Warning Review – Madi's Musings

An Uncommon Beauty…

Author: Mimi Matthews

Genre: Regency

About

An Uncommon Beauty…
Hidden away in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite has always been considered more odd than beautiful. But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it’s caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland — a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the duke’s clutches, she’s going to need a little help.

An Unlikely Hero…
Captain Arthur Heywood’s days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.

Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her — and her heart — in more danger than ever?

Review

Rating: 2.5 stars

I so desperately wish I’d been able to give this book a higher rating. I usually can’t tolerate regency books, as I find them dry and bland at best, if not insufferable, but The Work of Art’s blurb and the promise of a clean, wholesome read drew me in.

And it really did draw me in from the first sentence. Matthews possesses an exceptional writing style, and unlike most regencies I’ve tried, this book’s plot kept me reading. Literally. It was the only reason I kept reading–I wanted to know what happened. And I rarely care enough to finish a regency book.

I enjoyed the characters. Arthur was delightfully protective and Philly is a darling. Their arcs are so well-crafted. The slew of secondary characters, from the empty-headed cousins to Evil Eliot, from the servants to the surprising villain, are well done.

The plot, as I mentioned, captured my interest from the beginning. Marriage of convenience? Yes, please. He’s doing it to save her? Sounds great. And the plot was good. I really did enjoy it.

My issue is that this book is not really clean and wholesome, as the Amazon categories and everyone else’s high ratings led me to believe.

While the majority of romance between Philly and Arthur was adorably sweet, the book contains a few passionate makeouts, a fade-to-black with the next scene indicating, and I quote, “the marriage was thoroughly consummated” and that Arthur had, “taken her a second time”. There are also more heavily-indicated bedroom activities. It is told that as they’re hugging, Arthur can feel Philly’s curves beneath her thin nightgown, which, frankly, I don’t need to know.

There are also numerous instances of profanity. While “what the devil” isn’t considered profane, it is unnecessary, and there are 17 instances of it. There are 13 occurrences of “damn” and its variations, six of “by God”, three of “my God”, five of “good God”, and one “my Lord”.

I would have readily rated The Work of Art a five if not for the numerous instances of the Lord’s name being ill-used and the unnecessary sexual themes.

I was so excited to have found an author–a regency author, of all things–whose writing I genuinely enjoy, because I was hooked on this book from the first sentence. Unfortunately, the content wasn’t as clean and wholesome as expected, and I was unable to thoroughly enjoy it due to that.

Despite being categorized as Christian book, this is tome to approach with extreme caution.

Author: Karen Hancock

Genre: It is marketed as Christian fantasy

Publishers: 2003: Bethany House; 2023: Enclave Publishing

About

Abramm has dedicated the last eight years of his life to becoming worthy to touch and tend the Sacred Flames of Eidon, and he expects to be blessed for his devotion and sacrifice. But on the eve of taking the vows that will irrevocably separate him from the life he was born to—as Abramm Kalladorne, fifth son of the king of Kiriath—he is betrayed by his spiritual mentor and sold into slavery by his brothers.

Swept along by the winds of a new destiny, Abramm is forced to compete as a gladiator. When the oppressed masses rally around his success, he discovers his suffering has molded him into something greater than he ever thought possible—to serve a purpose he never imagined.

Set in a world of swords and cloaks, of glittering palaces and mystical temples, of galley ships and ancient mist-bound cities, The Light of Eidon is the first volume of an epic series, Legends of the Guardian-King.

Reviewer’s Note:

As you can see from the publication dates above, Light of Eidon was published in 2003 and then republished by Enclave in 2023. I kept an eye on the reviews for this updated version, wondering of the problematic content had been removed. Alas, it does not appear so. Thus my own warning review must remain.

I would like to make clear I never rate a book a low star out of spite, dislike toward the author, or with other malice-driven intent. I strive to encourage Christian authors and their books in the Christian genres. If I rate a book a low star, it is because I have massive concerns regarding its content, whether that be theology, violence, sexual content, etc. I am not singling out Ms. Hancock. She is a gifted writer, and I wish her gift would be directed toward penning clean books, because we could certainly use more clean Christian fantasy.

Rating:

1 Star

Review:

I dislike giving “Christian” books a low rating. I really do. I believe we should support each other as much as we can and provide gentle constructive criticism. I just cannot give The Light of Eidon a rating higher than a one star. For a “Christian” book, I am quite disappointed it contains the content it does. The violence was beyond gruesome and gratuitous, and that’s saying something because violence usually doesn’t unsettle me.

This book had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it contains sexual content including sex outside of marriage, including scenes that are way too explicit. This act is perpetrated by the main male character, who never has any remorse for this unbiblical act, nor does he ever repent or admit he was wrong. It’s just shrugged off by everyone, even his mentors.

As Christian authors, we are held to a higher standard, and therefore our books are too. The content in this book more befits a secular story with the extremely over-the-top violence and sex. Therefore this book rates a one star. I do not recommend it for anyone of any age due to this.