Review- Goddess of the Hunt

It's got to be hard, at this point, to come up with a fresh idea for a historical romance novel. It's the oldest sub-genre within the genre, and there is only so much one can do with Medieval castles, pirates, and Regency ballrooms.

So what's to be done? Take the familiar things and make them better, fresher, and seriously improved.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Tessa Dare, and Goddess of the Hunt.

No, it's not an original story: Jeremy falls for Lucy, his best friend's sister, after she tries to seduce him as "practice" for another one of their friends. Following? Naturally the Jeremy and Lucy are caught in a compromising position, and even though they both want to be together, conflicts arise to keep them unhappy in the early stages of their marriage. Something Happens, they are reunited, HEA and offspring ensue.

Sounds familiar, yeah? (Note: If it doesn't sound familiar, either A. you have never read a historical romance novel or B. I did a terrible job of explaining. You make the call)

The difference between Goddess of the Hunt and every other book with this plotline lies in the writing and delivery. First of all, most of the story is from his perspective, as opposed to her swoony and annoying one. He's a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal to be sure, but he never hauls off and assumes she's a slut; in fact, he never gets more than seethingly jealous whenever Lucy mentions his friend.

It would have been so easy for Dare to make Jeremy a stereotype: there is one point in particular when Lucy is left alone with the friend, that is a clear demarcation between the novels of yore and the novels of... nore. Twenty years ago Jeremy would have assumed that Lucy and Toby had slept together, then he would have slept with her (read: raped her) out of anger, only to discover her virginity intact after it was too late. Then he would have left out of guilt, and they would have spent the whole book apart recovering from their own mis-assumptions.

There is a minor instance of mis-assuming, but it's not dire, and is more-or-less acceptable. It's resolved in a reasonable time for us to enjoy our hero and heroine together, and lets us have some fun make-up sex.

Surrender of a Siren is the next book in the series (its heroine is the irresistably charming Lady Sophia), and I can't wait.

Rating:
Plot- 1 (it's been done, but rarely so well)
Characters- 1- (Loved everyone, but Lucy was occasionally annoying)
Sex- 1 (Hot. No other word for it)
Style- 1
Consumption- 1

TOTAL- 5-