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
