This week I am excited to talk about Renee Rose's latest book, Humbled
Blurb: Sentenced to die at age eleven for stealing a pig, Jean-Claude receives an unexpected reprieve when a young aristocrat girl takes the blame instead. When the mobs of the French Revolution fall upon her château years later, Jean-Claude knows he must save her and repay his debt, but as they begin their long flight to safety he makes it clear he is not her servant and he will deal firmly with any disobedience. Though he initially intends to send her off by ship, the beautiful, feisty Corinne inspires a fierce protectiveness in Jean-Claude that makes it hard to say goodbye. Corinne is alternately infuriated and attracted to the handsome peasant who has no qualms about turning her over his knee and spanking her bare bottom when she steps out of line. When he ends up joining her on a ship to New Orleans, their futures become inextricably intertwined, but can a common-born blacksmith and the daughter of a lord find enough common ground to make a permanent match?
Publisher’s Note: Humbled is an erotic romance novel that includes spankings, anal play, graphic sexual scenes, and more. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
My thoughts: As you may know, I am a big fan of Renee Rose and historical spanking romances. I found Humbled to be an extra treat because it was set in France at the time of the French Revolution, something new for me. I beta read for Renee and I'll admit that I even did some fact checking on my own to make sure she had the details right. (According to Wikipedia, she does).
Discussion Points:
This book created an interesting dichotomy between the privileged class and the poor. Jean-Claude supported the Revolution, but also felt honor bound to repay the debt he owed to Corinne. He clearly does not treat her with kid gloves on their journey, yet, when they finally reach New Orleans he encourages Corinne to seek a husband who is of higher rank than him. [Don't worry, it all works out for them.]
What do you think he would have done if she had followed his suggestion?
During their journey, Jean-Claude and Corinne held themselves out as a blacksmith/silversmith and his wife. However, Corinne's upbringing gave her away, despite her efforts to play her role as a peasant.
Are the distinctions of class as evident now? Would you be able to tell the difference between a person of "good breeding" and someone who was lower born based on their mannerisms?
Have you ever had the experience of being treated as though you were a peasant (or the modern equivalent)? What was that like and how did you react?
The title of the book is Humbled. For those of you who have read it, which character do you think was most humbled over the course of the book? Corinne who lost all of her standing or Jean-Claude who had a few arrogant assumptions about the type of person Corinne was?
Did reading this book (or even this post) make you want to do any of the following:
Learn more about the French Revolution?
Go to New Orleans?
Get spanked?
February 7--- A Bride For Lord Esher by PJ Perryman with guest hostess Patricia Green.
February 14---Aching to Submit by Natasha Knight with guest hostess Casey McKay
February 21---Mail Order Switch by Patty Devlin with guest hostess Sue Lyndon
February 21---Mail Order Switch by Patty Devlin with guest hostess Sue Lyndon
I like The Year of the Spank...I feel like next time I walk into a Chinese restaurant and see the little placemat, I will be looking for the Year of the Spank...
ReplyDeleteI am finishing up this book this weekend and love it, as I expected to. I just want to say one thing first and I'm not sure you all feel this way too but Renee's writing style has changed since her last one. Is it just me who thinks this?
Also, was Corinne named Cosette at one point - I remember a snippet you shared maybe?? Why did you change the name if that's true?
The questions - who was humbled? I think they both were - love in a way humbles us, right?
Class distinctions - I want to say no to this but it wouldn't be true although the difference maybe now is not so much distinction as accepted by society or as decreed by society but more small judgments upon sight or sound. I think we all have these as human beings and it just takes a moment to get beyond that initial thought and to 'hey, this is a human being, same as me'. In some cases, however, this is easier said than done!!
Reading the book made me want to get spanked but that is not new. I always want to get spanked.
That's an interesting point about Renee's writing style. I'll have to go back and read again to see if I notice what you're talking about. It is fun to compare first books to later works and see how much we all improve.
DeleteI don't know abut my writing style, I think maybe don't judge by this book, okay? please?
DeleteCorinne was Cosette, but it turns out that while it had been 20 years since I saw Les Mis and I never remember names from anything, Cosette is a name from Les Mis? I guess my subconscious pulled it out as my French Rev reference. So oops!
Yes on Cosette. My comment on your style changing, I liked it. It's experience shining through.
DeleteYes on Cosette. My comment on your style changing, I liked it. It's experience shining through.
DeleteAlthough we might deny it, there are class distinctions in the US, but it is less centered around inherited status and is more about money and external trappings of wealth. People check out the car you drive, the size of the rock on your finger, the label on your purse, your zip code, and they make judgments -- and friend choices because of it. Not all people, of course, but some.
ReplyDeleteHumbled is on my TBR list. Too many authors are writing too many books for me to keep up. I'm falling behind in my reading. Ack!
I think the notion of inherited status is harder for me to grasp than something that I perceive to have been earned like education or wealth. The idea that people were forever classified one way or the other based on birth is a little hard to get my head around.
DeleteYes, I think there are those status symbols and maybe in a very small segment of society, still "blue bloods" but I'm oblivious to it all. I do know that I have lived in places (Washington DC and the Denver suburb I grew up in) where it seemed more important than it does where I live now. But Tucson is very much "live and let live"
DeleteI agree with Natasha that Renee's writing style changed a little in this one. It seemed different. In a good way! Changing and growing :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this book and I am a little jealous of Corinne- I want Jean-Claude for myself.
I think Jean-Claude was more humbled than Corinne. That is just my opinion. I think it turned out that Corinne didn't really need all that much humbling and she was still the same strong woman at the end that she was at the beginning. I think her strength helped Jean-Claude in a way and I liked that.
This book made me wish I had stuck with learning french. Five years of classes and I can only introduce myself and count to fifty :P
Also, writing a book with another language as the back drop gives you new words to call all the naughty bits! I like that.
And as always, it made me want to get spanked, and visit New Orleans... and watch Les Mis again.
There is something exotic about foreign languages, isn't there? And Renee uses Spanish and French in her books. I'm just glad to be able to use English w/some skill.
DeleteLOL-- the Spanish is fluent, but I can't even count to fifty or introduce myself in French! When i was in Paris all I learned how to do was order hot chocolate, french fries and salmon. :)
DeleteI LOVED this book. Let's start there. Here are my answers.
ReplyDelete1. I think it actually would have made a lot of sense for Corrine to follow the advice to seek another husband, because silversmith or not, Jean Claude is never going to be able to provide the exact life she was accustomed to. However, with that said, it took a lot of guts--and dare I say, humbling herself-- to see the possibilities regardless of social standing.
2. I would say that most people would think our social classes are more evident now. People with more money dress a certain way, dress their kids a certain way. However, there are rich people who just don't care about any of that and look just like you and me. (Unless you're rich, in which case, I just meant me. :) ) On the flip side are the women who spend beyond their means to look like they have means. So, I guess in many cases it can be hard to tell today, whereas in the book they knew Corrine was a noble because of the way she held her teacup.
3. I don't have an experience where I've been treated poor, but rather, experiences of people who expect me to go outside my means thus making me FEEL poor.
4. I didn't see Jean Claude being humbled overmuch, but that might be me. So my answer is Corrine.
5. I want to be spanked IN New Orleans. So there. :)
Thanks for the fun, guys!!! And thanks again for a wonderful book, Renee!
Yes! Spanked in New Orleans sounds like a great idea!! LOL. Thanks, Dinah.
DeleteClass distinctions exist everywhere. There's an entire book about it, Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, by Paul Fussell. I read it a number of years ago. My husband and I suffer from what Fussell calls "status/income disequilibrium.
ReplyDeleteI think there's no way to get away from displays and expectations of certain kinds of status. It seems to be human nature to divide people up into little groups that we can disdain or look up to according to our own prejudices. I don't believe it will ever change.
Humbled is on my iPad, waiting patiently for me to have a few hours of quiet time. I'm looking forward to it.
Hmm, that sounds like a good book, very interesting!
DeleteHumbled is on my Kindle, waiting. If it were a woman, I suspect it would be tapping it's delicate, silk shod feet with impatience about now. As for class distinction, I agree with Cara and Patricia, it does exist. However, as Cara indicated, American's are more impressed by the outward signs of success (money, cars, clothing, etc.) than a person's hereditary lineage, while Europeans find the nouveau riche -- gauche. So, like beauty, class is in the eye of the beholder. As for marrying above or beneath your station, most stories have the heroine marrying into wealth (the Cinderella dream), but in Humbled, the heroine's society no longer exists. She is an outcast in her own country. In her world, it's the blacksmith or tradesman who are the princes, especially since the King and Queen and most of the nobility end up losing their heads--literally. As a romantic, I always want love to triumph over any social inequalities, though in real life I suspect that path is strewn with rocks of jealousy and disapproval.. Class distinction has always fascinated me, so I'll need to check out Fussell's book. Sigh. Another one to add to my TBR list. As for Humbled, I love the excerpts Renee has shared with us, and I look forward to finding the time to enjoy it.
ReplyDeletegiggle about the delicate silk-shod feet. I guess I'm a romantic in the love triumphing over social inequalities too.
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