#TBRChallenge 2022: Beyond Innocence

The Book: Beyond Innocence by Emma Holly

The Particulars: Historical romance, First book in duet, Berkley, 2001, Out of print, available in digital

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: A billion years ago when I was reviewing for The Romance Reader, I was randomly assigned the second book in this duet, Beyond Seduction - which totally blew up my skirt. Emma Holly became an autobuy after that.

The Review: History lesson time. What we now classify as "erotic romance" was launched in 1999 when legendary editor Kate Duffy ushered in the Kensington Brava line. That line's success and reader demand for steamier romance books lead to other publishers scrambling to find authors that wrote "hot" - and in the case of Berkley they knocked on Emma Holly's door.  

Holly started her career writing erotica for Black Lace, an imprint of Virgin Publishing. While marketed as erotica her stories tended to have a strong romance flavor. Still, this was a departure for her, being that it was (I'm fairly certain...) her first stab at a historical romance.

So why did I take so long to read this book if I enjoyed the second book?  Two words: Virgin. Heroine. Look, y'all gotta understand. Back in 2001 virgin heroines were still the default and not to put too fine a point on it - I don't read Emma Holly for virgin heroines. So this one languished in my TBR until Holly's untimely death last month and this month's Vintage prompt seemed as good as any to finally stop neglecting it.

Freddie Burbrooke has been caught in a compromising position with a footman. His older brother, Edward Burbrooke, the Earl, is determined to save him from ruin. He adores Freddie. He's been looking out for him and protecting him his whole life. This is a scandal of epic proportions. What he needs is to get Freddie settled. Freddie needs a wife. And luckily his father's former solicitor has a solution.

Miss Florence Fairleigh is the only child of a country vicar. Her father is now deceased and she's in dire straights. Daddy was loving and doting but terrible with money. So Florence decides to go to London and try to find a respectable man to marry. If that fails she'll end up having to hire herself out as a governess. She's not hoping for much - kindness, friendship, a chance to build a life. Really, that's it. And then providence smiles down on her and soon she's being woo'ed by Freddie Burbrooke, second son to an earl! Honestly, it's a better match than a country mouse like her could hope for.

The fly in the ointment? I mean other than Freddie being gay? Edward takes one look at Florence and is hopelessly smitten. Borderline obsessed. And yet he recognizes she's the perfect match for Freddie. With Florence on his arm Freddie would be protected.  And yet? Edward can't stay away from her and Florence is also drawn to him.  Then there's the small matter that everybody in the Burbrooke family (Freddie, Edward, their dear aged aunt who is sponsoring Florence's Season...) are all in the ruse.  Florence knows nothing about nothing. No clue Freddie is gay. No idea that she's the sacrificial lamb delivered from above to save him from scandal.  Yeah, let's just say it hits the fan when that Big Secret comes home to roost.

If I'm making this sound unsavory that's because it kind of is. In the hands of a lesser skilled writer I would have likely DNF'ed this in hot minute.  Edward is of the cold, stoic school of formidable romance heroes and is kind of an ass for a good portion of this story.  Florence is sheltered and rather naïve - honestly the sort of heroine that tends to set my teeth on edge even though I totally understood and "got" her as a character.  So, what makes this work?  Well, everything else.

Holly handles the Victorian time period amiably, although while I wouldn't say it's wallpaper it's also not terrible specific. She gets the tone and feel right though.  The story is also still downright revolutionary even 20+ years after it was first published. Let's count the ways:

Edward bangs his mistress, on page, in a very early chapter. SHOCKING!

When Edward and Florence start to succumb they do everything but Insert Tab A Into Slot B - because at this point he's still wanting to protect her virtue because dagnabit he's obsessed but Must. Protect. Freddie. Very spicy stuff for 2001 although some readers would likely label this merely "hot" now. 

But the most marvelous thing about this book? Freddie. How Freddie is portrayed and how the matter of him being gay is addressed. Edward doesn't shame Freddie. Freddie isn't berated or treated like an embarrassment. Edward's concern for Freddie is born out of his love for his brother, his desire to protect him - because Edward knows that Freddie being gay is going to make Freddie's life very difficult.  So yes, the desire to hush up a scandal and to protect him, but also this underlying acceptance that this IS Freddie.  For you younger folks - this portrayal of a gay character in 2001 was revolutionary! Freddie isn't written as a villain or a deviant. He's a fully realized, fully fleshed-out, lovely and sympathetic character who also gets a happy ending in the final chapters.  From personal experience, the idea of LGBTQ+ characters being protagonists in romance didn't enter my consciousness until around 2004 (that's when I started hearing chatter at writer's conferences) - so Holly writing this character in 2001 is just...wow. Like amazingly wow.

The pacing is a little slow in spots and honestly the whole thing has a Sword of Damocles feel to it with the Big Secret.  Florence is a bit of a mouse and almost written like a Disney princess (she's adored by cats and babies alike) and while she's not offensive per se, I just wasn't captivated by her like some of Holly's edgier female protagonists.  But, patience - because it does all pay off once Florence learns the truth and we get an epic descent into Hero Grovel Land for several chapters.  We also have to put up a bit with an Evil Other Woman (yes, the mistress...) but this aspect of the story didn't annoy me as much as other Evil Other Women that have come before her. 

It's not perfect. As mentioned it's a rather unsavory plot but Holly spins a good tale and it kept me invested. I'm glad I finally read it even if it doesn't land in my Emma Holly Top Five and it's definitely worth a read for those interested in the history of the romance genre. It's breath-taking in that respect.

Final Grade = B-

RIP: Emma Holly

 

The above is an image from a Facebook post by author Kate Angell. Photo is of a younger author, Emma Holly. Text reads: A difficult post for me. USA Today Bestselling author and long-time friend Emma Holly has passed away, June 11th. My heart is saddened by her loss. She wrote over seventy erotic romance novels for Black Lace and the Penguin Group. Indie publications too. Both standalone and series titles from shapeshifters, genies, faeries to billionaires. She was a finalist for the Romance Writers of America 2004 RITA award for Best Paranormal Romance. On a personal note, Emma was smart and kind. She spoke her mind and always made me smile. She loved to write and to meet her readers. I admired her talent. She lived in Minneapolis. I don't have a lot of details on her passing. She was 61 years old. She will be missed. The photo is Emma in her late 30's. One of my favorites of her.

This was not the news I wanted to read on a Sunday morning. I gasped. I actually said, out loud, "Oh no!" which elicited an immediate response from My Man who wanted to know what was wrong. No, Emma Holly wasn't a member of my family or a close, personal friend, but my reading life was forever changed when I was randomly assigned to review Beyond Seduction way back in 2002 (eep!) and that was me being late to the party. Holly had written several books for Virgin Publishing's Black Lace line well before she crossed over into the mainstream writing books for Berkley Jove. 

If you're a newer reader to romance, it's hard to fathom this now, but there was a time when it was very hard, damn near impossible almost, to find non-virgin heroines who were confident in their sexuality. Who liked sex, who wanted sex, and weren't punished for it. And most of the time when you did find a non-virgin heroine there was some terrible past trauma that made her "a slut." Like Daddy didn't love her or some such nonsense.  Emma Holly was a frickin' revelation.  And by all accounts it's not like Beyond Seduction was rocking new ground. It's a Victorian-set historical about a woman who wants to ruin herself, decides to pose nude for an artist and ends up having a torrid affair with him. But it was so sexy and passionate it damn near stripped the paint off my walls and it was a romance, so I got a happy ending!  After that experience, an online friend told me I had to find her Black Lace books. So I went on the hunt...

Now, here's the thing. Virgin Publishing is based out of the UK.  Finding Black Lace was nearly impossible here in the States.  If a bookstore was carrying them they were usually in the "Sexuality" section next to How To Find Your G-Spot.  I finally gave up and went to that fledgling little company on the Internet....Amazon. True story.  You know why I started buying books from Amazon? Because I could order any Black Lace book I wanted, it would generally be in stock, and I didn't have to deal with some horn-rimmed glasses professor-wannabe hipster sneering at my purchases.  

I was off to the races at that point, snapping up whatever hadn't already gone out of print - which some of them had.  Then somewhere in the mid-aughts, Virgin started reprinting some Black Lace titles under the Cheek imprint, giving them cartoon covers (sigh) and I finally scored the remaining Holly books I was missing.  Folks, this is what you had to do before digital publishing. You kept a wishlist a mile long, scoured used bookstores, leaned on your online friends who also had your wishlist and scoured their used bookstores, and prayed to the Reprint Gods.

What made Holly's books special, I mean other than the non-virgin, unapologetic heroines and the steamy sex?  Holly got "it." She got what made erotic romance tick - which is to say that she wrote passion.  It wasn't just an endless string of anatomical sex scenes strung together. Her characters yearned. They felt like actual people with actual emotions dealing with all the messy (and pleasurable!) fallout that can come with sexual relationships.  She also wrote damn near everything - contemporary, historical, steampunk, paranormal, billionaires - everything! 

I met Holly just once, in Dallas at RWA 2007. This is what I blogged prior to my trip:

Emma Holly will be there. Yes, the Emma Holly. I'll be lucky if I can manage any words over two syllables. Those two college degrees I have will immediately go flying right out of my head and I'll start talking like some slack-jawed yokel whose family has been swimming in the same shallow gene pool for six generations. Actually what's more likely to happen is I'll stand there looking like a dumbass and will probably say two words to the poor woman.

I'm pleased to report that I did alright. I think I said "I love your books" just two times! I got a signed copy of All U Can Eat (which I had already read and loved) and picked up some promo/swap for my younger sister.  I wish I had the opportunity to meet her again, but alas, it never happened. I like to think I would have been more confident and self-assured and managed a more thoughtful conversation with her. But who am I kidding? I'm a fan. A blithering, starstruck fan. One who still has some books in my TBR in a break glass in case of emergency event.  Folks, life is short, the time is now, break the damn glass already Wendy!

I hope wherever Ms. Holly is she knew how loved she was by readers, fellow writers she greatly influenced, and that she was a true genre trailblazer. She was a very big deal and the loss feels immeasurable. 

A Plot With A Side Of Fries

I got an e-mail from my younger sister last night. Something along the lines of "Glad it was good. I like my erotica with an actual plot, can't wait to read it." Yes, being the good older sister that I am (I'm more subversive when it comes to corrupting youth), I'm sending All U Can Eat by Emma Holly to her. Yes, I am an excellent sister.

Whenever I give a talk or do a presentation on romance and her "sister" genres I always mention erotica. Mostly because most librarians are terribly clueless about it. I mention to them that if they want to take a walk on the wild side they should try Emma Holly. In my esteemed opinion, if Emma Holly doesn't work for you, chances are erotica as a whole ain't going to work for you. I'm just saying.

With her last several books Holly has really been dipping her toes in more mainstream waters, and All U Can Eat is the pinnacle. She's got it down to a science now. I'm thinking world domination in next.

Frankie Smith runs a diner in a small Southern California beach community. She's young, she's sexy - and her clueless male model boyfriend just dumped her for another woman! That's OK though - there are plenty of men in town who would love to console our girl in her hour of need. But when a dead body of a wealthy socialite is found in the back alley behind Frankie's diner, she finds herself in the hot seat - with Chief of Police Jack West trying to decide if he should arrest her or tie her up in bed. Ooh La La

So there's the plot, and Holly does an admirable job with it. I figured out the mystery, but I hadn't quite worked through the motive until all was revealed - so it hums along at a good pace.

Oh right, you're reading this post for the sex. Forgot myself there for a minute. The sex here is vintage Holly, hot stuff, erotic and adventurous. Lest readers forget that we're talking erotica here - our girl has sex with like 4.5 guys (the .5 is for a threesome, and technically that guy's attention is not focussed on the heroine if you get my drift). But don't be confused - Jack West is our hero and the reader does get a happily-ever-after. I would have liked a bit more focus on this developing romance - but it does work well despite that, so it's more like a minor quibble.

My final grade? An A-. Really, Holly just keeps getting better. Lord I hope she never abandons erotica outright. I think it might kill me.

Sidenote: I like the cover. Let's call it Retro Sleaze.