Cornick, Nicola - assorted novels
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oyceterI started reading a lot of Nicola Cornick when Whisper of Scandal made it onto rosefox's Best, and Next-Best, of 2010 list of romance novels for Publishers Weekly. Also, a ton of her books are available as library ebook.
Cornick has an extremely large backlist, and although some of her books have very interesting premises, she's still not good enough of a writer to carry off most of them. As such, her books are quick reads that have bits that intrigue me, but there's not enough follow through to add her to my "to buy" list. Still, I give her lots of points for books with unsympathetic heroines, particularly since the romance genre polices its heroines more strictly than I'd like.
The Wayward Widow (2003)
Book 2 of the Tallants. Lady Juliana Myfleet plays the role of the rake in this book, which is unsurprisingly why I read it. Also, there is a childhood love interest, Martin Davencourt, who I think pledges to marry her if she's still unwed at thirty. I love that Cornick does not hold back in painting Juliana as the rake; we first meet her as she's naked on the dining room table. However, as the book went on, I got more and more disappointed: her many liaisons are more rumor than truth, etc. etc. Why do the male rakes always get to sleep with a ton of women, but the female rakes or courtesans in romances always get the "Oh! Their reputation is worse than reality!" thing? There was also too much heart of gold near the end and cute siblings. I read this a few months ago, so as usual, my memory sucks, but I vaguely think that Cornick does allow Juliana to do something very questionable things for romance heroines. I only wish they were not things I (think I found IIRC) personally found questionable, as opposed to the having sex with other guys, which I do not. Overall, interesting premise, lacks in execution.
The Notorious Lord (2004)
Book 3 of Bluestocking Brides. Cory Newlyn is a passionate archaeologist, as are Rachel Odell's parents, and as such, the two have been friends since childhood. Unfortunately, while Cory wants to follow the Odells' steps, Rachel hates her parents' lifestyle and only wants to settle down in good old England. Add a random spy plot that I don't remember at all. I vaguely remember this being one of the Cornicks I liked better, but that said, it's still pretty pedestrian. The conflict between Cory and Rachel has less contrivance and more emotional weight than many of the other of Cornick's books I've read, but the spy subplot is vaguely ridiculous. Also, insert the usual caveats about English archaeologists in "foreign and exotic" lands, though thankfully, the main action in this one takes place in England.
Lord of Scandal (2007)
Heiress Catherine Fenton meets notorious rake and fortune hunter Ben Hawksmoor at a hanging, of all places. I can't remember why they get thrown together a second (and third and fourth time), but there are a lot of Big Misunderstandings involved, and I think I spent half the book wishing someone would just talk to another person. Also, as with Wayward Widow, I felt Cornick was trying to show a wider spectrum of female behavior, but as with Wayward Widow, she ends up penalizing women who aren't the heroine for their sexuality (IIRC). There is some interesting class stuff with Hawksmoor, who fashioned himself a reputation a la Beau Brummel, but overall pretty boring.
Whisper of Scandal (2010)
Book 1 of the Scandalous Women of the Ton. This is the one that made the short list of Publishers Weekly's romance recs. Alas, my reaction to this is very much like my reaction to most of the books on the list: disappointed and unimpressed. Lady Joanna Ware, recently widowed, has a terrible reputation, as she spends money and plays about in an attempt to ignore her late husband's philandering and abuse. For reasons that make no sense except plot convenience, the late David Ware has bequethed his illegitimate child living in the Arctic to Joanna and his best friend Alex Grant, fellow explorer. There's something in the will that convinces them to go together, even though Joanna thinks Alex must be just like her husband and Alex has a terrible opinion of Joanna thanks to David. Again, I do appreciate that Cornick tries to have an unconventional and unlikeable heroine, but again, falls down on execution. Also, it's probably not a good thing that I can't even remember if there was a miracle baby at the end or not. That said, this made me pick up the next book in the series, which stars Joanna's extremely unsympathetic friend.
One Wicked Sin (2010)
Book 2 of the Scandalous Women of the Ton. Lottie Cummings used to be the somewhat scandalous star of society, but after her husband divorces her for her flagrant affairs, she's an outcast and decides to try prostitution. Ethan Ryder is a French-sympathizing British prisoner, and he decides to hire Lottie as a flamboyant way to draw attention away from his spy activities. As noted, this is the book that stars Joanna's very unsympathetic friend. I love that we actually see her having casual sex in the previous book, although that's of course the sex that makes her want to change her ways. This is my favorite of Cornick's books so far, largely because she overturns a lot of romance tropes, from Lottie's general unrepentence and her actual rake-ness to a book set during the Napoleonic Wars that doesn't automatically side with the British. (I would also like more books that side with the French during the French Revolution, since, despite my love of Scarlet Pimpernel, I have very little sympathy for the aristocrats worrying about mob rule.) From what I recall, the plot doesn't totally make sense, but I liked Lotti's conflict between Ethan and her national sympathies. There is some romanticization of prostitution, although I feel less than in most romance novels that deal with the subject, and I thought Cornick largely managed to keep down the romanticization without also condemning Lottie's sexuality. Double plus bonus points for a scene in which Lottie ties down Ethan and has her way with him. Still not the best romance by far, but an improvement for Cornick, with enough interesting bits to make me remember it more.
rosefox's Best, and Next-Best, of 2010 list of romance novels for Publishers Weekly. Also, a ton of her books are available as library ebook.Cornick has an extremely large backlist, and although some of her books have very interesting premises, she's still not good enough of a writer to carry off most of them. As such, her books are quick reads that have bits that intrigue me, but there's not enough follow through to add her to my "to buy" list. Still, I give her lots of points for books with unsympathetic heroines, particularly since the romance genre polices its heroines more strictly than I'd like.
The Wayward Widow (2003)
Book 2 of the Tallants. Lady Juliana Myfleet plays the role of the rake in this book, which is unsurprisingly why I read it. Also, there is a childhood love interest, Martin Davencourt, who I think pledges to marry her if she's still unwed at thirty. I love that Cornick does not hold back in painting Juliana as the rake; we first meet her as she's naked on the dining room table. However, as the book went on, I got more and more disappointed: her many liaisons are more rumor than truth, etc. etc. Why do the male rakes always get to sleep with a ton of women, but the female rakes or courtesans in romances always get the "Oh! Their reputation is worse than reality!" thing? There was also too much heart of gold near the end and cute siblings. I read this a few months ago, so as usual, my memory sucks, but I vaguely think that Cornick does allow Juliana to do something very questionable things for romance heroines. I only wish they were not things I (think I found IIRC) personally found questionable, as opposed to the having sex with other guys, which I do not. Overall, interesting premise, lacks in execution.
The Notorious Lord (2004)
Book 3 of Bluestocking Brides. Cory Newlyn is a passionate archaeologist, as are Rachel Odell's parents, and as such, the two have been friends since childhood. Unfortunately, while Cory wants to follow the Odells' steps, Rachel hates her parents' lifestyle and only wants to settle down in good old England. Add a random spy plot that I don't remember at all. I vaguely remember this being one of the Cornicks I liked better, but that said, it's still pretty pedestrian. The conflict between Cory and Rachel has less contrivance and more emotional weight than many of the other of Cornick's books I've read, but the spy subplot is vaguely ridiculous. Also, insert the usual caveats about English archaeologists in "foreign and exotic" lands, though thankfully, the main action in this one takes place in England.
Lord of Scandal (2007)
Heiress Catherine Fenton meets notorious rake and fortune hunter Ben Hawksmoor at a hanging, of all places. I can't remember why they get thrown together a second (and third and fourth time), but there are a lot of Big Misunderstandings involved, and I think I spent half the book wishing someone would just talk to another person. Also, as with Wayward Widow, I felt Cornick was trying to show a wider spectrum of female behavior, but as with Wayward Widow, she ends up penalizing women who aren't the heroine for their sexuality (IIRC). There is some interesting class stuff with Hawksmoor, who fashioned himself a reputation a la Beau Brummel, but overall pretty boring.
Whisper of Scandal (2010)
Book 1 of the Scandalous Women of the Ton. This is the one that made the short list of Publishers Weekly's romance recs. Alas, my reaction to this is very much like my reaction to most of the books on the list: disappointed and unimpressed. Lady Joanna Ware, recently widowed, has a terrible reputation, as she spends money and plays about in an attempt to ignore her late husband's philandering and abuse. For reasons that make no sense except plot convenience, the late David Ware has bequethed his illegitimate child living in the Arctic to Joanna and his best friend Alex Grant, fellow explorer. There's something in the will that convinces them to go together, even though Joanna thinks Alex must be just like her husband and Alex has a terrible opinion of Joanna thanks to David. Again, I do appreciate that Cornick tries to have an unconventional and unlikeable heroine, but again, falls down on execution. Also, it's probably not a good thing that I can't even remember if there was a miracle baby at the end or not. That said, this made me pick up the next book in the series, which stars Joanna's extremely unsympathetic friend.
One Wicked Sin (2010)
Book 2 of the Scandalous Women of the Ton. Lottie Cummings used to be the somewhat scandalous star of society, but after her husband divorces her for her flagrant affairs, she's an outcast and decides to try prostitution. Ethan Ryder is a French-sympathizing British prisoner, and he decides to hire Lottie as a flamboyant way to draw attention away from his spy activities. As noted, this is the book that stars Joanna's very unsympathetic friend. I love that we actually see her having casual sex in the previous book, although that's of course the sex that makes her want to change her ways. This is my favorite of Cornick's books so far, largely because she overturns a lot of romance tropes, from Lottie's general unrepentence and her actual rake-ness to a book set during the Napoleonic Wars that doesn't automatically side with the British. (I would also like more books that side with the French during the French Revolution, since, despite my love of Scarlet Pimpernel, I have very little sympathy for the aristocrats worrying about mob rule.) From what I recall, the plot doesn't totally make sense, but I liked Lotti's conflict between Ethan and her national sympathies. There is some romanticization of prostitution, although I feel less than in most romance novels that deal with the subject, and I thought Cornick largely managed to keep down the romanticization without also condemning Lottie's sexuality. Double plus bonus points for a scene in which Lottie ties down Ethan and has her way with him. Still not the best romance by far, but an improvement for Cornick, with enough interesting bits to make me remember it more.
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Thu, Feb. 3rd, 2011 08:29 am (UTC)I somehow managed to read that as Cocksucking Brides. I think this means I've been in fandom too long. *facepalm*
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Thu, Feb. 3rd, 2011 08:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 04:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Thu, Feb. 3rd, 2011 09:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 12:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Thu, Feb. 3rd, 2011 02:16 pm (UTC)I did read a bit of Wayward Widow but figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be what I'd hoped, and I suspected much judgeyness was going to come from the guy.
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Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 12:41 am (UTC)I think you might find One Wicked Sin more interesting, but yeah, the rest are very skippable.
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Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 12:45 am (UTC)Uhm...I liked it? But i'm a very easy sell for the plot type.
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Fri, Feb. 4th, 2011 03:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 12:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 04:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sat, Feb. 5th, 2011 08:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sun, Feb. 6th, 2011 12:43 am (UTC)Totally with you on seeing romances sometimes as more a collection of points and seeing what they're doing within genre boundaries. Haha, though for me, to really enjoy one, I still have to find the romance believable. Like I said, I do think Cornick is doing some really interesting things, or at least trying to, and I hope her writing skills grow into her ambitions.