Wyoming Rugged by Diana Palmer
Let me start by saying that I am not a reader of romance books as a genre. This is not to say that I have never picked one up and read it; in fact, I have, but it was when I was very young and then later as an exercise at the library where I work. It's not that I don't enjoy a book with romance in it, if it's done well and integrates cleverly into a larger plot but generally, I try to stay away from the genre. However, I was hoping that since this author is very popular and I was unfamiliar with her writing, the book would not be a stereotypical example of what I've grown to avoid.
I was wrong.
Keep in mind that I am not the target audience so my perspective, while honest, is without prejudice to fans who do enjoy the genre. Unfortunately, I don't know how else to write a review except from my own particular viewpoint, so the following is only an opinion, with neither pretense nor apology.
Assuming that most of Diana Palmer's readers are women, I can see where a story like this one is escapism in its purest form. I wish women weren't so hung up on a "Daddy Complex" where they fantasize about a man who takes care of them like a porcelain doll, where every need is taken care until their dad is replaced by a younger (but not much) and hotter version of Daddy. He then steps in to take care of their every need leaving them with, well, not much to do except bask in their adoration and decide which swimsuit makes their ridiculously firm bodies, the appearance of which is always a total surprise to them, look sexier.
Money, is of course, never a problem. Either Daddy is independently wealthy and gives his daughter everything she could possible wish for, or as in this story, she quickly develops a thing for his business associate, who cannot possibly contain his attraction for his co-worker's much younger daughter. Is Dad concerned? Nope. Please, take my daughter and do with her as you will. The "meet cute" of the story is in the form of an attempted rape, which, in my opinion, should only rarely be used as a plot device but is apparently, commonly used in many romance novels. In this case, being saved from an attempted sexual assault is attractive to Niki, the main character, and who (of course) is a virgin. At this point, the word "bodice" was used so I bookmarked it. She never forgets Blair's (of course that's his name) chivalry and vows to save herself for the only man who could ever take the place in her life from her devoted father. Blair was the "reason Niki had never dated." As a parent, this would have concerned me a bit but a health issue was thrown in to explain away the reason a teenage girl had no interest in boys her own age. Blair is described as "chiseled," wearing "designer slacks that clung to his broad, muscular thighs." I bookmarked this as well but was laughing too hard to keep track of all of the similarly written clichés.
Sex. I read an article recently about where a library's copies of Fifty Shades of Grey were tested for herpes and came back positive for most copies. While this book contained far less gratuitous scenes than Fifty Shades, I'm pretty sure that an alcohol wipe wouldn't hurt. Clearly, this is sex as only a kind of woman would imagine it: A giving, self-less man who is concerned only about the pleasure of the woman. A meek and trusting woman who is ignorant about her own body and her own needs who lets the man take charge with no need to ask for anything because all will be provided. This is fiction not of the real world, at least I hope not. At this point, my eyes were hurting from rolling so much.
More sex. Of course, a woman only lives to please her man and then provide babies for him. Unprotected sex is not only romantic but completely without worry that the man would be anything but over the moon to hear the news. Of course, throughout the pregnancy your fifteen pound (more like fifty, in my case) weight gain would barely dent your rockin' hot bod and would then return to "normal" in a few weeks and your pert little pink nippled breasts will not change at all. Stretch marks and bubble butt...what's that?
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. Like I said, these books are clearly not meant for me. I don't want to be put on a pedestal and, as a popular presidential candidate says, "cherished." Collectible figurines are cherished because they are breakable. I don't want to be on a pedestal or in a "binder." I worry about a fantasy where women are voiceless, powerless and ignorant. And breakable. In my opinion, women should be respected because we are so hard to break. Or at least we should be.
But these books were never meant for women like me.
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