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A review by sammy234
Analise by Lisa Gregory, Candace Camp
Honestly, I never know what I'm going to get when I open a Lisa Gregory novel. I adored Bonds of Love by this author, absolutely despised Bitterleaf, and found The Rainbow Season rather odd and dull.
Analise was an engrossing novel, but it was extremely flawed. There was so much needless miscommunication between the two main characters. Both Mark and Analise acted as stupid as possible, one hundred percent of the time. It was incredibly frustrating.
There are barely any tender moments in this romance. All the main character's interactions are full of antagonism and hurt feelings. I wanted a bit more emotional intimacy between the two of them, but regardless of that, I couldn't put this novel down. I loved Analise's character development from a privileged southern belle to a hardened business woman who clawed and fought for her own agency and dignity even when everyone had abandoned her.
Usually it's the man who comes after the woman to confess his love at the end of a bodice ripper, and while I do enjoy that, it was interesting to see the woman go after the man in this novel, which I feel isn't as common. Analise nurses Mark when he's ill and drags him back to the land of the living, then throws his mistress out of their home and claims him for herself, which he was hilariously delighted about. I had my issues with this story, which is why it doesn't get a rating from me, but the ending scene was fantastic and incredibly memorable. If you don't mind stories that are full of angst, then I would recommend this novel.
TW: non-con, racism, ableism
Analise was an engrossing novel, but it was extremely flawed. There was so much needless miscommunication between the two main characters. Both Mark and Analise acted as stupid as possible, one hundred percent of the time. It was incredibly frustrating.
There are barely any tender moments in this romance. All the main character's interactions are full of antagonism and hurt feelings. I wanted a bit more emotional intimacy between the two of them, but regardless of that, I couldn't put this novel down. I loved Analise's character development from a privileged southern belle to a hardened business woman who clawed and fought for her own agency and dignity even when everyone had abandoned her.
Usually it's the man who comes after the woman to confess his love at the end of a bodice ripper, and while I do enjoy that, it was interesting to see the woman go after the man in this novel, which I feel isn't as common. Analise nurses Mark when he's ill and drags him back to the land of the living, then throws his mistress out of their home and claims him for herself, which he was hilariously delighted about. I had my issues with this story, which is why it doesn't get a rating from me, but the ending scene was fantastic and incredibly memorable. If you don't mind stories that are full of angst, then I would recommend this novel.
TW: non-con, racism, ableism