There are a few things that struck me as a little odd. Esme was just… strange. Her reaction seemed off to me. She finds strangers in her library, destroying her books and things. One of her first thoughts was about what she was wearing. This line: “Granted it was several hours after midnight and a woman was generally given the right to sit in her own home wearing a night rail and robe” was very strange. He’s eyeing her in a way that she doesn’t appreciate, and then she thinks about how it’s acceptable for a woman to be wearing her nightclothes in her own home at that hour of night. I imagine that she’s supposed to be a little confused, but given the way he’s looking at her, I would have expected her to be a little more frightened of his intent.

When she considers (and then discards) the idea to use her prized copy of Gulliver’s Travels as a weapon, I was also a little confused. I take it she is supposed to care more about her books than her own safety? This is supposed to be an action scene, but Esme is a passive observer in her own kidnapping. While I’m getting a strong, virginal-and-bookish vibe from her, it seems like even someone like her might try to fight a bit. When she does make a paltry effort to fight, it isn’t at all satisfying. Worrying about her bad habit of chewing her nails seems like a thought that is more appropriate at a tea party.

Her state of denial is so heavy, that I wonder if the character is actually insane. Especially this line: “She glared at him, but he was not looking at her face. More than anything she wished to take the wretched cloth out of her mouth and give them a tongue lashing for speaking so cruelly about her bottom. Perhaps it was a bit on the large side for a woman of her size, but she had always been rather fond of it.” Who would worry about her bum in that kind of situation? Again, this seems like a moment that should happen in a less dangerous situation. Like when she’s alone in her room, completely safe, and maybe looking at herself in the mirror.

That being said. Given the way that Esme is bizarrely acting, I’m surprised that she didn’t have an internal comment about one of the bad guys calling her a bitch.

All in all, it followed the traditional formula for an opening to a romance novel. Esme is established as a bookish-most-likely-virginal woman (it’s unusual how much this is emphasized in a scene that’s supposed to be thrilling) who is quite proud of her bum (and is insulted when the man who is kidnapping her calls it big). Even if I hadn’t come across this on a romance novelist’s blog, I would have known right away which genre it came from. And that’s fine. There’s a reason why so many women like romance novels. There’s comfort in knowing that a happy ending is coming. We all know that Esme will not be raped – she will probably fall in love with the Raven (who will most likely lust mightily after her big bum), or perhaps with someone who rescues her from the villain. She will continue to be bookish (but probably won’t stay a virgin for much longer), she will end up fantastically wealthy, I’m sure, and we will see her content and happy with a brood of children in the epilogue.

Perhaps Esme has the gift of foresight. Given her almost casual attitude to being kidnapped, it’s a likely possibility that she’s aware that she’s living out her own romance novel.