Review: Ripping the Bodice

Mar 2, 2009

Ripping the Bodice is an erotic romance by Inara Lavey (It falls more heavily on the romance than the erotic, but that was fine with me… I like a book where the story is more important than the sex.)

Got sex and romance on the brain? So does Cassandra Devon. She also has hard-boiled private eyes, dashing pirates, jet-setting super spies and other sexy rogues entertaining her in her surprisingly explicit subconscious. All these erotic daydreams make it hard to stay focused on Cassandra’s current dilemma: namely, rebuffing the advances of Connor, a wild Irish rascal who wants to play the starring role in her fantasies. Cassandra is only interested in getting together with Raphael, the tall, dark and handsome man of her dreams. May the best romance hero win!

When I first opened the book (Well, figuratively. I was reading an ebook.) my first impression was “Oh no! This is awful!” I pressed on, unable to tear my eyes away from the cliché-riddled text. I had planned to review the book, but how could I do it if I couldn’t come up with something positive to say?  My problem was solved when our protagonist, Cassandra, closed her romance novel. Yes, I was reading an excerpt of a fictional “bodice ripper”, Passion’s Tropic Fury.

I know.  Colour me slow.  I should have gotten that from the title “Ripping the Bodice”, and the fact that the text was in italics.

The book is peppered with dreams and daydreams in which our romance-loving protagonist perpetually indulges.  Each one more silly than the last, and they get downright funny when Cassandra’s “real life” begins to intrude upon her fantasies. The story is one of personal growth and the conflict between fantasy and reality, and is cleverly written with wit.

The non-excerpt/fantasy portions of the book have a charming voice and I zipped through this book, quickly turning from one page to the next.  I liked Cassandra’s mouthiness, her temper and the fact that she was so wonderfully clumsy and awkward.

The excerpt/fantasy passages were actually quite engaging and sweet, but a touch overlong.  I tended to skim them because I knew that, at least in the beginning, they weren’t directly tied to the action of the story, but only Cassandra’s state of mind.

The one problem I had was not at all with the writing.  As I said, the author’s voice was engaging and enjoyable to read.  My real issue was the stereotype of romance readers needing to be freed from their delusions.  At the same time, however, Cassandra had moments of being witty and delightful.  That being said: the concept that what women really need to do is throw aside their romance novels and live real lives is an odd choice of message for a romance novel!  One character in the book, a romance novelist herself, is also apologetic about her profession in many ways, talking about how she’s criticised by her family and friends.  I wish someone would tell these characters to quit being ashamed.  I wanted desperately for Cassandra to tell everyone to shut the fuck up.  Smart women read smut and romance, and I didn’t like people telling Cassandra (and her even coming around to agree) that somehow she’d been brainwashed into stupidity by her reading choices.

That rant aside (and it’s a thought many romance readers and writers share, no doubt), I think the reason this bothered me was really that I liked Cassandra.  She was a fun and funny character, and I related to her.  I think that’s why it annoyed me when people were unkind, demanding of or demeaning to her.

Lavey has a good play with the romance stereotypes and some of the fictional excerpts/fantasies had me laughing out loud.  A few of those stereotypes bled over into the rest of the book (i.e. Irish = sexy and therefore perfect for any lusty heroine) but overall I found myself smiling as I read much of the book, and enjoying the eventual outcome.

Ripping the Bodice is available from Ravenous Romance
Suitable only for readers who are 18+.