No woman should write a female character like this one
582827
The author worked so hard to make our h clever, quirky, cute, charming and eccentric that I was exhausted by the struggle in just a few pages.  I found our h to be none of those.  She was an irritating idiot.  ONE example of several within the first two or three chapters:
Shes an official part of the team investigating a crime scene.  She couldn't find any clean underwear, so shes gone commando.  Upon entering the house where the murder occurred, she realized a pair of said used underwear was clinging to the inside of her slacks.  Her solution is to shake her leg until the offending item falls to the floor and then kick it across the room where it slides under an end table.  The scene hasn't been processed yet so what are the odds it will be found?  Thirty seconds later, a detective finds them, holds them up for all to see and then spends the next several minutes cracking jokes about granny panties and big butts etc. before putting them in an evidence bag for DNA extraction at the lab.  Up to the point of my quitting the book (somewhere in chapter 3) she had not only NOT told anyone about the panties laden with her DNA, shed also failed to mention she knew, loathed and despised the murder victim and therefore should probably be recused.  The heroine was a dithering bimbo.  Life is too short and there are too many books out there to waste ones time on this drivel.
2128386
Ms. Schone takes sexual tension and stretches it to the max. She writes of women who know how to change the things in their lives that they feel they can not live with. And men who encourage a woman to be everything that she  wants to be, with no judgement. Every woman should have a "bastard  sheik" in their lives. Bravo Ms. Schone for writing about a woman who  is not in the bloom of her youth but about a woman who is in the full  blossom of her womanhood. Not to mention the fact that Ms. Schone  understands that the written and spoken word can do as much if not more to  touch a woman, than a physical touch can.  If you want a mushy love story  look someplace else you won't find it here.  But if you want a story that  will touch you deeply, then get out your card and order this book.  It's a  keeper I promise.
1209008
(this is coming from a 34-year-old female)

I loved this book.  Haven't read the first one, but plan on it.  The book gives a refreshingly different view of a young woman living in this time period (early 19th century).  The main character, Jacy Farber, has a skewed perspective of what a woman can do and should be.  She's a contradiction: she's innocent and worldly.  She has a complete lack of impropriety that makes her stand out in both good and bad ways.  Good (for her)in that she feels that she be able to do these things (like ride a horse in pants)just because she can and not because she is female.  And good because she is setting a precedent for women. The bad: because her actions make others judge her.  She is seen as vulgar, lewd, a bad person, someone who can be beaten, or taken advantage of.  A person of low regard.  And she is frequently misunderstood.  She's a female out of place and doesn't know quite what to do.  History is a very scary time period for women.  There's a lot more to this book, but I continue to think about her continuing struggles and her safety.  She'll make it though, she's plucky.  I just wonder what the author makes of her?
4640516
No female characters, and only 4 characters. The game has special cards that players can use at any time that really make the game bad. This game could be a lot better. We have to make our own rules to make the game more balanced.
1424500
Rated 4 instead of 5 because it is a bit slow.  I was ready to swear off  reading romance because I am so very sick of the way the female characters are written.  I was pleasantly surprised when Jennifer called Alex out on the way he treated her, gave him back the jewellery not spot and wouldn't talk to him or me Blackwell.  So refreshing from some other reads I haven't even been able to finish.

If you have been so very disappointed in the females in other books as I have been then you need to read this book.
Book 2 is good also, I'm off to read book 3.

Oh,  I do hope there will be more character building in next book.  I'm counting  on it.
2838517
I absolutely love the character of Lydia in this book - she is the type of character that we need more of in all types of art, including literature. She is one of the strongest female characters that I have come across, in all respects. She risks her own safety and sanity to help save the Valos because she wanted to - not for much of a personal gain. I was absolutely blown away by reading about this character. Of course, there are other characters that were well crafted as well, but Lydia really stands out to me.
If you like reading about strong women, this is a fantastic place to start! Plus, the cover is just really cool.
4300861
Oh my gosh.  I only had a chance to shortly scan this book but my attraction was instant and I am so particular about writing style I hardly like anything. However, I do lean toward women's history.  However, after my brief scan of this book I got to thinking a lot.  I read women's history and most of that was written by women.  After scanning this book I felt every historical novel I had ever read was written horrible and I simply did not know it.

The author portarys the main character with so much love and more astonishing is a realistic point of view.  I hardly have my reality acknolwedged in person or on paper by anyone, let alone a male and the year is 2013. The era is the 1950's which is not known for lovingly portraying women and less for a realistic descriptions of the characters.

The style is written in a way that is timeless, which to me means modern.  I would say it is written like a modern day non-fiction with adjectives and descriptions and syntax from the 1850's.

There is big modern versus traditional theme going on in this book.  I have a feeeling that this book was not so popular in the time period or even now for it portrays women so tenderly and realisticly in detail and also in their mythological roles.

I was struck by how femminst the book was.  A male portraying women with so much integrity in today's world or in the 1850's is the most femminist thing possible.
3715394
Urban Fantasy at its very best. I looked to see what other books this awesome Karen Greco had written and to my cha grin she has only 1 other in this series, I was heart broken. This woman's writing is right there with any of the greats, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and I hope she writes to her hearts desire because we need good new authors. Her writing is smooth and keeps you glued to every word. Do not hesitate read anything she writes and follow.
3886222
Don't know why she has her female leads so tiresome & self centred (you know; thinking themselves best ever & always right. Certainly not needing help fr a man as that's a degrading weakn in their own opinion) thankfully the brill male leads gets them off their high horses a bit into the story even if it goes bit by bit as they need to be cunning to do it. :)
121788
This book is unlike anything I have recently encountered. The author just throws you in with these characters and this situation, and it is a very enthralling read.

I especially appreciated the main character as she is so atypical from what I have been used to in the last 10-15 erotic books I have read (I would also not classify this as an "erotic" book. It is a suspense story). Senna is not a girly-girl looking for love and romance: she is a tough-as-nails woman fighting to survive. She is clever, she is a doer not a feeler, and she is wary of everyone she meets. She is not always likeable, and this is what I like about her: she is written clearly, decisively. I know that were I to meet her in real life, she would not be my friend, but I would have immense respect and admiration for her- it is rare that a character feels so real.

In regards to the plot, as I stated, it's very compelling. It's unique. The reveal at the end was a little bit of a let down (minus one star for this), but the way the characters are written and the atmosphere of dreary tension that Tarryn Fisher creates are so solid and dimensional that they make up for the pat resolution to the plot's core mystery.
177666
I received a copy of You Are Mine for an honest review.

Abuse:
In You Are Mine the abuse of woman and children and pretty much anyone who isn't a male wizard is the norm. If anyone steps out of line they could be killed, beaten, raped, or become one of the tarnished where even then you can still be abused. Serena is hexed, beaten, and threatened often and so is everyone in her family.

Suppressed Women:
Women in this story are supposed to be child bearers and a way for men to gain more power as a wizard. Thats it. Cooking, cleaning, and so on are the only purposes for women. They have no say in who they get to marry and are honestly passed around looking good until someone young or old wants them. When they step out of line they're beaten, they can only agree with what any man says and are not supposed to have their own thoughts or feelings. Sadly many of the women who have been so beaten and suppressed their entire lives find it hard to cope when a man treats them fairly or cares about them in any way. Its very sad and disheartening.

Murder:
There is a lot of death and killing and attempts and killing in You Are Mine. It brought about a lot of suspense which made this novel all the better. If you couldn't tell from the previous points women are killed, often in this story as use of sacrifice. In games men/ wizards are killed which honestly works out in Serenas favor so while death is bad it does bring Serena a lot of good fortune.

Magic:
Only men can use magic and they hold all the power in society over every single thing people can and cannot do. Magic is used for simple things like temperate, dress designs, and so on. Or its used for killing others, maiming, hurting, you name it magic can do it.

Arranged Marriage:
You Are Mine centers around Serena who is engaged to marry one man until an event that lands her in the arms of the Savages who are supposed to be worse than the men Serena already lives with. Like I said before women have no say in who they marry but Serenas arranged marriage with the Savage Zade turns into a huge scandal that definitely makes the story all the more interesting.

Overall Thoughts:
You need to get this book. Its absolutely amazing and one of the best I have read this year. You Are Mine has an amazing set of characters that worked their ways into my heart and while the world they lived in was harsh and cruel the characters made it amazing. Janeal Falor is an amazing writer and I cannot wait to read more of her work. You Are Mine drew me in from the very first pages and left me wanting even after I finished. Totally inspiring novel and I am so excited there are going to be more works done. I loved all the characters especially Serena and Zade. I loved the suspense and the, the action, and the mystery of the entire world surrounding Serena. Couldnt love this book more if I tried.
4700341
I thought this was written by a female cause it says the female point of view. I was so into the character I couldn't put it away. The only problem I have with it is I think it was shortened to fit the ebook. My sister got the paperback and it had so many more pages. All in all it is a wonderful read. You gotta read this!!!
1390979
And that includes when I want to shoot one of the characters myself. The flaws are realistic, and dealt with, and worked through. There are consequences for everything, and Jane Yellowrock herself is one of the best female characters I've read in a long time.
2667745
I have never HATED a HEA more. Way to take a great character and make her pathetic. I still wish to kill the villain/"hero"

Regin, a favorite from previous books. The wonderful prankster who has enough sense to want to kill previous characters and always up for a fight, falls in love, for no reason, with the man who is responsible for some of the worst tortures rivaling Braveheart.

Regin suddenly doesn't love the man who was always good and kind, nope, she loves the new guy who tortures her, those she loves, and wants to do genocide.  Way to really make women look bad.  She gets tortured, and the next day he gets head.

Declan, the "hero. The most revolting character ever. The whole story I knew there was nothing this guy could do to redeem himself, I just wanted him dead. It doesnt mean it couldn't have hurt for there to have been some act of redemption, or excuse. I was hoping for mystical mind control, would still hate him, but at least it would have been a shot. I was waiting for Regin's real man to show up after she killed Declan, or for her to just say, Skrew you guys, I'm awesome on my own!  No, it's just I have a painful past waaa waaa waaaa, oh if that's the case beat me some more honey!!!

All in all: I read a book where a woman was pretty much hollowed out for a man who beat her, yay!!!  For one of her most anticipated  and longest books, Cole missed the mark by a mile.
1770346
I don't like the main character, and never have i grown to like her no matter how deep into the series I get. Yet, i have been thoroughly entertained from start to finish and have absolutly no complaints about the story, the style, any of it. Christopher Nuttal is a superb story teller.  I love the way he sneaks real history lessons into this story and causes me to think about history in new and relevant ways. His love of history and knowledge of wordcraft combine to make an incredibly insightful fantasy series.

The #1 thing i appreciate the most about the female characters in this series is that they don't spend 1/2 their time crying or looking for other women they can hug and cling too. Way too many books (even some of my favorites) have pathetic women who cry and hug all the time.

The only thing i hate about this series is that the characters are constantly winking at each other, and sticking out their tongues all the time and at inopportune times. The constant childishness of the winking and funny faces makes me think that at any moment my Schooled in Magic book is going to turn into a Xanth novel.
4503090
I picked this book up at the library to meet one of the criteria for the Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge. It was a Young Adult Fiction so I was not expecting to be incredibly impressed. But Kerri Maniscalco has created a female character that I love! While working with her Uncle to try and solve the Jack the Ripper murders, Audrey Rose defies convention and completely ignores what is expected of a young lady in her day. But she loves "being girly" just as much as she loves helping her Uncle perform autopsies on cadavers in his basement lab. And I will definitely be adding the rest of the series to my "To Be Read" list.

One of my favorite quotes from the book - "I was determined to be both pretty and fierce, as Mother had said I could be. Just because I was interested in a man's job didn't mean I had to give up being girly. Who defined those roles anyhow?"
4158655
I love the way she takes the history of a time when women had little power in the path their life would take, and shows how they used what little power they had.  Instead of showing women as weak obident and subserveant, which they were expected to be, she shows that they could be that and still be intellegent, resourceful and resiliant.  She weaves history and fiction in a way that teaches and entertains.  My only regret is that I don't have another book of her's to read.  I've devoured them all.