Ransom: or Help, I've been held hostage by a gay Harlequin Romance!
Written: Feb 20 '08 (Updated Sep 24 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A surprisingly strong author.
Cons: A novel about Gay Men written for the sensibilities of women.
The Bottom Line: If you like Yaoi, this might float your boat. Otherwise, there are a lot of books out there, and only so many hours in a day.
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| talyseon's Full Review: Lee Rowan - Ransom |
Ransom by Lee Rowan (ISBN 1905393709)
I got this book because I needed something that cost over $9 to get free shipping on another order from Amazon. I had really enjoyed another book about gay pirates called Brethren, and so I decided to give this one a try.
The first note of warning is that it is published by Lindenbay Romance. I double checked; yep, its a story about two dudes. Okay, so here we go.
I took the book with me to sit with a client in the hospital, so I was trapped with this book or soap operas. That is how I got all the way through the book, and I guess I am happy the way it worked out.
Ransom is the story of Midshipman David Archer and Lt. William Marshall. Serving in the English navy in 1796, they are very aware of the punishment for sodomy; Death.
However, the are captured, along with their Captain, and held for ransom by a villain named Adrian. Adrian has done this sort of thing before, but never to naval officers. To Archer's horror, Adrian is a megalomaniacal rapist with delusions of desirability, and he intends to make David his boytoy for the remainder of his stay. If Archer refuses, his compatriots will be punished.
Archer does submit, after William is beaten for his first act of defiance. Archer has dealt with this sort of thing in the past, and is in love with Marshall, so he grits his teeth and bears it.
Eventually, Lt. Marshall figures out what is going on, and in a moment of passion, he succumbs to his desires for Archer as well.
The plot moves along, visiting the three points of Archer's ongoing rape at Adrian's hands, his slowly blooming love affair with William, and William's efforts to affect their escape.
It sounds dreadful, doesn't it? Surprisingly, its not that bad. Lee Rowan has enough strength in plotting to keep things interesting, though at a slower pace than I would have liked. She handles the actual sexual encounters with a delicate grace which robs the rape of some of its horror, and the scenes with William of some of their pornographic potential.
The main problem here is she is a woman, and writes from a woman's sensibilities. This is a western prose yaoi book. (Yaoi is a Japanese art form, graphic novels portraying gay romances. They are written and drawn largely by women, and for women.)
For a gay man, its a little tame, and some of the emotional reactions don't ring true.
The only thing that saves this is Rowan's writing. She's not bad at all. She draws vivid scenes, and its an easy read, flowing effortlessly from chapter to chapter. But this book is really better suited for women. Women who want to read about gay men. Go figure.
AHOY, MATEYS! High adventure on the High Seas
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Yes
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