Title: Lonely
Author: Scarlet Blackwell
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Buy Link: Buy Link Lonely
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Length: novella (123 pages/22,835 words)
Rating: 1 star out of 5
A Guest Review by Sammy
REVIEW SUMMARY: Dubious consent, sex for services rendered, and a veterinarian who should have his license removed make for a less than stellar contemporary romance.
BLURB: When Austin Bale’s dog is seriously injured, he has a crisis on his hands. He doesn’t have the money to pay vet Lynton Brooke for Rupert’s treatment. Picking up on Lynton’s interest, Austin offers the only thing he can: himself.
THE REVIEW:
I want to preface this review with a caution. While some may feel that an author must always pump out one stellar novel after another, I believe that realistically there are bound to be some stories that fall short of the intended goal. It is when I review such a novel that I like to remind myself that behind the author there is often a body of work that was very satisfying and could quantitatively be labeled as good. It is with this in mind, that I give you my review of Lonely by Scarlett Blackwell.
Austin, down and out, in a low-paying job, cast out from his family, barely surviving, has one thing and only one thing that keeps him sane, his dog, Rupert. As the story opens, a bleeding and injured Rupert is being rushed into the animal clinic by a frantic Austin who makes the hasty decision that he will offer the veterinarian himself in lieu of paying for the operation to save Rupert’s life. Much to my chagrin, Dr. Lynton Brooke accepts the offer.
Eventually, Austin falls even further, losing his job and his bank account, minimal at best, goes totally broke. He is desperate, depressed and trying to come to terms with the fact that while he is prostituting himself, he has somehow also begun developing a strong attraction for the man who is using him rather blatantly and cruelly. Prior to their first sexual encounter, which culminates in Lynton throwing Austin out the door immediately after sex, Austin tries to rationalize his hasty decision to offer himself so that Rupert could receive medical treatment by thinking this:
“If you went out with a man and he paid for your meals and drinks all night, then he expected sex at the end of it, was that any different from prostitution? No. Austin had offered him a service in exchange for a service and now Lynton was collecting. Such was life.”
This is at the end of the third chapter…and it was then that I knew this novella was in trouble…how big that trouble was going to be was no longer a mystery now, because you see Austin’s convoluted and desperately sad justification was preceded by Lynton thinking this:
“Austin had offered to prostitute himself because he loved his dog so much. And instead of feeling appalled that it would come to that, Lynton had merely fantasized about taking advantage of him in the worst possible way. He turned onto his side, staring unseeingly through the dark. He was the lowest of the low. But he was only a man, after all.”
Oh dear. I had such a difficult time with this section. I felt that the author wanted us to believe that the justification for one man using…oh let’s just call it what it was–the justification for nearly raping another man was somehow okay because, “he was only a man, after all”.
At this point, to be painfully honest with you dear reader, had I not been committed to reviewing this novella I would have firmly placed it on my DNF shelf and walked away. But I remembered that I liked this author–some of her past work was very good, so I plowed on. Some 60 pages later after Austin loses his job, then falls into a deep depression and has several more sexual encounters that were halfhearted attempts at tenderness, then Ms. Blackwell gives us this:
“You’re a wonderful man.
Lynton held him close. “No, I’m not, but thank you.”
Austin’s hold on him tightened. “Yes you are. I knew Rupert was in the safest of hands the first time I met you.”
Lynton drew back, He cupped Austin’s cheek. “So are you,” he said, “if you’ll forget my appalling behavior and trust me.”
And there it was…that qualifier–if you forget–not forgive–forget my behavior then you are a wonderful man. Meaning that poor Austin could not be wonderful if he could not forget the degrading sex that had been forced upon him by this man who now was confessing to having fallen in love with him. I really had issue with this story. I wanted to like Lynton, I did. I wanted to forgive the fact that he blamed all his greed, his unkind and cruel actions toward Austin on his overactive libido. I could not.
I tried to think of Austin as more than a doormat–to be used and discarded and happy for any scraps that Lynton would throw his way. I tried to push away the disappointment when Austin was actually grateful that Lynton wanted him–a man who had done what was just short of rape–this was Austin’s hero.
I also could not divorce my feelings that this was akin to a feminist rant on men. indeed, that this was in some ways reinforcing the very wrong belief that gay men are nothing more than sex machines who will do anything and anyone to get off. Perhaps I read too much into this little novella–perhaps.
But, in the end, this story simply did not work for me. I could not come to terms with a HEA for these two men after the blatant misuse of one human being by another in the first two thirds of the book.
So, dear reader, I am giving this novella, Lonely, by Scarlett Blackwell one star. I will leave you with this however. I have read other work by this author and enjoyed them–immensely. So, even though this little novella was a pass for me, I still maintain that Ms. Blackwell has and, I am sure, will continue to give us good reads.
😯 😯 😯 😯
Thank you for your review 😎
Hi Sammy. Here is the hilarious (not sure if hilarious is the right word to use actually) thing about this writer – this is not the first time she incorporates rape in her story and iit is the second time my eyes completely glase over the “rape him till he loves me” and I don’t think it is a good thing at all. I gave this one three stars (as in – I wish the first part would dissappear) but now I am wondering why did I do that? I mean Austin was clearly forced to have sex by that very “nice” guy who used and abused him and then decided that he loves loves loves the guy. Sigh. Thanks for the review. I did like her other works though.
Sadly, this has already found it’s way to my did-not-finish pile 🙁
Sammy
This writer has the dubious distinction of being the only author who now has two 1 star reviews on this site, and both are for books where she abused the male characters worse than her MCs did. The first one is called Into the Light reviewed here by Feliz:
http://tinyurl.com/4vht5lh
In this book a rape victim is cruelly abused twice, once by the rapist and then by the author whose entire rationale for writing this book was that the rape victim deserved to be victimized and should forgive his rapist.
This author has written many books that I love, but I abhor this trend of hers that gay characters should be raped and that they must forgive their rapist because they deserved what happened to them, after all it’s just sex.
I read Lonely and refused to review it because I had the same visceral reaction that you did, and I couldn’t stand to write a review for another of Ms Blackwell’s books. One of her books called Rescue Me is again about one physically challenged character being abusive. What’s up with this author that she has to abuse the men in her books? Maybe she should write het romances. I think these books are toxic and I refuse to read any more of them.
Sammy, thanks for a thoughtful and sensitive review. I hate when there’s dubious consent or (just plain) rape between the MCs. I’m not sure on which planet victims fall in love with their tormentors or rapists are just horribly “misunderstood”. Bleh!
Hi everyone I am off site this morrning and on the iPhone so I am leaving a group response. I too must tell you that I have read other work hy this author and enjoyed it greatly! However I am greatly disturbed as many of you have noted over this idea of abused rape victims falling in love with their abuser And it quite frankly leaves me cold and just a bit sad. There are so many other ways to write a good m/m romance and this is just not a good one in my opinion. Thank you all for your comments!!
There is a tradition in the romance genre where a victim falls in love with their rapist and lives HEA (1980’s historicals come to mind). But also on soap operas (e.g. Luke and Laura on General Hospital.) I was hoping that trend had gone the way of the do-do bird and that era.
Thanks for the review. I loved the cover and was considering buying it, will have to pass now as I don’t read dub-con/non-con.
Thanks very much for the very fair warning Sammy. This is not for me either.
😯 I am in awe of your evenhanded review of what had to be a very upsetting read. I actually had to get up and walk away from the computer halfway through the review, I was so angry.
It’s too bad, because the initial idea could become a good story with an MC who isn’t an advantage-taking user. ( had to rewrite that description 3 times to avoid words that make the computer screen smoke.)
I LOVE Scarlets Luc & Daniel, and I am in the minority in that I read this story and liked it. My take on it, and what I think was made clear in the story, was that Lynton was attracted to Austin and the offer of “services” was agreed to, and for the plotline had to play out.
I adored her Luc and Daniel stories too — wish she would write more like those.
Fan, I understand your take on how this novella should and did play out. Please understand that the more upsetting issue to me was that Ms. Blackwell used this wide paint brush of “duh, of course I’ gonna take sex that is offered, I’m just a guy” way too far. My closest friend of 45 years is gay. He abhors—detests novels that paint gay men in this “anything for a warm dick” light. I feel so strongly that whole mentality really cheapens gay men. Paints them in a light that is not only unflattering but, to be honest, offensive.
Yikes, sounds like this one hit some hot buttons…and not in a good way.
Sometimes one readers complaint isn’t a deal breaker for me. But based on the ‘abuse by an authority figure’ … I’ll probably pass. I have short patience for that plot element (even less in RL).
Hi Sammy, I agree wholeheartedly with you. Lonely was one of the few books which I deleted from my hard drive after reading, which I didn’t even list on my goodreads shelf because I wanted to forget that I ever read it as soon as possible.
After “Into The Light” and this I’m wary of reading anything from this author in the future. Angst, conflict, serious issues and almost unsurmountable conflict is good and well, but I’m not fond of that kind of nasty surprises.
I think Feliz that the real problem I have is the convoluted way she present gay men when she chooses to write these kinds of characters. She does men such a disservice when she writes stories that paint rapists or bystanders to rape as positive people–and I hate to say this but because it is gay men it is ok in some people’s minds–after all it is fiction. But there’s the thing about that mentality—some people–those who already dislike gay men latch onto stories like these and use them to justify their wrong thinking—plus–rape is a very real and heartbreaking reality–anyone who treats it disrespectfully–cavalierly is simply wrong in my book.
Thanks for the review… this came up on the goodreads feed and looked it up to maybe purchase, as I’ve read her Table for Two series and enjoyed those. The more I read the less I wanted to buy. After reading this review, I know I made the right choice.
I also read Rescue Me and had major issues with her characters there as well. I think her style varies with the different publishing houses… makes it hard to want to read her books, if this is a trend.
Woa, a 1 star review, don’t see that too often. i entirely agree with you though.
Personally I have never been a fan of rape in romance, but I’ve come to see that many few it as a sexual fantasy and transfer that to writing (as I understand from many a discussion about rape in romance) but I still really hate the part where the mc falls in love with his rapist…sheesh.
Couldn’t have been an easy review to write, good job though!
Dearest Sammy, thank you so much for helping me stick to my book budget. This site usually has me going broke.I don’t have a problem in general with rape in books as long as it is dealt with realistically. This Luke and Laura syndrome, bleech! I’ve always had a wonderful fantasy life but rape has never been apart of it. So thanks again for this review.
Yes! I totally agree with your review. Austin was such a sad sack, and Lynton was a predator.
I never finished this one either, and never intend to, because rape presented in a good way make me so damn angry. I’m not even sure why i even bought it.
This is quite present in some yaoi and yaoi fic too, some fanfic writer sooo like to use this kind of plot to make their story angsty. This habit to make rape and non consent sex banal is so stupid and dangerous.. i don’t like to see in professionnal romance writing