Customer Reviews

The Taste of Innocence (Cynster Novels)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a disappointing entry in the Cynster series, perhaps even a series ender. I couldn't get past page 73 for several days so tonight I decided to read the book or abandon it. While there's plenty of sex, there's no sexual tension in The Taste of Innocence. The hero and heroine have no conflict to work out. The side plot is pretty paint by numbers and the resolution (while different) is almost absurd in it's improbability. You can't suspend disbelief enough there. You've got the classic 'My father did something wrong but it was for love, now I must never love to avoid doing things wrong' but it's given to a hero who is surrounded by successful love relationships among his family and friends. It's implausible that he would still attribute his father's failings to 'the obsession of love.' So he's trying to court a neighbor for 'practical' reasons, even though he can't stay out of her clothes, and she's on the fence about marrying him because she wants love. They tryst beyond all reader interest in trysting so she can decide he MUST be ready to love if he's willing to get naked, and they marry within the week. Then, with the honesty being too much and all, he decides to be formal during the day to kill their feelings. Oh, and she runs an orphanage, of course. And there's some crazy villian doing crazy villiany things before turning into the most surreal relationship counselor ever. If you can't make it past page 73 either, skip ahead to that part, it's something to read for yourself. I really like Stephanie Laurens and I'm disappointed to give a negative review to one of her books. Honestly, there are so many excellent releases this month that if you must read The Taste of Innocence, I'd hit the library or wait for mass market.

I think it is time to let the Cynster saga go except for some cameo appearances in the Bastien Club novels. This latest one did not maintain a whole lot of sexual tension or develop an interesting relation between the two principal characters.

I've been trying to figure out exactly why. I think it's because the novel bogs down a bit too much in its description of Sarah and Charlie's internal feelings and dialogues. I think the dialogues are generally believeable and well-written taken by themselves. But, over the course of the book they generate a ponderous sense of inertia.

I have really enjoyed the Bastien books lately though.

This book is just like the last 10 books by Stephanie Laurens. Domineering nobleman who can't bring himself to say "I love you." Insipid lady who is willing to have hot sex every night but won't marry until said domineering nobleman says he loves her. Endless descriptions of really boring sex, with something faintly resembling a plot stuck in between the sex scenes.

This book is a waste of perfectly good trees. At least I got it from the library...

If you have just started reading Stephanie Laurens and her Cynster series, then you will enjoy this book. No one, absolutely no one writes a better, more involving sentence to set a scene then Ms Laurens. She can pull you into a moonlit night and take your breath away. Enjoy...

BUT...

If you are a long time fan, someone who has never left one of this author's books on the shelf, then you are tired... tired of the tired plots and even more tired characters. She blinked... He blinked... She nodded... he nodded... She wanted to know ALL.... He wanted to protect her ALWAYS... please, enough all ready.

Such a waste of talent is almost sinful. And can I please ask: where are her editors? Who is saying, fine, give the hero and heroine a new name and location and mail it in? Save your money, re-read A Rake's Vow.

This is the first book that I've ever given two stars...I just couldn't give it more than that. I got this book as a freebie from a book club and I sorely wish I'd gone with something else for my free book.

To start off with...the 'romance' is started instantly. Charlie (what kind of romantic hero name is Charlie? haha) doesn't want love to take control of him like all his friends and peers so he insteads chooses a wife for a conventional marriage. Now that plot line flat is something I usually read and enjoy, thus the reason why I got it. But there is no sizzle, no surprises. He lays out his offer and starts courting her right from the get go and she shows no resistance...they meet every night for long makeout sessions (the imagery in these scenes was very poetic and beautiful but holy crap two pages describing a kiss is TOO much!) and for several chapters..this is all they did. They'd meet at a party or lunch or something and that night they'd sneak away and fondle each other. Finally they sleep together and after that it seemed like they were doing it every other page.

The angst of the story comes from where Charlie doesn't want love to control him and so he ignores her during the day, just breaking her heart, but at night in the bedroom he just uses her body relentlessly and she ALLOWS it. She seemed kind of weak in the fact that she didn't stand up for herself against Charlie until he storms in pissed off that she went to someone else with her problems instead of him.

The 'action' so to speak of the book seemed like it ruled too much of the story. I skipped dozens and dozens of pages just because it was uniteresting. It was like I was reading one of my Ethic's essays where the words seem to run together in one big run on sentence. The LAST PAGE I skimmed just to end it.

Usually with a novel as such...I like to go back and reread certain parts after I'm done with it, but this novel...nothing remarkable happened that makes me want to go through it again.

If you really want to read this novel, goto the library or wait for it to come out in hardback. Overall, you can find something else worth your time in the bargain bin.

What has happened to Stephanie Laurens? Has she had some sort of head trauma that has lead to amnesia? That is my only conclusion after reading her latest attempt. My very first observation was that the overall love-story part of the plot is a very close mirror to "All About Passion". Our male lead, Charlie Morwellan, is basically a carbon copy of Giles, Earl of Chillingworth from "All About Passion" in the regard that he feels he "needs" to marry but won't marry for love and then goes to visit a neighbor to ask for his daughter's hand. The daughter, Sarah, is also a close copy to Francesca because she tells him she "needs some time" to ponder his offer. Their romance very quickly ensues and they make love every morning and every night, but like "All About Passion" Wow, are you getting tired of my saying that? You'll be even more tired after actually reading it. And inevitably, Sarah faces danger that a chuild could see coming, which forces Charlie to finally admit he loves her. Also, have I mentioned that the name of this book is "The Taste of Innocence"? Well, don't worry about remembering it because the author will remind you every 50 pages that Charlie is "addicted to the taste of innocence". If I had never read the other book, I might give this one 3.5 stars, but as is, I remain firm on the 2 stars.

I really tried to give Charlie the benefit of the doubt but come on. How long did Charlie think he was going to have a hot time in the bed at night while he treated his new wife like dirt during the day? And the "I'm afraid to love" was a real turn-off. He never even seemed man enough to me to rate as a hero. At least the Cynster men could kick some serious a** so their struggles with love seemed macho. Charlie just seemed like a whining baby. Just because his father made bad decisions hadn't a thing to do with love in my book. He was just a weak man and left Althea to run the family. Sorry, Charlie, you just aren't grown up enough for me to lust after.

And what was it with this book saying that Portia and Simon aren't married yet? The Perfect Lover (their book) came out FOUR years before this book. That was an editing mistake that really bothered me.

I love the Cynsters but maybe this series is just tired.

Sarah will not marry Charlie until she knows him. She has 2 weeks to give him her decision. During this time, they cannot find time alone so they decided to meet secretly each night in a summerhouse. They never actually talk to one another. Every night it's a sex scene. There is no romance, because there is no emotion or knowing between the characters. I finally started skimming those scenes because they were so bereft of anything worthwhile.

Prior to making her decision, Sarah asks Charlie one question, regarding the orphanage. That, and sex, apparently was all she needed to make her decision.

After the marriage, Charlie realizes he loves Sarah but for reasons that are never really made clear, decides he cannot risk it. Something about his father making risky financial investments based on love. (huh? Charlie can't take the risk of making investments??) So, he annoys the reader by not interacting with his wife as much as possible... except for at night when they have more sex. Apparently, this is enough for Sarah because she repeatedly thinks that good sex equates to all is well in paradise, until the next morning when Charlie ignores her.

Then there is the bad guy, who *spoiler alert* turns good in the end. So much so that his new cause is to force Charlie to admit his love, because there is nothing so precious. The reader will have to wade through some of the stupidest and purplest (if it's not a word it should be) prose as all the characters fall over themselves professing their love and the meaning of that love.

I'm sorry that trees had to die for this book. I'm sorrier that I wasted a few hours of my life reading it. Save yourself and the trees and don't bother.

was it bad!!!! The part I really dont get is how they were 'getting to know' one another and yet never spoke. Never. I would skim through pages attempting to reach some sort of dialouge between Charlie and Sarah and nada, zip. And there were pages and pages of the same stuff over and over again.

And then his whole theory that if you don't act like you love her during the day everything will be fine was just beyond stupid. I think the psychic said it would be 'challenging' to love Charlie. I wish I would have met her before I shelled out hard earned cash for this book.

Here's the deal, whenever you see the name "Charlie" substitute the name "Simon"; anywhere you see the name "Sarah" substitute "Portia". This book is an identical twin of, "The Perfect Lover". Same book, but different names. Two people, known each other for years, secret romance where they slowly "advance" the seduction in a summerhouse, etc. while a bit of a mystery that puts the woman in peril is in the background. So, take your pick. The strange thing is that this later book actually takes place on the timeline prior to the earlier published Perfect Lover. So much for beach reading.