Rosehaven

Rating:
Summary: Another Disappointment
Review: Someone here accused the critics of this book of having "PC sensibilities" in terms of the rape of Hastings by her husband Severin. The fact of the matter is that while such things did indeed occur in the 12th century (and sadly continue into now), the attempt to somehow make such an act erotic stretches the bounds of imagination. There is erotic and then there is sheer cruelty. Rosehaven was sadly the latter.

I disliked Severin. He was the alpha male taken to cartoonish extremes. This could be excused if this were Ms. Coulter's first book, but it isn't. Besides, I've read other historical romances set in this same time period that showed a lot more sensitivity, like 'The Lily and The Leopard' by Susan Wiggs.

I disliked Hastings. She was a doormat incarnate. Enough said.

The marten was a nice touch, and the only saving grace. I would have enjoyed reading about its mating expoloits rather than the dysfunctional relationship between the two humans.

Thankfully, Ms. Coulter redeems herself big time with her wonderfully comic 'Bride Trilogy'.

Rating:
Summary: Subtle humor and great love story regardless!
Review: This review is written and ready to go online. As I prepare to enter it, I am amazed at the tremendous criticism of this book I see already posted. It is apparent my views differ greatly from some other reviewers. I tend to read a book within the context the author has created. If I don't like that author's writing style, I don't read their books again. Coulter is a writer that is on the rougher side of romance. Many would tame that by stating that her writing is politically incorrect. However, when I pick up a Coulter book, I know it is probably not going to be warm and fuzzy and it will probably contain an overly aggressive hero. And since I believe overly aggressive heroes are common then and now, I submerge myself into this different type of romance. I am not making a political statement with this review. I really enjoyed this book and am not ashamed to admit it. I liked the hero and the heroine and don't believe this writing or me to be sick. I think it was very entertaining. Now for my review in it's original form:

I have only recently discovered Catherine Coulter. While I know her writing style can cause great controversy, I have found most of the four Coulter books I have read to date to be quite entertaining. I am somewhat bothered by the hero's ruthlessness in some of her books but I am also one that accepts such ruthless behavior as part of the story and can accept a tarnished man as a hero. Rosehaven is my favorite Coulter book to date. It has a delightful underlying subtle humor and both of the lead characters were well written. I especially liked the heroine, Hastings and how easily she spoke her mind without hatefulness. Usually I don't relish the presence of too many secondary characters but they were so interwoven into the overall story and lives of the hero and heroine that I found them quite interesting. Overall, I had a great time reading this book and put it down only with great reluctance. I eagerly watched for the next time I could continue reading it.

Severin is the hero, a medieval knight who has performed well in the Christian Crusades and is recognized as an accomplished, courageous, and talented man. The Earl of Oxborough has chosen Severin to wed his only daughter, Hastings, claim all of the family's vast estates and riches, and continue the family line. When he first appears at Oxborough Castle, he seems an unfeeling, dominating man who definitely believes he is in charge. He does not hide his disdainful attitude towards his bride-to-be. He is wedding her to obtain lands, title, and riches and in turn will provide heirs and excellent management of the estates. At this point, I was not too crazy about Severin. He seemed totally without feelings as was well noted by Hastings as she told Severin that he had the feelings of a toad.

Hastings is a vivacious and fun heroine forced into an unwanted marriage to this most insensitive man. She attempts to talk her dying father out of the forced wedding but he refuses and insists they marry immediately before he dies. And then there is yet another reason for the urgency - the villain is coming to attack the castle and steal Hastings away and thus obtain her family's lands. Through it all, Hastings keeps her chin up and is quite charming.

One of the greatest criticisms of this book is the abusive hero. Yes, he is an aggressive husband who is definitely tarnished in that he forces the marriage bed. He also humiliates Hastings as he disciplines her for her violent behavior. Although I did not like his choice of discipline, I have to admit that Hastings's continual temper tantrums and many attempts to physically hurt Severin were tiring. She would lose all control and I am amazed a medieval hero would tolerate it as well as he did. Overall I found Severin to be quite a pleasant guy. It was very amusing to watch his love for her grow and grow although he didn't realize it was happening. And that is what I liked best about Rosehaven. Through many trials and tribulations, we get to see the love develop between Severin and Hastings little by little throughout the book. It is not a love that comes together suddenly at the end. We are given pages and pages to savor the growth of this relationship and their romance is the primary storyline. We actually get to see them happy together prior to the end of the book. There are quite a few sensual scenes that rate about a 3.75 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). Although these scenes are not explicit, they are definitely sensual. There is a lot of great chemistry between these two.

Overall, I loved this book! I have not been this enthusiastic about a book in some time. My ability to accept some politically incorrect behavior as part of medieval times definitely plays into this high rating. I realize not everyone can accept the hero's negative behavior. But since I have read other Coulter books, I can compare him to a few of her other heroes. Compared to the heroes in The Devil's Embrace or Season of the Sun, this hero is tame. I am looking forward to yet another Coulter adventure. One thing I have discovered about her writing is that her books can vary tremendously.