When Beauty Tamed the Beast (Happily Ever Afters..., Bk 2)
Author:
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Willy W. reviewed on + 503 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I just don't think so.
First, the hero is based on Dr. House. Not just "based on" but blatantly ripped off. His butler is clearly Wilson. The "hero" is an ass, he walks with a limp and cane, his butler is the only person who has the brass to talk back to him when he's being a jerk. Instead of him being the drug addict it's his father.
Then there is the name game. Eloisa James has characters named Kibbles and Bitts. Another character named Juggs. And another named Bernaise. She can't look further than food (for dogs or people) and rude anatomical references for names of her characters?
I felt like most of the book was a House episode in which House hits his head and wakes up in Regency England where there is a constant comedy of juvenile silly names (cross Black Adder & Monty Python). I think the idea had a tremendous amount of potential, but the blatant "borrowing" of themes and ideas from a firmly established and popular television show kind of ruined the book for me. I believe it is possible to borrow an idea without it being a copy, but in this case, it was too much like she just re-wrote House into her book.
Further (***spoiler*****), the end of the book she has the Beauty character suffer a disfiguring disease which renders her bald and scarred. I suppose the moral message is that the hero loves her despite her now ugly personage, but I felt cheated, like it kind of abrogates the meaning and message of the beauty/beast story - somehow creating this unnecessary role-reversal. This might have worked for me more if it had happened earlier in the story or if physical image had been part of their conflict. Just seemed like gratuitous angst.
The book was finely written (James certainly knows her craft) and if I'd never seen an episode of House I would have thought this a good book. But frankly I was tremendously disappointed.
2.5 stars.
First, the hero is based on Dr. House. Not just "based on" but blatantly ripped off. His butler is clearly Wilson. The "hero" is an ass, he walks with a limp and cane, his butler is the only person who has the brass to talk back to him when he's being a jerk. Instead of him being the drug addict it's his father.
Then there is the name game. Eloisa James has characters named Kibbles and Bitts. Another character named Juggs. And another named Bernaise. She can't look further than food (for dogs or people) and rude anatomical references for names of her characters?
I felt like most of the book was a House episode in which House hits his head and wakes up in Regency England where there is a constant comedy of juvenile silly names (cross Black Adder & Monty Python). I think the idea had a tremendous amount of potential, but the blatant "borrowing" of themes and ideas from a firmly established and popular television show kind of ruined the book for me. I believe it is possible to borrow an idea without it being a copy, but in this case, it was too much like she just re-wrote House into her book.
Further (***spoiler*****), the end of the book she has the Beauty character suffer a disfiguring disease which renders her bald and scarred. I suppose the moral message is that the hero loves her despite her now ugly personage, but I felt cheated, like it kind of abrogates the meaning and message of the beauty/beast story - somehow creating this unnecessary role-reversal. This might have worked for me more if it had happened earlier in the story or if physical image had been part of their conflict. Just seemed like gratuitous angst.
The book was finely written (James certainly knows her craft) and if I'd never seen an episode of House I would have thought this a good book. But frankly I was tremendously disappointed.
2.5 stars.
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