Jun 25, 2010

"The Tempest" ~ Nat's Pros and Cons List

A few weeks ago, I received my copy of "The Tempest~ A Guy of Gisborne Story" from Sarah Pawley, who goes by the pen name Charlotte Hawkins.  (Side note: I asked Sarah why she has a pen name and discovered that it's reserved for her "adult" novels.)  Anyway, I sat down and read "The Tempest" all in one day... partly because I enjoyed the story, and partly because I can never just casually read anything.  (I read and read, ignoring the world around me until I've finished a book.  It's a fun, yet annoying habit.)
My blogging buddy Maria Grazia at Fly High! also recently received and read her copy of "The Tempest" and wrote a review HERE.  Please read it... she has a talent for writing reviews and described the storyline and characters well, without giving too much away.  Instead of repeating what MG has already highlighted so wonderfully, I will just post my own likes/dislikes about the book.  (Sarah asked for my opinion since she enjoys any kind of feedback, saying it helps with future work.  This is basically the list I sent her.)

Pros:
*The love interest is Cassia, rather than Marian, which I found refreshing.
*It is written from the perspectives of both Guy and Cassia, so that the reader knows what each are thinking/feeling.
*Cassia's personality (sweet, with a feisty streak) is fun to read.
*I liked that I couldn't predict what was going to happen around every corner. There were several twists and surprises thrown in.
*Sarah wrote Gisborne so closely to the character Richard Armitage portrayed, smirks and all.  It is impossible not to picture RA's Gisborne as the Gisborne in this book.
Main Con: 
The following "con" will most likely be a "pro" for most of you...
*This book has way more "adult content" than I prefer.  The storyline already had me interested from the beginning and was loaded with sexual tension before any clothes ever hit the floor... so I think the sex scenes could have been scaled back and still left a great story.  I'm not a prude, but an overload of graphic hanky-panky can make me a bit uncomfortable since some things in life are NOT better as a spectator's sport, if ya know what I mean. :)  Having said that, I'm sure most readers will LOVE every single steaming hot scene.  If it wasn't "my thing," why did I keep reading? By the time I arrived at the first love scene, I was invested in the characters and wanted to find out what happened next, so I couldn't cast it aside.  Plus, I'll admit, those particular moments are very intoxicating... I just couldn't peel my eyes away from the pages while blushing and fanning myself, wishing my husband would come home from work early. *wink*  So just so that everyone knows ahead of time, this book is not for the kiddos!  Consider yourself warned so that you can be equipped with a giant fan and bucket of ice cubes in case you get too overheated while reading. :)

If you are interested in winning a free copy of "The Tempest,"
visit Sarah's blog HERE and enter your name and email address
into the drawing before July 6th.  It is also available for
purchase
on Amazon HERE.

Sarah is currently working on a sequel to "The Tempest"
and a sneak peak can be read on her blog HERE.

10 comments:

Maria Grazia said...

Thanks for linking to my review , Nat. But you are not bad at all, darling. I insist, you pointed out beautifully what your impressions were and it's been a real pleasure to read. I agree with you, one of your cons will be many of Sarah's readers' fabourite PRO! Intriguing romance, isn't it?

Manda said...

Your con is a pro in my book but I'm a bit naughty. *hides behind couch* I'm hoping to read this soon. I'm sure it's fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Great reviews by Nat and Maria. Yet another thing I'm going to have to sign up for.

Avalon said...

Good review. My only con was what happened to my sweet Robin.

Twinkling Moon said...

Thanks for the review Nat! I love to read fanfic, but must admit I'm a GuyxMarian shipper. I'm wondering though, is this story based on the BBC RH show at all? or is it not really a fan fic in the sense that it's based on a show, rather a story written about GofG minus any other characters or storylines from the BBC RH?

Lizbeth said...

Thanks for letting us know about this book! I am reading it RIGHT NOW!

I got the Kindle version, which is only $2 on Amazon.com. I don't have a Kindle but I downloaded the Kindle software (available for both Mac & PC) and am reading the book on my computer. So far it's pretty good!

I've read enough romance novels to get used to the common trend of more explicit sex scenes, but let's put it this way--they are not a "Pro" for me either. (I've been known to skim past sex scenes if they get to be too much. Sacrilege I am sure to some, but whatever works, you know?)

Charlotte H. said...

Maria, thanks again for the review, and for the support. You're awesome.

Manda, I enjoy the naughty bits too, as long as they don't get too outrageous. I've read a few that had me rolling my eyes until I had a migrane. I hope I don't do that to anyone with this story...Lol.

littlevictories, good luck and I hope you enjoy the story if you win!

Avalon, sorry about your dear Robin, but I wasn't a fan of his. :) I'm biased when it comes to RA.

Twinkling Moon, I stayed away from the series almost entirely, except for a tiny part at the beginning and a small scene towards the end. I wanted to create my own characters, so I hope you still enjoy the story.

Lizbeth, go ahead and skim over whatever suits you. I've written stories with no love scenes at all, and still I had people who enjoyed my work. In this case, I wrote the book for a friend who kept asking me to write something steamy, and so I did.

It's all her fault! That bad influence...I love her, though. :)

Sue said...

Any chance that somoene will make a film/series taken from the book? (Starring Richard of course!)

To be honest once the couple have "done the deed" I always seem to lose interest in the storyline. It's the anticipation of what's to come and the chase that intrigues me and keeps me turning the pages/watching!Perhaps that's why I enjoyed the Marian and Guy love affair. Poor devil never did get it on with the lovely lady did he?But it was the chase and what might have been that made it watchable for me.If they had ever hit the sack it would have been game over and the end of the story.

BETH said...

Hola Natalie (I hope all goes well with your pregnancy!) What good news is "The Tempest"! , You know if the author is going to be published in Spanish? because I can not wait to read the history of Gisborne. Besitos from Argentina.

Twinkling Moon said...

@Sarah P., thanks for explaining the background of the book! The reviews have me very intrigued :)

@Sue, I understand what you mean about loving the chase. I think it's the sexual tension that gets to me, whether it's "the dance" between the hero and heroine, or how it comes across in a well-written steamy scene.