The Englor Affair (Sci-regency) Paperback – September 1, 2009

The Book Report: This is a sci-Regency. That means a Regency romance set in outer space, don't bother asking how it works or this whole review will be wasted on you. It's also a smutty gay-sex romp written by a very nice straight lady.If you're still here, we'll get to the plot: The Queen of Englor, an Earth colony that's chosen Regency England as its societal model, is a nasty, homophobic gambling addict whose son and heir happens to be a big ol' 'mo with a taste for chicken (men younger than the subject). He's also a Marine Colonel, a gym rat, and as heir to the throne, PRIME marriage material. He's been dodging scheming mamas and aunties at Almack's for most of his life. Colonel Hollister, Our Lantern-Jawed (and big-eared) Hero, discovers that his revolting Mama is up to her hiney in badness...she's being blackmailed to deliver to Persons Unknown some schematics for something the Englor Marines have designed that's so secret that even the heir to the throne/Colonel Hollister doesn't even know what it is.So, it's a romance, and that means a counterparty: Prince Payton Townsend of Regelence, another Regency-based society, is a nineteen-year-old computer genius and son of the King of Regelence and his Consort. No, not Queen, Consort. A Man...and a very studly one. Payton's younger brother has just married a Captain in the Interplanetary Navy (subject of a previous book, My Fair Captain), who also happens to be the heir to an Englorian Dukedom. Englorian spying on Regelence has been discovered, an investigation takes place, Payton meets Colonel Hollister the heir to the homophobic Queen, sparks fly, virginities are lost, tops bottom, and all sorts of runnin' from pillar to post takes place. There is an agreeable amount of very, very dirty sex. The expected miscommunications and misunderstandings and emotional angst takes place, and in the end (pun optional), Our Hero and his little bit of stuff are married and parents and just gooily happy.My Review: Well, it ain't for everybody, but I really, really, really liked it. Is it a perfect novel? Oh heavens no. Someone needed to guide Ms. Langley to a few of the more obvious embellishments that a spy thriller really needs, and the world-building that a sci-fi novel needs is woefully absent.But the love story is charming. The sex is waaay smutty, exactly as sex should be. (My father said it best, during his first teenaged-indiscretion talk with me: "If you can do it in front of me, you're doing it wrong. So don't do it until you need to close the door. If you need to *lock* the door, you're doing good.") So why do I like the book so much, given its flaws? Because these characters are not in any way conflicted about themselves. True, the Englorian heir is closeted, but he never feels he's bad or wrong, he feels he's put-upon and wastes little time in angsting over what he wants, just over not being able to see how he can have it. That's an adult dilemma, not a boring coming-out story suitable for kids. I am so weary of coming out stories I could urp. I was never in, really, so coming out didn't make a big impression on me. (Yes, yes, married two women, had two children, but never ever hid my true nature from anyone.) Chacun a son gout, of course, but I for one am not buyin' any more gay fiction with the words "teen" or "awaken" or "life-changing decision" in the sales copy.So should y'all read it? Maybe. Sex is rampant in these pages. Don't pick it up...heck, don't even look at the *cover*, if you're not into big, hairy-chested semi-nude studmuffins *drifts off to Bermuda for a moment* sorry, where was I, oh yeah so if anything here makes you gag, leave it. If you're squirming a little, try it. The rest of us are waaay ahead of you.

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 6/10PROS:- For the most part, the details of the setting that mimic Regency England feel authentic to me and create a decent impression of that historical time period. (see cons below also)- The first book,  My Fair Captain , takes place mostly on the planet of Regelence, on which homosexuality is not only accepted but encouraged among the upper class. As lovely and fairy-talelike as I found that, I also appreciated the more somber setting of this book, which takes place on the planet of Englor, where homosexuality is not illegal but is very much frowned upon. The possibility of being discovered lends a nice amount of tension to the story's plotline.- Payton has a bit of the damsel-in-distress about him; he's small and rather delicate and constantly needs protecting (in Simon's mind, at least). But he's not a total pushover: he's also intelligent and stubborn and deceptively strong.- I liked several of the secondary characters, especially Simon's female friend Dru. She's one of the only female characters in the series so far, and she's feisty.CONS:- Some of the details in this book (which were not present in the first book) pulled me out of the story because they seemed incongruous with the setting. There are ridiculously silly names, for example (Lady Hemplewine, Lord Dimplemore), that sound like they'd be right at home in a Dr. Seuss book, and the characters dress and behave with Regency-era decorum, yet they wear what I consider to be typical contemporary workout gear when they go to the gym (hence, lots of skin showing).- The similarities between this book and the first one are numerous. The basic premise of the relationship doesn't have much wiggle room, I admit: this is erotic romance, after all, so a character who comes from a society in which it's a no-no to have sex before marriage creates problems for an author. But I hope if Langley writes more in this series, she manages to veer away from the "oh no, I've compromised him; guess I have to marry him now" storyline.Overall comments: I liked this book; I thought it was a pleasant little diversion. It's not one of Langley's stronger stories, though. It's a little cliché and a little expected. That said, I will probably continue to read the series if she writes subsequent volumes.

Great!!!!!!!

From the first moment I picked up this book I just couldnt put it down, it has everything in it, the characters are very believeable, I actually prefered this book than My Fair Captain, J.L Langley is a great writer with such an imagination, I have now read all of the books written by him and, have to say that they are great, definately worth a read.

This is the second book in the series, and I had a lot of expectations after reading the first, My Fair Captain. I was not disappointed, I really liked this book.

Not a book that kept my attention and anxious to finish.