Kelly (Maybedog)'s Reviews > A Hunger Like No Other

Apparently this series is all about the women being bullied into submission by the "hero" of the story. The first one is apparently a little "rapey" in that the sex scene starts off forced and then the woman eventually submits. But in this book the hero actually rapes someone and a popular reviewer/friend says the heroine doesn't have any ill effects or even a problem with it really. The rapey-ness is a common enough theme with were-whatevers and I have a problem enough with that, but out and out rape, by the hero no less, I can't stomach no matter how remorseful he may be later (I don't know if that's even the case, I'm just hoping it is because I have a friend who loved this book.)

Another friend who disliked the book described it this way,

"He practically rapes her, he threatens her life, he molests her, he forces her to perform sexual acts on him against her will, kidnaps her, steals her credit card and decks himself out like James Bond, trashes every hotel room rented under HER name, then holds her hostage in his castle....but she falls for him within a week! There is hope for sexual predators everywhere. Just growl that you're meant to be together, and every felonies you've committed just fades away. I can't wait for the wedding day film reel...so romantic."
Jenn (see full review)

I'll admit I have a problem with this violent alpha male thing treating women like trash, even when the woman is smart and strong and doesn't let it affect her self-esteem. For example, I love the Mercy Thompson series except I just can't stand her tolerance for how the men treat her. I finally had to stop reading them. But the reviewer mentioned in the first paragraph above actually really likes that series so she isn't nearly as sensitive to this stuff as I am. And she still hated both the first and second (as did several people who agreed with her review.)

If you're interested in why I have such a problem with Mercy Thompson, here's an extract from my review of the second:

"This is the annoying Heinlein-esque sexism: you know the guy is a jerk and you know better but let's just humor him. The reality is that in by going along with him with his macho bullshit, he still gets all the power and control. Just because you're going along voluntarily doesn't make it equality."

This book sounds way, way worse. (Although I hear that later in that series it's really not so very different.)

BUT

This powerful, on the verge of violence, were-creature thing can be done right. The one example I'm familiar with is Ilona Andrews's series beginning with Magic Bites has an alpha were who is strong and scary and wants the heroine. While she thinks he's physically attractive, she refers to him as a psychopath and feels herself lucky when she leaves his presence with no bloodshed. They end pretty much every encounter in a fight because he's controlling. But although all werea are potentially very violent, alphas are both male and female. He of course is King of all of them because this is, after all, fantasy fiction. But the main character refuses to submit to his ways and makes him adjust to her ways as much as she can. She is also incredible strong and amazing with her sword and a fight would probably be almost an even match between the two. And he is still very much a sexy, powerful, leading man who allegedly hates it when she doesn't listen because everyone else does. And you still very much want them to be together because they are true equals.

I know it really isn't the same genre, it's not a romance series so the romance is spread throughout several books before culmination but the idea is that women don't have to be whipped into submission to be with a powerful man.

So that's a long review for a book I haven't read but I've felt the need to vent this for a long time and this was a good place to do so.