Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Silent in the Grave
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Feb 2012: *Possible Spoilers* So was anyone else thinking...
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I have to agree with her sister Portia - there is definitely insufficient proper ravishing in Lady Julia's life. Though he's lovely, Brisbane is ..."
This is definitely a LESS racy entry into the Vaginal Fantasy, even though it rocks. I wanted to start more PG-13 choices and move to the more racy ones, so we don't get defined SOLELY by the sex scenes and pegged as porny. I want to share books with great worldbuilding and characters, and have the sexy-times be less emphasized at first.
Definitely chime in with more racy vaginal mystery choices when we do the chat, I wanna list more series that people can find in the genre for sure!
A bit of content spoilage ahead - just saying.I've had a couple days to think about this novel now, and two things keep niggling me about it.
1) I thought Brisbane was an ass - plain and simple. Ass! - and not the cute gluteus maximus kind. Do females actually find this kind of male character attractive?
2) I was about to scream every time Julie would think to herself "I was stupid" . . . Hello, not stupid - stop degrading yourself - gonna scream again.
I did finish it in two days though, so I must have liked it well enough. Still, not one scene of ravishment - not one? And sorry, one case of roughhousing against a tree does not count.
Oh, and did I mention I thought Brisbane was an . . . oh, already did.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoyed this one. Made me want to bust out Jane Eyre and (of course) Wuthering Heights. I just haven't read anything in this vein for a bit, and I can already tell that I'm going to be in total Victorian withdrawal after I've read through this series. Ms. Raybourn's writing is easy to get lost in and I'm finding myself reading them too quickly. Brisbane IS an ass... still attracted to him. This is mildly disturbing because you're right, I should not be. I have no good defense for that.
I have to say that I think the bits where Julia is calling herself "stupid" and the like are just a realistic part of her internal monologue - she's treading new waters in the book, and is obviously insecure about much of it. I think Ms. Raybourn does an excellent job of filling out her character that way.
Srsly, I had no idea Harlequin imprints could be so chaste! Even the tree scene was implied. Felicia wrote: "Definitely chime in with more racy vaginal mystery choices when we do the chat, I wanna list more series that people can find in the genre for sure! "
Felicia, have you read any Sarah Waters? She's more straight-up contemporary fiction, but she's a wonderful writer. Fingersmith is great -- lots of twists, and exploring some themes you were recently noting the lack of in VF (don't want to give anything away).
*SPOILERS*Absolutely agree on the corset front. Just one hot kiss? Come on! And I gotta admit, I was heartily disappointed in Brisbane's affliction. A seer? Really? That's it?
Re: Brisbane: While he had the potential to "rev my motor" so to speak, when she talked about him losing it in the carriage I completely lost it for him. A grown man runs to get her father to help save the woman he may or may not love and then winds up screaming and consumed by terrors inside of a cab? Might as well have thrown a cold bucket of water on me or told me he kicked puppies that's how sexy I found it.
Still, it had me turning pages and it was a nice little diversion.
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Felicia wrote: "Definitely chime in with more racy vaginal mystery choices when we do the chat, I wann..."
OOH Fingersmith is one of my ALL TIME FAVES! Did you see the mini-series?
That would be a great selection, since it has lesbian stuff in it and that would be fun to discuss. What a great book that is, thanks for the reminder!
Oh good, I thought you might like it! If you haven't already read it, I thought The Little Stranger (her most recent novel) was also pretty good.
Oh, and I knew there was a miniseries floating around somewhere -- I think it might be languishing somewhere at the bottom of my Netflix queue. Need to check it out!
Did anyone else feel Brisbane wasa warewolf? :( I'm half way though.... So maybe lol ... I know I'm getting my hopes up
Felicia wrote: This is definitely a LESS racy entry into the Vaginal Fantasy, even though it rocks. I wanted to start more PG-13 choices and move to the more racy ones, so we don't get defined SOLELY by the sex scenes and pegged as porny. I want to share books with great worldbuilding and characters, and have the sexy-times be less emphasized at first.I think this is a potentially fair point. I know you got a lot of flak on G+ for the name of the group so I can see wanting to start with less racy. That makes sense. And this is a good 'coming of age' (well after normal age stores) for a woman growing into her own person, so props for that.
However, my issue is even without the racy or not racy, there was no spark. I would preferred this novel w/o the poorly handled romance that I couldn't fully buy into over having more racy with Brisbane.
For all the talk of "no spark" or "not racy enough"... I cannot put this book down! I bought the first three books in the series as an ebook set on Amazon, so I might just keep on reading beyond book #1 (I say, as if I had a choice).
Shannon wrote: "Did anyone else feel Brisbane wasa warewolf? :( I'm half way though.... So maybe lol ... I know I'm getting my hopes up"LOL don't read this if you haven't finished it yet... that would have been so appropriate. In my head I'm picturing later scenes with that idea and it's great. The descriptions of him are definitely wolfy.
Dawn wrote: "However, my issue is even without the racy or not racy, there was no spark. I would preferred this novel w/o the poorly handled romance that I couldn't fully buy into over having more racy with Brisbane. "
Agreed, but I have to say that now that I've read the next two books I can see where the author was going here. The series so far has a nice sort of build-up of the relationship.
Melody wrote: "Agreed, but I have to say that now that I've read the next two books I can see where the author was going here. The series so far has a nice sort of build-up of the relationship. "I haven't read the next two books, and I probably won't. There are a lot more interesting books out there, and I did not get the sense that the author was building up a relationship. It seemed like she got to the end of the book and realized she forgot to wrap up a few loose ends so threw in a scene to make you read the next book. No thanks.
It wasn't a great mystery read, or a great historical fiction, or a love story, or even a good fantasy. It had a lot of potential, but it kept disappointing. Even so, I did think it was a great way to relax after a long day, sorta like flipping on the tv and zoning out.
Mod
..."
Totally fair criciticsms here. I'll be looking for alt mystery titles to discuss during the hangout, so be ready with suggestions we can discuss on-air! Here's others on my vaginal-mystery shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation is a fun historical fiction mystery with a little bit of bodice ripping.I have night classes, so I'll miss the hangout, but I'll catch up when it's posted to Youtube. :)
OK, I liked Brisbane though I thought he was too closed mouth. I think there was snarky spark between then. They had a passionate relationship in terms of setting each other off. She definitely had the hots for him (and vice-versa).I loved Portia and Jane and how they had an open relationship within their family and it was accepted. I also found it very fascinating that she used the gay-ship twice in the same book. It was unusual but appreciated it. I loved it. I tend to be all about the man-love so it was a nice surprise for me.
I have to say that there were several scenes I had to re-read through it to figure out what happened. The author is very sly about slipping in pieces of information without big fanfare.
I did buy the Lady Gray bundle so I have the next two to read with just a flip of my finger. (yay for Kindle!)
I liked Brisbane but likely because I am married to a guy equally as infuriating ;) and sexy. It was refreshing to see the treatment of Portia & Jane's relationship against the background of societal prejudices at the time
The character that captured my heart though was Fleur! I can't really explain why but I adored her. I hoped she and Julia would become good friends. No spoilers though.
Jamie wrote: "*SPOILERS*Absolutely agree on the corset front. Just one hot kiss? Come on! And I gotta admit, I was heartily disappointed in Brisbane's affliction. A seer? Really? That's it?
Re: Brisbane: Whi..."
Ok so that wasn't just me - good - I was thinking I was being too hard on the poor fellow. He had several moments that made me think he had real potential.
Melody wrote: "Don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoyed this one. Made me want to bust out Jane Eyre and (of course) Wuthering Heights. I just haven't read anything in this vein for a bit, and I can already tell th..."I think you pegged it - what I liked about Brisbane is similar to what I liked about Heathcliff - ironically they were both asses...
I enjoyed this read and have the others on order :)Thank you so much for introducing me to this new writer!
@Shannon - I totally thought Brisbane was going to be a werewolf...or at least a "were-something." I thought the clues were there (i.e. he could feel the affliction coming on, etc.). I was surprised that he just turned out to have The Sight.
This wasn't a very interesting read for me. I don't know what it was. Maybe because I think the writing jumped around a lot. Like one moment she was getting in her morning gown then split to her in the afternoon. But I did think the ending was a turn. It kinda made me want to read the next one. But I'm still on the fence.
I went ahead and read all 3 novels in the series, and I really think that the romance only makes sense as an overarching plot across the novels. Wanting to throttle Brisbane was a common feeling, but I adored him at the same time. Still, there were times he was totally an ass just to be an ass.Edit: Wait, there are already 5 books published in the series? Well, my book budget is blown for them month... *glee*
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1. Brisbane was an ass. And I had no idea what kind of situation he was in (medically) so I was very curious what was going to be the cause of his headaches... was he a werewolf? A vampire? A SOMETHING? I wasn't sure where this book was going in terms of the paranormal.
2. So we get... visions! That's the cause. I had settled into the idea that this alternate history of sorts was paranormal and magic free, but apparently The Sight is acceptable. OK, I'm down! just thought it was weird to show up towards the very end of the story.
3. I needed more sexy time out of this. A hurried kiss or two is fine, but I agree with all the writers here who wanted more corset ripping. I wanted more spice underneath all the Victorian chasteness.
4. I enjoyed the book, but part of me felt like it was all build-up and no pay-off. I don't necessarily just mean the sexiness. Though I did enjoy the Edward twists, even if they were somewhat expected.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think I preferred Alex Craft for sheer "fun factor."
Agree with the "build-up and no pay-off", but from the very start I was kind of expecting the romance to NOT go far. Simply because it's a series and Brisbane will obviously be the one and only, so getting them all corset-ripping would be end of the fanatical "I WANNA SEE THEM TOGETHER" from book one.I'm actually curious to read the next book.
All the implied scenes and sexual tension is what really got me into it. By the time I reached the end, I was satisfied that it was the end of the story. The mystery had been solved and everyone was safe. The only thing left was the corset ripping. If they had that right away then what would be left for the series? I thought it was a nice build up and a nice way to get the reader onto the next book. Which is exactly what I did. It was also a nice way to let my imagination run wild.The writer made the next books something for me to look forward to. I can't wait to see what's in store for Julia and Brisbane. :)
I'm only about halfway through but I'm not sure I'm going to finish. It feels like a lot of narrative and very little actually happening, to me. Although I DO now have a sudden urge to speak in a British accent ;-).
Veronica wrote: "OK, just finished yesterday. My thoughts:1. Brisbane was an ass.
Statement number 1 I agree with 100%. I see Brisbane as nothing more than an ass - plain and simple. Julia would be wise to dump this loser - and quick!
Was anyone else annoyed with the fact that she alluded to imminent danger multiple times only to have the one event at the end? I really enjoyed this book, but that really bugged me.
Woot! Not the only one who thought wear wolf and was less than thrilled about the sight!
I also think serving tea to guest should be brought back!
Shannon wrote: "I also think serving tea to guest should be brought back!"make it tea and/or coffee and I'll back you :)
I finished the book yesterday and while I have some of the same frustrations as other posters re: corset ripping and Julia berating herself, I still found it to be an enjoyable novel that I read in less than 2 days. About Brisbane: He definitely has some ass-like qualities, I grant you, but I'd like to think we'd begin to understand why as we continue reading the series. Ex. Remember the way his uncle treated him. How much has his past affected him? Is it a fear of getting close and hurting someone because of his gift? Also, his main redeeming qualities for me were that I think he saw into some of Julia's BS (internal conflict between her 19th century socially acceptable v. kick ass actual self) and really cares for her. I didn't understand why he was so conflicted about caring for her though. Again, hoping I'd figure that out gradually throughout the series. Oh and I was totally thinking werewolf too!
I agree with Lais - Edward was totally the bigger ass! He didn't tell her about a potentially life-threatening disease and he was super controlling of everything down to her dress color. I think she's much better off with Brisbane.
I will likely read the next one sometime soon. I'd like some corset-ripping gratification at least! I'm sure making me read the next book to get it was exactly the author's intention.
Has anyone else read the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger? It's a Victorian Steampunk alternate history where vampires and werewolves are real with a female lead character who kicks ass and takes names from page one. Highly recommended!
Soulless
Jessica wrote: "Has anyone else read the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger?"I love that series, and it *does* have a werewolf... :D
Lais wrote: "After reading SITG, I NEED to read something with a good solid ass kicking heroine!"For that I'd recommend Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series. Urban fantasy set in an alternate universe Atlanta, GA, where tech and magic coexist in waves of each. Lots of nice tension in the world and between the main characters. :)
Lais wrote: "I've already read that series, I loved it! Please let me know if you think of any others."Have you read the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire?
You also can't go wrong with the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
and the Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
. I think Kate Daniels wins for the most ass-kickingest heroine... um yeah... that's a real word. : )
Lais wrote: "Please let me know if you think of any others."I'm new to the genre so I'm trying lots of different series with varying degrees of success. If you liked Kate Daniels (I did, too), you might also like the Downside Ghosts series (the first book is Unholy Ghosts). I thought it was fairly well written with good world-building and compelling characters. (For comparison's sake, I did not enjoy Soulless, couldn't finish the first Mercy Thompson, and gave up on Chicagoland Vampires midway through the third book.)
I also just finished Kushiel's Dart, which was much better than I thought it would be. It's Game-of-Thronesy epic fantasy with some S&M thrown in for funzies. ;-)
ETA: Oh, and I also just read Grimspace, the first Sirantha Jax, and The Iron Duke (of headless bare-chested fame from the covers thread) and they were both solid three stars (for me that's will read the next one when the library gets around to getting it to me but not so good that I'm going to buy the kindle copy because must read nownownow).
EATA: Am I the only one who thinks Young Steve Jobs is Tom Cruise whenever that ad pops up? And I'm all, WTF is Tom Cruise on goodreads?
I actually haven't read any of those books! I have a feeling my "to read" list is going to grow substantially from this group. Lol. Thanks for the recommendations!
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Thoughts?
@Shannon & Majk: I loved the tea drinking too! I found myself drinking quite a few cups while I was reading this book. If you want to read another book about another shapeshifting tea drinker, I recommend Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock, Book 1) by Faith Hunter. It has a kick-ass, tea snob for a heroine with some romantic overtones. I just finished it and enjoyed it.Btw, sorry for the "@ replies"...for some reason my phone's nor letting me copy and paste quotes.
Bonnie wrote: "So how are you guys liking our next book "Silent in the Grave?" I found it kind of dull... needed more smut... and sex... and maybe a smutty werewolf who likes to have sex...Thoughts?"
So is it safe to say we're all howling for a werewolf in next month's book choice?
*cringes and slinks away*
;)
Bonnie wrote: "So how are you guys liking our next book "Silent in the Grave?" I found it kind of dull... needed more smut... and sex... and maybe a smutty werewolf who likes to have sex...Thoughts?"
I found it pretty dull as well. I felt like Julia was sitting there thinking for most of the book. I definitely was let down at the lack of sex and/or female-bad-assery in this book.
I liked all the talk of Victorian clothes though.
Anna wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "So how are you guys liking our next book "Silent in the Grave?" I found it kind of dull... needed more smut... and sex... and maybe a smutty werewolf who likes to have sex...Though..."
I like your new term, Anna. Female-bad-assery. I'm definitely using that one. : )
Bonnie wrote: "So how are you guys liking our next book "Silent in the Grave?" I found it kind of dull... needed more smut... and sex... and maybe a smutty werewolf who likes to have sex...Thoughts?"
Yep, dull is what comes to mind while reading it. I just couldn't really get into the characters very well but it was still good to read something different from my normal reads.
Ok, I am just going to pretend that Brisbane is a werewolf because now that it's been suggested that's the only thing I can think of as I'm reading the other books. It fits too well, and makes the story more interesting. :)
It took me a while to get into this book but I actually really liked it. It's very different from the UF that I usually read so it was a nice change of pace. Since I bought the three book bundle, I went ahead and read the others. I enjoyed the second book the most, but the third book really dove into the relationship between Julia and Brisbane. All three were pretty chaste though.
I would have like to have seen more Female-Bad-Assery as well. As I was reading the book, I just kept waiting for her to DO something. I found myself being more interested in the supporting characters.
I read the book and almost enjoyed it. But I didn't think the writing was strong and while I understood that we were supposed to be seeing Julia come into her strength, I didn't feel it. And that kiss under the tree was just odd.The lack of discussion about it or any fall out from it was such that I began to think I had entirely misunderstood what had happened.
Melody wrote: I have to agree with her sister Portia - there is definitely insufficient proper ravishing in Lady Julia's life. Though he's lovely, Brisbane is ..."
My biggest disappointment with the novel is how Brisbane disappears for the last act. Romance abruptly postponed. I would have liked a final conversation, at least.
Vaginal Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Iron Duke (other topics)Grimspace (other topics)
Soulless (other topics)
Unholy Ghosts (other topics)
Kushiel's Dart (other topics)
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I have to agree with her sister Portia - there is definitely insufficient proper ravishing in Lady Julia's life. Though he's lovely, Brisbane is possibly TOO dark and brooding, since the opening of this post is what I was screaming in my head through many of the latter scenes of the book.
I still loved it - perfectly my cup of tea. Just picked up book #2 and am optimistic that there may be more heaving of bosoms in the future...