Review: passionate romance, sweet hero, strong heroine
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2013
This wonderful novel is too short--and none of Lopez' other books (thus far) match its enjoyably passionate romance. I wish it had been a hundred pages longer, if only so I could continue to enjoy the world and characters Lopez has imagined.Another reviewer compares this writer to Laurann Dohner. Lopez is a much more skilled and much less formulaic writer than Dohner; I would compare this book, instead, to Stephanie Snow's _Demon's Captive_, in terms of the plot. However, Lopez's story is much gentler and less rape-y than Snow's (which I happen to love, despite the rape).Although Hallie is a strong heroine, her feminism is directed not towards the futility of escaping the gentle man who only wants to love her, but towards freeing other women from far more abusive situations. I wish more romance heroines in "captivity" scenarios could find Hallie's strength and inner peace.For Hallie, being strong is about learning how to endure strange new customs and new experiences with grace and charm. Underneath the terror, she discovers that all is not what it seems--that the very best men in her new world are gentle and kind, even if they are also raw, sexual, possessive creatures as well.