Ursula's Reviews > Lady Be Good

Well, on I plow through this series.
Why only 3 stars, when Duran has a writing style that is really top-notch? Once again, I have a problem with the borderline abusive hero and the heroine who subordinates her own needs and desires in order to smooth the way for the hero.

Christian is a war hero bent on revenge and worrying about protecting his family from the Russian renegade who tortured him then organised the death of Christian's brother and had promised to get the rest of his family.

Lily is working as a hostess at an auction house (her female boss is the boss from hell) but her origins are Whitechapel and thieving. Indeed, her uncle is pretty much the crime boss of the London east end.
Christian catches her stealing documents (she is being blackmailed by her uncle), steals the letters back while seducing her with his oh-so- overpowering kisses (why are these women such f***ing pushovers??) and then blackmails her into spying for him.
While at the same time trying to get into her pants- not that she puts up any sort of fight. So he is a really nice guy- NOT.



Anyhoo, all I can say is Lily was disappointing. (view spoiler)[ She even insists on helping Christian, although it endangers her life, because that's what friends do after he has f***ed her-his words- got himself betrothed to her boss and basically told her to bugger off. For her protection. Because he cares for her. With friends like that, who ......... you know how it goes (hide spoiler)] I'm afraid I have no time for women who can't cut their losses and move on when it is a hopeless case. Lily just wouldn't move on.



Don't even get me started on the crudely demeaning way he talks to Lily about having sex with her. I have decided there are two ways for that sort of language to be used: it can be sexy where there is a real relationship and respect, and you are only expressing the sexy things you want to do in a dirty, turn-me-on kind of way. Then it is titillating and arousing. Or it can be cruel and demeaning, where it is used to belittle a person. Then it diminishes both the partner and the sexual act itself. Unfortunately it seems to be the latter here. I just felt a bit sick when I read it. And Christian struggled to make it back from there for me. When he was happy for a gun manufacturer to use him to promote a new gun (Christian was a war hero- his poem/song was actually great), because he really didn't give a toss about anything but his need to protect his family and get revenge for his brother, it was definitely over. I could not like him.



Lots of action in this one at the end, what with kidnappings and murders etc.

The next book is about Lily's uncle Nick, who comes across as a truly horrible person in this book, totally ok with Lily doing whatever she needs to do to get the letters back (She was being blackmailed separately by two different men who supposedly cared for her. Was there ever such a sorry pair of arseholes?) Even if it means using her body. (view spoiler)[Which Lily was actually prepared to do- indeed, she offered herself to Christian (hide spoiler)] Nick also forced her to thieve for him from a very young age, despite the personal danger this always put her into, and instead of applauding her efforts to educate herself and lift herself out of the east end slums, condemns her for abandoning her "family".
With uncles like that, who needs..... you know how it goes :)



By the end, I was so disgusted with the way all the women seemed to be controlled and manipulated by the men in this book, I was just plain relieved to finish it. Maybe I expect too much from my HR and should lighten up?
Onward (and hopefully upward) to Nick's story in Luck be a Lady.