Customer Reviews

Vixen

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

 

 

Unlike many stories in this genre this hero is not the typical strong macho type, but if you have read Violet you will recognize him as the captain in that story. Some readers may be upset by the crypt and all that goes on in there and the fact that the hero resorts to brandy to drown his memories and those "painted devils". However, there is historical accuracy in the setting, as the crypt and its rituals are somewhat similar to the actual Hell Fire Club which flourished in England at that time for many years, but the results of the depravities are not the subject of novels in this genre. Granted the hero's ethics do not bear close examination, but neither character is written as a paragon of virtue. Not the usual gentle drawing room romance, but an interesting concept for those looking for a setting that is a little different.

Vixen by Jane Feather took the reader down some very dark paths. Chloe is a 17 year old women who is placed in Sir Hugo care as his ward. He knew her mother and had killed her father in strange cult dual. Chloe's brother wants her to marry his step-son so he has get her money and can use her in a Horrific sexual ritual. I just finished the book and still feel a little sick.

I can not believe that nobody else has expounded on the issue of their age in their reviews. The age of the heroine is the first turn off for me. She is only 17! What's with this too young heroines? I could have liked the book a lot more if she had been at least 20, but at 17, her relationship with Hugo, who is her guardian and is therefore in a possition of authority, just seems like child molestation. I'm sorry but in this day and time, he would have been arrested for sleeping with her.

So to sum up the story, Hugo sleeps with her while drunk, feels horrified afterwards, and instead of thinking of her, of how she must have been feeling after her first sexual experience and reassure her and treat her well, he insults her and screams at her and generally treats her like dirt for several days. Then he runs off, gets more drunk and brings a whore back to the house where Chloe finds them having sex in the library floor (the same room where he took Chloe's virginity a few days before). He is again horrified and decides to sober up. And after he has achieved it, he decides to turn guardian-like, all proper and stern, trying to command a respect and obbedience from Chloe he has not earned. He never even apologizes properly to Chloe. Such arrogance just makes me sick.

On the other hand, Chloe is very precocious, to the point of being almost unbelievable. But her ingenuity and youth shines through, even when she is trying to be seductive she only comes accross as childish, which only makes their relationship feel even more wrong. She is angry with him for a while, but then starts trying to seduce him into sleeping with her again, seemingly forgetting about the incident with the whore and his bad treatment of her.

The impropriety of her living alone with him (except for a male servant which in this case is no help at all), seems to escape notice too. I don't consider myself an expert, but I have read enough historical romance to know that even spending one night unchapperoned in Hugo's house would have ruined her in the eyes of society.

The book does have some good parts, hence the 3 stars. I liked Chloe's love for animals, and after a while Hugo starts to be more likeable than at the beginning (if not entirely my favorite hero).

Is is a somewhat entertaining (if at times exasperating)book. I haven't finished it yet, but somehow I don't think I will change my mind after reading it completely. If I do, I will revise my review.

All in all, not my favorite, just good enough if there is nothing more interesting to read.

Unlike other readers I really like this story and could understand why Hugo had to drink to forget the horrors of his youth. As for his sleeping with his ward.....Chloe is the one that seduced him twice. Who's to say he wasn't that drunk, the first time, as a little alcohol goes a long way in reducing ones' inhibitions. It was funny too with all her animals and her unique way of finding them. Not to mention those original names. I have read a lot of Ms. Feather's books, some I didn't like because of the spousal abuse but this was a good story and I think it should have received better reviews,from more compassionate readers. Now to read my copies of Valentine and Vice.

Wow, this book got me hooked from the start. There's a lot of chemistry between the protagonists, and the scene where Chloe seduces Hugo is really hot. I like the heroine, who is a delightful mixture of maturity and naivete. Hey, I know that she can be irritating from time to time, but just bear in mind that she's only 17 and we can't expect a 17-year-old to behave responsibly and wisely all the time. The 5-star grade doesn't mean that this book is perfect, it's rather an indication of my liking. There are of course certain things that I find problematic, such as the fact that Hugo has no qualms about sleeping with Chloe while still intending to marry her off. But overall, the problems don't really keep me from enjoying the book, hence the high rating.

Unlike many stories in this genre this hero is not the typical strong macho type, but if you have read Violet you will recognize him as the captain in that story. Some readers may be upset by the crypt and all that goes on in there and the fact that the hero resorts to brandy to drown his memories and those "painted devils". However, there is historical accuracy in the setting, as the crypt and its rituals are somewhat similar to the actual Hell Fire Club which flourished in England at that time for many years, but the results of the depravities committed there are not the subject of novels in this genre. Granted the hero's ethics do not bear close examination, but neither character is written as a paragon of virtue. Not the usual gentle drawing room romance, but an interesting concept for those looking for a setting that is a little different.

I really liked the coupling of Hugo and Chloe. I had been looking around for his story because I loved him in "Violet". The whole gist of the story is the match up of someone scarred and jaded like Hugo with a young innocent like Chloe. Yeah, she's young, but if you get past that, they actually make sense.

I can believe that these two got together. Hugo needed someone with a different perspective on life who would soften his rough edges. I especially loved the way Chloe would simply make up her mind and just do what she needed to do, regardless of what others thought.

The story itself was a bit tired. We've all read books with the whole "Strange cult/weirdo group" and someone breaking away and plagued by guilt. But I liked the interaction between the two leads, the way they helped to balance each other out.

For that reason, I've kept this book in my collection. I love to write, and this is a good relationship to tuck away as a reference.

Read this book before you dismiss it. You'll either like it or hate it. But in MHO it's worth a look.

This book was really awful. I did not like the heroine nor the hero. How can he sleep with her constantly while planning to marry her off? And how can she permit him to treat her that way? I felt that both the characters were weak and dislikeable. Very dissatisfying. I've read one of her other books before and I was disappointed but then I decided to give her another chance and was disappointed again. I won't buy another one.

Unlikeable heroine who is not believable. Unlikeable hero who is so tormented by his sexual past that he readily plunders his 17 year old ward. Story just doesn't work. Haven't finished the book......not likely to.

Unlike the other reviewer, I liked this book. It did not bother me that he slept with her while trying to marry her off since we were to believe that he loved her at that point. It bothered me more that he slept with her in the first place. He wasn't that drunk! And she was half his age. It also bothered me that he was never honest about his past until he had to be and then she was not even upset! I also find it depressing to read about alcoholics. But for some reason I liked the book enough to give Ms Feather another chance.