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White Satin
In this classic novel, New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen spins a marvelous love story about a world-class figure skater, her distant, demanding mentor, and the high-stakes competition that could bring them together at last—or put all their dreams on ice. WHITE SATIN On the smooth, silvery surface of the ice skating rink, Dany Alexander cuts a figure of strength and fire, beauty and grace. One man alone is responsible for Dany’s Anthony Malik, a former skating star who has managed her career for the past sixteen years. And for all that time, deep within his fortress of money, sex, and power, Anthony has found his attraction for Dany growing more intense. Now he wants Dany—not as a prodigy, but as a lover.Part guru, part taskmaster, and total mystery, Anthony is adept at finding out things about Dany that she’s kept hidden—even from herself. The depth of his desire for her can’t be denied. But what about Dany’s own need to get to know her mentor as the man he really is? With the Olympics just weeks away, an extraordinary contest of wills has begun. It could culminate in a crushing fall, or the greatest prize of all.From the Paperback edition.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1985
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622 people want to read
About the author
Iris Johansen
229 books7,356 followersIris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
http://www.irisjohansen.com
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
http://www.irisjohansen.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
June 12, 2017
1 HAVING MY CAKE AND EATING IT STARS
Well if you don't remember the figure staking craze of the 1988 Calgary winter games this book might be hard to understand. For me this book was a supposed trip down memory lane, as an ex figure stater and lover of the sport.
It was expecting a sweet story but sadly it was just so stereotypical.
AND FOR ME, IT WAS A COMPLETE FAIL
She was the figure skater and He was her coach.
He was suppose to care and protect her but he could not stand to be around her as he was attracted to her. Still he would not allow her to be with others.
He was always saying to her "I am losing patience with you" when he was the problem.
To help diffuse the situation he invites his mistress to come an live with them. As they live together!
So wrong and gross here!
I was Mad as hell, as she is pushing for sex knowing that his mistress is still sleeping with him.
She even tell him how she likes his mistresses?
As he has had many thought out the years and she has known them!
WTH is wrong with this bitch in heat!
Omg I will never read this horrible book again.
Well if you don't remember the figure staking craze of the 1988 Calgary winter games this book might be hard to understand. For me this book was a supposed trip down memory lane, as an ex figure stater and lover of the sport.
It was expecting a sweet story but sadly it was just so stereotypical.
AND FOR ME, IT WAS A COMPLETE FAIL
She was the figure skater and He was her coach.
He was suppose to care and protect her but he could not stand to be around her as he was attracted to her. Still he would not allow her to be with others.
He was always saying to her "I am losing patience with you" when he was the problem.
To help diffuse the situation he invites his mistress to come an live with them. As they live together!
So wrong and gross here!
I was Mad as hell, as she is pushing for sex knowing that his mistress is still sleeping with him.
She even tell him how she likes his mistresses?
As he has had many thought out the years and she has known them!
WTH is wrong with this bitch in heat!
Omg I will never read this horrible book again.
October 13, 2018
Ice skating! Alas, not a toe pick to be found.
Hero is a gold medalist figure skater who met the heroine when she was six and he was twenty. He knew then that she was the one for him. (Got some Twilight imprinting happening here)
Fast forward 14 years (?) heroine is on her way to the Olympics. Her parents died when she was 8 and the hero petitioned to be her guardian. Until she was 14, she lived with him at the family mansion and he was her skating coach. Hero realized heroine was interested in him romantically , and he immediately got her a different coach and sent her away to train. So for the past six years he has been loving her from afar.
He tells her all of this by page 38. The heroine is ready to take their relationship to the next level - so what's the problem that will keeps us reading?
Hero has intimacy issues. Heroine has to find her joy in skating again.
There are some hot sex scenes for a 1985 category and lots of psychoanalyzing and lots of skating descriptions. I like all three of those things, but if a moody hero bothers you, you might not like this one. (Really the guy is no ray of sunshine) Same with the skating. I enjoyed it - but it is a big part of the story outside of the romance.
Some standout details:
OW wears a raccoon poncho (LOL)
Hero was an Olympic gold medalist, headlined the Ice Capades, and then became a titan of industry.
Hero is the only ice skater I've ever heard of who has a malaria relapse. Yes, malaria and ice skating. He was touring South America with the Ice Capades and contracted it.
Heroine was a virgin. Hero was not celibate while he was waiting for the heroine to grow up.
Hero is a gold medalist figure skater who met the heroine when she was six and he was twenty. He knew then that she was the one for him. (Got some Twilight imprinting happening here)
Fast forward 14 years (?) heroine is on her way to the Olympics. Her parents died when she was 8 and the hero petitioned to be her guardian. Until she was 14, she lived with him at the family mansion and he was her skating coach. Hero realized heroine was interested in him romantically , and he immediately got her a different coach and sent her away to train. So for the past six years he has been loving her from afar.
He tells her all of this by page 38. The heroine is ready to take their relationship to the next level - so what's the problem that will keeps us reading?
Hero has intimacy issues. Heroine has to find her joy in skating again.
There are some hot sex scenes for a 1985 category and lots of psychoanalyzing and lots of skating descriptions. I like all three of those things, but if a moody hero bothers you, you might not like this one. (Really the guy is no ray of sunshine) Same with the skating. I enjoyed it - but it is a big part of the story outside of the romance.
Some standout details:
OW wears a raccoon poncho (LOL)
Hero was an Olympic gold medalist, headlined the Ice Capades, and then became a titan of industry.
Hero is the only ice skater I've ever heard of who has a malaria relapse. Yes, malaria and ice skating. He was touring South America with the Ice Capades and contracted it.
Heroine was a virgin. Hero was not celibate while he was waiting for the heroine to grow up.
May 31, 2011
I feared this would be too icky for me, but it turned out to be pretty fun. Yes, the hero has been the heroine’s guardian since she was 8, yes, he decided when she was 6 and he was 20 that she was the one for him (!) and yes, he started finding her hot when she was 14. But at least he was grossed out by himself and doesn’t act on it: “Fourteen years old. Lord, he’d felt as shocked and disgusted with himself as if he’d actually taken her instead of sending her away... He’d constantly reinforced his vigilance but he’d known it was there, just waiting to burst free.”
Anthony’s plans to wait for Dany to mature run into problems when she starts dating someone and arouses his nutjob jealousy. He sends for her and tells her, “It’s only fair to warn you, Dany, I find myself growing very impatient of late.”
Dany, having never felt any of the affection she craved from Anthony, is naturally going WTF?
I really enjoyed the first half of this, in which Anthony is delightfully obsessed and insistent, yet tender and loving. He continues trying to hold off having sex (so as not to distract Dany before she competes in the Calgary Olympics) which culminates in a wonderful seduction scene in which Dany forces him to chase after her while she strips off everything she’s wearing.
The second half, which was all about Anthony’s tragic past and how he can’t let himself need anyone was okay, but not as wackily fun. There’s some enjoyable ice skating background (you can really tell this was written in the late 80s,) a lovely scene of the two of them skating together, and some hawt sex (except for the weird ways he keeps clasping her breasts.) But the more mature, realistic second half doesn't really blend with the first.
This was really more of a three, three and a half stars tops, but Johansen deserves at least a half point for the amazing feat of making a male figure skater seem sexy.
Anthony’s plans to wait for Dany to mature run into problems when she starts dating someone and arouses his nutjob jealousy. He sends for her and tells her, “It’s only fair to warn you, Dany, I find myself growing very impatient of late.”
Dany, having never felt any of the affection she craved from Anthony, is naturally going WTF?
I really enjoyed the first half of this, in which Anthony is delightfully obsessed and insistent, yet tender and loving. He continues trying to hold off having sex (so as not to distract Dany before she competes in the Calgary Olympics) which culminates in a wonderful seduction scene in which Dany forces him to chase after her while she strips off everything she’s wearing.
The second half, which was all about Anthony’s tragic past and how he can’t let himself need anyone was okay, but not as wackily fun. There’s some enjoyable ice skating background (you can really tell this was written in the late 80s,) a lovely scene of the two of them skating together, and some hawt sex (except for the weird ways he keeps clasping her breasts.) But the more mature, realistic second half doesn't really blend with the first.
This was really more of a three, three and a half stars tops, but Johansen deserves at least a half point for the amazing feat of making a male figure skater seem sexy.
September 25, 2023
I want to be clear that my low rating for this book has nothing to do with the actual writing. In fact, I have started another Iris Johansen book in her Eve Duncan series that I am enjoying quite a bit so far.
My reason for this low rating is that I have a problem with the way this story was written regarding the dynamic of the couple. The huge age difference between the two characters (15 years or so, I think) is one issue. Not quite as big an issue when both characters are adults. The love story does not actually exist between them until they are both adults so at least there is that. The other issue I had was the fact that the man meets the girl when she is only 6 years old and decides at that point that she will be the love of his life. Huh?!? This man is approximately 20 years old and has romantic feelings toward a 6-year-old girl? Ummm...... As mentioned above, no love story exists yet until she is also an adult. He waits for her to grow up before pursuing such a connection. Nonetheless, too much icky here for me to enjoy.
My reason for this low rating is that I have a problem with the way this story was written regarding the dynamic of the couple. The huge age difference between the two characters (15 years or so, I think) is one issue. Not quite as big an issue when both characters are adults. The love story does not actually exist between them until they are both adults so at least there is that. The other issue I had was the fact that the man meets the girl when she is only 6 years old and decides at that point that she will be the love of his life. Huh?!? This man is approximately 20 years old and has romantic feelings toward a 6-year-old girl? Ummm...... As mentioned above, no love story exists yet until she is also an adult. He waits for her to grow up before pursuing such a connection. Nonetheless, too much icky here for me to enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2017
"White Satin" is the story of Anthony and Dany, and about the evolving relationship between a Olympian figure skater, and his mentee who strives to achieve the same.
As Dany is about to compete in the Olympics, something that has been her lifelong dream- the tension between her and Anthony, who has taken care of her since she was a child and trained her to be what she is now reaches its pinnacle and soon unrequited love explodes.
This book is not for everyone
It was hot, passionate, filled with jealousy and emotions. Totally enjoyed it.
Unsafe
4/5
As Dany is about to compete in the Olympics, something that has been her lifelong dream- the tension between her and Anthony, who has taken care of her since she was a child and trained her to be what she is now reaches its pinnacle and soon unrequited love explodes.
This book is not for everyone
It was hot, passionate, filled with jealousy and emotions. Totally enjoyed it.
Unsafe
4/5
October 12, 2018
It’s really hard to rate this book. I began my review still reading it. I don’t know how it gonna end. Of course I’ve read other reviews even spoilers but I don’t know how the writing will make me feel. However, I want to share the most intense/striking parts:
“I’m not asking you to love me,” he said gravely. “I realize I’m not an easy person to love. You may even find it impossible. I’m just telling you I want it. There are other things that we can give each other. I’m not trying to wring any commitments from you. I just want you to know that you’re going to belong to me and that you’re going to want to belong to me.” (At least he knew himself.)
“I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. I’d been still thinking of you as a child, and there you were with that look in your eyes that meant I could have you, that I could teach you to belong to me as a woman.”
“You sent me away from Briarcliff,” she said haltingly. “I could see by your expression I’d given myself away. I thought I had made a complete fool of myself.”
He shook his head. “It was either send you away or ruin everything I’d waited for.”
This book reminds me Women's Decameron by Julia Voznesenskaya. One of the heroines was raped by her figure skating couch. Thus I didn’t think the H as sexual predator but it is still annoying. On the other hand, I was in love with 30 years old man when I was 15. Of course it was infatuation only but I looked and felt like 18. Luckyly, I was so shy to express my feelings. Anyway I’m still confused but H did not abuse her, she didn’t know about his feelings. He had even felt shocked and disgusted with himself “as if he’d actually taken her instead of sending her away. This should be taken into account.
“We’re just going to learn each other’s bodies.” His lips touched her temple. “You’re going to find out how much I want you and you’re going to want me too.” His teeth nibbled at her ear. “You’re going to sleep naked in my arms so that you’ll know you belong to me as I belong to you. And that there’s no possibility of either one of us belonging to anyone else from now on.”
Wow! It’s hot!
“You’re the only person in the whole damn world who could hurt me. That frightens me, Dany.” He drew a deep breath. “I told myself that I brought Luisa here to shake you up a little, to make you see how much it would hurt to put anyone between us.” He lifted her hand and held it to his cheek. “And it did hurt, didn’t it, love? It hurt “me when I thought about you with Kowalt, but I couldn’t stand seeing you suffer the same kind of torment I’d gone through.” He was rubbing her palm over the broad, hard contour of his cheekbone. “No more barriers between us, okay? No game playing, no wariness, just honesty.”
He is better than most of vintage heroes. He also confessed about his mistress at the same day, not at the end of the book.
“She was sitting back on her heels at one end of the makeshift bed, her hands folded meekly in her lap, and her dark eyes glowing with tenderness in the lamplight. She was totally nude.” (Submissive?)
Of course they made love and at the beginning of the last third of the book, H even confessed his love after heroine’s declaration. And I wondered how would IJ create conflict to keep readers’ interest. I found my answer:
“That never-ending search for love and approval. Everyone has to love Dany Alexander, don’t they? Beau, Marta, Kowalt, me. We all have to make up for the affection and attention you never received from your parents.” Immediately afterwards he apologized nicely but he continued to behave moody.
And she went to Calgary. The competition began. I think IJ inspired from East German gold medalist Katarina Witt’s short program.
https://youtu.be/2Wp9PN60124
Before the long program, they settled their differences and I admired heroine’s speech about need and love:
“I’m not depending on you to help me or fight any of my battles for me. I’ll fight them and win them myself. But that doesn’t mean I won’t always need you to stand beside me and support me.” Her voice was so soft now, it was almost a whisper. “You’re the ice beneath my skates and the wind beneath my wings. You’re my lover and my friend. There’s no shame in needing someone like that. Someday you’ll come to understand that.”
The final was amazingly sentimental, I feel their excitement, anxiety, love... I know I’m a sentimental old woman but I dropped one or more tears when she won the gold medal.
https://youtu.be/koqOEd10GdI
“I’m not asking you to love me,” he said gravely. “I realize I’m not an easy person to love. You may even find it impossible. I’m just telling you I want it. There are other things that we can give each other. I’m not trying to wring any commitments from you. I just want you to know that you’re going to belong to me and that you’re going to want to belong to me.” (At least he knew himself.)
“I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. I’d been still thinking of you as a child, and there you were with that look in your eyes that meant I could have you, that I could teach you to belong to me as a woman.”
“You sent me away from Briarcliff,” she said haltingly. “I could see by your expression I’d given myself away. I thought I had made a complete fool of myself.”
He shook his head. “It was either send you away or ruin everything I’d waited for.”
This book reminds me Women's Decameron by Julia Voznesenskaya. One of the heroines was raped by her figure skating couch. Thus I didn’t think the H as sexual predator but it is still annoying. On the other hand, I was in love with 30 years old man when I was 15. Of course it was infatuation only but I looked and felt like 18. Luckyly, I was so shy to express my feelings. Anyway I’m still confused but H did not abuse her, she didn’t know about his feelings. He had even felt shocked and disgusted with himself “as if he’d actually taken her instead of sending her away. This should be taken into account.
“We’re just going to learn each other’s bodies.” His lips touched her temple. “You’re going to find out how much I want you and you’re going to want me too.” His teeth nibbled at her ear. “You’re going to sleep naked in my arms so that you’ll know you belong to me as I belong to you. And that there’s no possibility of either one of us belonging to anyone else from now on.”
Wow! It’s hot!
“You’re the only person in the whole damn world who could hurt me. That frightens me, Dany.” He drew a deep breath. “I told myself that I brought Luisa here to shake you up a little, to make you see how much it would hurt to put anyone between us.” He lifted her hand and held it to his cheek. “And it did hurt, didn’t it, love? It hurt “me when I thought about you with Kowalt, but I couldn’t stand seeing you suffer the same kind of torment I’d gone through.” He was rubbing her palm over the broad, hard contour of his cheekbone. “No more barriers between us, okay? No game playing, no wariness, just honesty.”
He is better than most of vintage heroes. He also confessed about his mistress at the same day, not at the end of the book.
“She was sitting back on her heels at one end of the makeshift bed, her hands folded meekly in her lap, and her dark eyes glowing with tenderness in the lamplight. She was totally nude.” (Submissive?)
Of course they made love and at the beginning of the last third of the book, H even confessed his love after heroine’s declaration. And I wondered how would IJ create conflict to keep readers’ interest. I found my answer:
“That never-ending search for love and approval. Everyone has to love Dany Alexander, don’t they? Beau, Marta, Kowalt, me. We all have to make up for the affection and attention you never received from your parents.” Immediately afterwards he apologized nicely but he continued to behave moody.
And she went to Calgary. The competition began. I think IJ inspired from East German gold medalist Katarina Witt’s short program.
https://youtu.be/2Wp9PN60124
Before the long program, they settled their differences and I admired heroine’s speech about need and love:
“I’m not depending on you to help me or fight any of my battles for me. I’ll fight them and win them myself. But that doesn’t mean I won’t always need you to stand beside me and support me.” Her voice was so soft now, it was almost a whisper. “You’re the ice beneath my skates and the wind beneath my wings. You’re my lover and my friend. There’s no shame in needing someone like that. Someday you’ll come to understand that.”
The final was amazingly sentimental, I feel their excitement, anxiety, love... I know I’m a sentimental old woman but I dropped one or more tears when she won the gold medal.
https://youtu.be/koqOEd10GdI
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2021
I know that the plot ward/ tutor is one of the hottest and more requested by everyone, authors and readers both.
It’s a difficult thing to deal with, because there are multiple issues:
- the age gap: it’s often very conspicuous, more than 10 years and very significant because it happens in sensitive periods, teenage years or childhood for the heroine, adulthood for the hero
- the unbalanced power: up/down for the hero who is basically the caregiver of the heroine.
- the very first moment when the hero is attracted to the heroine
The authors can solve those issue in various ways.
- sometimes the hero never meets the heroine until she’s grown up. This is the easiest because he knows her when she’s already adult, and doesn’t have to remember her as a child.
- sometimes the hero meets the heroine when she’s young, then there are some years when they don’t meet and when they meet again she’s another person, and the hero sees her as an adult, and starts having feelings for her that are not brotherly kind.
- sometimes the hero meets her constantly during the years and then suddenly he starts seeing her as a woman he desires. This is more difficult because there must be an episode where the hero understands he has feelings for his ward. And sometimes he has feelings for her when she’s not still adult, usually 14/16. Then he has to wait some more years. He also has to have mistresses during those early years, to be considered “normal” and not pathological. Unfortunately in this case there is an inconsistency because if he wants the heroine he shouldn’t want other women, so this is annoying for many readers. He should wait for her.
-in this book a very strange and disturbing thing happens: the 20 years old hero meets the heroine when she’s 6. He’s her tutor for 14 years. And he immediately understands she’s the woman for him. Of course he will have ow, and when she’s 14 he sees she’s attracted to him, but since she’s still too young he decides to wait other 6 years, during which he will have several more women that the heroine will meet.
Then suddenly, when the heroine starts to see om, he becomes all jealous and possessive and basically tells her she belongs to him.
And he still has a mistress.
So, all this is very un-romantic.
A man who sees a child should only see a child, because he can’t know the woman she will become. That he decides he must have her at 6 means that he’s cheating her of her chance to grow up, differentiate, and choose.
That won’t do.
And it’s dangerously near to pedophily.
And the fact that he enjoys many ow even if he tells her he wanted her for years means that she’s not so special for him, or he would have waited for her at least for some years.
No, he leaves his mistress when the heroine is starting to show interest for another young man.
The ow trick is dangerous: yes, we understand that the author must let the hero have sex with ow to tell us he’s normal, but how long can he have them without being “unfaithful “?
Here it’s all wrong, he wants her when she’s 6, desires her when she’s 14, and has ow until she’s 20. Too long. Messy.
The plot is not so interesting, the heroine is a skater and she is being trained for word championship, there’s some problem because the hero is afraid to let himself go completely with her and is a bit emotionally distant, but all this is quite boring.
Some hot sex and the hero actually loves her and cherishes her all along ( mistresses apart…) so no big angst. A tacky evening with the hero, his mistress and the heroine for our utter joy. How low. Down another star.
Not a bad book, simply not my cuppa.
It’s a difficult thing to deal with, because there are multiple issues:
- the age gap: it’s often very conspicuous, more than 10 years and very significant because it happens in sensitive periods, teenage years or childhood for the heroine, adulthood for the hero
- the unbalanced power: up/down for the hero who is basically the caregiver of the heroine.
- the very first moment when the hero is attracted to the heroine
The authors can solve those issue in various ways.
- sometimes the hero never meets the heroine until she’s grown up. This is the easiest because he knows her when she’s already adult, and doesn’t have to remember her as a child.
- sometimes the hero meets the heroine when she’s young, then there are some years when they don’t meet and when they meet again she’s another person, and the hero sees her as an adult, and starts having feelings for her that are not brotherly kind.
- sometimes the hero meets her constantly during the years and then suddenly he starts seeing her as a woman he desires. This is more difficult because there must be an episode where the hero understands he has feelings for his ward. And sometimes he has feelings for her when she’s not still adult, usually 14/16. Then he has to wait some more years. He also has to have mistresses during those early years, to be considered “normal” and not pathological. Unfortunately in this case there is an inconsistency because if he wants the heroine he shouldn’t want other women, so this is annoying for many readers. He should wait for her.
-in this book a very strange and disturbing thing happens: the 20 years old hero meets the heroine when she’s 6. He’s her tutor for 14 years. And he immediately understands she’s the woman for him. Of course he will have ow, and when she’s 14 he sees she’s attracted to him, but since she’s still too young he decides to wait other 6 years, during which he will have several more women that the heroine will meet.
Then suddenly, when the heroine starts to see om, he becomes all jealous and possessive and basically tells her she belongs to him.
And he still has a mistress.
So, all this is very un-romantic.
A man who sees a child should only see a child, because he can’t know the woman she will become. That he decides he must have her at 6 means that he’s cheating her of her chance to grow up, differentiate, and choose.
That won’t do.
And it’s dangerously near to pedophily.
And the fact that he enjoys many ow even if he tells her he wanted her for years means that she’s not so special for him, or he would have waited for her at least for some years.
No, he leaves his mistress when the heroine is starting to show interest for another young man.
The ow trick is dangerous: yes, we understand that the author must let the hero have sex with ow to tell us he’s normal, but how long can he have them without being “unfaithful “?
Here it’s all wrong, he wants her when she’s 6, desires her when she’s 14, and has ow until she’s 20. Too long. Messy.
The plot is not so interesting, the heroine is a skater and she is being trained for word championship, there’s some problem because the hero is afraid to let himself go completely with her and is a bit emotionally distant, but all this is quite boring.
Some hot sex and the hero actually loves her and cherishes her all along ( mistresses apart…) so no big angst. A tacky evening with the hero, his mistress and the heroine for our utter joy. How low. Down another star.
Not a bad book, simply not my cuppa.
July 21, 2017
3.75 stars. The H is obsessed with a capital O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D!!! Be warned this book has some rather controversial and icky matter for most people. The H had a very deep seated hmmm… I guess interest/love/affection/obsession with the h at 6 years old! This was written in 1985 so I’d like to think readers such as myself during that time period were a little more open and not as politically correct as today. So if you’re used to bodice rippers, vintage Un-PC heroes/storylines maybe you won’t be so turned off by this. Definitely if the book was written today there’d be a riot! I have my own thoughts in the matter with my review below. I’m certainly not into pedophilia and grooming and the like. I am for forbidden/taboo love stories given certain facts/guidelines only which I will enumerate below. The back cover already tells you what the plot is all about. First the H. It is definitely weird that he knew the h at 6 years old was the one for him (yeah, I cringe as I typed those words). But the H was a scarred hero. I think it was more the emotions that the h brought out in him and it was more that he “emotionally” connected to the h. Never in thoughts or actions did the H do anything remotely sexual or physical or even thought sexually about the h at all during those time periods (errr other than thinking the h will belong to him forever lol) But kidding aside, I think the h was just a breath of fresh air to the scarred H and made him feel free. Now when the h turned 14, that’s a different story. This was when the H (and even the h herself ) felt sexual desire. But the H didn’t act on it and was REALLY disgusted with himself. He did try to fix the situation by sending her away. So number 1 right there, the H self sacrificed for the h’s own good. And I feel throughout the whole book the H was really sacrificing and withholding all he could, doing the best he can for the sake of the h’s well being. H wanted to be with the h and go all the way only when she was more grown up but of course so we have a story it didn’t turn out that way lol. Now is the H dangerously obsessed, controlling and mad? YES. Because despite doing what he felt would help the h grow, H already made up his mind that the h was HIS HIS HIS and only HIS! Heck, even when the h wanted to break up with him H will not allow it. Here’s some of the H’s not obsessed words lol:
When the h wants to break up with him: “No, you won’t. For the simple reason that I’m not going to let you. Whenever you turn around, I’ll be there reminding you. I’m going to be the shadow behind you and the nemesis in front of you. You’ll be back in my bed within a month.”
Ahem, lovely.
Here’s another gem: “It’s too late to back away from e now, Dany. I’ll just come after you. For the rest of your life I’ll be either beside you or behind you. Take your pick.”
And the last one: “If you held our your hand to save me from a precipice, I’d take it in a minute. I wouldn’t let even death separate us now.”
Super deep dark obsession ahem love that’s for sure lol! As for the H’s “extra-curricular” activities before the H declared his intentions I’m really not as bothered by it. I also don’t consider it cheating as he didn’t really declare himself yet. First off, the H already had a very bad/weird/obsession/”possibly illegal if he acted on it” desire for the h. And plus he’s a man. So if he needed all that so he doesn’t do anything untoward to the h AND the OW/mistresses are adults and accept/understand that this is all there is to it, then I’m OK with it. (Some feminist I am hahaha!) And also as soon as the H declared himself, the mistress was kaput. But anyway, this is one of the only/main reasons I was ok with the story and the H – I really feel he was body and soul into the h and will do anything and everything for her own good and happiness (except give her to another man of course!) Here's what the H said close to their HEA which I thought was really sweet....
When h is going to compete for the Olympics:
“I’ll be right back,” she promised. “Wait for me.” He nodded. “I’ll wait for you.” His lips curved in a slight smile. “What’s a few minutes more after fourteen years?”
I also wish the ending was longer and/or there was an epilogue. Oh yeah, of course there were some hot love scenes throughout the book, yummy lol. I don’t really find male skaters very attractive and they don’t seem very errr masculine to me, but I definitely didn’t doubt the H’s masculinity here LOL.
When the h wants to break up with him: “No, you won’t. For the simple reason that I’m not going to let you. Whenever you turn around, I’ll be there reminding you. I’m going to be the shadow behind you and the nemesis in front of you. You’ll be back in my bed within a month.”
Ahem, lovely.
Here’s another gem: “It’s too late to back away from e now, Dany. I’ll just come after you. For the rest of your life I’ll be either beside you or behind you. Take your pick.”
And the last one: “If you held our your hand to save me from a precipice, I’d take it in a minute. I wouldn’t let even death separate us now.”
Super deep dark obsession ahem love that’s for sure lol! As for the H’s “extra-curricular” activities before the H declared his intentions I’m really not as bothered by it. I also don’t consider it cheating as he didn’t really declare himself yet. First off, the H already had a very bad/weird/obsession/”possibly illegal if he acted on it” desire for the h. And plus he’s a man. So if he needed all that so he doesn’t do anything untoward to the h AND the OW/mistresses are adults and accept/understand that this is all there is to it, then I’m OK with it. (Some feminist I am hahaha!) And also as soon as the H declared himself, the mistress was kaput. But anyway, this is one of the only/main reasons I was ok with the story and the H – I really feel he was body and soul into the h and will do anything and everything for her own good and happiness (except give her to another man of course!) Here's what the H said close to their HEA which I thought was really sweet....
When h is going to compete for the Olympics:
“I’ll be right back,” she promised. “Wait for me.” He nodded. “I’ll wait for you.” His lips curved in a slight smile. “What’s a few minutes more after fourteen years?”
I also wish the ending was longer and/or there was an epilogue. Oh yeah, of course there were some hot love scenes throughout the book, yummy lol. I don’t really find male skaters very attractive and they don’t seem very errr masculine to me, but I definitely didn’t doubt the H’s masculinity here LOL.
August 26, 2016
Okurken yaptığım yorumda olduğu gibi bir adamın 6 yaşında bir kıza ilgi duyup, kızın ailesi de ölünce ona sahip çıkarak.. farklı düşüncelere (büyüyünce kendime alıcam gibi) sahip olmasını iğrenç buldum. O yüzden 1 yıldız veriyorum.. Hadi okurken bunu görmezden geldim diyelim ki Anthony tam bir HIRBO! yok ben baskın erkeğim benim dediğim olur.. Yok ben geçmişte çok fakirdim o yüzden şimdi istediğimi yaparım falan.. Çok itici buldum.. Bir kızın buz patencisi olmasını sevdim o kadar :P
July 11, 2011
3.5 stars for the story.
2.5 stars for the narrator. She. Speaks. Just. A. Little. Too. Precisely.
2.5 stars for the narrator. She. Speaks. Just. A. Little. Too. Precisely.
June 4, 2020
A yet another enchanting Love-Story by Iris Johansen, with a masterful grace she throws you into the glamourous world of skating...many details were described with diamonds and crystals...as the love between our hero and heroine.!
Dany Alexander had been under Anthony Malik`s care ever since her parents died. The unspeakable bond has always been there between them...and after waiting for her to grown up after six years Anthony decides to finally claim her, and OH was it bittersweet.!
There are so many beautiful scenes in this story, my absolute favourite is when Anthony and Dany skated together on the ice- It was all so beautiful and romantic, and the way Dany seduces him after ward i just l.o.v.e.d!
We get to read this story from both of their POV, and watching the painful longing Anthony have for Dany was oh soooo dreamy that i totally smiled with a sigh throughout the reading. Both of them are very wonderful and intruging characters, Dany with her flowing passion and stubborn character and Anthony with his dynamic presence and intense love for his beloved Dany. They know of each others loving very early on in the story but still have some obstacles to overcome due to Anthonys painful past (which made me adore him more).
I now also look forward to read Beau`s story in "Blue Velvet"- oh he is so exciting with his "Golden Devil" kind of character and his brotherly friendship with Dany totally warmed my heart!
Overall, a very unique Romance by Iris Johansen with the introduction into a whole different world than i am used to, Dany and Anthony are hero and heroine to die for and their romance equally measured up to it.! A Keeper that i finished the instant i started it.!
Dany Alexander had been under Anthony Malik`s care ever since her parents died. The unspeakable bond has always been there between them...and after waiting for her to grown up after six years Anthony decides to finally claim her, and OH was it bittersweet.!
There are so many beautiful scenes in this story, my absolute favourite is when Anthony and Dany skated together on the ice- It was all so beautiful and romantic, and the way Dany seduces him after ward i just l.o.v.e.d!
We get to read this story from both of their POV, and watching the painful longing Anthony have for Dany was oh soooo dreamy that i totally smiled with a sigh throughout the reading. Both of them are very wonderful and intruging characters, Dany with her flowing passion and stubborn character and Anthony with his dynamic presence and intense love for his beloved Dany. They know of each others loving very early on in the story but still have some obstacles to overcome due to Anthonys painful past (which made me adore him more).
I now also look forward to read Beau`s story in "Blue Velvet"- oh he is so exciting with his "Golden Devil" kind of character and his brotherly friendship with Dany totally warmed my heart!
Overall, a very unique Romance by Iris Johansen with the introduction into a whole different world than i am used to, Dany and Anthony are hero and heroine to die for and their romance equally measured up to it.! A Keeper that i finished the instant i started it.!
February 25, 2017
I signed up for a super-obsessive alpha sighting and I got it, I guess. I even like figure skating, too. But somehow the story just totally lost my interest about 40% in, and I had to force myself to half-heartedly finish it.
I don't mind the old-schoolness of it, in fact I love old-school types of romances. This one, though, the excitement of the romance was over way too soon and the rest of the book was just dragging through the hero's cliche inability to open up. Real boring stuff, tbh. Even his frenzied passion got corny. I had to reflect upon the sad truth that just repeating how much he loves and obsesses over and idolizes her, doesn't automatically make a compelling story.
I don't mind the old-schoolness of it, in fact I love old-school types of romances. This one, though, the excitement of the romance was over way too soon and the rest of the book was just dragging through the hero's cliche inability to open up. Real boring stuff, tbh. Even his frenzied passion got corny. I had to reflect upon the sad truth that just repeating how much he loves and obsesses over and idolizes her, doesn't automatically make a compelling story.
October 14, 2018
Havent read this since the 80's and I think i might have to go reread it to see how I could have given this five stars. Wow. Have I changed that much!?!?!?
June 15, 2011
White Satin by Iris Johansen had a very oldish feel to it.
Dany is a skater, she has lived for it all her life, she is twenty years old and about to go to the Olympics. She pushes herself hard especially for Anthony. Anthony took over her guardianship when her parents died, he has given her everything in her life and she feels a lot for him. Anger since she withholds everything from her, gratitude as well.
Anthony was himself a world champion in skating and now runs a business. The book was kind of weird and had creepy undertones. Anthony knew that Dany was made for him and has been waiting for her to grow up so that she can handle him. He sent her away since he couldn't resist her and he saw that she was getting attracted to him, so when he sees that she may be getting away from him he takes action. The scene where he just comes on to her was kind of weird, I want you to get used to me, so let me strip you.
I liked Dany's independence but I was not sure if their relationship was healthy since Dany did owe a lot to him so maybe she was pushed because of that but maybe not. Anthony was shown as one of those controlling autocratic man, you know the silent stoic man, his attitude towards Dany was very possessive and he was pretty closed off but Dany did open him up a bit.
I think people who like those old books may like this one. I did enjoy it as well.
Dany is a skater, she has lived for it all her life, she is twenty years old and about to go to the Olympics. She pushes herself hard especially for Anthony. Anthony took over her guardianship when her parents died, he has given her everything in her life and she feels a lot for him. Anger since she withholds everything from her, gratitude as well.
Anthony was himself a world champion in skating and now runs a business. The book was kind of weird and had creepy undertones. Anthony knew that Dany was made for him and has been waiting for her to grow up so that she can handle him. He sent her away since he couldn't resist her and he saw that she was getting attracted to him, so when he sees that she may be getting away from him he takes action. The scene where he just comes on to her was kind of weird, I want you to get used to me, so let me strip you.
I liked Dany's independence but I was not sure if their relationship was healthy since Dany did owe a lot to him so maybe she was pushed because of that but maybe not. Anthony was shown as one of those controlling autocratic man, you know the silent stoic man, his attitude towards Dany was very possessive and he was pretty closed off but Dany did open him up a bit.
I think people who like those old books may like this one. I did enjoy it as well.
March 29, 2016
what a pile of BS. yes, I know it was written at a different time -- but no matter what year it was, a 22+ year old man being intrigued by a 6 year old, then deciding he wanted her sexually at 14...and THEN saying things like "I wanted to take you, but it wouldn't have been rape b/c I'd have made it good for you" is DISTURBING. Truly mentally disturbing and kinda made me physically ill.
I cannot believe this is the same Iris Johansen who wrote the Eve Duncan books.
I cannot believe this is the same Iris Johansen who wrote the Eve Duncan books.
May 3, 2018
This book referred to Rhett Butler as a Yankee, twice. Nooooo. South Carolina, Charleston specifically, is most definitely Confederate territory.
Also, where usually I am not at all disturbed by age differences, especially those of a minor age in a guardian or authority role, this one creeped me the fuck out. Can't really explain what was different about it, but there it is.
Also, where usually I am not at all disturbed by age differences, especially those of a minor age in a guardian or authority role, this one creeped me the fuck out. Can't really explain what was different about it, but there it is.
April 9, 2018
Obsessed hero who falls in love with his young ward who is an Olympic figure skater. Very unPC written in the 80s. May/December.
August 11, 2016
I checked this out from the library as an ebook because I'd never read anything about figure skating before (though I enjoy watching it during the Olympics) and I thought it would be fun. However, I didn't even finish the book because I couldn't stand the "hero." He's the quintessential "alpha" type who has to control everything, including the heroine, and that pissed me off to no end. I did get about halfway through the book I didn't realize when I checked this out that the book was originally published in 1985, which explains the jackass "alpha" hero, and if I'd known I might not have bothered with it at all.
February 20, 2018
DNF at 26%. Oof, yeesh. With the Winter Olympics going on, I just watched Cutting Edge for the first time and wanted more ice skating romance. This one was recommended, so I grabbed it from the library. I knew it was going to be a guardian-ward type of thing, but I did NOT know it was going to be a "I, a 20-year-old, saw you at age 6 and knew I had to have you" type of thing. I now realize why in the hell Stephanie Meyers EVER thought the Jacob imprinting thing was socially acceptable. The 80s were wild. Glad we have standards now.
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.
"'And it wouldn't have been rape, Dany. I'd have given you so much pleasure, you would have been begging for it. I'd never have taken without giving. Not with you. It wouldn't have been possible.'"
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.
December 8, 2015
Go for the gold or go for love? It's a about figure skating. Something undoubtably new concept in my reading. I've found another favorite. His character was very hard to decipher. I almost thought his background was going to be very dark and disturbing, but it turns out to be rather sweet. He comes about his jaded character unable to stand weakness and vulnerability in anyone. So therefore he was careful of making sure she reaches her independence, before he can freely love and possess her. It is a very different reasoning and outlook which makes him for an unusual albeit unforgettable tortured hero.
February 3, 2021
Kitabın ilk kısımları kesinlikle 1 alırdı ama sonlara doğru biraz daha hikaye varmış gibi oldu, biraz da karakterler oturdu gibi o yüzden 2 verdim.
Genele baktığımızda ama, ne hikaye var ortada doğru düzgün, ne aşkı anlıyorsunuz, çeviri problemi de var gibi geldi bana. Bunun dışında karakterler de sıkıntılıydı, kız önce adamı hep sevdiğini söylüyor sonra sanki yeni keşfetmiş gibi algılıyor, adam kıza benim olacaksın diyor ama şuan olmaz diyor (WTF) yani evlat olsa sevilmez iki saçma karakter var kitapta.
Kitaplığımda çoook uzun bir süredir bekliyordu o yüzden okudum ama vaktimi başka bir kitaba harcasaydım da olurdu.
Genele baktığımızda ama, ne hikaye var ortada doğru düzgün, ne aşkı anlıyorsunuz, çeviri problemi de var gibi geldi bana. Bunun dışında karakterler de sıkıntılıydı, kız önce adamı hep sevdiğini söylüyor sonra sanki yeni keşfetmiş gibi algılıyor, adam kıza benim olacaksın diyor ama şuan olmaz diyor (WTF) yani evlat olsa sevilmez iki saçma karakter var kitapta.
Kitaplığımda çoook uzun bir süredir bekliyordu o yüzden okudum ama vaktimi başka bir kitaba harcasaydım da olurdu.
February 7, 2021
I was in for the ice skating, I wanted to keep reading it, but I just couldn't pass the creepiness of him wanting her since she was a girl. I know this was written in other times, but even then that was wrong. And I know he felt pure love not desire then, but no thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2015
I read this in one night. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it, considering there was the whole ick-factor to it.
Twenty-year-old Dany Alexander is competing for the Olympic gold in figure skating, and at her side are several close friends she's considered family since her parents died, including her guardian Anthony Malik. Anthony won the gold at her age too, and it's made him very wealthy and famous. When she was 8 and lost her parents, Anthony fought for guardianship of her and helped her achieve her dreams. And now, when she has started casually dating someone, he drops the bomb on her: that for him, there has only ever been her.
A twenty-year-old man deciding a six-year-old would be "his" doesn't seem very romantic, and in fact falls into the ick-factor realm for me. It reminds me of Twilight, with the creepy imprinting-on-toddlers issue. I thought the story was well done besides that. I would've rather the attraction had grown over time between the two instead of always being there from the time she was a child, as he claimed. That made it a tad too weird. At least he was adequately disgusted with himself for his feelings until she was a grown woman, which redeemed him a little. And his behavior throughout the rest of the book was actually very sweet for the most part, so I could forgive him his creepiness.
I absolutely loved this story. It was just so honest, and I loved how the biggest obstacle in the relationship was themselves. Too often, romance writers put things in place, like creating a love triangle, to try to invent tension between two characters to keep the romance interesting. I really enjoyed how Dany and Anthony had to struggle to overcome themselves in order for everything to work out instead of having outside tension, because, in real life, that's how a relationship works. You have to overcome yourself in order to compromise with your partner.
I've heard of this author many times in my life, and I'm surprised this was the first time I've read anything by her. I'll have to pick up something else she's written soon.
Twenty-year-old Dany Alexander is competing for the Olympic gold in figure skating, and at her side are several close friends she's considered family since her parents died, including her guardian Anthony Malik. Anthony won the gold at her age too, and it's made him very wealthy and famous. When she was 8 and lost her parents, Anthony fought for guardianship of her and helped her achieve her dreams. And now, when she has started casually dating someone, he drops the bomb on her: that for him, there has only ever been her.
A twenty-year-old man deciding a six-year-old would be "his" doesn't seem very romantic, and in fact falls into the ick-factor realm for me. It reminds me of Twilight, with the creepy imprinting-on-toddlers issue. I thought the story was well done besides that. I would've rather the attraction had grown over time between the two instead of always being there from the time she was a child, as he claimed. That made it a tad too weird. At least he was adequately disgusted with himself for his feelings until she was a grown woman, which redeemed him a little. And his behavior throughout the rest of the book was actually very sweet for the most part, so I could forgive him his creepiness.
I absolutely loved this story. It was just so honest, and I loved how the biggest obstacle in the relationship was themselves. Too often, romance writers put things in place, like creating a love triangle, to try to invent tension between two characters to keep the romance interesting. I really enjoyed how Dany and Anthony had to struggle to overcome themselves in order for everything to work out instead of having outside tension, because, in real life, that's how a relationship works. You have to overcome yourself in order to compromise with your partner.
I've heard of this author many times in my life, and I'm surprised this was the first time I've read anything by her. I'll have to pick up something else she's written soon.
February 3, 2012
This had a sweet ending, though I didn't love the rest of it. I liked it, but didn't love it. This just isn't my favorite kind of romance, where the characters already admit they love each other but one just isn't happy because the other one is holding something back or something. Also, so not believable that people this serious about a sport would risk everything by having unprotected sex like 6 weeks before the Olympics (multiple times) -- what if she'd been pregnant and tired/nauseated during the Olympics?? Also not believable that they would even have contemplated having sex the afternoon before her final, ultra-important long program. That aside though, I thought it was a decent read -- 3.5 stars.
January 20, 2014
Anthony ve Dany arasında geçen, kimi yerde tutkulu , kimi yerde sinir bozucu olan ilişkilerinin kaleme alındığı bu kitabı ne sevdim ne sevmedim : )) ama yazarı severim tarzını da şöyle böyle çözdüm diyorsanız bu kitabını da okuyabilirsiniz , okurken sıkılmaktan çok erkek karakterin git-gel durumları e yeter ama dedirtebiliyor. Yinede bu özelliklere rağmen kendini okutan süründürmeyen bir kitap ...
March 10, 2011
A good old fashioned series romance with an alpha male and ice skating - enjoyed it.
May 28, 2015
3.75 stars
July 12, 2025
Content note: Grooming
Eighties romance is notoriously weird and White Satin is a prime example of the issues. Twenty-year-old ice skating champion Anthony Malik concludes that Dany Alexander is destined to be the love of his life when she's six. Naturally, he fights to become her legal guardian after her self-absorbed parents die two years later and he serves as her coach. In the process, he ("accidentally") grooms her until she develops feelings for him at the age of 14 and he keeps her at a distance for the next six years to stop himself from consummating their relationship. I decided to mark the book as DNF even before Anthony narrated his ephebophilic desire, but I felt if I planned to leave a review, I should at least skim the 10 remaining chapters. White Satin is short enough that it didn't take long, but it still managed to get worse.
The text tries to equivocate, but if an adult man imposes his desire for love, connection, and intimacy on a child, then he should recognize the impulse as predatory. That he nurtured it and worse, subjected Dany to the intensity of it is repulsive; however, White Satin insists that it's romantic. I know I'm supposed to enter into the fantasy, but I simply don't think it's titillating that Anthony could see himself in bed with a pubescent teen or that he considered self-restraint a struggle.
The author clearly wished to differentiate between the dynamics of child sexual sense--insofar as she understood them--and a forbidden romance. We are meant to see power as the primary terrain of struggle for Dany and Anthony, and to treat the age gap as a barrier that patience alone could overcome. No doubt some readers will, but it's hard to take the text on those terms when confronted with the impact of Anthony's age, wealth, mentorship, fame, gender, and legal guardianship on Dany.
White Satin couldn't paint a more accurate picture of grooming if Johansen had set out to do so. Anthony controls every aspect of Dany's life and career. With one exception, he's hand-selected her friends. If we can describe as friends two people paid to care for, coach, and surveil Dany on their employer's behalf. Though Anthony and Beau claim that he's tried to protect Dany's independence, the evidence suggests exactly the opposite. Dany most often acts in response to Anthony and insofar as she asserts herself, Anthony tends to benefit. I'm not impressed that Dany is more sexually aggressive and demands more of Anthony emotionally than he anticipates when he sets their affair in motion. In the language of power, Dany makes modest bids for information and a measure of influence. Anthony rejects them; at times, cruelly, but she's ultimately the one to grovel.
According to Beau, Dany apparently owes Anthony an apology because she is so focused on her own emotions that she doesn't try to understand and empathize with him. Self-absorption is hardly surprising from a privileged 20-year-old. In fact, I'm tempted to point out that Anthony could've addressed this character flaw, if he'd been more focused on his responsibilities in loco parentis and less on his prurient desires, but I've digressed enough as it is. For me, the confrontation is so egregious because even if Dany had all the context that Beau does, it's reasonable to expect emotional maturity and open communication from a man 14 years her senior. She shouldn't have to read his mind, but the narrative expects her to because Anthony has smoothed her path through life.
And that's part of my problem. She had no choice but to become Anthony's ward and because her parents squandered the family fortune, she had no alternative but to accept his sponsorship, his training, his hiring decisions, and ultimately, his interest, but it creates a debt. Beau expects her to pay it by doing Anthony's emotional work for him, and Dany doesn't question it. I simply couldn't believe even for an instant that she had been given enough freedom to question anything except a future with Anthony.
On top of all that, the prose is insufferable, the anti-abortion stuff is off-putting, the Confederate pride is racist, and the Olympics are mere window dressing for a relationship I really couldn't root for.
Eighties romance is notoriously weird and White Satin is a prime example of the issues. Twenty-year-old ice skating champion Anthony Malik concludes that Dany Alexander is destined to be the love of his life when she's six. Naturally, he fights to become her legal guardian after her self-absorbed parents die two years later and he serves as her coach. In the process, he ("accidentally") grooms her until she develops feelings for him at the age of 14 and he keeps her at a distance for the next six years to stop himself from consummating their relationship. I decided to mark the book as DNF even before Anthony narrated his ephebophilic desire, but I felt if I planned to leave a review, I should at least skim the 10 remaining chapters. White Satin is short enough that it didn't take long, but it still managed to get worse.
The text tries to equivocate, but if an adult man imposes his desire for love, connection, and intimacy on a child, then he should recognize the impulse as predatory. That he nurtured it and worse, subjected Dany to the intensity of it is repulsive; however, White Satin insists that it's romantic. I know I'm supposed to enter into the fantasy, but I simply don't think it's titillating that Anthony could see himself in bed with a pubescent teen or that he considered self-restraint a struggle.
The author clearly wished to differentiate between the dynamics of child sexual sense--insofar as she understood them--and a forbidden romance. We are meant to see power as the primary terrain of struggle for Dany and Anthony, and to treat the age gap as a barrier that patience alone could overcome. No doubt some readers will, but it's hard to take the text on those terms when confronted with the impact of Anthony's age, wealth, mentorship, fame, gender, and legal guardianship on Dany.
White Satin couldn't paint a more accurate picture of grooming if Johansen had set out to do so. Anthony controls every aspect of Dany's life and career. With one exception, he's hand-selected her friends. If we can describe as friends two people paid to care for, coach, and surveil Dany on their employer's behalf. Though Anthony and Beau claim that he's tried to protect Dany's independence, the evidence suggests exactly the opposite. Dany most often acts in response to Anthony and insofar as she asserts herself, Anthony tends to benefit. I'm not impressed that Dany is more sexually aggressive and demands more of Anthony emotionally than he anticipates when he sets their affair in motion. In the language of power, Dany makes modest bids for information and a measure of influence. Anthony rejects them; at times, cruelly, but she's ultimately the one to grovel.
According to Beau, Dany apparently owes Anthony an apology because she is so focused on her own emotions that she doesn't try to understand and empathize with him. Self-absorption is hardly surprising from a privileged 20-year-old. In fact, I'm tempted to point out that Anthony could've addressed this character flaw, if he'd been more focused on his responsibilities in loco parentis and less on his prurient desires, but I've digressed enough as it is. For me, the confrontation is so egregious because even if Dany had all the context that Beau does, it's reasonable to expect emotional maturity and open communication from a man 14 years her senior. She shouldn't have to read his mind, but the narrative expects her to because Anthony has smoothed her path through life.
And that's part of my problem. She had no choice but to become Anthony's ward and because her parents squandered the family fortune, she had no alternative but to accept his sponsorship, his training, his hiring decisions, and ultimately, his interest, but it creates a debt. Beau expects her to pay it by doing Anthony's emotional work for him, and Dany doesn't question it. I simply couldn't believe even for an instant that she had been given enough freedom to question anything except a future with Anthony.
On top of all that, the prose is insufferable, the anti-abortion stuff is off-putting, the Confederate pride is racist, and the Olympics are mere window dressing for a relationship I really couldn't root for.
July 13, 2021
This was such a nice, easy read and while it was a little bit of a rocky start for me, I really enjoyed this. I was a little cautious because it is a book that’s nearly 40 years old, but only a few things felt dated to me. Dany was such a spitfire and Anthony was the perfect, emotionally constipated hero’s. AND (spoiler) I was SO happy that Dany proposed!
only icky thing is the hero was her guardian after the death of her parents starting when she was 8 and that’s a little much, but he was disgusted with himself the second he realized she viewed him in a sexual manor (and vice versa?? honestly was confused during the revelation) and he immediately shipped her off away from him so that made it better? I’m conflicted about it because I loved them together, so if this isn’t something you’re ok with, I wouldn’t suggest reading it. A note though, nothing sexual happens between them until she is 20 and this isn’t a situation where I felt like he was pressuring her, if anything, it was the other way around which made it ok for me.
only icky thing is the hero was her guardian after the death of her parents starting when she was 8 and that’s a little much, but he was disgusted with himself the second he realized she viewed him in a sexual manor (and vice versa?? honestly was confused during the revelation) and he immediately shipped her off away from him so that made it better? I’m conflicted about it because I loved them together, so if this isn’t something you’re ok with, I wouldn’t suggest reading it. A note though, nothing sexual happens between them until she is 20 and this isn’t a situation where I felt like he was pressuring her, if anything, it was the other way around which made it ok for me.
January 26, 2024
Grooming. This story is all about grooming. I thought the writing and characterization were going good, but then it's revealed that Anthony knew this little 6 year old kid was "meant for" him, then he adopts her after her parents die when she's 8 and he raises her and molds her. Yikes. If he'd become her coach later in life and the age gap was there, I'd have been all for it, but this is just so nauseating of a set up. The fact that he bangs a bunch of women as he's waiting for her to grow up doesn't make his obsession with Dany any less creepy. Even she has "oh shit" moment in the beginning of the book where she realizes she is afraid of him. Like wtf, that is not okay. I stopped after he basically abducts her off the street when she's on a date and takes her to his evil lair/apartment so he can confess his obsession with her.
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