Upon a Moon Dark Moor

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: Having read a couple of Rebecca Brandewyne's books before, I opened this one with great anticipation. From the beginning, I felt the characters and plot had considerable potential, but it didn't take long to begin feeling let down. I wanted to experience Maggie's life with her, to understand her thoughts, feelings, and motivations. It seemed impossible, however, to connect her thoughts and feelings with her behavior. Everything just seemed... off. I couldn't believe in her romance with Draco because it didn't seem natural. It seemed forced. Misunderstandings and conflicts were not cleared up to my satisfaction. The thoughts and feelings of the characters changed conveniently, but not believably. I would not read this book again and would not recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: the author's distilled all the worst of gothic romance
Review: I was really in the mood for a fun, adventurous romance -- and this was NOT it! While the author does a good job of portraying three-dimensional characters, I have three problems with this book: there is little action, the writing is poor, and the characters are not very sympathetic. As to the first criticism -- the first passionate kiss occurs on page 207! Also, the majority of sex scenes involve rape or extortion. Lovely. If that's what I want, I can watch NYPD Blue.

Secondly, plain old BAD WRITING. I could tell I was in trouble on the first page and it only got worse. At least eight times we are told that Draco has "a dark mat of hair upon his chest". Get a thesaurus! At one point the heroine is the victim of "waves of lethargy". Huh? An orgasm is, of course, "a roaring tide of exhiliration" and one can be overcome by "the depths of its deluge". Every time anything important happens to Maggie (the narrator and heroine) she sees a red mist or she is floating "in a nightmare from which she cannot awaken". Ouch. This florid phrasing is used over and over. And this author never met a comma she didn't like. Here is an actual example (and there were plenty of others from which to choose): " In response, Iverleigh, deeply affronted, jerked open the door, intending, I had no doubt, to deliver a sharp rebuke". Please, cut out, the, commas. Midway through the book, the author decides to devote two straight pages to a short history lesson -- listing a series of inventions and political developments that are never referred to again. The author blurb states that Ms. Brandewyne has won many awards. I find this unbelievable, but I refuse to buy another of her books to see if there's an improvement.

Finally, the characters. While some of the people who populate this book are complex and interesting, not all are, and unfortunately that includes the two main protagonists. Maggie occasionally tells us how intelligent she is, but you'd never know it. She is constantly deceived or caught by surprise, and doesn't understand events or motives even when others do. Several times Maggie says she is "dimly conscious" of one thing or another. Hear, hear. I'll go for that. She has low self-esteem and constantly tells herself she is a victim -- and deserves it -- even when she is drugged and raped. The hero, Draco, is non-communicative and violent, but somehow still desirable. Maggie's "treasonous young body" can't resist him. Several times she says that at least she knows he won't abandon her or abuse her. How does she know that? Based on everything she thinks about him, that is exactly what he would do.

Maggie is repulsed by Draco yet somehow also fascinated by him. That's how I felt about this book. This is the kind of purple prosed romance that inspired me to stop reading them years ago. I'll take Bertrice Small or any number of other talented writers over this. I am not trying to insult other people's tastes. This is nothing more nor less than my opinion, but I think there are better and more entertaining novels out there. You should definitely read the sample pages to see if you like the author's style...

Rating:
Summary: Unusual writing style does it for me
Review: I've just read several of the reviews for this book. I must admit, it was the first book I'd ever read by Rebecca and, to me, the most powerful. I feel that the way she wrote in first person was the most amazing part of this book. I felt as if I were experiencing it or as if I were reading a diary of someone who had. It made it more than an enjoyable read, it made it real. That doesn't happen too often.

I haven't read this book in a few years but I can't imagine that the dialogue and flowery phrases are too different that what was the norm when it was written nor is still the norm today in the romance genre. I don't remember it taking away from the story for me.

I don't read romances for the steamy sex scenes. I read them for the characterization and historical accuracy mostly. If the relationship works by taking a bit longer than 200 pages to have that first kiss, then so be it. Isn't that how life works sometimes? If a book is good, which I feel this one is, then I will gladly read 200+ pages of why they might want to kiss in the first place.

I feel that this book is much more than your basic romance novel, always have. I loved it when I first read it when it was brand new and I still love it.