Reviews for To Love Again

The average rating for To Love Again based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-07-19 00:00:00 Ryan Lepore To Love Again has all of Bertrice Small's tropes but none of her heart, imho. If you haven't read her before, and you are looking for an over the top, swashbuckling romance set in ancient times, I am sure you would find it satisfying. But if, like me, you prefer Small's novels when they are more contained or at least more emotional, amidst all the swashbuckling adventures of its protags, like they ones she wrote about the O'Malley, Leslie, or Wyndham family members and their descendants, this would probably just be okay. The best thing about this book is how insane it was. We have characters named Wulf Ironfist and Ragnard Strongspear. We have Byzantine brothels putting out the equivalent of Ancient Porn and not the garden variety sex show either but totally and utterly depraved sexual acrobatics choreographed with the type of tortured attention to details to rival any Cirque du Soleil show, and with audience participation to boot, basically turning into one gigantic orgy. We have murders, including infanticide, debauchery, pedophilia, rape galore, dub-con, slavery, and a slew of cartoonish villains who for the most part don't even get a proper comeuppance. In the middle of these completely wacky scenarios, the unperturbed in the least author regales us with the kind of Ancient World historical trivia that you would read about in the sixth grade at the school library when you had a essay due for Latin class. Long-winded description about cultural festivals, marriage, birth, and funeral rites, the breeding of race horses, the agricultural cycles of a farm in rural Ancient Britain, the political and religious tensions in Ancient Byzantine, etc, in between all the rapes, orgies, and murders. It's not that I mind historical romances sprinkled with actual historical facts. After all, I am convinced Small could have written a straight historical fiction about Medieval England or Scotland given her obvious meticulous knowledge and passion for that era. I just find it hilarious that the book switches tone from the most OTT bodice-ripper to entire paragraphs devoted to the significance of tidbits like the crepunda, little toys made of gold given to a newborn Roman baby upon his name giving celebration. The protags of the story also left a lot to be desired because they were both so TSTL and after a while, as they fell from one trap into another, continuously set up by their evil and numerous nemesis, despite h proclaiming ad nauseam that her "inner voice" was warning her of impending doom, I started to root for the nemesis! It was a mostly amusing read, without any emotional connection to the story, and soon to be forgotten, I wager. Three "it was just okay" stars for me.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-06-26 00:00:00 ynqoycs KHVWleMivwHhbrmpSE Temple of Venus. Temple of Sodom. Manroots. Gladiators. Do you really need more? I think not.