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Title: Thunder and Roses (Fallen Angels)
ISBN: 0451403673
Author:
Mary Jo Putney
Publicate Date: 1993-05-01
Publish: 1993-05-01
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $24.94
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Was this hero A rake?
School teacher Clare Morgan will do anything for her community, even if it means to except his proposal and live with the demon Earl for three months, but can she keep her heart safe from such A man or will she teach him that love can overcome the worst obstacles?
I bought this book with my hard earned money and I can never get it back, so this is the only place I have to vent my frustrations. I realize that everyone has their own criteria in what they expect in A romance novel, and I can see by the reviews that many readers enjoyed this book, but for me it was A huge disappointment! I love reading about rakes because they are always drop dead gorgeous heartbreakers that every woman wants, so when I saw this book on A listmania about rakes I happily rushed to Amazon to purchase it. To my shock, this book was more about A man getting his heart broken and being used and abused by his dead wife than anything else! I thought rakes were the ones who broke hearts? The things that Nicholas's first wife did to him was just too demeaning! I don't understand why anyone would think it was appealing for the hero in A romance novel to be degraded this way. If this was A real life person, I would never have this opinion, but I read romance novels for A fantasy hero that is 'To Die For', and if he is 'To Die For', then no woman would do these things to him. For once I would like to read A realistic romance where the hero's first wife actually loved and adored her husband! I am not being critical of other readers that liked this concept, but for me it was A huge turn off!
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2: Premise seemed promising - ended up contrived
I liked the idea of the story, but couldn't really "believe" any part of the actual book. The saintly maiden is anything but. Additionally, how realistic is it that she found "God" from the feeling of fulfillment from intercourse with the brooding Gypsy hero?
Additionally, what is with the pool theme? What is with the strip pool game? To have the characters in this book "invent" things which are known to have been invented by others is somewhat insulting to those inventors.
I did enjoy the author's book, The Rake, so I am hoping that other books by this author are more in line with that book.
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3: More Sex than Actual Romance
Aside from a few books, I generally enjoy Mary Jo Putney's stories most of the time. The heroines are usually strong, selfless, and natural. The heroes are smart, witty, and interesting.
Although I do like the premise of this book, which is of a strictly religious and common heroine (Clare) attempting to convince the rich, powerful, but scarred half-Gypsy hero (Nicholas) to support his land and the people who live on it, I felt the characters were from "romance" books which I generally avoid. From her words, Clare seems to be a selfless character, wholly interested in the welfare of all the people around her. Her actions, however, seems questionable. Nicholas propositions a deal with her: if she stays with him for 3 months, then he will attempt to help the people on his land. Clare's reputation, something she holds very dear, is at stake. Although Ms. Putney describes Clare's internal turmoil over the issue, it seemed too much like a plot device to get the hero and heroine together. Not only that, it seems like a weak plot device, at that, because it doesn't really appear like a huge sacrifice for Clare to live with a man she is greatly attracted to. Echoing another reviewer's comments, the deal between the two is just plain stupid. Ms. Putney provides Clare with a strong, worthy reason for her to appear selfless, but shows Nicholas as one who is superficial and thinks primarily about sex most of the time. This book is one where actions speak louder than words. Clare may spout to Nicholas of her virtue and the author may tell us of Clare's inner thoughts, but Clare's actions portray her as a superficial and eager participant of Nicholas's plan to seduce her.
This book is more about sex than romance, which is a pity, because I truly do love Ms. Putney's other book in this "Fallen Angels" series: Angel Rogue.
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4: I don't see it...I just don't see it...
I don't see what's so special about this book. I borrowed this book from the library to read it, and I'm thankful for that. If I had bought it, I would have regretted it. This is the first book by Mary Jo Putney that I have read, and I didn't like it.
The hero Nicholas, and heroine Clare just don't click. They are not likable. And all throughout he is lusting after her. She is lusting after him. And they play these silly, meaningless games with each other through the entire story. Honestly, if he wanted her so badly why didn't he just marry her? He even deliberately ruined her reputation and lured her into becoming his mistress. And she didn't seem to mind much. Now why would any woman care for such a selfish, shallow man. They were both superficial characters. And the storyline was lacking.
Not my idea of a good romance. This book wasn't a good, interesting, or enjoyable read for me. Not a keeper.
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5: Very enjoyable read by Putney, but not one for my keeper shelf
I bought this book because it had Putney's name on it. I know I can always count on her for a satisfying read, and THUNDER AND ROSES was no exception. Though it is part of the Fallen Angels series (the first book), it doesn't have any loose threads to be picked up in other books. THUNDER AND ROSES stands perfectly well on its own.
I won't get into a plot synopsis, since other reviews cover that pretty well. In tradmark Putney style, the plot is fast moving and emotional, the dialogue is witty (with some laugh-out-loud moments), there is lots of historical detail skillfully woven into the background (it never overpowers the story) and there's just enough angst and sorrow to keep this from being "fluff" reading.
There were a few minor things that kept this from being a five-star read for me. One was that I felt the characters were always using sex as a weapon in an attempt to outwit each other. It made for interesting reading, but was also a bit of a turn-off. I don't like to see sex used as a weapon--it's meant to be an expression of love, not something wielded for power over another person. This took away from my enjoyment of the book.
There was also something that Nick said (which was meant for comic relief, I assume) about how he once had a threesome and got rug burn on his knees trying to keep both women happy. I didn't find this funny; I found it gross. (You can blame it on my Catholic sensibilities, but it still bothered me.) It was as sexy as getting a finger in the eye when you were expecting a tender kiss. Since the remark didn't do anything to add to the story, I wish Putney had just left it out of the book.
However, apart from those minor complaints, I do not regret buying this book. It was a satisfying read from one of the top writers of historical romance.
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