Customer Reviews

Savage Ecstasy

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This was one of the first romance novels I've ever read. To be honest I was positively stunned by the brutality presented in the book, but then again it's quite a change from the stereotypical 'boy meets girl, love will conquer all' theme of romance novels.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Alisha several times. When Gray Eagle was captured by her fort she was the only one who treated him like a human being. And what was her reward? She wasn't brutally murdered like her friends or forced into prostitution like the other women. But she had to bear witness to it and deal with the literal bi-polar nature of Gray Eagle. My God, he was only really nice to her a few times and that somehow constitutes true love? It really puzzles me.

And Gray Eagle...he was just annoying to me after a while, especially with all his regrets. He regrets raping her, he regrets burning a photo of her dead father, he regrets forcing his best friend to try and rape her, he regrets whipping her. I kept thinking "Why the hell do you DO these things if you're just going to regret it?!" I felt so sorry for his buddy, who genuinely loved Alisha and treated her right. I was almost rooting for him to just take her and leave!! I haven't read the other books in this series so I hope he found some happiness.

But despite these flaws, this is one of the most realistic romance novels I've ever read. Living on the frontier wasn't all fine and dandy and such brutality shown in this book did happen, and then some. I also liked how Janelle Taylor showed that neither white nor Native American were wholly good; when Alisha ran away the first time and was almost raped by a white man when she begged for help that really set it for me. I can't imagine what life must've been like for women in Alisha's shoes, but I'm sure it was just as frustrating as Janelle presented.

This is certainly an interesting book, but I don't recommend it to first-time readers of romance novels unless you're prepared for a lot of violence and not a lot of love.

Oh, wow... Where do I begin in the roller-coaster of absurdity that was this story...

If you want to learn about the Oglala tribe, then you will learn a bit of their history, there's no doubt about that. This is the only good thing I can say about the book, but truthfully, you'd be better off finding a history book.

If you want to read about a dysfunctional couple, continue on and you will be amazed by a woman with a strong case of Stockholm Syndrome and an abusive lead man that has an excuse for every wrong he commits against the woman he loves. I mean really, we know things like this probably happened in the past, but unless you have such a low self-opinion of yourself, it will be hard to find anything in common with the "heroine" (and I use that term loosely) and if you find anything in common with Grey Eagle--please see a shrink! You need help!-- Come to think about it, you'd need to find professional help if you have anything in common with either character.

Why did I continue to read this book? Well, have you ever caught yourself watching a Jerry Springer show going "Why???? Why don't I change the channel??? Why?!?!" Yeah, it's about the same reason. This is the stuff that trash is made of and won't disappoint with characters that just keep amazing you with their inability to decide what they really feel and their ability to just keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again.

This author may have her "history" researched, but the "romance" in the book is pure stupidity involving repeated rape, beatings, torture, demoralizing and repeated guilt for all of the above.

Crazily, I'm going to read the next one so I can have another good snort and chuckle and see if it's just as bad. It's like a car wreck that you just can't help but stare at as you drive by...

I wasn't too sure which way to run with this book. The first few pages of this book were pretty good. Once Alisha was captured the book went for a loop. The worse Gray Eagle treated her the more she loved him. He forced himself on her--she loved him, her uncle and friends were killed by his tribe--she loved him, he smacked her around a few times--she loved him. What was wrong her. I started to find her pathetic. Gray Eagle never listened to any advice because he had to maintain his reputation as a future chief. I could find Gray Eagle's actions acceptable because I could almost visualize an Indian chief acting the way he did but Alisha was a whole other story. Even towards the end of the book when she was at the fort she still pined for him. I think she had mental problems. Also, it seemed like every guy that met her wanted her for one reason or another. I've never read a book with such a weak heroine!!

Believe it or not this is the very first romance novel I had ever read. Here it is over 15 years later, and I still love this book. The emotion between Alicia and Gray Eagle is very intense, so is the storyline in this book. I won't give anything away, but this book is not for the faint of heart. Because Alicia is his captive, Grey Eagle is quite brutal, and even cruel at times. If it bothers you to read about the hero getting violent with the heroine, this is not the book for you. The entire Ecstacy series is great, but I liked this book the best. I recommend that if you love Native American romances, you will like this one. Even though this book has a lot of sentimental value to me, I still rate it a three because of the violence Alicia receives from Grey Eagle. Still it is worth the read.

Janelle Taylor never ceases to amaze me...her research is impeccable, her story telling fabulous and her characters...so real I "Know" they must have existed.

Janelle transports the reader back in time...and yes, it was a savage time, but much care is given and the story telling is amazing.

I started reading this after supper and the next thing I knew the morning alarm was going off...and I just kept turning the pages until I was finished.

You won't ever be disappointed with any Janelle Taylor novel...you'll just want to read another...and then another and then...just keep reading her!

Maybe I am just not romantic enough, but it seems to me that Alisha is suffering from a really bad case of Stockholm Syndrome: she loves a man who behaves horribly most of the time. For every caress are several scowls. I found her somewhat silly (I love you! I hate you! being screamed within seconds of each other). This series doesn't measure up to Janelle Taylor's Destiny Mine.

Having read the complete set of 8 "ecstasy" books by Janelle Taylor, I can whole-heartedly endorse her as the premiere writer of Indian historical novels... and the romance isn't bad either!

You will be glad you read them all.... and, believe this, if you read one you will simply HAVE to read the others.

This book contains all of the worst cliches of Native/white relationships. He treats her cruelly when they first meet, but she cannot help but be attracted to him. He makes her his slave and she loves him. He tortures her emotionally and she loves him. He offers her to another brave and she loves him. He nearly whips her to death and she loves him. He threatens to kill many innocent people unless she comes back to him, and she does. And on the very last page he finally decides he loves her and that they will live happily ever after. Crap, crap and more crap. I wish I could give it less than 1 star! I will avoid this author like the plague from now on.

I can barely find the words to express my absolute love for this novel. Gray Eagle the man you wanted to hate and yet be molested by him in every way LOL. I have read every single Ecstasy series novel not once but repeatedly over the years. Gray Eagle, Alisha and White Arrow ((Gray Eagles best friend and was in love with his BF woman LOL)) when they all passed to the Great Spirit in the last novel I cried and cried and cried. LOL It was like I just lost 3 family members. Their children hrm Bright Arrow just I wanted to slap him silly poor Rebecca loved him so but now Sun Cloud he lived up to his fathers memory quite whole-heartedly. I still own that book from high school the cover is with a blonde girl and handsome Sioux warrier with a gray eagle in his long raven hair.

Perhaps a little unknown fact for some Hollywood tried to make a deal with Ms Taylor to make a movie on her book of the series and Hollywood wanted sylvester stallone to play Gray Eagle and Ms Taylor was horrified she said Gray Eagle was a Sioux warrior not an Italian so with a HELL No, it was not made she didn't give them her rights. I was so tickled over this I like Stallone as an actor but as Gray Eagle not anywhere in my imagination could I fit that one. AND mine is pretty vivid lol.

So thank you Ms Taylor for this series for years of never ending entertainment. My mother thanks you as well because she too now is a very avid reader and all because she picked up this book after I had moved out at 18 and had stored my treasured books at her home not wanting them to get lost in translation with me bouncing around. She hasn't looked back since lol Her favorite story is ..What had kept her daughter all through High School from not going out partying or wanting to date instead I would go to my room and become a hermit for the weekend. She was just awed when she started reading this book and she looked to my father saying "Now I know why she never wanted to date or go out partying" Of course my poor pa got an hour or two of storytelling as she told him the whole story *L*

This is well written, suspenseful, passionate and interesting. Only problem I had is that the heroine is a damned whiner! Every few pages, she 'had tears in her eyes', threw temper tantrums and was freaking annoying! And, that everyone that encounters her wants to ravish her, control her, own her, etc...

What I did appreciate is the blending of Native American historical facts along with frontier life. One can only imagine living in such fear from both perspectives...the settlers as well as the Indians. That is what will keep me reading this series, because I am quite sure that many relationships occurred under these circumstances...either captivity or wild attraction to a person of a different race.