Lesley's Review
Holy hotness and a whole lot of heartbreak. Sheesh. This book had me hooked from the very beginning. I’ve developed a serious love-hate relationship with this book. I know we all remember something of the story of Helen of Sparta/ Troy. Well, I only remembered the Trojan horse. I didn’t remember the details. This kept the story unknown to me and left me heartbrokenly flustered.
It begins with Helen being kidnapped by a man who plans to make her his wife. However, he decides to take his pleasures now instead of waiting for her to be of age to marry. She is introduced to the guilty pleasures a woman needs to not feel. Experiencing the naughty side of life. She loved feeling the pleasure. How could she have known that her quest for love and pleasure would lead to the destruction of kingdoms and lives?
During this period in history, a woman’s virtue was worth a lot. You were considered dirty and tainted without your virginity. I’m sure you heard of orgies and how the gods of lust created mischief in men. The rules of society allowing men to run amuck, finding pleasure in many. Men could do whatever or whoever they pleased. However, a woman really had no say in her life during this time. Woman were at the mercy of men; fathers, brothers, uncles, and eventually husbands. When Helen is finally discovered by her brothers, she is found tainted. In a hurry to marry her off and keep scandal at bay, her brothers take it upon themselves to pimp her out to her suitors. (Could you just imagine?) She is made to endure several men, while they watch. She falls heavily for one special man and hopes to be wed to him. Let me just say I feel so much for the woman who lived during this time. Woman were treated as if they had no worth, but to create alliances, even by their own families. They could not make their own decisions. This is where Helen rebelled. She wanted to decide, she wanted to fly. Being denied to marry the one man she wanted, she is made to marry another. A man who sees her as his wife for breeding. She finds pleasure in a secret.
When life’s temptation rears its ugly head again, Helen flees her country of Sparta and ends up in Trojan. All for the sake of love and pleasure. She has fallen in love with a younger man, Paris. The Prince of Trojan. Therefore, starting what is known as the Trojan War. In her fight to find her freedom, love and pleasure, Helen led Sparta and its allies to destroy an entire kingdom and the family that took her in. Helen loved fiercely but naively. Love didn’t conquer all.
Damn. I had so many types of emotions running through me. I was mad, sad, conflicted, and of course slightly aroused. (I’m not ashamed) The love scenes were either steamy or they left you feeling used and disgusted. I felt the despair and oppression. I was frustrated that she just couldn’t find peace and love. No matter how hard she fought her life, she lost. When she thought she was on stable ground, she would trip and fall. In the end she lived, but in her wake there was destruction. All from one woman and her selfish needs. Yes, I did use selfish because in the end that’s what it felt like. I felt sorry for her, yet I wanted to smack her for what she caused. What she seemed to not have remorse for. This book left me feeling empty and heartbroken. For Helen it was all for naught. The author did a GREAT job with this story. Like I said I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I hated how life had to be for them. I loved the way the story was told. I wouldn’t change a thing. Not everyone has a happy ending. Although, some would argue she ended up better than those around her. Quiver of A Kiss has a historical twist and erotica in the story. I recommend it for those who enjoy those genres. It’s not too historical that you get bored. I promise. I give this book 4.5 stars.
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