Customer Reviews

Sleeping Beauty

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I read her book Bliss (written as Judy Cuevas) I thought it was the best book I had read in a VERY long time. And I read 3 to 4 novels a week. Dance was even better. Beast was just as great. But I feel as though if Sleeping Beauty was written just for me. If someone asked me what I wanted in a perfect romance, this is it. This is not a suspense/romance, or any other combo-romance. This is a TRUE ROMANCE. Yes, there is suspense but not at the cost of giving me what I want: A great story about two people falling in love despite the dictates of the society in which they live.

If you need lots of action/gore/murder/betrayal and worst of all, a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING to get you interested in a love story, then this is not for you. Nor is this a G rated book, thank goodness. This book does not insult your intelligence but that does not mean it reads like a textbook. It's VERY easy to read. You know what he/she thinks and feels. This is one element that Ivory truly excels at. I've read so many other authors where I can never figure out what the hero is feeling or when the two are getting hot & heavy, they suddenly become mute as far as the reader can tell. Let me tell you, you will need a cold shower after reading about some of the heated moans and pants these two can generate. I also loved the fact that this book turned the tables on the old 70's & 80's romance stand by. This time, it's the woman who is older and more sexually experienced. And he declares his love for her first and he never falters in his pursuit of her from the minute he meets her. What woman wouldn't want all that! Not me & Coco.

What a fantastic romance! Judith Ivory has departed from nearly every romance formula in creating Sleeping Beauty. First, we have a hero, Sir James Stoker, in pursuit of the heroine AND he respects her AND he accepts her with all her past dalliances AND he is seven years younger than her AND he thinks she is the most beautiful woman AND he is not an alpha type! He is highly intelligent, humble despite wide popularity as an African explorer/geologist, extremely successful for his age, honest almost to a fault, and perceptive with an ability to care deeply for a woman. He is not noble although the Queen really likes him. He has little care for what others think and he is overall one very attractive hero to the reader.

Enter Coco Wild, soon to be 37, a woman with a very questionable past - a past that she is not ashamed of. She has become a very wealthy woman and has no need for a protector. Fretting about her age, she first encounters James in a dentist office where she is scheduled to have a tooth pulled. She hides behind a beautiful smile that rarely leaves her face. James wants to know her better - she refuses. James is too young for her and she would be very bad for his golden reputation. Plus, she has no desire for a broken heart and she highly suspects that is the condition she would find herself in once James lost interest in her. But they seem "meant to be together" as they encounter one another again and again. Most of the story occurs at Cambridge where James has many responsibilities, which include studying the many notes and artifacts from his disastrous, yet, eventually successful African exploration.

James is highly alluring and very likable as this most unusual hero. He's not a rake and doesn't have the typical aversion to love. Coco seems to constantly run from James although he becomes dearer to her with each meeting. Their interaction is very refreshing and their communication is honest. We get to see a precious friendship develop between the two although their relationship eventually becomes quite sensual as well. Those sensual scenes rate about a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).

I highly recommend Sleeping Beauty. I have read four of Ivory's books and each have been the equivalent of a four or five star rating. Her writing captivates you and you must continue reading because you probably will not be able to guess what comes next. My interest never lagged once and I have decided Sleeping Beauty definitely belongs on my keeper shelf. I wish Ivory had a larger backlist because I am making my way through it rather rapidly. However, I have discovered that she also writes as Judy Cuevas and I plan to explore some of those books as well.

I think what struck me the most about this story, was the way that something so...whimsical, can be written so solidly. Our hero, the dashing James, is such a character, I'm almost affraid to believe in him. His struggles thru Africa, in a time when it was thought to be "the White Man's Burden" to civilize these barbarous wilds. He "goes native" and really learns how to appreciate life much like we do today, (but never would have in Victorian England). This sets the stage nicely for him to fall in love with our heroine. Coco has had to do whatever she can to raise her son, alone in a world none to friendly to women. She makes no appologies for having to sleep her way through the world and James must come to grips with this. The story was quite romantic and I loved following our characters through their path to love. Unlike in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Ms. Ivory has our African explorer make it back, though profoundly changed. I have to say, I loved this book.

I was absolutely hooked on this novel. It's definitely a keeper. The tired old formula- beautiful, innocent, unsophisticated somewhat naïve virginal heroine falls in love with jaded rogue who doesn't believe in love and has legions of ex-lovers is reversed in a way. Sir James, 29, explorer and scientist has just returned from an adventurous trip to Africa when he runs into Coco, 37, ex-courtesan and mother of an adult son. For him it's apparently love at first sight He is the son of a coachman and far from being rich or sophisticated. He's youthful, enthusiastic, romantic and honorable. His integrity which is rarely found in a romance novel attracts Coco who is a bit world-weary and disillusioned. She mocks romantic notions and nevertheless secretly hopes they exist. Her vulnerability and genuine charm make her sympathetic, she's, though a born seductress, far from being a lethal femme fatale. She is the one who resists the temptation of an affair with James for his own sake. He needs a flawless reputation to make his way into the world and her notoriety will be only a burden to him. But James doesn't give up. He's the first to acknowledge his feelings and takes great risks to be with his beloved. Neither hero is depicted as flawless. Coco's past really becomes a burden for the two and her legions of titled and rich lovers who made her very wealthy were first shocking for me for this is usually not what you find in a romance novel. But I admired James loyalty all the more. Every man can love a woman who's young, innocent and full of virtue. But it takes a man with a heart as big as James' to love a woman like Coco unconditionally. Truly romantic.

Coco and James are an intimidating pair. Really. James is the quintessential golden boy: charismatic, bold, sensitive, intelligent, good. And Ivory writes a halo around his head without ever having to put it so bluntly; he shimmers and shines through the book, and as a reader it was very easy to share Coco's awe of him.

And Coco? Oh, this woman is more than a romantic heroine. She is mature, elegant, fun, sexy, loving...actually, Coco Wild is gracious, which is something that is bizarrely rare in historicals. And Ivory does a really good job of crafting her as a sexual creature; she isn't vulgar at all; she uses her skills and experience without ever becoming dominant or manipulative...and that's one great example of exactly how skilled she is.

I thought that the book itself was excellent. The story is developed very naturally; the plot doesn't hinge on stupid misunderstandings or miscommunication & Ivory avoids most of the old standbys: one of the cleverest parts of the book is the way that Ivory adapts and then subverts one of the commonest romance cliches when Coco and James have to take shelter from a storm.

And one last thing about Judith Ivory: she doesn't write the same book twice. This is the fourth book of hers that I've read and each one is totally its own creation; the characters are unique, their relationships and the trajectory of their romance totally distinct. I can't think of any other romance author I can say this about - so bravo! to Ms. Ivory.

Ivory's writing is staggering in its richness and depth. When I look for a deep, thought-provoking, character-driven story in any genre, she is my unequaled first choice.

Sleeping Beauty (my tied favorite of Ivory's works) is a lovely, original story about the young, handsome James, and Nicole (Coco), extremely pretty and nearly a decade older. Years ago and for many reasons, Coco decided against a life of poverty and squallor. Set in England in 1899, Coco's choices were not hard for me to champion. Now she is wealthy and happy, if not universally respected, and wants nothing more than to be left peacefully unbothered. Along comes James; sweet, scholarly, James. He is the current golden boy of London, the best of everything is in his future when he falls for Coco hard, as only young men who have never known defeat can do. Coco tries to keep James at arm's length, not willing to let him throw away his life on an affair with her. But oh, the passion of youth!

If you're in the mood for non-stop action and adventure, this book isn't for you. But if you're in the mood for a real love story, that is, if you want to read two people fall in love despite all odds, you won't be disappointed with Sleeping Beauty.

While this isn't my favorite of Ivory's works, I have yet to find anything by her that isn't a 5 star book, if only for the delicious descriptives she uses. I suspect the few bad reviews here are by people who are, perhaps, not yet well seasoned by life. (Just as I've found that those who don't like Laura Kinsale often seem to be a bit narrow in the outlook. This may or may not change with age, depending on the person.)

There's a huge difference between flow and slow; unfortunately, we live in a society that is so anxious to get someplace (and usually not even sure what the actual destination is) that some not only don't know the difference, they might never learn it.

The person who wrote that she couldn't get the female protagonist's age out of her head for example, although, to give her credit, she did admit this was 'lame'. So, there's hope! *G*

Anyone who's read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series knows that women with age on them are the best kind--like wine, they just get better. If you can't figure out a way to make yourself better as you age, more interesting than you were when you were 20, well, then you're average and will no doubt be quite satisfied with what passes for entertainment on t.v. these days, and an eventual barco in couch 'tater heaven.

But if your biggest challenge in life is you, and the exploration thereof, Ms. Ivory is your gal. And she explores male characters in a way that is unequaled, in my opinion, by any other writer around (although, I have to admit, L.K. Hamilton does some pretty nice exploring of male characters in a purely salacious way. Ah, Nathaniel. . . *G*).

The hero in this book is like a lot of us; wanting, God, wanting, but just so unfigured-out about it all. And that's always complicated, because WE don't understand ourselves--ourselves! This is the aspect of life that J.I. catches so well in all her books, the growth from emotion into the understanding of that emotion, and she takes such pure delight in doing so, and shows such wickedly loving humor in its expression, that the soul nearly breaks into a Mozartic paean of gratitude.

Read the book. If you don't like it--hard to imagine, really, but--set it aside for a few years. When you've gone through some serious merde, pick it up and read it again. (By then it'll probably be worth 100 bucks on the used book market.)

Which is basically the same advice I give to those who 'can't get into' Laura Kinsale. Growth is part of life, and not all of us are at the level where we can enjoy the truth of certain things.

But hopefully, we'll eventually get there. And, it's all good, really (especially after it's over in some cases), and nobody captures that better than Ivory. Ivory's a good moniker for her; like ivory, as she ages, she just gets more golden. Just preordered her newest book; fans take note, she's writing again!

The mood of this book reminded me of both Delderfield and Forrester, but a lighter version of both. The characters are multi-faceted, but always remain "in character." Ms. Ivory is stunningly talented and whether you love the story or not, she never insults your intelligence, and she has turned into an "automatic buy" for me, and is amongst the top five of my favorite romance authors (Linda Howard, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Loretta Chase and Julie Garwood are the others, so Ms. Ivory is in rather good company).

Aaaahh James, what can I say? He was everything the perfect hero should be. Perfect in his physique, his style, intelligence, coloring, he always said the right thing and loved her with no doubt in his mind or yours. Judith Ivory wove a very different tale from your usual romance novel. This book read like a waltz. I dropped 1/2 a star for the quickie ending, but I've found that to be somewhat of an Ivory trademark. She spends so much time on telling the story in such depth, that she suddenly faces a deadline and nears what should be the last page and she rushes to just settle the conflict quickly and neatly. I'm no expert, but if Ivory could get around that problem, she'd be a keeper in my book.

That being said, I still highly recommend Sleeping Beauty.

Compelling characters and a beautiful writing style make this a must read. The plotting is flawless; the prose is elegant; the characters are charming; and the moments of laugh-out-loud humor are serendipitous.

The best book I've read in a long time.