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67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bringing Sexy Back, August 25, 2007
I find it odd that people's knickers are in a knot when reviewing this book. I'm not sure how this book could have fooled anyone into believing it was a nice wholesome tale about POTO when the title is: Unmasqued: An EROTIC Novel of The Phantom of The Opera. People should know that this book is going to have sex in it; a lot of sex in it and people are having sex with each other in different ways. If you are not a fan of erotica then this may not be the book for you.
Also it should be noted that the author takes liberties with the plot. While we have our recognizable characters, Christine, Erik, Raoul, and Madame Giry some of the plot has been changed and the character's personalities have been altered. For instance Madame Giry loves sex...a lot. Raoul isn't so sweet and innocent and his brother likes kinky sex.
I found the writing to be very good. Apparently, Ms.Gale is a historical fiction author who has had other works published under a different name.
The story follows the plot of the original book(from what I can remember, its been a long time). We have the Angel of Music who Christine believes was sent to her by her dead father. Raoul and Christine spent a summer together at a beach. Erik doesn't like Raoul sniffing around Christine and he wants her to be the best singer possible. We have the chandelier falling and the lair scene. The Persian is not in the story however.
I enjoyed the majority of the book. The ending was horrible and too much for me to stomach. I found myself rolling my eyes at the end. It was truly corny, not needed and certainly not welcomed in this reader's opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. For fans of POTO who would like something a little spicy and that aren't afraid to go with the flow I think you will enjoy this novel. For those fans that are hardcore and cannot accept anything but the original novel and hate erotica then I do not suggest you read this book.
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41 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sizzling new story of the phantom, August 16, 2007
I'm not incredibly familiar with the original Phantom of the Opera, so I'm not going to give you some kind of comparison. At any rate, I'm the kind of person who, for example, prefers to take a movie made from a novel as being a totally separate entity from that novel, so I also prefer to take "re-imaginings" and stories told from a different point of view than their originals on their own merits.
If it wasn't obvious just from the subtitle of the book, I'll make it perfectly clear now: this is an erotic romance. It isn't for children, and it isn't for prudes. It's quite explicit, with some BDSM, some scenes of coercion, and an attempted rape. (Some people like to enjoy or avoid specific things in their erotica, so I think it's best to be clear about this kind of thing up front.)
The story and characters are wonderful. For all that some folk still think romance and erotica tend to have sub-par writing or sacrifice story for sex, this book easily disproves that. The characters are absolutely delightful, from the lusty and cheeky Madame Giry to the controlling and scheming La Carlotta, from the haunted Phantom, Erik, to the obsessed Vicomte, Raoul. The story is tense and engaging, and I flew through the last chapter or two, turning pages just as quickly as I could read them, far more entranced by finding out what was going to happen than I was when I read the last few novels I read, even though several of those were supposedly 'thrillers'.
The pacing is perfect, giving us comic-yet-salacious interludes courtesy of Madame Giry to lighten the mood now and then, bringing references and characters full-circle as appropriate, and providing a wide array of sexual moods and scenarios to keep things from ever getting boring or feeling rehashed. The sex and romance never feel tacked-on or contrived, but always work as part of the story. The lush settings come alive with detail, and it's easy to lose yourself in the world that Colette Gale presents.
In short, if the premise of this book in any way interests you, then I highly recommend that you give it a try. It's an incredibly delightful read on any level.
And yes, the sex sizzles!
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glad I read it, August 29, 2007
Well, the first thing I learned reading this book -- which was something I wondered -- was that I do not write erotica! As I had never read anything labeled "erotica", I didn't know. Now I do. I have written some fairly graphic sex scenes but they are interspersed throughout my (unpublished) novels and I don't think they come anywhere close to what would be called erotica. I am glad to know this because I always wondered exactly what erotica was -- I think it's one of those things you really have to read in order to know. Definitions just don't cut it!
Having said that, I wasn't at all shocked by this book, though I think some folks would be. Honestly, erotica is not something I'd want to read every day. Occasionally, though, I can deal with it! I'd definitely read her next book (her erotic take on THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO) and I picked up a vampire book the other day which is obviously in the erotic genre because it says so (several times) on the cover! By the way, anyone who reads UNMASQUED and doesn't notice that it says "An erotic novel of The Phantom of the Opera" needs to have their eyes examined. It really couldn't be more obvious.
Also, I'm sure there are folks who take issue with a writer turning a classic story into erotica -- well, the way I feel about that is, if you don't like it, don't read it. Don't buy it -- or, if you do, put it down if it drives you crazy. There's a whole world out there of books and life is too short to read what you don't like. I think, for me personally, I would be unlikely to pick up an erotic book unless there was something about it that interested me otherwise -- i.e, the Phantom, vampires, something medieval. In other words, a book set in modern times about people having continuous sex, would hold very little interest for me.
Would I recommend this? Well, yes and no. If you like erotica and/or you like the phantom, then by all means (and remember her "muse" for this phantom was Gerry Butler!!). If explicit sex on nearly every other page turns you off, then keep away.
Let me repeat...this book is very explicit!! A real eye-opener for me, as a reader and as a writer. I'm glad I read it.
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