Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Apr 2012: COMMENTS/QUESTIONS FOR ON-AIR MONDAY POST HERE!
what did you guys think to the 'naughty times' in the book - were they just right, not enough or too many ?!I will admit I blushed a little (not used to romance books..yet lol ) but i thought they fitted the story and were written well, they were like the rest of the story progressive and i kinda liked that.
Also did yasmeen remind anyone else of Isabella in dragon age 2 ?! or is that just me lol
Did anyone else think the ending was too short and abrupt?I really felt the writer could have taken much longer to more plausaibley get them togther. Afer all Mina was on duty, with a body in the morgue, Rhys hadn't called in 3 months and she had adopted Annie!
I also didn't buy his gushy speach at the end, but I am cynical. I figured if he took her to dinner, sent flowers or paid for her mothers eyes that might have gone a long way after his epic dumping of her, and her saving his life, oh yeah THREE TIMES.
I would have liked him to "court" her more, especially as he wants to marry her.
I read both The Iron Duke and Soulless and found both heroines' to be rawrsome! I'd read all but the last of the Parasol Protectorate and I loved the take charge attitude these women have. Very refreshingly out of character for women during their era but perfectly acceptable in paranormal fiction. And the world building in both books wow. But just focusing on The Iron Duke, I am soooo in love with this world with it's steampunk cyborgs and nano-zombies and especially because it addressed racial issues... wow... just wow. People of color represented in London of all places... what a concept! **Sorry but I read an article about hipster racism on jezebel** Kudos and props to the author Meljean Brook I can't wait for more books.
Jane wrote: "Also did yasmeen remind anyone else of Isabella in dragon age 2 ?! or is that just me lol"Yes, definitely - and it left me itching for a steampunk version of DA, a game in these worlds with the same narrative sweep would be awesome.
I'd like to know the panel's take on the the idea of possessiveness as an "alpha male" characteristic - is it necessary for these characters, or just lazy writer's shorthand for alpha? Maybe I've just had a run of these books lately (the first Sookie Stackhouse novel being the most recent offender on my list) but I'm really finding this trope massively overdone and it's becoming very irritating, to the point that I want to shake the female lead and ask why they're putting up with being spoken of as an object. Surely a man can be a leader without turning into Cat from Red Dwarf ("that's mine...this is mine..."), as someone accurately compared Rhys to in one of the discussion threads! Seriously, Rhys said it so often I thought he was going to turn into one of those seagulls from Finding Nemo.
Caroline wrote: "Jane wrote: "Also did yasmeen remind anyone else of Isabella in dragon age 2 ?! or is that just me lol"Yes, definitely - and it left me itching for a steampunk version of DA, a game in these world..."
Oh thats a fantastic idea a steampunk version of da im loving that!!
good point on the alpha male being like cat from red dwarf "thats mine this is mine", I did find rhys sexy but he also irritated the hell out of me with the possessiveness, some moments I wanted to jump on him other moments i wanted to shoot him with an opium dart myself lol
I did warm up to Rhys the more I read, as I found his "I will own you" behaviour a bit alarming in the beginning, but by the end I still didn't really understand his character. He obviously cares for Mina, and wants to protect her, but why the need for possession? I felt at times that he was two characters instead of one. On one hand he was charming and caring, and then on the other he was dominating, mean and uncomfortably possessive. I still can't make up my mind about him...
I've watched steam-punk anime but this was my first steam-punk read. I will certainly be looking for more.I thought Mina was an a great female character. She stood by her convictions, she wasn't squeamish, she made no excuses for who or what she was.
I thought the Horde and their control over people's feelings made it understandable why Mina had a hard time giving herself to Rhys. It didn't feel like other books where the girl says she doesn't want the hot guy between her legs but really does. Mina was truly struggling with what one could call post traumatic feelings.
I do think that the ending felt rushed a little. There was the scene where they were on the Terror and the Endeavour was turning to fight and Mina was sent below. The next thing we know the fights over and the Terror won...I guess I kinda wanted a dramatic navel battle.
The other scene I thought was odd was where he sees her eating her soup in the park after not seeing her for three months and drags her into a building and has his way with her. Sure he declared his love for her but really throwing out the people there and tossing her against a door? it was odd.
Some of my favorite scenes: Mina killing the first zombie in the woman's tent, When we first meet Yasmeen (she was an awesome character, too bad we didn't get to learn more about her), Mina shooting the kraken, The first time Mina and Rhys are together and she shoots him with her opium gun.
I will certainly be reading more of Meljean Brook.
I'm reading the Parasol Protectorate and now I'm finding Alexia Tarabotti to be a stronger, or at least with more spine, character than Mina. What are your thoughts on them both and on how they interact with the male characters (being them alphas or not) during the books? Is Mina strong enough?I actually find her falling into the damsel in distress role quite a lot and felt a bit overshadowed by Rhys' actions.
What kind of absinthe are you gonna be drinking? :D
Ohh, for the next book, please pick something like the Iron Duke. I think I could do a very heavy drinking game out of it ("Every time Rhys says/thinks 'cock', drink") while reading it.
Vagrant wrote: "Ohh, for the next book, please pick something like the Iron Duke. I think I could do a very heavy drinking game out of it ("Every time Rhys says/thinks 'cock', drink") while reading it."I think that's all romance novels. Drink for the words "throb" and "pressed against". :D
I almost think that this book is a response to other books with a dominate male lead, since Mina often argues with Rhys and shows him another point of view beside "owning" her, particularly towards the end when **SPOILERS** she risks her life by killing the kraken. Also, might I say, KRAKEN?! Yes, please.
has anyone found themselves saying/thinking the expression blue heavens that mina uses a lot ? I found myself using it a couple of times recently lol
Did anyone else feel like the author got distracted really easily? Rhys and Mina were both pretty inconsistent in parts of the book. Rhys did a complete personality change about halfway through, and Mina's reasons for not staying with him kept changing abruptly (or in a very contrived manner). I almost liked Rhys MORE at the beginning of the book because at least he knew he was an asshole. Later on, when he got all "I'm gonna protect you from ALL the things!" it was just sort of weird and annoying. As if Mina needed him to do that... she could hold her own just fine.
Sarah wrote: "Did anyone else feel like the author got distracted really easily? Rhys and Mina were both pretty inconsistent in parts of the book. Rhys did a complete personality change about halfway through, an..."Yes. I don't know if this is what the author intended, but Rhys suddenly was the very definition of an alpha-male. I almost expected him to start carrying Mina around in his arms... wait, I think he did...
I liked him better in the beginning, because, really, you would expect that behavior from a pirate. Then I felt like the author tried to paint him as too good, too heroic, with too many virtues that were only mistaken by rudeness...
I thought it was kind of creepy when Rhys decided that he needed to separate Mina from her family in order to show her how much she could need him. (Because with all that love and support from her parents, there was no room for him.) Umm, that's what abusers do to keep their victims vulnerable. The book completely lost me at that point.
Vagrant wrote: "Ohh, for the next book, please pick something like the Iron Duke. I think I could do a very heavy drinking game out of it ("Every time Rhys says/thinks 'cock', drink") while reading it."Maybe that can be the VF episode drinking game on Monday. Whenever anyone says “cock” or “alpha” we all take a drink of our absinthe.
So, speaking of alphas, I have kind of mixed feelings about them, but have come to the conclusion that I am drawn to alphas. I guess I am just a sucker for a guy who is a bit of an ass, and yet has a melty tender side underneath, as we witnessed with both Rhys and Connall. I guess this works for me because I have kind of an alpha male myself (call me a glutton for punishment). But then, well, his alpha works about as well for him as does that of Connall or Rhys.
At the start of Iron Duke, I did find Rhys annoying, but his acceptance of his asshole status made it palatable. Once he started realizing his strong feelings for Mina (bless his heart, it took the silly man a while to figure out that it went beyond mere possession), I started to warm up to him. I actually felt a little sorry for him since he was way ahead of Mina in his feelings for her and at a total man-loss for how to go about winning her.
Similarly, Connall was all bluster and bossy at first, but then seemed a bit overwhelmed when he discovered his tenderness for Alexia. He did his best to muck it up, as any true alpha does, but there was tenderness and goodness underneath his bravado. (Not to spoil, but in future books, there are times when I could bludgeon Connall for his blasted alphaness, but never enough to lose my esteem for his character completely).
Having said all of that, romance is not typically my cup of tea, but I can find it enjoyable when set within a world/context that goes beyond romance. I was delighted that both of these books did an excellent job of creating an alternate reality rooted in the steam punk genre and had a plot line that was compelling beyond the love story.
While Iron Duke was certainly hot & sexy, I found that it did not take away from the storyline of politics and intrigue. I found myself wanting to know more about this tragic world that had been created, and the resulting fears, hopes and prejudices of a society recovering from dark times. I am certainly looking forward to reading other books in the series.
As for Soulless, it really is much less about romance and more about the political intrigue within the alternate world created, rather brilliantly, by Carriger. I loved Alexia's practicality throughout the book, the perfect complement to the intentional ridiculousness depicting the mores and etiquette that rule the world within the book. The result was a smart and funny tale that had enough action and intrigue to keep my interest. Oh, and it had a romantic subplot (far less steamy than the Iron Duke). I have gone on to read the entire Parasol Protectorate series and now include them among my favorite books of all time.
Cheers to Steam punk April!
I'd like to hear you guys discuss the emotional arcs of Mina vs. Alexia, who, in my opinion, are both written as pretty closed off at the beginning of the books and open up emotionally across their respective books. How of this should be attributed to the romantic relationships versus new friendships that develop?
Did any of you struggle to connect to either Mina or Alexia initially and how did your impressions/connection/etc. change by the end of the books?
Favorite side character?Mine was Newberry (or, as I refer to him, the Ginger Giant).
(sorry if someone else asked this already i'll admit i didn't read the thread) Did any of you feel that Mina got progressively weaker as time went on?
It seemed she was a way tougher/badass (can we swear ??>.> if not sorry) character at the beginning of the book. As time went on and each sex scene happened, i felt like she became less tough and independent. She still had her awesome moments (like the kraken scene) but it seemed most of the time in the second half of the book she was either worrying about Rhys' safety or worrying about her feelings for Rhys. Also i got a tad peeved when at the end she's just perfectly fine and in the "lets get married" team all of a sudden. okay rambling, all in all i just feel like she went from this tough independent woman to just Rhys' woman who also kicks arse by the end.
Another question: Did it bug anyone else they never used the word vagina? It really stuck out to me in every sex scene when they used the word sex instead. example: pg 230 "mouth on her sex"..idk it just killed the moment for me lol.
last question (since i'm about to make a whole big thread post of my thoughts and questions and notes and such) is: Maybe it was just me being a gay male, but did anyone else's gaydar go off instantly when Scarsdale first showed up?
I was instantly like "okay, that's the duke's sassy gay friend, got it."
Courtland wrote: "Maybe it was just me being a gay male, but did anyone else's gaydar go off instantly when Scarsdale first showed up?"If I recall correctly, Rhys mentions that Scarsdale has his tastes for men a few time, one of them when Mina mentions a menage with the three of them.
And I too did find Mina growing weaker and less badass during her progress in the book. From investigator to being Rhys' woman ("being his" is the imperative here).
Vagrant wrote: If I recall correctly, Rhys mentions that Scarsdale has his ..."
(ack new to goodreads and don't know what i'm doing!)
And Vagrant I totally misworded that in my original post. I meant that more of as a "did anyone have the thought occur to them that scarsdale was gay when he first showed up like back on page 20 or 30 or whatever. Didn't mean to have it worded in a way that made it seem like i didn't remember he did turn out to be gay.
Courtland wrote: Another question: Did it bug anyone else they never used the word vagina? It really stuck out to me in every sex scene when they used the word sex instead. example: pg 230 "mouth on her sex"..idk it just killed the moment for me lol.I just wanted to respond to this quickly - I don't find the word 'vagina' sexy at all, it just seems too... I don't know... medical? technical? It's something about the word itself and the way it sounds. I have the same issue with "boobs", that word just.. ugh. But it might have been a good spot for 'quim'?
Courtland wrote: "Vagrant wrote: If I recall correctly, Rhys mentions that Scarsdale has his ..."
(ack new to goodreads and don't know what i'm doing!)
And Vagrant I totally misworded that in my original post. I..."
Ohh in that case, Courtland, yes I did :D but my gaydar was confused with his touchy things with Yasmeen lol
I really enjoyed the story, and while I agree the ending did seem a little abrupt, it didn't bother me. What mildly irritated me was the beginning. Was anyone else bothered by how abruptly it started? I found myself checking on-line to see if it was book 2 in a series. I didn't find it confusing, the author did a good job of explaining as she went along, but it did bother me a little. Prequel anyone?
This was also my first attempt at Steampunk (although there is a YA series that I purchased for our school library that I should probably read) so maybe that did add to the problem. I think the way the novel opens is probably just the style of the author. It wasn't really a badly done beginning, I just like more world building, it's my preference. It's a fine line, I suppose, between confusing, informative, or tedious.
I always like to know who you guys picture while you're reading. I kept seeing Jason Momoa (aka Khal Drogo) as the Iron Duke and Moon Bloodgood as Mina. Also, did you check out Carriger's casting picks for Soulless? Here's the link: http://www.storycasting.com/work.aspx...
Lucy wrote: "Did anyone else think the ending was too short and abrupt?I really felt the writer could have taken much longer to more plausaibley get them togther...."
Yeah, I wouldn't have minded a slightly rushed ending, but that whole "months of silence" then practically raping her in front of an office full of clerks to be pretty loathsome. Their reunion needn't have been a prolonged courtly affair, but there's a happy middle ground.
Tiffany wrote: "I did warm up to Rhys the more I read, as I found his "I will own you" behaviour a bit alarming in the beginning, but by the end I still didn't really understand his character. He obviously cares f..."I think his possessive attitude had a lot to do with his past. Since he was poor and abused, nothing was ever handed to him. He had to take. Seeing Mina and wanting her so much might have sparked that back up in him. He says so himself somewhere in the book (can't remember exactly where) that he is used to taking what he wants.
I think it's less alpha male for the sake of being alpha male dominant and more a survival instinct.
Daeja wrote: "Courtland wrote: Another question: Did it bug anyone else they never used the word vagina? It really stuck out to me in every sex scene when they used the word sex instead. example: pg 230 "mouth o..."I'm with Daeja: 1. Specific terms for genitalia are not sexy (although "sex" for male or female genitalia is overused to the point of quaint). 2. When the writer gives us specific "body part details" like that we're already in TMI territory imo. 3. Onomonopia is important! Words like "tits" and "cock" grate on the ear and should be reserved for nasty characters. Words that flow like silk are more appropriate for intimate moments: bosom, breast, fundament (just kidding).
Hello to all. At the time the hangout happens I'll be sleeping (4am GMT here in Portugal). I just wanted to say that I love this book, I read it a bit after it came out, since then I've put a lot of my friends reading it too. It was my first steampunk book, I've read Heart of Steel and can't wait for the third one, Riveted. I love Meljean's writing and I wish her all the success in the world. I hope her books get published here in Portugal but we are a small country and steampunk is a "new" concept so it might take a while.
From the two books which hero do you prefer Rhys or Connall?Did you have a preference over the two books?
What was your favorite part of the world in The Iron Duke?
Jane wrote: "what did you guys think to the 'naughty times' in the book - were they just right, not enough or too many ?!I will admit I blushed a little (not used to romance books..yet lol ) but i thought the..."
I agree with you! I thought the romantic moments that were a little more subtle (the kiss in the elevator or the street for example) were a lot more steamy than the actual 'naughty times' as you say. I was prepared for sex but I really didn't want THAT much detail. To me, it verged on gross.I feel like the author could have left a little for me to imagine for myself. And it was unexpected because it happened at such a late point in the book. It was like no sex....no sex...no sex...GRAPHIC SEX!! But that may just be me. This is the first romance novel I've read in it's entirety so, maybe it's just shell shock. :)
What I found realy interesting was how she was strugeling with being discriminated as a horde halfblood. I felt sorry for her but admired here strenght in how she handled it.Where did Newberry suddenly go halfway the book? Didn't get that and would have liked to keep him around a bit longer.
Also halfway the book when they where on there way to France on the airship there was a information bomb going off that lasted 3 pages about a faraway Market, black guard, a prison and then alot of names, it was to much information at once. Later on it pieced together but for a while I was a bit lost.
Loved the all the caracters in book and!!! Captain Yasmeen <3
And finaly a man with chest hair, that made me very happy.
sorry for my spelling, English is not my mother language.
Question: can I follow you guys live? How does it work, where do I go?
"Did it bug anyone else they never used the word vagina? It really stuck out to me in every sex scene when they used the word sex instead. example: pg 230 "mouth on her sex"..idk it just killed the moment for me lol."As someone who confesses to having read a lot of smutty-smut smut (ie JD Ward, Kresley Cole) I can tell you that rarely, if ever, does the word "vagina" come up in a sex scene in a romance novel. It's not really a sexy word. To be fair to the boys, while authors seem to have less trouble writing "penis" than "vagina", it is also usually referred to by a euphemism or colloquial term ("cock" and "shaft" are quite common). "Sex" is really common for ladybits, I agree with the post calling it "quaint."
If you've never read romance before, there are various levels of detail you can expect in your love scenes, from Nora Roberts-level romance, where it happens, but you don't hear about it after something along the lines of "He swept her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom", to the authors I've mentioned, where you pretty much hear about EVERYTHING, in many positions. Sometimes it changes within a series (Karen Marie Moning's Fever series had drastically different levels of sex from book to book. Slow to start but boy howdy did she make up for it later. I was exhausted just reading it!)
After awhile, it can get pretty formulaic, which is why I like stories with a lot of world building and secondary characters. I gave up on JR Ward because after 4 or 5 novels I knew what was going to happen. (I still usually know what's going to happen in a Kresley Cole book, but I'm sticking with her until I find out what happens to Nucking Futs Nix and Bertil.)
I thought that Mina and Alexia from The Iron Duke and The Parasol Protectorate had quite a few characteristics in common (as did Conall Maccon and Rhys, actually). I personally preferred Alexia, because I felt like she maintained her strong character a little bit better than Mina did, even while succumbing to her sexual desires. Although there are many characteristics about Rhys that are questionable (him mis-reading that first time on the airship with Mina and raping her, for one), I thought he was a little bit more interesting of a character than Conall, since Rhys had more of an intriguing backstory and seemed to have slightly more complex motivations than Conall. What do other people think?
Do you feel that Iron Duke did the steampunk genre well? To me it just felt like an alternate history with very little actual steampunk elements. Soulless worked with the Victorian style to make a charming parody of classics such as Pride and Prejudice. But Iron Duke just had some corsets and a lack of modern technology. The most steampunk thing about Iron Duke is the cover and the airships. Also, do you feel that Rhys' raping of Mina (it was rape)lessened in severity by the internal dialogue?
Personally, I felt the world-building in both books was better than the romance. Though I also felt that Soulless was not primarily a romance as such, where The Iron Duke was intended to be. I'd love some discussion as to which aspect was done better in the two books.
I've been a fan of Soulless for a while, so it was great to see it as an extra read for this month! Always perfect and cute to read it through again...but to me it doesn't seem as "romance novel" as The Iron Duke. The Iron Duke follows the Harlequin/romance novel guidelines more (with the whole slap-slap-kiss and the mid-to-end of book breakup and then reunion) while still putting a fun spin on it with lots of hot sex scenes - a very important part of the romance novel!
Soulless on the other hand, feels like a straight-up mystery steampunk with a little bit of romance thrown in to spice things up. I know Alexia and Connell love each other, but it's treated in such a practical way (due to Alexia's lack of soul no doubt) that it just doesn't feel like a traditional romance novel to me.
So, traditional romance novel vs. untraditional romance novel was a fun compare and contrast for me this month. Thanks for that!
What the he'll is with the cover art for The Iron Duke? I was fine with the cover until I actually read the book. Perhaps my vision of the Duke was drastically different than whoever put together the cover. This guy does not live up to the sexy Rhys in my brain. Anyone else feel this way?
i would like to know if everyone felt as uncomfortable as i did about all the sex scenes. it didnt until the end seem like mina was doing things she acctually wanted to do. this book felt a bit rapey to me...
Personally I enjoyed the sex scenes even the first one. I didn't feel like it was super rapey as some others here did. I just think Rhys was pushing and pushed a little too far. Obviously she was upset but not upset enough to consider it rape. If she ended up okay with it then I'm okay too. The sex was graphic but never did I feel that it was gross.
I read Soulless first, and found it to be much more enjoyable right off the bat. The narrator's little asides and witty remarks were great, and I was laughing out loud at a lot of points. I liked all the characters, and thought Connell was a nice rougish romantic interest-- an alpha, but not a total jerk. I thought it was a little light on plot (not a whole lot of twists and turns). The main character kind of seemed like she was just along for the ride at times, not doing a whole lot on her own to drive the action. But it made for a nice, light read.Iron Duke was much harder for me to get into (until about 50%), and I think it was because of the Duke's character. Like some of the other commenters mentioned, what's with his possessive, borderline-abusive behavior?? I was totally creeped out. I think part of the creepiness came from not really feeling Mina's reciprocated interest. Yeah, she "felt the heat" when he removed her glove, but after that she was pretty clear that she was uninterested (despite feeling physical attraction). But then she gets drunk and changes her mind... until he rapes her. But then she decides that's okay. Um...?
(Speaking of the rape scene... I read the message boards just before I read the scene, and again afterward, and thought the discussion of it was really interesting. For some reason my mind went straight to the several rape scenes they've had on "Mad Men" and a Jezebel article about them. Maybe too serious/ political/ unrelated for the discussion, but of possible tangential interest? http://jezebel.com/5374654/on-mad-men...)
As far as the fantasy/ adventure side of the books goes-- I looooved the world-building in Iron Duke. I want to know more about that world!! I would continue to read the series just for that-- what's the New World like? Can we see inside the Horde Empire? How about some of the abandoned, zombie-filled cities? Or maybe an entire story focused on Annie the Tinkerer!
Raquel wrote: "Obviously she was upset but not upset enough to consider it rape. If she ended up okay with it then I'm okay too."In thinking about it, I think for me it makes a difference or seems less rape-like because he wasn't doing it to get himself off, AT ALL. It had absolutely nothing to do with him gaining pleasure at her expense, wasn't penetrative, etc.
Just my 2¢
Q: I generally identify Steampunk by its visual aesthetic. How effective is prose at conveying Steampunk, as compared to more visual mediums?
To start i loved this book, the mystery and intrigue where amassing. I felt the romans was a little slow but was extent once it got going. But i fell in love with the world!Ok I have a read a fue steam punk books and may where terrible, just old story with a like steam puck touches. entail i read this book i was of the opinion you could not write steam punk you had to see it in a visual medium. I am happy to say this author proved me wrong. I really loved the technology and especially the totally changed world because of that technology. It was refreshing to see that the steam punk technology changed the world, and not in a small way. I especially loved the bugs, and every thing that spooned form having that tech, and the side affects people had because of it. The cybernetcaly enhanced bioengineered, KRAKEN. Oh and the Rat catchers. Also liked the iron duke as we found out how he was modified.
There has been a lot of Discustion around the iron duke, and the fact that he felt like to characters. I felt that is because he was two characters. I we the pirate king, who fought for everything he ever hand and the pore abused boy who was looking for someone to love him. These collided with him wanting to control, his sexual expires after spending so much of his like out of control. This maid him quite passive, and pretective. But he felt to me that he was quite gentle and understanding.
Mina; I loved her character it was extent. At firsts i didn’t understand her character i felt she was just playing hard to get to see how much she could pry out the iron Duke, when she knew he wanted her so bad. (what can i say I'm materialistic and i wrongly applied this to the main character). After i understood that character, and like the iron Duke it took me a long time to understand the political reason why they coolant be together. witch i thought where well done, and creative. I relay like her character having really reasons for being afraid of sex and not the usual social and religious taboos. Like some one else mentioned she had postrematic stress of sexuzwal encounters. If you gru up in world where the only time you have those feelings was when some one els forced them upon you for there own gains you would probably have the same problems she did. I do love when she shot him. I also appreciate that felt bad afterwords as well.(he could have easily just been anoided, so seen that before!)
Ok i read, and watch some really trashie stuff, and i found this quite tasteful, the first fue seens where a bit graphic, and i found the wording fine the use of sex. I trout was a bit quaint I'm used to hearing lips and flower, and such, and vagina normally only gets used by Doms and it is general used derogatorily. also i was acutely quite inpresed with the iron duck when he stopped. In fiction i hear the line “ your lips say now but your body sasses yes a lot” and was quite pleased when he stopped and felt bad for getting her drunk, and putting here in that position.
sorry for the spelling english is my first language I'm just bad at it.
Did you find yourself excusing Rhys's behaviours towards Mina because the story was set in an 'alternate' setting? Also, did you find that Mina's participation in their sexual relationship seemed more of a duty? I'm thinking of a scene quite late in the book, when Rhys was tired and she suggested that they shouldn't have sex that night. He responded that he must 'shag' her, so Mina seems to submit and tells him that she will wake up when he gets in to bed and do all the work.
Dear VFH: One of the consistent themes on your show has been your collective distaste with possessive male leads. But in the Iron Duke, you've chosen a novel in which Rhys's defining personality trait is his obsessive desire to possess, and then to protect what he possesses. Rhys's explicitly stated desire to "possess" Mina, who initially resists him, forms the entire basis for the romance in the first half of the book. So, my question to you is: WTF? This is my first romance novel, so I'm not clear on all the tropes here, but I'd love for you spend a few minutes (or even a whole episode) discussing the genre's very best male leads, and what makes a male lead appealing.
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