Masquerade Blog Tour: More Than This

Today I am very excited to welcome a wonderfully generous person and a great author, Sarah-Jane Lehoux to Mel's Random Reviews to celebrate the release of the third book following the adventure of mercenary, Sevy. I liked book one, Thief (My review here) and I REALLY liked book two, Shades of War. 

I'm lucky enough to be the first stop on this book tour with a wonderful guest post from Sarah-Jane on strong female characters - something that intrigues me as pretty much every book I enjoy has a strong female character - and I do have a pet peeve against stereotyping of women in fiction so I found this fascinating - enjoy!

More than This - Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Anyone who has read anything of mine or who follows me on Twitter knows that I like strong female characters, and I like to bitch about the tropes that plague female characters from certain popular book series.

Yes, I am a feminist. No, I am not a man-hater.

I’m just a woman who looks at the way women are portrayed in current literature, and I think, “We can do better.” We can take a cold, hard look at gender roles in our society and we can re-define them.

What does this mean? It means that women are more than the sum of their parts. They are more than damsels in distress. They are more than femme fatales. They are most definitely more than Mary Sues whose lives revolve around good looking (but abusive) guys.

Women are can be ugly and still be worthwhile. We can be whole without needing a man to complete us. We can be strong without having to fight, but when we do fight, we can kick some serious ass. All that is required is a mind of one’s own. A strong woman knows who she is, or who she wants to be. She knows what she wants out of life, and she goes for it. She doesn’t wait for it to be handed to her.

Sevy, the protagonist for the eponymous series, is what I consider a strong female character. “But wait,” you might exclaim. “Wasn’t Sevy’s goal in Thief (the first of the series) to get her man? Aren’t you being hypocritical?”

Yes and no. Sevy did indeed go to some very dark places to try to win the heart of her beloved, but there is more to her than “I love him,” just as there is more to Harry Potter than “I must defeat Voldemort,” and more to Lestat than “I’m a vampire.” A well rounded, three dimensional character is complex, has faults, makes mistakes, learns, and grows as an individual. And over the course of the Sevy Series, it becomes clear that her journey is so much more than just loving a man. It’s about loving herself.

So let’s take a critical look at how women are portrayed in our favourite books. Are they being allowed to be actual people instead of simply pretty props? There are little girls out there who need role models, who need to read that they are more than just the side-kick or the seductress. There are little boys out there who need to learn that women are not just sexual objects.

Books have power, and through them, we have the ability to influence the future of humanity. Yeah, that sounds highfalutin, but I’m an author. Words are my weapons and the way I will (hopefully) leave my mark on the world.

What’s yours?

Masquerade - Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Publisher: Mundania Press

Released 26th February 2013

Never trust a liar, especially when they’re telling the truth Starting over isn’t easy, especially when the world isn’t ready for you to change. Sevy, thief turned assassin turned mercenary, isn’t having any fun adjusting to a normal, law-abiding life. Luckily for her, an old partner in crime arrives with an irresistible proposition: a getaway to a tropical island, an adventure of a lifetime, and an amazing friendship ready to blossom into an even more amazing romance.Things are looking up for Sevy. That is, until a pack of maniacal fairies with a taste for human flesh arrive on the scene.  Now she must unravel a web of magical intrigue hidden behind the outwardly idyllic atmosphere of the islands of Belakarta. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. Trapped under the spell of a handsome and mysterious stranger, Sevy must fight fairies and tricksters to regain her freedom. Or spend an eternity as a sorcerer’s plaything... 

Shades of War (Sevy #2) Review

Shades of War (Sevy #2)

Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Publisher: Mundania Press

Review copy courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review

Sometimes the past can't be forgotten. Sometimes the truth refuses to be buried. And sometimes the dead won't stay dead.It began as a simple request: Journey to the Northern Jungles and bring a wayward son back to the safety of his farm and family before the racial tension that is building between humans and dark elves erupts into civil war. But life is never simple for Sevy, and she soon finds herself entangled in a bloody battle of good versus evil, love versus hate.Old friends and enemies reunite, familial bonds are broken, and loyalty is tested. And in the midst of the steamy, sultry jungles, the ghosts of a serial killer's victims come out to play. Sevy, as petulant and irascible as ever, must overcome her personal demons in order to expose a madman and bring peace back to the kingdom. But just how much of her sanity must she sacrifice to help her friends? And how can she save anyone when she can't even save her own soul?

This is the second book following the adventure of mercenary ex-thief, Sevy. Sevy is a strong woman but she is stubborn, bias, impulsive, selfish and rarely listens to anyone else. She can be quite infuriating, yet there is something compulsive about her that you can’t help urging her on even when you’re not sure if you like her or not! In this story Sevy slowly starts to listen to those around her and begins to grow up.

Once again my favourite character was the dark elf and Sevy’s friend, Revik. He and his wife are struggling to reconcile their differences when they find themselves in the middle of a conflict between the dark elves of the jungle and the humans who have been expanding their holdings. The relationship between them is complex and layered but throughout I was rooting for them. One of the strongest points of this story are the characters which are varied but realistic. They all have their pasts, biases and feel like real people. Sometimes you just want to shout at them to listen and trust each other, but that is always easier to say from the outside perspective!

The plot twists and turns with some really great action sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat. I liked the first Sevy adventure, Thief but I REALLY liked this story. It was fast paced, exciting and different from any other fantasy I’ve ever read. With the third book in the Sevy sequence, Masquerade out later on in the month, I hope there will be plenty more adventures for Sevy.

Recommended for fans of Karen Miller and Tad Williams. 9 out of 10

Thief Review + GIVEAWAY!

Thief (Sevy #1)

- Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Publisher: Mundania Press

In the crumbling city of Eloria, there is one indisputable fact: everyone has a price. Protestations of morality and better judgment have little meaning when confronted with the chance to obtain the unobtainable. The only question remaining is just how much a person is willing to sacrifice in order to win their heart’s desire. Sevy has always been a quick study in the wicked ways of Eloria. She has no qualms about taking what she wants, and when the love of her life is mysteriously murdered, Sevy will stop at nothing to get him back. Elvish black magic, necromancy and demonic pacts are of little consequence if it means she can once again have her beloved at her side. But is she willing to murder her only friend to get the job done?

I love strong women in my novels – and fantasy does seem to be a little behind the times with strong female characters (I’m grateful to say that has been changing rapidly in the last few years!), but with Sevy we have one tough woman. She is tough, quick to anger, resourceful and doesn’t trust easily. When we first meet her she is a young thief in Eloria, struggling to eat and survive. It’s easy to feel for her, but as the years past she become hard and doesn’t always make the right decisions. Sevy seems to get harder and more brittle as time passes. It got to the point where I’m not sure I liked her much by the end – and really didn’t know how she would react in some situations - but I sure respected her and still cared for her. Sevy would rather fight than think and is quick to action while Jarro and Revik are the more thoughtful characters – but can hold their own in a fight. Jarro is the gang leader who takes her in and trains her. He is the traditional Robin Hood style leader – a thief with a heart of gold and a nice counter-point to Sevy. He’s charming but with a bit of blind spot when it comes to women.

My favourite character by far is the dark elf Revik – he is Jarro’s second is command and teaches Sevy how to fight. Revik is smart and loyal – and he really does want the best for everyone. However, don’t worry there is no love triangle here! However, the rumours and fears about dark elves are intriguing – especially when contrasted with the actual culture of the elves. I loved learning about their society and set up – it seems so unique and different! I hope to find out more in the next book.

At first this feels like different stories with the same characters as the plot moves forward several years between sections. It’s not until the final part that many strands come together and the full scale of what has been happening. That’s when things get really tense and you don’t know how it will end. With the world now set up, I’m looking forward to the next book Shades of War to explore what happens to Sevy next!

Recommended for fans of Karen Miller and Rachel Aaron. 8 out of 10  

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Today I have a special giveaway for you all!! I have 3 copies of Thief and Shades of War by Sarah-Jane Lehoux to give-away courtesy of Sara-Jane herself and my good friend Melissa from My World in words and pages! It's PDF copy as such it's open internationally. All you have to do is fill in the form below. Open until 29th October - Good Luck!