Rating: 
Summary: A frustrating read
Review: When I saw that this book has an everage customer reviews more than 4 stars, I unquestionably believed it's the most overated book I've ever read. Though the book got my whole attention very quickly from the beginning, I felt something wrong just after the hero and heroine getting together. This couple, Cat and Ruark, spend too much, and I mean TOO MUCH, pages after that showing their spectacularity, eagerness and variety in making love with a little progress in the story. I found myself read past the first quarter of the book very fast because I skipped most of those unnescessary and meaningless sex scenes. When I finished the book and returned to read those part, I knew that I didn't miss a thing by skipping them. However, the most disgusting thing in this book is the heroine. Cat is potentially the most annoying, bitchy and stubborn female character in romantic fictions. Some might think she's a strong and independent girl for her love to take care of her own bussinesses without accepting any help from someone -even when she should. I'd have though the same if it wasn't for the fact that she's never solved her problems successfully by herself and that made me unable to admire her and felt sorry for her instead. Her anger and her erratic pride drove her to do a lot of silly things that cause her more troubles and in the end it caused her the worst. Most of arguements she had with Ruark (especially the one I hate the most when she got mad at him about her beloved brother) weren't suppose to happen if only she'd known a civilised way to control her temper and try to be reasonable. Moreover, she did a very shameful thing by sleeping with Rory and even fancied him when she'd been in love with Ruark, no matter what's her excuse. And in the end it seemed to me that she didn't really feel guilty for those silly things she'd done, nor did she appologise for her lack of loyalty. Ruark isn't my ideal hero either. He's abusive, cruel, and often unreasonable. The unusual thing he'd done just to have a peace with his crazy wife made me felt sorry for him. Even the twist in the end couldn't satisfy me. I knew all along the true identity of Rory. It's very predictable that I'm still wondering why should I call it a twist in the first place. I admitted that the love story between Cat and Ruark is a page turner because I couldn't put the book down no matter how frustrated I was. The historical background was great as well as the secondary characters. However, to feel like stabbing someone's face throughout the story certainly isn't an ideal outcome I've expected from reading a romance. I knew how much I hate the book when I finished it and still thought the leading character didn't deserve a happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: Crummy stuff
Review: Why not just call this book "Pagan Porn" and be done with it. I am no prude, but honestly I read romances to read about romance. Not just sex. Yes that's great too, but give me some plot, ok? Make the hero/heroine remotely likable. And I know it is important to hook a reader in with the first few pages of a book, but to start a novel off describing someone's penis ("It was the most beautiful ( ) she had ever seen...")is really trashy. Honest! I didn't make it up--go see for yourself. I read that line in the bookstore and vowed if I read this book it would be from the library. So I borrowed it and was duly disappointed. But you don't have to be--read some other novel by henley--A Year and A Day and A Woman of Passion are both quite good.
| 
