By: Ginn Hale Publisher: Blind Eye Books Average Rating: Binding: Perfect Paperback Label: Blind Eye Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 222 Publication Date: May 14, 2007
Product Description: Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction. And Belimai Sykes is the only man Captain William Harper can turn to when faced with a series of grisly murders. But Mr. Sykes does not work for free and the price of Belimai's company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation. From the ornate mansions of noblemen, where vivisection and sorcery are hidden beneath a veneer of gold, to the steaming slums of Hells Below, Captain Harper must fight for justice and for his life. His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well.
A Good Read; can't wait for more. This book is actually two stories in one cover. They were both well written, with absorbing plots as well as engaging protagonists. I immediately went to 'Amazon' to see if Ginn Hale had anything else in print. Sadly, this is the only book listed. I am waiting, with pleasant anticipation, for anything else to come from this author; hopefully it will involve the same characters.
a little uneven, but still thoroughly enjoyable Wicked Gentleman is a fun book, although the title and flap-copy are misleading. The two main characters are never really at odds with each other. I don't think it's accurate to call it [...] romance, either. If the main characters were straight, it wouldn't be called straight romance. It would just be called steam-punk gothic fantasy. The setting is a well-imaged steam-punk universe where the devils of hell have been converted to Christianity, but their ancestors live as a subclass of half-humans, repressed and distrusted by humanity. The main characters solve a murder mystery and work out some of their personal angst in the course of the story.
The author excels at description and ambiance. The smells, sounds, and tastes of her world come through so clearly that you can almost see it like a movie. The world-building is also ingenious, with lots of little believable details. However, this does feel like a first novel, and it feels like the author may have cut her teeth on fan fiction. There are places where the dialogue becomes stilted or self-indulgent, and the character's feelings are unnecessarily analyzed and explained by the narrator. Some of the hurt/comfort scenes feel contrived. However, just when the author seems to have slipped into a rut, she regains her balance with a truly funny or insightful line. Overall, it was a fun book, and I hope to see more from her.
Wicked Gentlemen- A Joyfully Recommended Title Belimai Sykes is many things--a Prodigal, or living descendant of demons, a drug addict, and a sometime-private investigator. When Inquisition Captain William Harper comes to Belimai's lodgings, seeking Belimai's help in finding his sister, Belimai agrees to take the job. The case proves to be considerably more complex than either Belimai or Captain Harper anticipated, however, and so do their feelings.
Captain William Harper is willing to do anything to find his sister. Hiring a Prodigal to help him search seems to be the best way to do that. Will his many secrets, and the secrets of others, destroy the life Harper is beginning to realize he truly wants before it even begins?
What can I say? Wicked Gentleman is an awesome book. Everything about Wicked Gentleman is unusual, from the characters and setting to the structure of the narrative. Somehow Ginn Hale manages to take all the strange elements and combine them into something that not only works, but works incredibly well. I'm a sucker for flawed characters, and Belimai and Harper are the very definition of flawed. Despite Belimai's self-destructive behavior, his intelligence, loyalty, determination, and insecurity made him easy to sympathize with. The first part of the book, told in first person from Belimai's point-of-view, really drew me into his life and world. The second part of the book, in third person from Harper's perspective, allowed me to understand Harper better. Harper's conflicting beliefs concerning his work as an Inquisitor and the things he discovers about his desires and the Inquisition were understandable, especially given his past. Secondary characters are interesting as well, and they help flesh out the pasts of Belimai and Harper. The plot features suspense, romance, and some very cool fantasy elements. The world-building in Wicked Gentleman is excellent. I can only hope Ginn Hale is working on another book set in this world. If you're looking for an unusual read with compelling characters, a plot that keeps you reading, and an understated yet satisfying romance, I Joyfully Recommend Wicked Gentleman.
Cassie reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Great concept, mediocre execution I was disappointed in this book. The concept is great. The world, fascinating.
But the characters are dull and only half-thought out. Belimai's an addict, but there's almost none of qualities most Americans (or anyone watching an episode of Intervention) would recognize as addictive behaviors. He only needs his drug so he has something he can give up when he falls in love (which will lay him pathetically, adorably low and in Harper's arms, of course). Harper's not much better. His 'depth' is that he's always wanted to boink a Prodigal. Strange how he never wanted, then, to boink his own stepdad? Those 'daddy issues' or conflict could have been exploited to give him some real depth.
There are a few really cute lines of repartee in this story, and the corruption story, once it actually gets going (too late!) is well plotted, but the writing is drab. You feel no worry or tension as Harper infiltrates the station. There's really no 'suspense' about whether or not Belimai's going to show up when and where he's supposed to (see--and he's an addict, and addicts are primarily unreliable about this kind of stuff and having Belimai flake out once or twice on a meeting would have led to some actual interpersonal tension between the two--much needed!).
And some of the other writing just screams poor editing. One point I recall clearly (there are others, but I'll try not to belabor the issue): servant makes comment about getting something so that Harper won't be sitting on the floor. Next sentence, Harper realizes he's sitting on the floor. Ugh. Banal repetition. If the tone of the story thus far had been irreverent cheek, I'd've written it off as more cheek, but I can't.
There's one sex scene proper--many implied encounters, but only one actual given one, and it works about as well as any gratuitous sex scene. The problem is, it's entirely unmotivated. There's no reason to not skip over this encounter just as she'd glossed over the others (with some of the lamest metaphors ever--his *pistol*?!) Nothing really changes during or because of this particular sex romp, so there really was no need to show it other than titillation.
I wish she'd workshopped this novel a bit longer before submitting it, or that some editor would have prodded her. This novel could have been fantastic. Should have been fantastic. Instead, it's just blah.
Not what I expected Alright, this book is sold as gay romance, but really the relationship between the two characters seems to be almost background static. I enjoyed the actual story, so I wasn't bored; however, I agree with another reviewer who said that the novel comes far too close to crossing into "gratuitous prose." My initial attraction to this novel was, in fact, the language but there really should be a limit to how many similies and metaphors are stuck in a single book. I was close to throwing it against the wall at some points.
What there was of the relationship betweent the two characters I enjoyed but there really is too little of it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
