Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Reading Romance

I like a nice romance novel. I like flamboyant, exotic locales and handsome alpha heroes who fall in love so deeply that they are willing to give up everything for the women who capture their hearts. I have lately discovered ebooks. I joined Fictionwise and have read some pretty good books from there. BUT...! I just recently read a horrible book that called itself a romance. It was billed a paranormal, futuristic romance. A silly spoiled princess is kidnapped and married by a barbarian prince in a galaxy far far away. They fall in love. And live happily ever after?

No, not really. Not in love or happily ever after. For one thing, the warrior prince beats her. Repeatedly. Not a spanking. NO. Chains her to a post in front of his merry men, tears off her clothes and whips her until blood runs down her legs. My. How romantic. No wonder she falls for him. How could she possibly resist such charm? Especially since that seems to be his response to her every defiant act. Of course, he weeps while he does it. He thinks it hurts him more than her to whip her, but it's all for her own good, to teach her to love him. uh-huh.

After six month of marriage he decides that she is obviously barren and since he needs a son to rule after him he is forced to take a second wife. She weeps and begs him to not abvandon her bed. He beats her. Yeah. True love, without a doubt. At the end of the book he is is killed in battle and the princess drinks poison so she can be with him forever. Unfortunately, she doesn't die. The poison was switched and she is smuggled back to her homeland where she falls into a decline until she finally decides she must live to find her slain love's reincarnated soul and be with him forever.

Good grief. There are to be sequels! Apparently in each book she will find a man who holds the soul of her beloved prince. She will fall in love all over again.

Gag me. Don't think I'll bother to buy the sequels. The author does not deserve to rewarded for this trash.

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