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A review by critterbee
Christmas at Thorncliff Manor by Sophie Barnes
1.0
“More than love is in the air …”
A Christmas house party, set in regency times, involving four couples thrown together and a sidepiece of mystery and adventure.
I had to check that this was meant to be written in the regency era several times, because of the language used and the odd behavior of the characters (who I think were meant to be unexceptional, everyday regency era aristocracy).
There were some phrases that jangled like
“A maid entered the room. ‘How may I be of service?’ she asked. Fiona placed their order.”
Is Fiona at the Sonic drive-thru?
“You don’t look half-bad yourself.”
20th century flirting.
A wealthy Dowager Countess turning her estate into a guest house in the warmer months.
At dinner, a girl questions:
”You would rather eat an animal that’s soft and gentle with innocent eyes and a trusting nature?”
Behavior including:
In the drawing room with their hostess, a married couple winking about afternoon naps, and the hostess making a suggestive reply.
A young man pouring brandy out for an unmarried lady that he was courting, while they were alone. On another occasion, champagne is drank at a ball by an unmarried lady, as if it were normal and acceptable. Later that same ball, after dancing once with a suitor, she tells him her heart is otherwise engaged. Nice to meet you, known you for 10 minutes, don’t try anything, I am in love with someone else.
The need for a chaperones is at times stressed and at other times ignored, seemingly at the author’s whim.
When dinner is served, there is no assigned seating, no escorting into the dining room, and a couple is left behind in the other room (because he is in a daze, intently imagining tearing her clothes off).
But that was nothing compared to the Creep Factor that permeated every couple’s courtship. It did not start well, with the men together sipping brandy and dividing up the women amongst them, because:
“...we’ve all surpassed our thirtieth year. Perhaps it is time for us to stop keeping mistresses…”
The first couple we spend time with, Fiona and Edward, have a past ‘friendship’ and an age difference of 11 years. He is 30. She is 19. At what age would all the roughhousing and mischief making in their past be appropriate? With him being so attracted to her but trying to act brotherly? It highlights how creepy it is that a 19 year old man would be so attached to an 8 year old, or that a 16 year old woudl choose to hang out with a 5 year old. 25 and 14?
His feelings:
”She was a good sport, always ready for a bit of adventure, so in spite of the difference in age, I couldn’t help but look forward to seeing her - especially as she got older.”
Pinning a woman down in the snow in regency times, straddling her and tickling her? That is disturbing enough, and together with the age difference and the one-sided attraction really loads up points on the Creep Scale.
“No woman should be allowed to look at a man with such innocent obliviousness.”
Because women should all expect men to be pervy and watch what they say, do, how they look, etc. Or, women should never be allowed any innocence. Confused as to the meaning of this one.
How about finding a woman alone in the manor’s library and physically forcing her to talk to you?
“‘If you’ll excuse me.’ She meant to move past him, but he stuck out his arm, trapping her between it and the ladder.”
That is Rachel, the scientific one, who has no use for social niceties and considers herself to be completely unattractive.
“Rachel hesitated. If only she could manage to escape without being rude.”
And then he pours her out a brandy.
“She stared at him with big round eyes, like a rabbit caught in a snare.”
How romantic! An animal in fear for it’s life.
”She actually gulped, in the adorable sort of way that only an unschooled woman faced with the prospect of venturing down a forbidden path would do.”
Which of course caused him to feel
“a dangerous need threatening to conquer her innocence.”
Is this written from the perspective of a serial molester?
“Things were returning to normal, except for the part where he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and run off to the nearest available bedroom. Or parlor. Really, at this point, any room with a horizontal surface would do. Except for the slight detail that she had no interest in that sort of thing.”
Non consensual? Slight detail. Blech.
Shortly later, he informs her:
”Have a care or I might not be able to stop myself from taking more than you ought to be willing to give me at this moment.”
So, it is up to her to stop him from doing whatever he likes with her. Of course she should not be willing to do anything because she should be innocent and not feel any attraction.
There is also a couple who have an 18 year age difference, but at least they don’t have a history of a close friendship that involved wrestling around. He wants a nice good woman to be motherly towards his wards. And he thinks she is hot. So, done.
With all the ladies licking their lips, and the men ‘deliberately dropping his tone to a husky whisper’ and otherwise lowering their voices to appear sexier, it was quite nauseating. Although, the women did admit to being “seduced by the deep timbre of his voice.”
More than love is in the air, indeed.
*eARC Netgalley*
A Christmas house party, set in regency times, involving four couples thrown together and a sidepiece of mystery and adventure.
I had to check that this was meant to be written in the regency era several times, because of the language used and the odd behavior of the characters (who I think were meant to be unexceptional, everyday regency era aristocracy).
There were some phrases that jangled like
“A maid entered the room. ‘How may I be of service?’ she asked. Fiona placed their order.”
Is Fiona at the Sonic drive-thru?
“You don’t look half-bad yourself.”
20th century flirting.
A wealthy Dowager Countess turning her estate into a guest house in the warmer months.
Spoiler
At the end, the family wishes to be interviewed by a newspaper about the four marriages, to ‘set the record straight’. Also, the parents obtained and filled out the special licenses before any declaration of intention by any of those involved.At dinner, a girl questions:
”You would rather eat an animal that’s soft and gentle with innocent eyes and a trusting nature?”
Behavior including:
In the drawing room with their hostess, a married couple winking about afternoon naps, and the hostess making a suggestive reply.
Spoiler
One man discovering that his grandfather betrayed and caused the death of his intended's grandfather. She doesn't mind. It is never mentioned again.A young man pouring brandy out for an unmarried lady that he was courting, while they were alone. On another occasion, champagne is drank at a ball by an unmarried lady, as if it were normal and acceptable. Later that same ball, after dancing once with a suitor, she tells him her heart is otherwise engaged. Nice to meet you, known you for 10 minutes, don’t try anything, I am in love with someone else.
The need for a chaperones is at times stressed and at other times ignored, seemingly at the author’s whim.
When dinner is served, there is no assigned seating, no escorting into the dining room, and a couple is left behind in the other room (because he is in a daze, intently imagining tearing her clothes off).
But that was nothing compared to the Creep Factor that permeated every couple’s courtship. It did not start well, with the men together sipping brandy and dividing up the women amongst them, because:
“...we’ve all surpassed our thirtieth year. Perhaps it is time for us to stop keeping mistresses…”
The first couple we spend time with, Fiona and Edward, have a past ‘friendship’ and an age difference of 11 years. He is 30. She is 19. At what age would all the roughhousing and mischief making in their past be appropriate? With him being so attracted to her but trying to act brotherly? It highlights how creepy it is that a 19 year old man would be so attached to an 8 year old, or that a 16 year old woudl choose to hang out with a 5 year old. 25 and 14?
His feelings:
”She was a good sport, always ready for a bit of adventure, so in spite of the difference in age, I couldn’t help but look forward to seeing her - especially as she got older.”
Pinning a woman down in the snow in regency times, straddling her and tickling her? That is disturbing enough, and together with the age difference and the one-sided attraction really loads up points on the Creep Scale.
“No woman should be allowed to look at a man with such innocent obliviousness.”
Because women should all expect men to be pervy and watch what they say, do, how they look, etc. Or, women should never be allowed any innocence. Confused as to the meaning of this one.
How about finding a woman alone in the manor’s library and physically forcing her to talk to you?
“‘If you’ll excuse me.’ She meant to move past him, but he stuck out his arm, trapping her between it and the ladder.”
That is Rachel, the scientific one, who has no use for social niceties and considers herself to be completely unattractive.
“Rachel hesitated. If only she could manage to escape without being rude.”
And then he pours her out a brandy.
“She stared at him with big round eyes, like a rabbit caught in a snare.”
How romantic! An animal in fear for it’s life.
”She actually gulped, in the adorable sort of way that only an unschooled woman faced with the prospect of venturing down a forbidden path would do.”
Which of course caused him to feel
“a dangerous need threatening to conquer her innocence.”
Is this written from the perspective of a serial molester?
“Things were returning to normal, except for the part where he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and run off to the nearest available bedroom. Or parlor. Really, at this point, any room with a horizontal surface would do. Except for the slight detail that she had no interest in that sort of thing.”
Non consensual? Slight detail. Blech.
Shortly later, he informs her:
”Have a care or I might not be able to stop myself from taking more than you ought to be willing to give me at this moment.”
So, it is up to her to stop him from doing whatever he likes with her. Of course she should not be willing to do anything because she should be innocent and not feel any attraction.
There is also a couple who have an 18 year age difference, but at least they don’t have a history of a close friendship that involved wrestling around. He wants a nice good woman to be motherly towards his wards. And he thinks she is hot. So, done.
With all the ladies licking their lips, and the men ‘deliberately dropping his tone to a husky whisper’ and otherwise lowering their voices to appear sexier, it was quite nauseating. Although, the women did admit to being “seduced by the deep timbre of his voice.”
More than love is in the air, indeed.
*eARC Netgalley*