Golden Angel, $4.99, ISBN 978-1311641427
Historical Erotica, 2016
Gabrielle is marrying her true love, Felix Hood. Yay!
Dressed in a new gown of white and silver, a borrowed veil upon her head, silk stockings with blue garters, and an old family heirloom diamond necklace around her throat (a gift from the Marquess of Dunbury, her guardian), Gabrielle looked every inch the bride at her hasty wedding. Of course, the reason the gown was new was because this was her first Season in London and she just hadn’t had the chance to wear it yet. The blue garters on her stockings were worn at the insistence of Cordelia, Gabrielle’s stepmother and the Marchesse of Dunbury.
Felix is in love with her stepmother, Cordelia. Nay!
Okay, Golden Angel’s Gabrielle’s Discipline is not that torrid, alas, even for something marketed as an erotica.
Yes, the whole thing is mostly some elaborated scenario concocted by Gabrielle inside her head. The fact that he rescued her from eloping with some very obvious Mr Wrong in a previous story and is now marrying her to save her reputation only cements her impression that this whole marriage is just about him taking responsibility and being nice.
The author tells me that the heroine is this way because, until Cordelia arrived in her life, Gabrielle was so used to being ignored or treated like Cinderella prior the ball that she now has plenty of self-esteem issues.
Okay, I can get that, but it can be tedious to read another one of these heroines whining their way to a happily ever after.
Fortunately, Felix believes in spanking his women when they misbehave or are generally being silly biddies, so thank god for that. I’m not going to lie: Gabrielle can be annoying to an extent that I get some vicarious pleasure from seeing her get whacked in the rump.
That part comes later, though, as the bulk of the early parts of the story has Felix trying to figure out a way to get to his wife, and Gabrielle trying her best to make things comfortable for the two of them despite believing that she will never attain the happily ever after she craves for with her husband.
This part exasperates me a bit because the heroine spends more time moping about not getting something instead of doing something to get what she wants. Also, I have a hard time buying that Felix can be so clueless about a woman when he’s supposed to be some kind of successful rake that doesn’t resort to dragging women back to his man cave to be ravished.
Still, when Felix begins his ardent courtship of Gabrielle, the story becomes an unexpectedly charming kind of romantic fantasy. The guy really goes all out, with even rose petals and other cheesy stuff, and soon he and the wife are having a spanking good time.
This is easily the best part of the story, as it brings out the chemistry between these two and there are some fun moments of raunchy stuff balanced by some tender moments involving emotions and what not.
However, I am forcibly reminded that I am reading a romance novel that is part of some kind of series when the author throws into my face some kind of club for spanked wives. Really, we need a club for that too?
What’s next, a club for wives that like to watch their husbands getting tapped by the butler? Wait, is there such a series with such a club? I think I won’t mind checking that one out!
Anyway, it takes more time than I’d have liked for this one to get the fun stuff going, but once it gets good, things remain that way without losing much momentum in the process. The author introducing series-itis into this one pulls me out of the fantasy considerably, but for the most part, it offers a spanking good time alright.
