Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 1/2 stars. Welcome back Ms Tarr!, August 5, 2006
It has been three or four years since Ms Tarr's last book, the mid-Victorian TEMPTING and I for one have missed her. Like another author whose work I admire, Lydia Joyce, I like that Ms Tarr writes adult stories that detail both the romance and grit of the era and that are not afraid to be a bit dark around the edges. Contrary to the Booklist review above, this it not an Edwardian, but a late Victorian (1890) set in London amid the controversial movement for female suffrage.
Caledonia "Callie" Rivers is a leader in the forefront of the suffragist movement at a time when Parliament is about to debate yet another suffrage bill. She is determined that this time it will pass and is working hard to ensure that outcome when she quite literally bumps into a tall gentleman in Parliament Square where she is to speak to supporters. He is Hadrian St Claire and, in addition to being tall, handsome and quite forward, he is, much to Callie's discomfort, a photographer. Given the unfriendly treatment the movement has received from the press - they're described as either promiscuous free-love types or mannish - she is wary of him to say the least. Not only that but she has an aversion to having her picture taken at all given her low self-image, a result of a rather nasty former suitor. But she does find him attractive and wishes that perhaps she could take him up on his invitation to tea. Too bad duty calls . . .
Hadrian St Claire had never really given serious thought to women's rights, he simply finds their incessant picketing, marching and speechifying annoying in the extreme. He is shocked to realize that the rather attractive woman he practically mowed down in the park is, in fact, suffragette leader Caledonia Rivers. He is surprised at his attraction as she is not his usual type, but attracted he is nonetheless. On his way back to his photography studio he is set upon by two thugs coming to collect a gambling debt Hadrian acquired in a night of weakness and drinking. Though he cannot pay, he buys himself additional time to settle his debt, though he has no idea at the moment how. Later that day, Josiah Dandrige, MP from Horsham, enters his studio and offers him a commission: take compromising photographs of a certain person and he will be rewarded in a way that will not only pay off his debts, but set him up for the future. Unfortunately that person is none other than Caledonia Rivers! Hadrian cannot afford to say "no", but can he say "yes" to destroying the lovely woman he has just met?
And so Hadrian has himself quite the moral dilemna. Save himself or protect Callie? Though he accepts the commission, he is determined to find some other way out. Meanwhile, he and Callie begin to fall for one another. Hadrian is a fascinating character in the tradition of Kleypas' Derek Craven. His childhood in London's seamy east end was unhappy and ugly and Ms Tarr details an incident that is not for the faint of heart. His background is what makes Hadrian who he is and it is also the source of his greatest shame. He has worked very hard to overcome it - to make himself into a gentleman, at least of a sort. Callie has her own issues resulting from rather uncaring parents, a disasterous come-out and a cruel former suitor and as such has resigned herself to spinsterhood and her cause. At least she had until she meets Hadrian. Can there be a happy ending for these two?
This is a quite sensual read and the author goes where most "mainstream" romances rarely go, but that erotics regularly do (one encounter). There are also some fun secondary characters, most particularly Callie's delightful Aunt Lottie. Hadrian's two friends, Gavin and Rourke will also have books of their own as this is the first in a new trilogy (of course). Can't wait to see if Rourke can win over the haughty Lady Katherine Lindsey! And for those who read TEMPTING, you'll get the chance to catch-up with Simon and Christine, Lord and Lady Stonevale some 20+ years later! My only complaint is a few editing issues (on more than a handful of occasions Hadrian is referred to as "Mr Rivers") but given the state of editing these days should we be surprised? All in all a lush, well researched and recommended read.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Exceptional Read by Hope Tarr, October 18, 2006
I loved Hope Tarr's first three books, and couldn't wait to read "Vanquished." It didn't disappoint. With richly drawn characters, an intriguing premise and an arresting plot that kept me turning pages, I have to say this is her best book yet.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A few too many errors..., March 20, 2007
I was really looking forward to reading this -- it promised to definitely not be the "same old same old".... and it somewhat delivered. For my money, I would rather have had more drama with the suffragettes and more info about photography, and not so many scenes of intimacy (which are never very original, and so make every historical romance start to seem a bit too much like the next one)...
My main problem, however, was that this book apparently never had a copyeditor. Error after error started to drive me crazy. There were comma errors everywhere, and paragraphing errors, and lots of weird substitutions. A few examples: "callused" for "callous", "penultimate" for "ultimate" (it *so* does not mean the same thing!), "here, here" for "hear, hear", "Michael Angelo" the famous artist...and many, many more. Hansom cabs in the book have seats facing front and back (they didn't in reality), Oscar Wilde's trial for homosexuality is referred to five years before it happened, and the characters stroll from Covent Garden to Bow in a few minutes (when nowadays it takes about a half hour to get there on the tube -- Covent Garden is *so* not in the East End, or anywhere near it! This is really very basic stuff, just a single glance at a map would show that.)
In the end, I did enjoy the book somewhat...but I can only take so many errors before my brain fries.
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