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A review by 33p3barpercent
At Your Pleasure by Meredith Duran
3.0
It's been a while since I've read a Meredith Duran novel so I can't honestly say if all her stories use such fabulous prose and historical framework, but I wouldn't be surprised. This story is rich and decadent in its layering. The prose is reminiscent of actual novels from this period: the way the characters talk to the way sentences are formed. It's beautiful and was such a pleasure to read something so well crafted.
As for the story, it's good. Against a backdrop of a brewing religious war, these two people with a fraught history meet again under intense circumstances. It's not the most modern of plots (feminist-wise) but I don't think it's supposed to be. I can easily see this storyline actually happening. It's believable. She's not an independent bluestocking who would fit in easily in this century. But she is a strong woman during that time period. I thought MD did a great job toeing that line. She is a bit of a martyr which usually drives me mad, but MD took the time to explain her reasons and somehow it didn't come out repetitive or stubborn (okay, maybe a little stubborn). I bought the Heroine's conflict. She had a hard choice: her family or the love of her life. I think that deserves at least 100 pages of conflicted feelings, yeah?
And as for the Hero, he's kind of a scary guy. Powerful, vengeful, not one to hesitate in drawing some blood... And yet I totally bought he loved her. I totally bought that his frustration with her stubbornness and his horror at her endangering herself would engender some serious rage in him. He's complicated and I like him. He seems real and flawed. And aren't those the best characters?
In short, this book's not light entertainment. It's not a rollicking fun time to enjoy at the beach. It's got a heavy prose style, lots of historical drama, but the love story's solid and the characters are compelling. Not something I'd pick up on a whim, but I'm glad I read it, and I'm definitely going to look into MD some more. Her writing style's pretty brill.
As for the story, it's good. Against a backdrop of a brewing religious war, these two people with a fraught history meet again under intense circumstances. It's not the most modern of plots (feminist-wise) but I don't think it's supposed to be. I can easily see this storyline actually happening. It's believable. She's not an independent bluestocking who would fit in easily in this century. But she is a strong woman during that time period. I thought MD did a great job toeing that line. She is a bit of a martyr which usually drives me mad, but MD took the time to explain her reasons and somehow it didn't come out repetitive or stubborn (okay, maybe a little stubborn). I bought the Heroine's conflict. She had a hard choice: her family or the love of her life. I think that deserves at least 100 pages of conflicted feelings, yeah?
And as for the Hero, he's kind of a scary guy. Powerful, vengeful, not one to hesitate in drawing some blood... And yet I totally bought he loved her. I totally bought that his frustration with her stubbornness and his horror at her endangering herself would engender some serious rage in him. He's complicated and I like him. He seems real and flawed. And aren't those the best characters?
In short, this book's not light entertainment. It's not a rollicking fun time to enjoy at the beach. It's got a heavy prose style, lots of historical drama, but the love story's solid and the characters are compelling. Not something I'd pick up on a whim, but I'm glad I read it, and I'm definitely going to look into MD some more. Her writing style's pretty brill.