This is going under the, "WTF?!" Files!I have just finished Hot Property by Susan Johnson, which will be released in August, and I have a major issue with this book.
To begin with, the hero doesn't trust the heroine. He believes she may be a mole from the nasty villain to bring him out into the open so he can kill the hero. But that doesn't stop the hero having sex with the heroine.
That is not main my pet peeve. The point in the book where I wanted to throw it against the wall is where the hero and heroine are in the middle of having sex. First off the hero doesn't have a condom on him and even though the heroine refuses to have sex without protection, that doesn't stop him by overpowering her and doing what he wants. And then the hero thinks the heroine is about to reach over near the night stand and try to shoot him or hurt him. He decides he will stop her by wrapping his hands around her throat and start to strangle her. She is practically turning blue and about to pass out from the lack of air. I really thought he was about to strangle her to death when he suddenly stops. You would think she would run as far away as she can from psycho hero. Nope. Not only does she continue to lie there, but she lets bygones be bygones and they continue where they left off and have some hot sex.
WTF???
If that was me, I would have punched him in the face, grabbed a lamp and bashed him over the head and stomped on a certain part of his anatomy where he would be squealing like a little girl.
I am rolling my eyes in disgust because of this scene and it has been a long time since a book has made me uncomfortable. Am I overreacting? Is there such a book that made you feel the way I do now?
Katiebabs (KB)
17 comments:
Okay, I'm officially creeped out. Isn't this an ongoing debate in the community where abuse is somehow romantic? <~~my words. If the heroine isn't staying cuz of fear, then it's kind of unrealistic. Granted, I haven't read this book but I got a little uncomfortable with my eyebrows high in my hairlines just reading what you wrote.
Did the heroine never bring that up? Did she not make some punctuating comments to at least try and knock some sense into the hero? Why are there so many books with heroes like this? "I don't trust you, but I'll use you." Maybe that's people in general. Bleh. I'd run away by then. Or at least poison his food. I joke, I joke. Well, not the first part.
Your not alone Katie, just take it as a grain of salt. It is Susan Johnson, is it not? Questionable behavior is always the case. I find it quite disturbing, yet then again, in context it might work out. Depends. Each book is different and you never no when it will work and when it won't.
I have actually read a fantasy where the protagonist (female) uses her magic to seduce her maid and has sex with her. After that she uses her magic on one of her suitors, entrapping him and the maid in her spell, and using it to force her suitor to have sex with the maid. So they essentially had nonconsensual, bewitched sex.
And I wasn't creeped out by that. But I think I am able to let a lot of things go when it comes to reading fantasy. When I read romance, I'm not so lenient and do my best to stay away from books that have scenes like the one you described.
The question is ,is there a nice ,big ,long bout of groveling?
Not that it's "normal" but if the hero has some weird issue maybe it's excusable ?
Or maybe she found that she is one of those who like being suffocated during sex?
Still i think it would creep me out
*shudders* Totally not overreacting Katie. I haven't read it but I can tell that I would too, be WTFing all the way.
Nope - that would give me huge issues too - and I haven't even read it!! I don't know why in this day and age, authors write women in this way.
Rape and almost strangling are on my list of turn-offs!
Yeah, that would have been a wallbanger for me. Just... GAH!
You're better than I...cuz after reading that I would have thrown the book against the wall and then gone over and thrown it away. Or burned it, whichever. That is not something that I think is anywhere in the realm of "ok"...she let bygones be bygones? No thanks, I don't want to read a book like that. Thanks for the heads up KB! :)
"I don't trust you nor like you, but I'll use you for sex all the same" would be pretty common behaviour for both sexes, I think.
My problem with that scenario in a romance is when the male uses the female, she knows it, she loves him (why?), and then this is never mentioned again but suddenly he's indeed heroic and we are to believe he loves her.
And she said no to unprotected sex, he went on with it regardless, yet they end up together in the end? Total WTF--if he did it to her, how many other women he did it with/to, and what nasty little buggers he caught? eeeekkkkk
This was definitely an "EEEK" type of book. The hero was such an ass.
Also, the hero handcuffs the heroine during sex because again he doesn't trust her. And he won't let her give him a BJ because he thinks she will bite his wee-wee off.
Um, no. No, no, no, no, no. That's called rape and I don't care what the context is, it's not right and it's not sexy. No, no, no. I would have stopped reading it right there and gave it a vicious review immediately, period, regardless of grovelling or any make-ups. Grovelling or make-ups do not make rape better. Hell, jury trials and jail time don't even make rape better. No. No, no, no. That is not right. Period.
I like gamma heroes, and it doesn't bother me when the H&H get rough with each other--as long as they're BOTH fighting fair (as in Mr. & Mrs. Smith)--but I hate books in which the gamma hero never redeems himself. There has to be *some* reason for the heroine to stay with him besides fear and intimidation.
The last book that made me feel that way was HEART OF THUNDER by Johanna Lindsey. The dude was a real asshole, and he never redeemed himself. It takes a lot to make me uncomfortable, but that book sure did it.
wow that sounds pretty crappy I'm glad I wouldn't have to review it. Sucks you wasted your time.
Sometimes I think that posts/reviews like this are better for sales than a good review.
How can I not read this when it comes out?
Casee: So, Susan can thank me if this book sells out? LOL
I'm a little late but holy crap that's inappropriate. Good call on the lamp bashing. Ick. I don't care if he did grovel, that just sounds like rape. Blech.
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