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romancejunkie1025's review
4.0
Very hott as always with ms. jordan. Also a very interesting premise... Whoda thought white tiger shapshifting aliens could so hott!!!!!!
schomj's review
1.0
Wicked Lord
"You can't rape the willing." --- I really, really hate that phrase. A lot. It's such a mix of dysfunctional sexual politics, victim blaming and physiological inaccuracy that not only does it make me feel stabby, it also sets my analytical side on overdrive, which makes it really hard for me to 1) ignore it and 2) enjoy the rest of the story. I mean, seriously, fully revved left brain and an erotic romance about shape-shifters from space? At best, that's going to be MST3K-style reading. Other than that, I mostly liked the characters and it's not the first time I've run across that particular canard in this genre... but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Carnal Empress
In the previous story, Jana sacrificed herself to save Kyber. While it was a noble gesture, it was also strategically stupid. After getting coerced/raped by the villain for her efforts, her mystical bond with Kyber was severed. (I think. Both characters said it was broken, but Jana was still the Empress and sometimes they talked about the bond still being in place, which was a little confusing.) Anyway, while and after Jana was being raped, Kyber was being tortured by said villain. As a result of his torture and Jana's choices, when Jana finally rescues Kyber, he turns into Angry Boner Man. As a rule, Angry Boner Man is not my favorite character type, but he ended up being the perfect complement for Jana's self-hatred. sigh. (Yes, I know there was a HEA-style resolution, but by that point I was more concerned with their mental/emotional health than with their romance.)
Overall, disappointing. I want my fluff to be fluffy, dammit, not depressing. I can't see myself re-reading this book and am sorry I bought it.
"You can't rape the willing." --- I really, really hate that phrase. A lot. It's such a mix of dysfunctional sexual politics, victim blaming and physiological inaccuracy that not only does it make me feel stabby, it also sets my analytical side on overdrive, which makes it really hard for me to 1) ignore it and 2) enjoy the rest of the story. I mean, seriously, fully revved left brain and an erotic romance about shape-shifters from space? At best, that's going to be MST3K-style reading. Other than that, I mostly liked the characters and it's not the first time I've run across that particular canard in this genre... but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Carnal Empress
In the previous story, Jana sacrificed herself to save Kyber. While it was a noble gesture, it was also strategically stupid. After getting coerced/raped by the villain for her efforts, her mystical bond with Kyber was severed. (I think. Both characters said it was broken, but Jana was still the Empress and sometimes they talked about the bond still being in place, which was a little confusing.) Anyway, while and after Jana was being raped, Kyber was being tortured by said villain. As a result of his torture and Jana's choices, when Jana finally rescues Kyber, he turns into Angry Boner Man. As a rule, Angry Boner Man is not my favorite character type, but he ended up being the perfect complement for Jana's self-hatred. sigh. (Yes, I know there was a HEA-style resolution, but by that point I was more concerned with their mental/emotional health than with their romance.)
Overall, disappointing. I want my fluff to be fluffy, dammit, not depressing. I can't see myself re-reading this book and am sorry I bought it.
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