The Flesh and the Devil in The Gothic Trim

Jun 24, 2012 Cat The Curious rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bodice-ripper, forced-seduction, favorites, ebooks-i-own, dark-devious-hero, he-s-so-bad-he-s-good, heroine-i-liked, unfairly-reviewed, you-don-t-like-it-well-i-do, he-did-lots-of-bad-things

How can I put this book into words? Haunting, gothic, intricate, and well-written should fit the bill. This old bodice ripper is not politically correct nor will it be everyone's cup of tea. If you have a love for the English language and gothic suspense, this might be up your alley.

Juana, the heroine is forced to marry a young, wealthy Duque who to her dismay, is twisted in mind and in form. The Duque is one sick puppy in more ways than one. Juana's peril is intricately described in Denys writi ...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Julz rated it liked it

Shelves: cheating

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 10, 2012 Mermarie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: on-paperback, bodice-ripper, gothic, crazypants, best-written, i-love-prose, scarred-heroes-need-love-too, all-time-favorites, gothic-bodiceripper

I kind of pat myself on the back for taking on this book in part Spanish, from a poor Kindle translation. It was even more becoming in that format, for some peculiar reason I can't rightly name. Maybe due to my only passable Spanish, I ingested far more meaning, or perhaps read into the already wondrous sentiment through repeated reading.

Karla, Willow and several other ladies in my circle already gave such glorious reviews of this book, so I will skip the introduction, and say; I simply adore th I kind of pat myself on the back for taking on this book in part Spanish, from a poor Kindle translation. It was even more becoming in that format, for some peculiar reason I can't rightly name. Maybe due to my only passable Spanish, I ingested far more meaning, or perhaps read into the already wondrous sentiment through repeated reading.

Karla, Willow and several other ladies in my circle already gave such glorious reviews of this book, so I will skip the introduction, and say; I simply adore this book. It's rich, apprehensive prose heightened the abject misery Denys provided us. The gothic aura she conveyed, was much as a veil clinging to everything and everyone--like crisp linens upon antique furniture within a sealed mansion. Magnifico!!

Sometimes, I revisit chapters, where Juana is exposed to sheer terror, and it still gives me tingles! Denys's ability to weave such a gruesome tapestry of beautiful profanity, is genuinely enigmatic. I envisioned a living act of Dante's Inferno's writhing agony, with Kate Bush & Stevie Nicks pirouetting & swanning through the morbidity. Such dark and delightfully tenebrous tastes!

Juana graduated from an overly sensitive chit to a truly strong heroine by the ending, and I was SO thrilled by that coming to fruition!

I did find it difficult to believe that the Duque was born with a penchant for vulgarity and perverse tastes, though. And I honestly consider Tristan's only reason for keeping him alive for as long as he did, was because he held a trump card; a useful idiot. I also considered that Tristan somehow viewed his own scarred self as tantamount to the Duque's and it wasn't until his affection or fascination with Juana came into the picture, that his distinction became more clarified to him. I do know, though-- that gaping maw and Glasgow jaw will haunt me for years to come and the monstrosity that he unleashed on defenseless animals and the sadistic appeal he gleaned from the suffering of dying women.

This book was truly fast-paced, and kept me enthralled; as soon as I was able to recover from one bout of tottering, another followed up to tear down any hopes of recovery or becoming contented in its predictability. Never happened.

I will out right admit it- I was frightened; pleasantly so. It has to be in the top ten, best written books I've ever read! I wish she had written more than than those two we have to treasure. ;_; ...more

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Nov 03, 2018 Circa Girl rated it really liked it

Shelves: moody, romance, gothic, heart-wrenching, historical-fiction, fuck-yeah, bodice-ripper, adventure, dark, underrated-gem

This made uncomfortable but not for any of the obvious reasons you would expect from a bodice ripper. There was rape, scheming, arranged marriage, murder, more scheming and hate sex aplenty, but what unsettled me is how bereft I felt that it ended so abruptly. I fell in love with these characters, in particular Felipe/Phillip and I would have happily read through over-inflated chapters about the building of a new life in England on his uncle's inheritance, the birth of his child with Juana, and ...more

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