Review of Dynasty of Deceit: Hypocrisy and Self-Deception

Hypocrisy and Self-Deception Dominate This Read

Warning: the book reviewed covers topics and material which are potential triggers and may not be suitable for certain readers. This review contains spoilers and strong language.

A quick note: the tamest parts of VReads’ initial review are in PINK.

This review has taken a little longer than usual to emerge, partly because the original reviewer (VReads) threatened to go ballistic if she had to censor some of her original comments.  After I took over and edited parts of the review, naturally only after reading the existing series of three novels, I can't say I blame her much.  

Dynasty of Deceit went from a questionable read to one that was quite disturbing in the second novel and an almost deeply ironic read by the third instalment.  When the original reviewer and I read that there was going to be another instalment, ostensibly with a happy ending for a hero that was getting shadier with each instalment, our reactions were quite similar: dismay. 

First, let me say I'm disturbed by the way the lead characters have been developed and how the plot and narrative have worked to excuse and perhaps even glorify incest in the course of the series.  In a way,  any criticism of the way in which the incest theme is anticipated and depicted in the series cleverly as an external world too quick to condemn.  In book 1, the male lead, Michael Marsh, has moments of guilt and shame regarding his incestuous affair with his daughter, Lisette (Lis). However, his excuses for indulging in such an affair (a bad case of stage nerves, loneliness, resentment against the absence of his wife Lizzie) still sounded borderline rational.  He even refuses to condemn or regret the affair when his incest child, Harriet, is born.  Excusing it as how he could regret something that produced a beautiful child such as Harriet.  

Readers' sympathies may still stand with Michael since Lizzie herself betrayed her marriage with an affair with Michael's mentor, resulting in an illegitimate child, Kit. However,  Michael 's excuses were already on thin ice by book 2 since his "valiant struggles" against reviving that affair with Lis was because he felt guilt over how his betrayal of Lizzie years ago resulted in an incest child and a hold being established over Lis who has been blackmailed over the last decade or so. Even then, there were long scenes of how he was sexually attracted and aroused by Lis and how he once made Lis aware of his arousal as a way of showing her how desirable she still was despite all the years of abuse she suffered from her blackmailer. 

Michael's overwhelming concern for Harriet, his incest child, versus his youngest daughter with Lizzie, Greta, who is seen as their second chance at reviving their marriage is at best odd, at worst, dismaying.  Even more so when it is discovered that Greta was mistaken for the incest child, kidnapped and tortured. Michael's differing reactions to the same threat faced by his two daughters point to double standards and a disturbing imbalance of familial love. That he and Lis still indulge in sweet memories of their affair makes a joke of their professed guilt towards Lizzie and all they have betrayed.  It also casts a long shadow over Lis’s eventual marriage to Brian.

In the present book, book 3 (Dynasty of Deceit), all the professions of guilt and regret got to a point where it beggared belief. As a reviewer, I was constantly looking for signs where the author was trying for a sense of self-conscious irony.  Disappointingly, there were none. Instead, the book abounds in examples of the following.

Schizophrenic or contradictory? 

Characters in book 3 seem more schizophrenic than ever. They leap from one extreme to the next, often within the same page or line. If they are not schizophrenic, the only other conclusion possible is hypocrisy.

A prime example is the epilogue where Lis seems to express guilt over hurting Lizzie, yet she easily dismisses that guilt because she apparently has to remember that Harriet is the first daughter she has by Michael. Similar sentiments were expressed by Michael in books 1 and 2 because how can he possibly express regret over incest and infidelity when it produced someone like Harriet (his beautiful daughter) and when he loves Lis, his beautiful daughter, even if it's beyond boundaries of familial love.  And Lis knows Michael still loves her.  So where is the consideration for Lizzie's feelings?? So here’s the saving grace: conveniently Lizzie is dead, actually from page 2 of the novel.

Despite Lizzie’s death early in book 3, the author doesn’t allow the poor woman to rest in peace but uses her to justify an entire range of plot developments from resumption of the incestuous affair between Michael and Lis to the burning of the Book of Hours. To ensure that readers do not miss Lizzie's blessing and encouragement of Michael to move on i.e. go for another woman,  the author has both Michael hearing the voice of Lizzie encouraging him to move on to another woman and Lis basically repeating that Lizzie set him free and gave him as a gift to Evie in the epilogue. 

 It is the height of hypocrisy that Michael professes eternal love for Lizzie but is full of thoughts of another woman and laments he has to forget her because he would never be free.  This from a guy who told his daughter (after restarting their incestuous affair in chapter 16) that she can divorce for desertion in months and be free again.   Equally ironic is Lis’s thoughts that Michael respects her revived marriage.  If he did respect marriage, he wouldn't have betrayed Lizzie in book 1 and continued betraying her in subsequent books. Not only did he restart the incestuous affair with Lis, he clearly indicates he wants Lis to give up and forget Brian. Michael compounds his hypocrisy by the way he justifies thinking of Evie because of how dependable she was in investigating Lizzie's murder, which is further strengthened by how great she would be acting as chaperone for Greta and as stress relief (read lust relief) during concerts to do Lizzie justice during concerts. Even Lis knows he will sleep with Evie.  And that's why Evie has visited them time and again.  There is no doubt that Michael is the master of excuses and justification.  

Michael’s ability to manipulate women is acknowledged and even admired in the novel. He revives his incestuous relationship with Lis in chapter 16 because he needs Lis’s cooperation in order to make the show that is a tribute to Lizzie a success. So he sleeps with Lis to calm her down and also to show her how desirable she is and therefore repair the damage to her confidence and ego caused by Brian’s abrupt departure. Again, the reviewer cannot believe this is meant to be believable in this solar system.  Ironically, his smooth moves and constant professing of love for Lizzie is contradicted by his acts of betrayal and Lis’s and Harriet’s revelation of how ignorant he is of Lizzie's true desire in their marriage: roses and his company. Instead, he's blinded by his ambition and inferiority complex.  

Chapter 26 proves one of the hardest to read and accept; a quick and crude summary of the chapter goes: Michael and Lis fuck, Brian appears, Lis and Brian reconcile, Brian fucks Lis.

Brian is taking Michael's leavings and even after marriage too. So, basically Lis can't accept Brian cheating but he accepts her cheating and incest. In Chapter 26, Lis doesn't even wash Michael off or out of her before fucking Brian so essentially it becomes a terrible hotwife story where husband has to take the wife freshly fucked by others. Lis even complains that Michael didn't give her time to clean up and pretty up. Seriously?? However, she seems nonplussed by evidence of her incestuous fucking and infidelity and pregnancy despite Brian's pain.

The Author Doth Protest Overly Much

Despite repeated denials in response to criticism of earlier novels, there is clear glorifying of incest - descriptions of Michael and Lis focus on how skilful and passionate Michael and Lis are and the orgasms they enjoy and even how they are passionately fucking everywhere. There is even the attempts to justify the incestuous affair by describing how Michael brings out the passion in Lis and makes her forget her trauma. The fact that the novel focuses on how familiar Michael is with her body and how he knows just how and where to bring out her passion and gift her with orgasms sets up the implied contrast with Brian. Brian, by the way, only features in two lovemaking scenes with Lis after she resumes her affair with Michael and unfortunately, both indirectly read like comments on how Brian is more conservative and presumably more boring. 

Brian’s acceptance presumably makes him the good guy but frankly raises suspicion of his motives: is he accepting the situation because he has no other choice, because he needs Michael’s help?

In contrast, Michael’s hostility and animosity towards Brian from chapter 16 – even after he finds out what Brian was really doing and that Brian was not having an affair – is reflective of his inability to let go of Lis. This echoes book 2, where at her wedding, he’s still remembering their love. It also points towards the darker side of this “hero” and shows his selfish side.

Echoes Abound

There are far too many echoes in book 3 to be ignored. Brian’s inferiority complex and his complicated relationship with Michael echoes that of Michael and Clement in book 1. With Michael moving into his golden years, would he have to give up his alpha status? Would Brian therefore take over? Would Brian as alpha prove as monstrous as Michael and Clement – after all, neither alpha gave up opportunities to use the women who surround them. The reviewer is not sure Queen Margaret meant for the benediction of love to result in her descendants being used by men.

Of course, the biggest anti-echo solution proposed in book 3 was the burning of the Book of Hours. And frankly, that worked out a little conveniently, like Lizzie’s death. After being used as an excuse by Lis and Harriet to do just what they please, including Lis satisfying her incestuous lust again and again and retaining her second child of incest, they blithely burn it up under the pretext of trying to protect the latest incest child, Elise.

Frankly, this reviewer hopes that doesn’t work as it would be too satisfying to see Lis get her comeuppance. Lis has been made the lead through the all too convenient bumping off of Lizzie on the first two pages of book 3 and has efficiently replaced Lizzie in every way. Now that Lis is set to grow old like Lizzie in book 1, it will be most satisfying to see how younger women will replace her. It is clear Lis is almost certainly outside of Michael’s lust relief age bracket, she is likely to be replaced by Evie, would Harriet replace her too? Would Greta make a play for Brian? Would Brian finally find anyone other than Michael’s leavings and an unfaithful wife who only regards him as a spare tyre?

Concluding Thoughts

Part of my disappointment with the series is the keen sense that the author, Stuart, is capable of much better narrative and character development. I suspect that the character of Michael is at least partly based on a certain Sir Tom, a notoriously unfaithful and philandering celebrity. There are just too many similarities to ignore.

As with VReads, I feel that the narrative and characters pose two main problems for me: the glorification of a taboo relationship/incest and the idolising of a protagonist who would clearly be a hypocritical antagonist under other circumstances. Essentially, Brian and Lizette have been reduced to mere foils for the leads, Michael and Lis and yet, ironically, these foils show up the shallow and ugly nature of the lead characters. 

What causes the greatest discomfort is the fact that the ones who were innocent of incest have suffered more than Lis and Harriet/those who break the taboo ever did. Collectively, the message that this reader comes away with from reading this third instalment is that beautiful celebrities can get away with anything and the rest of us are expected to excuse them or risk being labelled as part of a wider public that is too quick to condemn.

The conflicting emotions experienced by lead characters Michael, Lis and Brian could have been moving. Yet, the rapid dismissal of guilt and shame and replacement by selfish lust and other flimsy excuses reduces them to hypocritical characters who only wish to redeem their image in the eyes of others with the least effort expended and without any intention of truly repenting or even regretting their mistakes and misdeeds.

To further enumerate the various failings of the novel would be to repeat some of VReads’ points made in relation to Book 1 and 2. Readers interested in details of VReads’ review may read the original review here (https://erorevue.blogspot.com/2016/09/review-of-illicit-passion-and-dangerous.html). The next post will reveal some suggested plot points for the next instalment.

Overall ranking: 2.5*

Amazon ranking: 3*

Readers interested in a copy of the book should visit the link below. 

https://www.amazon.com/Dynasty-Deceit-Showbiz-Family-Command-ebook/dp/B01N55FFFG 

Review of Fast and Furious 8

For a fan of Vin Diesel, there is little better than another instalment of a franchise closely associated with him. The pace of the movie was quite consistent and even if you could see certain plot twists coming from way off, it's still entertaining.

What worked:
The humour and the stunts. While the Statham and Johnson matchup was entertaining, two supporting actors stole the show in terms of humour : Helen Mirren's matriarch of the Shaw family and the baby.

What didn't work:
Theron's villain was an extreme left (?) leaning sociopath who seemed too caught up in the complexity of her plots. The occasional intensity radiating from her just classes with the overall easy feel. It was the stranger counterpart to Eastwood's earnest rookie. Yet the latter managed to make the connection that Theron didn't. Also, though most audiences aren't watching such action franchises for the plot, the disposal of Elena was too convenient a move. Consider this: any potential angst and character conflict that may have arisen in the Elena-Letty-Dom triangle with the baby at the centre of the tensionmight have meant difficulty for Dom but bumping her off so the baby naturally becomes part of the legit Lettie-Dom marriage is a little too conveniently chauvinist a move, even for this movie.

The Unexpected:
The reintroduction of the Shaws as good guys was just a tad disconcerting. And while Statham with the baby was quite funny and entertaining, for this fan, it kinda/sorta smacked a little of borrowing from an early Vin Diesel vehicle, The Nanny.

Conclusion:
An easy film to watch and like for the majority of us Philistines (yours truly being an unabashed card carrying member of the club). Everyone else, there are other choices, non-action ones mostly but hey, to each their own.

https://youtu.be/2DMpqplvADQ

An Unintended Lesson:
The plot of FF8 surprisingly teaches audiences an unintended lesson. I'd be surprised if Tesla or, indeed, any of the motor companies in the driverless camp would sponsor the FF8 because a key scene and message is basically a question everyone of these companies are hardly eager to answer: what happens if some group of hackers hacks your car(s)? The answer is captured in Cipher's line: Let it rain.

So imagine what if you're living in a world where there's nothing but the internet of things??

Review of Eve Langlais' Princess of Hell series and Hell's Bells

Overview: Series made reviewer a fan of paranormal romance

What worked: Humour and hot sex

What didn't quite gell: Muriel's transformation from principled virgin to threesome enthusiast in a month. And from there on, she starts constructing her harem. Hmm...

The rant/review:

Ok, some perspective first. A confession (thoroughly appropriate since yours truly hadn't read any of Ms Langlais' books till tripping over Lucifer's Daughter, book 1 of the Princess of Hell series. Loved Muriel, aforesaid princess of Hell, for her humour, sass and sexy kickass attitude. Loved Auric even more. Which probably made my reaction to books 2-4, particularly book 4, predictable. Auric gives up the chance of returning to Heaven to be with Muriel, even makes a bargain with Lucifer himself to save Muriel from certain death. Yet, by the next month/novel, she's barely resisting her nympho side and "reluctantly" agrees to a permanent threesome with his best friend, panther shifter, David, who readers find out later apparently owns her heart.

Of course, there were signs even in book 1 that she had lusty thoughts about the panther shifter, but to seal her commitment with Auric and then boink his best friend in pretty much the next breath makes this reader wonder just where did the original Muriel go? Yet more heartbreak awaits Auric fans in books 3-4 since Muriel needs power boosts for her magic (her magic is nympho-based, in other words, she needs sex, lots of it to conjure up wicked spells) and by Vacation Hell, she's actively hunting, with nary a sliver of guilt or remorse at the pain she causes Auric. The poor fallen angel has become so broadminded and stoic that only a flash of pain escapes him when he hears of her latest dalliance with merman Tristan.

I agree with readers who have said somehow, the more Muriel flexes her sexy, the less endearing she gets. Even the cuteness of the child she has with David and Auric seems forced and by Hell's Bells which helps provide a more rounded conclusion to the cliffhanger that was Vacation Hell, the news of another pregnancy of Muriel's and the need for her to control the petty power struggles in her harem are a little too meh. Which is a pity since this reader loved the series.

Saving grace: (haha, how could anyone resist the corny joke?) Humour is Ms Langlais' forte and even in the worst of times, (eg Muriel's lack of compunction in increasing her evergrowing harem)serves to soothe the bristling reader.

And in this vein, Hell's Bells was a much nicer read not just because of the outlandish premise of Lucifer turning nice and freaking out his prospective bride Gaia (aka Earth and Muriel's mother), but also because the lascivious Lucifer manages to becomes a one-woman man, erm, demon, erm, fallen angel. And that from a father who bemoaned Muriel's principled ways and virgin status.

Just for the hell of it:(again, can anyone blame this writer for being inspired by what she reads?)
Why not have an ultimate sequel with Muriel's new brother causing havoc (he's foretold to be an eater of worlds) and Muriel's life getting more complicated because of her latest child. In the midst of it all, Auric decides he's had enough of being Muriel's number one of xxx number and walks away. What would Muriel do? Is power more important than the fallen angel she's always claimed as her number one and her soul mate? It would be nice to have Muriel imbibe just a little of her own medicine - just saying ya know!

Blog rating: 3.9*
Amazon rating 4*

Hot Jock-Brainy Tutor Romance Review

Title:  Tackled

Author: Sabrina Paige

Plot in a snap:
Colton, the hottest tight end, has a problem. He's in danger of being kept off the team because he's not meeting grade requirements. That problem is to be solved with a tutor working with him over summer.

Cassie, a graduate student on the same university campus, can't stand jocks.  Particularly not the arrogant, seemingly sex-crazed legend that is Colton King. Yet there's just something about him that makes her wanna break the rules. Yes, the same uptight goody-two-shoes who's not supposed to fraternize with her student.

Through various trials and tribulations, Cassie and Colton get together and try to figure if the brains-and-brawn combo do work.

What works:
Humour, which one might think is easy peasy for sports romances but is surprisingly absent from most, is in abundance here.  It's nice that steam and cracks can coexist!

What didn't quite work:
The cause of contention - why would Colton get all huffy over the project/thesis? And how does he not get noticed by Cassie at the party before misunderstandings can develop.

What I look forward to:
A separate novella for Tank and Sable. Aww, c'mon, the dirty roommates need their own story!

Overall: A fun and steamy read!

Blog rating: 3.75*
Amazon rating: 4.5*:

And just in case anyone needs some images to help fill in what tight end bods look like LOL

Review of 'Ultimate Vengeance' by Nancy Haviland

Title: Ultimate Vengeance

Author: Nancy Haviland

Plot in a flash:

Heroine of the story, Sacha Urusski, has left her Russian mobster prince, Alekzander Tarasov, for almost a year after a terrible betrayal. Hurt and in fear of what he might do if he discovers her secret, she's ready to run with her secret when a chance meeting brings them together again. Alek is determined to bring the woman he's never forgotten back to his side. Will turmoil and a terrible plot to start a war between the various powerful triads in NY destroy their chance at happiness?

What worked:

Hot Russian mobsters, that don't look like something from Nightmare on Elm Street, are always a selling point. Add the blonde and pale blue eyes plus a tendency to dominate and you've got Alek!

Throw into the mix various other hot mobsters who are easy on the eyes (ok, in prose anyway) and it's bad boy central. Yums!

Love the little secret who manages to scare (yes, scare) male mobsters in a great scene which blends humour and obvious "Aww" baits!

What didn't work:

Have to agree with a Goodreads reviewer who pointed out that the conversation seems a little too trendy for serious mobsters.  Ok, they don't all have to sound like the Sopranos or the Godfather, but the "sitch" references are a little disconcerting.

Ok, this is a mobster romance but the violence is quite constant and sometimes way detailed. Especially the violence directed at the family members of the villain, Sergei. It was almost a rework of  "Seven" when Brad Pitt's character receives a parcel at a climactic moment in the movie. I leave readers to imagine or read the narrative. In a way, the novel switches up between humanising and dehumanising the villain.

The frenzied pace of the novel is also a little distracting. There may be tiny problems with the timeline but it's pretty ok overall. The really tight sequence could however turn the emotional moments into OTT emo though.

Overall:

A decent read and as plots go, it's pretty much mobster soap but I'm not above sudsy reads occasionally!

Amazon rating: 4 *

Blog rating: 3.3*

Here's the Amazon link for the book! https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Vengeance-Wanted-Men-Book-ebook/dp/B01D5HMHLY

Review posted by VReads

Movie Review: Train to Busan

This is a break from normal programming for a review of a movie that has proven both popular and touching. While I'm not proficient in the Korean language, I'm comfortable watching subtitles alongside the acting. Having been in Asia for a number of years, I'm sure it comes as no surprise to many that I'm slightly more familiar with K-pop culture and some of their stars.

I was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar actors appearing in the film. Having heard about the movie and seen the trailers, I was fully expecting a horror zombie flick. Which it partly was. Yet it was also so much more. The interaction between the two elderly sisters reminds the audience of the human background against which this horror fest is taking place. That is reinforced by the incongruous sight of a brusque blue collar worker who is full of bluster to everyone else but really is a caring husband who is sweet to his pregnant wife. Think bear with caramel centre LOL

The audience is prepared from the first to be cynical about the main character, Seok Woo, who is a cold fund manager dealing with life almost as an automaton. He flounders dealing with work, hierarchy(an important element both in understanding more subtle aspects of the movie as well as Korean society itself) and family. For an Asian society apparently built on notions of prioritising collective good above that of the individual and whose values are based on respect for the elderly, the slice of Korean society that is on display in the film speaks of cynicism, selfishness and a disintegration of values when survival is at stake. It also speaks of the dire consequences of that which is at stake when the ugliness of humans emerges: basic human decency.

Where the main character seems to advocate everyone for themselves initially, his character undergoes transformation, a positive one where he cooperates with the blue collar worker and a high school student in battling entire train cars of zombies to reach and rescue their loved ones. There's poignant humour and straight sentimentalism in many of the scenes between battling zombies and these are the scenes which remind the audience that this is more than a cringe-and-scream fest. The redemptive process that Seok Woo's character undergoes is set up as a parallel to what other characters, especially the CEO of Stallion Express who is a clear douchebag from the moment the zombie infection spreads, undergo. Their human veneer betrays a callousness that is inhuman, leaving them on par with the infected zombies. The act of the grieving elderly woman who is disgusted by the selfishness of her fellow passengers and stunned by her sister's sacrifice is final condemnation of the extremes to which selfish humans, practising a perverse version of the collective good principle in expelling suspected infected members from a safe community, go when survival is threatened.

That the CEO's actions virtually end in infecting everyone else apart from the pregnant lady and the child speaks volumes of how the social elite behave when individualism and selfish self-preservation trump the last dregs of humanity. Fortunately, that cynical bitterness is counteracted by the blooming of Seok Woo's humanism and act of self sacrifice at the very edge of his zombie transformation.

Is it trite? Yes. Is it sentimental? Yes. Is it good for a scare? Yes. Yet, for all the fluff, this movie still moves on levels unexpected.

Rating: 4 stars - go watch, what are you waiting for?

Shifter Romance Review: Shifters in the Spring

Title: Shifters in the Spring - Sixteen New Paranormal Romances of Secret Babies, Frisky Shifters, and Fertile Surprises

Authors: J.K. Harper, Jacqueline Sweet, Ariana Hawkes, J.M. Klaire, Anya Nowlan, Liv Brywood, Olivia Arran, Edith Hawkes, Elianne Adams, Ellis Leigh, Auriella Skye, Cynthia Fox, Gen Géricault

What it's about:
This is a collection of 16 shifter romance short stories covering everything from secret babies to second chances and confrontations.

What worked:
What can I say? Loved this collection on the whole and this comes from ole me who didn't read shifter romance before this. Having said that, there are three stories that stand out.


The first is Forces of Nature by Gen Géricault whose writing made me wish I could walk out and get a taste of Louisiana. Very tight plot and writing. Loved the dynamics between lead characters Alder Thorne, alpha wolf of the Sweetwater pack, and witch-wolf loner Wren Thistle, whose father used to be alpha wolf of Sweetwater pack. Had wondered how the secret baby angle would be played and was not disappointed by Géricault's use of the compulsion twist. There's violence in the confrontation scenes and of course hot sexually-charged interaction between the leads. And for good measure Géricault throws in the cuddly scenes with the wolf cub - too cute for words!

Second is His Secret Dragon by Elianne Adams which mixes insta-lust with power struggles in a political unstable shifter tribe landscape. Spunky Meadow Brighton meets alpha Kade Trenton when he rescues her from  a conflict arising from her rejection of a forced mating. While the story is quite fast-paced and I would hope there's more development of characters and plot, it's a pretty smooth short read. Grab your dragon shifter indulgence here!


Last but not least (regardless of how trite that sounds, it's true here!) is Something Weasel this Way Comes by Cynthia Fox. A refreshing combination of hot shifter romance and comedy, I'm not sure which I liked better. Fox's humour is spot on and smacks of jazzed up fairytales and Aesop's fables with a more earthy feel and greater appeal! Linden the weasel is pretty effective as the de facto villain while Sally and Nikolai are one of the funniest shifter couples! Of course, the language barrier is always an effective device. Look away my Russian friends, there's too much that will be offensive though funny here! The opinion implied in the following video is not that of this writer!

What didn't work:
The uneven feel of the book. Then again, this is a collection of stories so some level of unevenness is to be expected.

Overall impression: 
I'm impressed by the collection overall. Recommending it for readers new to the shifter romance genre - it doesn't have to be intense and dramatic all the time.


Blog rating: 3.5*

Amazon rating: 4.5*

Get your copy! http://amzn.to/2cutTYR