Sweet Vengeance

A WOMAN DRIVEN BY THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE..
A MAN CONSUMED BY THE FLAMES OF DESIRE...
A PASSION AS DANGEROUS AS IT IS IRRESISTIBLE...
With her cascading raveb curls and sleek, sinewy curves, Jocelyn Asbury was a woman any man would want. And Rayne Garrick, Fourth Viscount of Stoneleigh, wanted Jocelyn.... in his arms, and in his bed. He'd found her among a ragtag band of scamps and cuttroats, and saved her from a fate worse than death. But even as she yielded to him with a blazing hunger that matched his, she would soon betray him... in a night of shocking violence that would plunge them both into a world of treachery, danger, and all-consuming passion.
From the teeming slums of London to its scandalous salons and dazzling ballrooms, from a vast estate on Hampstead Heath to the stone walls of Newgate Prison and a magnificent plantation on the shores of Jamaica, here is Kat Martin 's most thrilling, sensual tale yet!

Okay, so we have Rayne. Rayne (what the heck kinda name is that anyway?) is a psuedo-drunkard and a rake. He's a viscount. Then we have Jocelyn (Jo). Her father died after a disagreement with Rayne's father (won't go into it too much because it might be considered a "spoiler") and Jo wants revenge. After fleeing from attempted-sexually-abusive guardians, she winds up on the streets and meets up with Brownie, the "father figure" and Tuck, the "hapless brother figure".

Story line: Failed attempt at murder leads the two to meet. Rayne thinks Jo is, among other things, "sleek". Basically, he's got the hots for her. Jo, despite hating him for 4 years, decides that he's a good person after he winds up saving orphans (cliche anyone?). End result is that he wants her for his mistress and she agrees.

So, all is great, right? No, Rayne is wounded in a shooting and is convinced that Jo did it. So off she goes to Newgate then eventually to Jamaica, via a convict ship, for her punishment. Rayne, in a fit of what he eventually decides is love, follows. This leads to many fights, some supposedly consensual sex, and the revelation that she wasn't the shooter.

Let's see, there are at least 4 instances of attempted rape, only one of which does not involve the "hero". How is it that Jo can fall into bed with him minutes after he's tearing her clothes and frightening her? For that matter, what makes her loooouuurrve him after he's all but forced her to be his mistress? 'Cause the sex was good? That's about all I can figure. How can I consider Rayne a "hero" when he's sexually aroused by the thought of her fighting him off? Because he "would have stopped" if she'd told him to? Even though she DID, but then of course, she gave in because she was soooo desperate for him because of her... um... love. Right. Love. I'd forgotten, you see, because I saw no signs of anything resembling love in this story.

This book was loaded with cliches, and unfortunately none of them were good ones. Rayne was domineering in an "I'm taking away all of your choices" kind of way, not in an "I'm an alpha male who wants to protect you" kind of way. You've got a "heroine" who is APOLOGIZING because she's scarred from being on a convict ship that HE put her on. But she's sorry he had to see it.

This book actually made me somewhat sick to my stomach. While I don't think I'd rate it QUITE as bad as Catherine Coulter's "Bride" trilogy, as there wasn't actually any completed rape, it's a near thing.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand how this book was rated so highly. Either I was reading a completely different novel, or I have a very different idea of what defines a "good" book. If the hero treats the heroine like dirt, if he abuses her and treats her cruelly, if the heroine (who supposedly survived on the streets for FOUR YEARS) is TSTL, that does not make a good book. That makes a book I want to burn.

I read a couple of Kat Martin's books before this, and while I wasn't enthralled, I wasn't horrified. (Although some were close enough that I was already thinking I needed to nix her from my readable list.) After this one, though, just like with Coulter, I can say with certainty that I will never read anything by this author again.

This is a great book. I got so wrapped up in the story line that I cried when they cried. I love to read a story that affects me this deeply. As usual, Kat Martin has done it again.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would do so.

Kat Martin gives us an amazing story full of romance, passion, mystery, and intrigue. The main characters, Rayne and Jocelyn, are so well written. Kat Martin at her best in this novel.

This is the third Kat Martin book I have read and I liked it actually more than the others. Another great read with good characters, interesting plot with lots of romance... If you like romance mixed with a little history you will enjoy this book.

Good book.

Because of Rayne Garrick, 4th Viscount Stoneleigh, Jocelyn Asbury is forced to live among vagabonds in the streets of London, instead of being happily married and living a normal life as she had expected. Her blind drive for vengeance leads her to plot against the much despised Viscount but when he wakes up as she is about to thrust the knife in his heart, she finds herself in his arms and soon finds that it is her heart that is at risk.

The Viscount cannot remain untouched by such beauty, so he persuades Jocelyn to reveal her reasons for acting so desperately. She is weakened by his kindness and tenderness, (he could have had her thrown in goal for attempted murder) and thus reveals her grievances to him. Once the misunderstanding is cleared, and their mutual attraction cannot be ignored, Jocelyn becomes Rayne's mistress as she realises much to her dismay that for someone of her background, this offer is heaven sent. The relationship turns out to be too perfect to be real and the heroes of the story live in bliss. However, this idyllic life is raptured by another attemmpt on Rayne's life which was almost fatal. Jocelyn is the obvious suspect and this time not even the Viscount can save her. The noose looms imminent but Rayne intervenes and manages to get her deported to America and thus spares her life.

The book has surprising twists and turns with intensely emotional scenes that stir the reader. The sex is often tender but at times it is dark and disturbing with Rayne wanting to impose himself on Grace by forcing her to admit her sexual attraction to him as a way of asserting his dominance over her. Kat Martin writes stories whose heroes are not always endearing but darkly appealing.