Review - Cry for Passion

Title: Cry for Passsion
Author: Robin Schone
Publishing Date: March 2009
Genre: Historical (Erotic)
Rating: C
Sensuality: Burning

Cry for Passion is the second book in Robin Schone's Men and Women's Club Series. Rose Clarring seeks out Jack Lodoun to help her divorce her husband of twelve years. Jack refuses to aid her in a divorce, because the law does not support it. Jack and Rose begin an affair to ease their loneliness and grief and guilt. What began as passion quickly turns to love.

Cry for Passion was a most unusual book, in that it seemed like it had a split-personality disorder. The first half of the book was written in the most unusual prose. The writing was short and choppy and it flowed more like a poem, than a novel. It was jarring and unusual, which left me struggling to follow along with the story. The second disconcerting thing about this book, were the sexual metaphors constantly interspersed with normal everyday life. Common items were constantly described in sexual terms. It was as if everything was sexual; a hairbrush, a cup of tea, even a button on a coat. It was too much. That leads me to the next issue I had, which was the prose. I don't think I have ever read a book where the prose was so purple. Good Lord. I lost count of how many times a vagina or a cock was weeping in this book.

Even though the first half of the book was a train wreck, there were some redeeming qualities that were more prominent in the second half of the book. The prose was less choppy and purple and the focus was less on the sex and more on Jack and Rose's struggle with the law. The subject matter of women's rights at the turn of the century was very well researched. Robin Schone was meticulous in researching this era and was accurate down to the last rich detail. Cry for Passion was based on an actual court case that had happened and was one of the catalysts for changing the laws specific to married women. It really was eye opening to legally see just how little the law was on a woman's side. It is very sad to think what lengths had to be taken before the law could be changed.

Because of the extreme differences between the first and second part of the book, I had difficulty giving it a grade. Had I not finished this book I would have rated it a D-, and believe me it crossed my mind once or twice to put it down and not pick it back up. Yet, had I done that I would never have imagined that the second part would have been as strong as it was. Honestly, it was like two different books. I would have given the second part a B+. So that leaves me to rate it somewhere in the middle with a C.

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