Review: A Most Annoying Heroine
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 11, 2012
Rating a book is usually an easy task. Did you like it? Did you love it or hate it? What do you do when you like a storyline very much, but despise the heroine? If you're like me, you struggle with your decision.If I were to grade based purely on the storyline, this book would get 4 stars. It's well-plotted and well-executed. Kathryn Le Veque knows how to write a story and they're always very imaginative. On the downside, she has a tendency to use unique/uncommon words that become distracting because they're overused. Case in point, she loves the word wriggle and all it's variations. I ran into wriggle in Chapter 1 and decided that rather than let it annoy me I would entertain myself by tracking how many times it was used. Since I turned it into a game, the 21 times it was used was less annoying than when I read her novel "Resurrection" where it drove me to distraction.The hero and heroine are trademark Kathryn Le Veque. An enormous (6'7") and devastatingly handsome man and a stunningly beautiful woman. Not exactly people that the average person can identify and empathize with, but I recognized them from every Le Veque book I've read so far (5 if you're interested). Fox, our aptly named hero, was quite likeable. He is an intelligent, level-headed man who would rather reason things out than jump to conclusions or act rashly. Morgan, our heroine, starts off OK, but turns into the quintessential Ugly American when she arrives in Egypt. Oh how I grew to despise her. Fox fills the role of adult and Morgan is the petulant child with a propensity to stick her tongue out and pout whenever she's wrong - which is often. In Egypt, Fox tries to guide her regarding acceptable dress since it's a predominantly Muslim country. Morgan prefers to wear her clingy and revealing clothing and only grudgingly covers up when they venture outside. While preparing for a potentially lengthy excursion into the desert, Morgan's packing like they're going to a spa and gets angry with Fox when he tries to edit her clothing choices. He even reminds her that showering will be a luxury which she is none too pleased to hear. Because she's a brat, she insists on bringing makeup. Really. When she pops open her second soda during the first leg of their journey and he gently reminds her she might want to conserve her liquids, she ends up pouting because he's making her look stupid. Guess what, sweetheart. You are stupid! When she stomped off in to the desert in a huff (without telling anyone), I wanted Fox to just let her keep walking. Let the desert have her. Alas, he went chasing after her and apologized. Believe it or not, I'm only scratching the surface of her bad behavior. Since I hated Morgan, I was more than ready to give this book 1 star.So what do you do when you have a story you like and a character you hate? I let the story outweigh my hatred of Morgan and settled on 3 stars. When Morgan told Fox, "Thank you for putting up with my crap," I pretended she was addressing me and let some of my anger go.I don't believe for a second that their relationship will last. The only thing they have going for them is sexual attraction. I actually feel sorry for Fox. He will know the true meaning of "marry in haste, repent at leisure."There must be something I like about Kathryn Le Veque because I keep reading her books. Unfortunately, there's also something about them that bugs me to the point that I can't read them one after another. I need a break before I can delve into another book with a massive (used 28 times in this book) hero and angelically beautiful woman straight out of central casting. I look forward to the day she writes about characters that don't fit this profile.