A story about a really young woman of only 29 who is in the poor class in England way back in the 1800s. Really young? Well, the love interest, Genevieve Lefoux, of this woman, Imogene Hale, did keep repeating words that correspond to 'too young' or the like. To the point that I was beginning to feel icky and believe that I was somehow reading a pedophile book or something. TOO YOUNG TOO YOUNG!.
Remember how I noted that the woman was 29? And it's the 1800s? Now normally an unmarried woman of 29 would be considered 'too old' in this time period, but Genevieve is an ancient woman of something like 900 (I mean, this is a vampire book). Wait, no? That's not her age? She's actually 38? And there's only a 9 year age difference? And it isn't as if it was a woman of 18 'playing with' a girl of 9? But instead a woman of 38 using the 'too young' excuse to stay away from a woman of 29? Yes. By the way - precision, scientists are known for that. Quite important to them. Genevieve is a scientist. Vaguely disappointed that she would use 'too young' when the perfectly appropriate and acceptable 'too inexperienced' could have worked just as well without an icky feeling developing.
And I mention that 'poor class' part because 'class' is super important in the story, both in terms of how Imogene is of the servant/working class and because everyone around, for the most part, sees her and treats her as such (including herself). As in, at least in her own mind - 'not good enough' for someone like Genevieve.
Right, so. A woman grew up in a small country village knowing that there was something different about her. When her friends flirted with men, she didn't. When they married, she didn't. She didn't want anything to do with men. No, she saw herself as perverted because she wanted to 'do stuff' with other women. Which is how she ended up employed by the vampires - because they were basically the only source of employment for a woman like her; because they were considered 'perverted' themselves; and because Imogene didn't want to marry a man.
So Imogene went off and acquired a parlourmaid job with the local vampire hive. Whereupon she was alternatively ignored by the vampires, or abused by them. Also abusing her was the 'first footman' who liked pinching her, tripping her, and acting like a two year old near her. Not exactly what Imogene thought/expected she would find, but she is helping her family get food on the table.
There is one bit of brightness, though - one of the people living and working on the hive grounds is a scientist doing experiments. Wearing men's clothing and stuff. That'd be Genevieve. Imogene is quite aroused by this woman, but Genevieve seems reluctant to 'corrupt' her. Though she keeps doing something like a push-pull. Showing signs of want/need for Imogene, then pushing her away.
I was quite happy and eager to read this story when I saw it appear. I bought it immediately when it was first published. Then didn't read it. For there were other things to read. I'd read this author before - devoured her Parasol Protectorate series, but hadn't read her in seemingly forever.
I wanted to set myself up perfectly before I dove into this FF book. So I read that series Genevieve was in as a 9 year old (or however old she was), though she was a side character and not in all of the books (referring here to Finishing School). Then began a reread of that Parasol series. But only made it through 1 of the books in that series before I decided to just skip all that and dive into this book here.
I think I set myself up for failure. If I'd just wandered across this book, gazed it, briefly thought about whether to read or not read, and then read - my experience would likely have been different. But I kind of accidentally built up this massive wall of expectations. Which would have been hard to meet. And the book didn't meet my high expectations. Heck, even the cameos from the stars of the other books, well more from Parasol, were more annoying than a welcome blast from the past. More because they didn't really seem to be acting like themselves. Though that might be because I was actually seeing them from the outside in, for the first time, instead of from inside of them.
I'm not really sure what rating I should give this work. There were certain things I liked, and certain things I disliked - some of those 'disliked' things made me feel icky and vaguely ill. Tis life.
Rating: .... 3.15
April 2 2017
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