there isn't even another detailed love scene after that one).
10) For the most part, Matthew was a model husband. Never considers straying from his wife, never desires another woman, never abusive. Even going so far to make his wife happy that he takes in her niece and treats her like his own daughter.
11) While Matthew does leave England when the scandal comes out, he does so in search of his wife and 'daughter'. They know they have to stay gone for a long time while his father is more than happy to smooth things over (considering he always knew that this secret could come to the forefront).
12) While her brother is forced to join the navy with the hope that he doesn't survive, I thought he got off way too easily. Her brother is a man who continuously beat her as they grew up (giving her black eyes and beating her across her back), allowed his friend to rape her for a few coins (the 'friend' doesn't succeed, but it shows how he regards his sister), blackmails Jessie for money at every turn and he beats his daughter (a toddler) until she becomes mute. I was hoping for his brutal death at the hands of Matthew. I repeat - he got off way too easy.
I've never read any of Kat Martin's books before this one, but I think she is a talented author and this book is well worth the money. I'll be looking for her books in the future. This particular book, I would actually give four and a half stars for the simple fact that it ran a little long and could've been trimmed up (but like I said, if Gwen and Adam had their own story, it would have shortened this one).
It was a fun read and I'm sure I'll want to reread it in the future.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not What I Was Looking For, April 26, 2001
This review is from: Innocence Undone (Mass Market Paperback)
In a nutshell, this whole story is based on a series of huge misunderstandings thrown together. Jessie Fox becomes the ward of the Marquess of Belmore. The Marquess's son, Matthew, believes the girl is a gold digging tramp and is determined to expose her. Well he marries her instead, and treats her to countless unfound suspicions, lays the blame on her for several different things gone wrong, and treats her downright cruel sometimes. The reason? Her mother was a prostitute, so she has to have inherited her mother's wickedness. The attraction he felt for her is her fault because she is putting on a false character front to snag him thus inheriting his land and title with him. After all, her mother was a prostitute and it stands to reason that she has to be just like her.
There's nothing more I hate than reading about a close minded hero who will jump to conclusions based on some convuluted logic like that. He does not realize what a jerk he has been until the last sixty pages of the story. At that point, I was not interested in how sorry he was. I was just glad I was nearing the end of the story.
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