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3.06 AVERAGE
3.06 AVERAGE
I love romance books and usually, I enjoy Linda's writing. Her 'A Lady of the West' has been one of my favourites in the genre for years. That book, like this one, has its own issues - many of them. Linda's main male leads are all typical alpha heroes and while sometimes I enjoy getting lost in their whirlwind natures and simple fantasies that don't make me think, she took it too far with this character. I wanted to kick him in his family jewels and strangle him so often, I lost count of it.
The story is about Sallie and Rhy. They married when she was eighteen and he was twenty-eight.
My issue with the age gap is the fact that she was a CHILD and he was a grown-ass man. According to the heroine's own confession, she was a naive, timid child who knew nothing of the world.. It makes my blood boil! They have seen each other a handful of times as his aunt was her family's neighbor, but they have never really talked. He comes back to town and meets her again. At this point Sallie has recently lost her parents and a dear family friend and has no one to lean onto. Then Rhys arrives, aske her out on a date and then marries her within a week. No getting to know each other, no talking about themselves, about what they want, how they want to live or what they expect from each other. Nada.
Sallie immediately becomes a housewife while her husband continues on with his previous lifestyle - which, him being a reporter means that he runs of headlong into danger on the drop off the hat, leaving her alone often and without warning. Understandably, she objects to this. After a year of stormy marriage he walks out on the door and tells her to "Call him when she has become a woman who can handle him". Khm. This was the point I got over wanting to kick him in the balls and wanted to strangle him.
Our heroine (a lovely character other than her unfortunate feelings for the male lead) picks herself up, goes to college, gets a job - she grows up and finds herself through hard work. Originally, she started on the road to make herself into a woman her husband would want, but by the end, she realised she did not need him anymore! Only if this belief stayed with her thorough the book! Unexpectedly, she found that she loved writing and reporting and finally understood while Rhy had been unable to settle down.
At the start of the story, Sallie has her own life: friends, a job and life she enjoys. Than her ex buys the magazine she works at and things go downhill from here.
Slowly, Rhy starts to corner her in - his idea of getting her wife back is cutting off all her options and leaving her no way to escape. First, he takes Sallie off foreign assignments, because HE wouldn't survive if anything happened to HER under his watch. The fact that he himself ran off to war-zones and rebellions and brushed off her concerns just a few years ago is never discussed. (Such a hypocritical, entitled prick!) Rhy refuses to give her a divorce, to even talk to her like a human being. Most of his lines consist of "You are my wife, you belong to me!", "I couldn't bear you do the job I have done for years, the job that you begged me to stop doing!" and "You shouldn't worry your pretty little head about that". He threatens her that, because he is a powerful, rich and well-connected man, he would make sure their divorce would never go through and that she would never again find a job in the reporter field. Or even as a waitress or a barista, because why would he?
And now the real ramble is going to start. I know my writing hasn't really been coherent before that, but now I give up even trying for it.
At the 4/5 of the book, after he makes sure everyone knows that they are married, makes her immediate boss, a character who was supporting to her up until now, tell Sallie that he is not going to give her any assignments anymore - not of any kinds - Sallie decides to run for it and comes home to an empty apartment. The fucking bastard broke into her place and cleaned it out without a warning. So to go over it again: first, he took over her workplace, cut her off the assignments that made up her life, made her boss choose his size and so effectively cut her off her support system, he took away all her possessions that were important to her. Abusing much???? Among those possessions is her half-written book which he reads without asking for her permission - acting, as he did with everything else, that he has all rights to do so.
I can't even.
Rhy's behaviour is the most infuriating thing on the book, but the change of Sallie's 'way' is the second.
Slowly, this vibrant, interesting woman gets pressed into a role to small for her. First, the writer makes her give up her job. Sallie talked for pages about how important her job was to her, how much she enjoyed it and that she never planned on giving it up. But the job goes and sure, we see a bit of rage over it, but not nearly enough. Than she suddenly realises that 'oops, she is still in love with him'. She has no reason for this - there is no turning point, no sweet, tender gesture from the man. he acts like an asshat all the way to the end, but somehow, the lady is still in love with him! cause he is 'vibrantly alive and sensual'.. Great things to build a relationship on.
Upon loosing her job, she starts writing her own book and enjoys it so much, that she does not even miss the danger and excitement anymore! Her independence, that was so important to her in the beginning, evaporates after she moves in with him (cause she agrees to live with him for 6 months after he basically pushed her out of her job and robbed her apartment). Then she becomes pregnant and decides that the baby, the man and writing are enough for her - even though she thought it over many times in the book before and came to the conclusion that a life with Rhy could never last.
And the thing which took my rage and turned it into a bonfire? On literally the last page of the book, Rhy says that 'He would never want to clip her wings'...
REALLY? REALLY????!!!
FUCK YOU PSYCHOTIC ALPHA, SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE THROWN YOU INTO JAIL A LONG TIME AGO!!!
The sheer blindness of that sentence drove me up the wall. he took away everything from Sallie - so he was the only thing left behind. He did not leave her any choices, but him.
And Sallie could have been such a great lead! She was interesting, vibrant, colourful. And the story cut her off from a 'real life' and made her subservient to someone else's story.
The story is about Sallie and Rhy. They married when she was eighteen and he was twenty-eight.
My issue with the age gap is the fact that she was a CHILD and he was a grown-ass man. According to the heroine's own confession, she was a naive, timid child who knew nothing of the world.. It makes my blood boil! They have seen each other a handful of times as his aunt was her family's neighbor, but they have never really talked. He comes back to town and meets her again. At this point Sallie has recently lost her parents and a dear family friend and has no one to lean onto. Then Rhys arrives, aske her out on a date and then marries her within a week. No getting to know each other, no talking about themselves, about what they want, how they want to live or what they expect from each other. Nada.
Sallie immediately becomes a housewife while her husband continues on with his previous lifestyle - which, him being a reporter means that he runs of headlong into danger on the drop off the hat, leaving her alone often and without warning. Understandably, she objects to this. After a year of stormy marriage he walks out on the door and tells her to "Call him when she has become a woman who can handle him". Khm. This was the point I got over wanting to kick him in the balls and wanted to strangle him.
Our heroine (a lovely character other than her unfortunate feelings for the male lead) picks herself up, goes to college, gets a job - she grows up and finds herself through hard work. Originally, she started on the road to make herself into a woman her husband would want, but by the end, she realised she did not need him anymore! Only if this belief stayed with her thorough the book! Unexpectedly, she found that she loved writing and reporting and finally understood while Rhy had been unable to settle down.
At the start of the story, Sallie has her own life: friends, a job and life she enjoys. Than her ex buys the magazine she works at and things go downhill from here.
Slowly, Rhy starts to corner her in - his idea of getting her wife back is cutting off all her options and leaving her no way to escape. First, he takes Sallie off foreign assignments, because HE wouldn't survive if anything happened to HER under his watch. The fact that he himself ran off to war-zones and rebellions and brushed off her concerns just a few years ago is never discussed. (Such a hypocritical, entitled prick!) Rhy refuses to give her a divorce, to even talk to her like a human being. Most of his lines consist of "You are my wife, you belong to me!", "I couldn't bear you do the job I have done for years, the job that you begged me to stop doing!" and "You shouldn't worry your pretty little head about that". He threatens her that, because he is a powerful, rich and well-connected man, he would make sure their divorce would never go through and that she would never again find a job in the reporter field. Or even as a waitress or a barista, because why would he?
And now the real ramble is going to start. I know my writing hasn't really been coherent before that, but now I give up even trying for it.
At the 4/5 of the book, after he makes sure everyone knows that they are married, makes her immediate boss, a character who was supporting to her up until now, tell Sallie that he is not going to give her any assignments anymore - not of any kinds - Sallie decides to run for it and comes home to an empty apartment. The fucking bastard broke into her place and cleaned it out without a warning. So to go over it again: first, he took over her workplace, cut her off the assignments that made up her life, made her boss choose his size and so effectively cut her off her support system, he took away all her possessions that were important to her. Abusing much???? Among those possessions is her half-written book which he reads without asking for her permission - acting, as he did with everything else, that he has all rights to do so.
I can't even.
Rhy's behaviour is the most infuriating thing on the book, but the change of Sallie's 'way' is the second.
Slowly, this vibrant, interesting woman gets pressed into a role to small for her. First, the writer makes her give up her job. Sallie talked for pages about how important her job was to her, how much she enjoyed it and that she never planned on giving it up. But the job goes and sure, we see a bit of rage over it, but not nearly enough. Than she suddenly realises that 'oops, she is still in love with him'. She has no reason for this - there is no turning point, no sweet, tender gesture from the man. he acts like an asshat all the way to the end, but somehow, the lady is still in love with him! cause he is 'vibrantly alive and sensual'.. Great things to build a relationship on.
Upon loosing her job, she starts writing her own book and enjoys it so much, that she does not even miss the danger and excitement anymore! Her independence, that was so important to her in the beginning, evaporates after she moves in with him (cause she agrees to live with him for 6 months after he basically pushed her out of her job and robbed her apartment). Then she becomes pregnant and decides that the baby, the man and writing are enough for her - even though she thought it over many times in the book before and came to the conclusion that a life with Rhy could never last.
And the thing which took my rage and turned it into a bonfire? On literally the last page of the book, Rhy says that 'He would never want to clip her wings'...
REALLY? REALLY????!!!
FUCK YOU PSYCHOTIC ALPHA, SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE THROWN YOU INTO JAIL A LONG TIME AGO!!!
The sheer blindness of that sentence drove me up the wall. he took away everything from Sallie - so he was the only thing left behind. He did not leave her any choices, but him.
And Sallie could have been such a great lead! She was interesting, vibrant, colourful. And the story cut her off from a 'real life' and made her subservient to someone else's story.
I've read this book before many years ago and previously enjoyed it. It's amazing what a bunch of years of perspective and current affairs will do for your reading enjoyment. Now, I actively dislike the book. The characters, the plot, the sexism throughout, the Neanderthal ways of the "hero", the weakmindedness of the heroine. Dear God. I never realized how awful the book was until I read it now. I actually came onto Goodreads for confirmation of my new opinion and I see I wasn't imagining how much I disliked the book. Thanks Goodreads reviewers for keeping it real.
You definitely have to keep in mind that this was written in 1982 and keep telling yourself that (multiple times). No '82 wasn't the dark ages, but I also remember that all the mothers on the street I grew up on were stay-at-home moms. Yes, there were some kids at school with working moms, but those were the exception at least when I was elementary aged. I'm sure it depends on where you lived, etc. But, that was my reality.
That being said, the term 'Independent Wife' is subjective, perhaps even ironic.
This was one of Howard's early works when she was writing category romance. They were Silhouette's, which was basically America's version of a Mills&Boon/Harlequin (Hqn even owns the Silhouette label now).
Fitting of a category romance, the H is a super ruthless alpha, willing to do anything to put his h where he wants her and some of his moves will make you want to kill him. Fans of category romance love/hate this sort of thing. It keeps us turning the pages wanting to know what the bastard H will do next.
Sarah/Sally started out as a sheltered 18 year old when she married her next-door-neighbor's nephew, Rhy. Rhy was an investigative reporter 10 years her senior and an adrenaline junky, mostly married to his job. The more dangerous the assignment, the better.
The honeymoon was over quickly when the h realized that she wouldn't be seeing much of her husband and that when he was gone she spent her time worried sick about him reporting from one unstable/war torn country or another.
When the H came home, she would explode and nag him to quit his job. He would refuse, they'd have hot, angry sex and he'd fly off again. This lasted for a year. Then one day when he came home tired and cranky and she lit into him again, he left. Told her to 'call him when she thought she was woman enough for him'.
The h was devastated when he never came home, but instead sent regular support checks with no accompanying letters.
She finally picks herself up and goes to college where she picks up the nickname of 'Sally' and sticks with it. She really grows up and becomes a much more confident/self-reliant person. After trying out all sorts of courses, she realizes she too had a love for journalism and ended up working for a magazine and thriving on the same sort of dangerous assignments she once demanded Rhy stay away from.
Once she begins to support herself she sends back the support checks and begins using her maiden name as a way of not 'trading on her famous husband's name'. She wasn't deliberately trying to hide, she honestly thought he didn't care and was just too busy being a high flyer to bother with getting a divorce. She also correctly assumed that being technically married was probably quite convenient for Rhy as it kept other women from expecting too much.
Sally was a smart, likeable character. I love that she moved on. But remember CATEGORY ROMANCE here, she obviously had to go into sexual deep freeze, which is why she felt no need to seek a divorce.
Rhy, on the other hand... L.H. leaves it open enough for a reader to argue either way. Some probably choose to interpret that he was celibate for the 7 years they were apart. I interpreted it that he was not a huge man-ho and didn't have any serious girlfriends, but most likely had a few casual sexual encounters over those years. I think LH does this on purpose. The wording used by the hero was rather ambiguous. I do believe he never slept with the OW/villain, but otherwise it's up for interpretation.
On the 'Independent Woman' front, Rhy was semi-evolved. He decided he was tired of the danger and he certainly didn't want his wife exposed to the life of a traveling reporter. There was real concern for her welfare there, I think. Not simply a women shouldn't work attitude. He had fewer issues with her doing less dangerous work. I say fewer because, it did take him some time to realize just how important it was to the h to have something in her life aside from him and kids. He knew her when she was 18 and her life ambition was to be a stay at home wife with children. He had a learning curve with her changes. He wanted both. He liked the more confident, mature woman but wanted her at home. So, I'm sticking with semi-evolved.
Oh and since this is a category romance, you'll have to suspend disbelief about Rhy's less than stellar investigative reporting skills when it comes to finding the h.
That being said, the term 'Independent Wife' is subjective, perhaps even ironic.
This was one of Howard's early works when she was writing category romance. They were Silhouette's, which was basically America's version of a Mills&Boon/Harlequin (Hqn even owns the Silhouette label now).
Fitting of a category romance, the H is a super ruthless alpha, willing to do anything to put his h where he wants her and some of his moves will make you want to kill him. Fans of category romance love/hate this sort of thing. It keeps us turning the pages wanting to know what the bastard H will do next.
Sarah/Sally started out as a sheltered 18 year old when she married her next-door-neighbor's nephew, Rhy. Rhy was an investigative reporter 10 years her senior and an adrenaline junky, mostly married to his job. The more dangerous the assignment, the better.
The honeymoon was over quickly when the h realized that she wouldn't be seeing much of her husband and that when he was gone she spent her time worried sick about him reporting from one unstable/war torn country or another.
When the H came home, she would explode and nag him to quit his job. He would refuse, they'd have hot, angry sex and he'd fly off again. This lasted for a year. Then one day when he came home tired and cranky and she lit into him again, he left. Told her to 'call him when she thought she was woman enough for him'.
The h was devastated when he never came home, but instead sent regular support checks with no accompanying letters.
She finally picks herself up and goes to college where she picks up the nickname of 'Sally' and sticks with it. She really grows up and becomes a much more confident/self-reliant person. After trying out all sorts of courses, she realizes she too had a love for journalism and ended up working for a magazine and thriving on the same sort of dangerous assignments she once demanded Rhy stay away from.
Once she begins to support herself she sends back the support checks and begins using her maiden name as a way of not 'trading on her famous husband's name'. She wasn't deliberately trying to hide, she honestly thought he didn't care and was just too busy being a high flyer to bother with getting a divorce. She also correctly assumed that being technically married was probably quite convenient for Rhy as it kept other women from expecting too much.
Sally was a smart, likeable character. I love that she moved on. But remember CATEGORY ROMANCE here, she obviously had to go into sexual deep freeze, which is why she felt no need to seek a divorce.
Rhy, on the other hand... L.H. leaves it open enough for a reader to argue either way. Some probably choose to interpret that he was celibate for the 7 years they were apart. I interpreted it that he was not a huge man-ho and didn't have any serious girlfriends, but most likely had a few casual sexual encounters over those years. I think LH does this on purpose. The wording used by the hero was rather ambiguous. I do believe he never slept with the OW/villain, but otherwise it's up for interpretation.
On the 'Independent Woman' front, Rhy was semi-evolved. He decided he was tired of the danger and he certainly didn't want his wife exposed to the life of a traveling reporter. There was real concern for her welfare there, I think. Not simply a women shouldn't work attitude. He had fewer issues with her doing less dangerous work. I say fewer because, it did take him some time to realize just how important it was to the h to have something in her life aside from him and kids. He knew her when she was 18 and her life ambition was to be a stay at home wife with children. He had a learning curve with her changes. He wanted both. He liked the more confident, mature woman but wanted her at home. So, I'm sticking with semi-evolved.
Oh and since this is a category romance, you'll have to suspend disbelief about Rhy's less than stellar investigative reporting skills when it comes to finding the h.