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Rabbit Heart
Nicollette Caron is every man's ideal mistress. Pity, then, that all of her lovers die trying to satisfy her insatiable appetite. Forced to flee town after town so that no one will discover her terrible secret, Nicollette is haunted by the ghosts of her dead lovers as England's top crime inspector circles ever closer.
Renowned for his tenacity, handsome detective Jackson Lang will stop at nothing to prove that Nicollette is a murderess. Powerful Lord Baston is equally determined...to make Nicollette his mistress despite her breathless warnings. A fortune-teller foresees that only one man is strong enough to save Nicollette. But how will she know which man to trust until it is too late?
Renowned for his tenacity, handsome detective Jackson Lang will stop at nothing to prove that Nicollette is a murderess. Powerful Lord Baston is equally determined...to make Nicollette his mistress despite her breathless warnings. A fortune-teller foresees that only one man is strong enough to save Nicollette. But how will she know which man to trust until it is too late?
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 7, 2015
This is a silly book, yes -- but with enough charm to entice to the bitter end. That may not sound like much. But so far as interest goes, it's ahead of other 'bad books' I've read in 2011 -- including several Regency paperbacks that threw my completionist genes for a loop.
Our story centers around a young woman named Nicollette. She's unbelievably gorgeous, sexy, etc -- the standard romance leading lady, exept for one problem. She can't sleep with anyone without killing them. She doesn't know how or why she's cursed -- but none of her partners can satisfy her. Indeed, sex with Nicollette is so amazingly awesome that it causes a coronary & priapism (not necessarily in that order). Little does she know it's not just the sex that makes their blood pump so quickly -- it's the mere proximity to her rabbit-fast heartbeat (200 BPM) that somehow reaches beyond her body & drives her lovers' own hearts to keep pace, thereby exploding from effort.
Well. That's dashed inconvenient.
Enter Jackson Lang, a Scotland Yard inspector, & the reclusive Lord Baston, a nice guy who's also cursed with a high sex-drive. By magical plot devices, the three all find themselves in Glastonbury, where Nicollette accidentally kills two locals before Jackson gets the handcuffs latched. We learn the tragic history of our heroine's past: a mother with the same cursed sex drive & a WTF explanation for her rabbity-fast heart -- i.e., a pack of Good Samaritan wild bunnies kept her alive after she'd just emerged from the womb. Touched by her sad story (and also driven by a wicked boner), Baston takes it upon himself to launch a vigorous defense (he's also a non-practicing solicitor -- handy chap to have around)...but it's not enough. Nicollette gets thrown in Newgate for a few chapters (the best of the book) & wacky escape hijinks ensue.
So...this is a silly book.
But for all its faults (and there are many), RABBIT HEART had me engaged enough to see the conclusion of the story. Far & away, the worst fault is the writing. Our author doth not have The Gift of Wordsmyth'ry, as it reads like a self-published book rather than a major biz release. Most of the supporting characters are flatter than flat & serve little purpose besides dropping in & out to perform plot-propellers as need arises. Some chapters read okay, others were awkward in the extreme -- some dialogues flowed, others were clunky & cumbersome. At least five separate times I was certain the story had hit its stride & would trot along in that vein...but no. After the first hundred pages I abandoned that dream & watched everything drift in a mash of merrily uneven threading. Rarely have I read a book where the author so failed the visions she was trying to paste on paper. This book has several good ideas, but brainstorming isn't enough. It never reaches a level where the flaws can be ignored in favor of pure enjoyment (if that makes sense).
It's a shame, really. The main characters had interesting quirks & the story was surreal in a way I normally like, with odd details & improbable-but-just-slightly-plausible weirdness. It's a story that would translate well through the lens of Tim Burton. At several scenes I closed my eyes & imagined everything acting out in foggy-blue atmosphere with colorful costumes & deadpan zaniness...but the world wasn't blessed with Tim Burton's Rabbit Heart. Instead we have Colleen Hitchcock's Rabbit Heart, and...well...yeah. That ain't cutting it. :P I'm not surprised the hinted-at-sequel has never come to light.
Our story centers around a young woman named Nicollette. She's unbelievably gorgeous, sexy, etc -- the standard romance leading lady, exept for one problem. She can't sleep with anyone without killing them. She doesn't know how or why she's cursed -- but none of her partners can satisfy her. Indeed, sex with Nicollette is so amazingly awesome that it causes a coronary & priapism (not necessarily in that order). Little does she know it's not just the sex that makes their blood pump so quickly -- it's the mere proximity to her rabbit-fast heartbeat (200 BPM) that somehow reaches beyond her body & drives her lovers' own hearts to keep pace, thereby exploding from effort.
Well. That's dashed inconvenient.
Enter Jackson Lang, a Scotland Yard inspector, & the reclusive Lord Baston, a nice guy who's also cursed with a high sex-drive. By magical plot devices, the three all find themselves in Glastonbury, where Nicollette accidentally kills two locals before Jackson gets the handcuffs latched. We learn the tragic history of our heroine's past: a mother with the same cursed sex drive & a WTF explanation for her rabbity-fast heart -- i.e., a pack of Good Samaritan wild bunnies kept her alive after she'd just emerged from the womb. Touched by her sad story (and also driven by a wicked boner), Baston takes it upon himself to launch a vigorous defense (he's also a non-practicing solicitor -- handy chap to have around)...but it's not enough. Nicollette gets thrown in Newgate for a few chapters (the best of the book) & wacky escape hijinks ensue.
So...this is a silly book.
But for all its faults (and there are many), RABBIT HEART had me engaged enough to see the conclusion of the story. Far & away, the worst fault is the writing. Our author doth not have The Gift of Wordsmyth'ry, as it reads like a self-published book rather than a major biz release. Most of the supporting characters are flatter than flat & serve little purpose besides dropping in & out to perform plot-propellers as need arises. Some chapters read okay, others were awkward in the extreme -- some dialogues flowed, others were clunky & cumbersome. At least five separate times I was certain the story had hit its stride & would trot along in that vein...but no. After the first hundred pages I abandoned that dream & watched everything drift in a mash of merrily uneven threading. Rarely have I read a book where the author so failed the visions she was trying to paste on paper. This book has several good ideas, but brainstorming isn't enough. It never reaches a level where the flaws can be ignored in favor of pure enjoyment (if that makes sense).
It's a shame, really. The main characters had interesting quirks & the story was surreal in a way I normally like, with odd details & improbable-but-just-slightly-plausible weirdness. It's a story that would translate well through the lens of Tim Burton. At several scenes I closed my eyes & imagined everything acting out in foggy-blue atmosphere with colorful costumes & deadpan zaniness...but the world wasn't blessed with Tim Burton's Rabbit Heart. Instead we have Colleen Hitchcock's Rabbit Heart, and...well...yeah. That ain't cutting it. :P I'm not surprised the hinted-at-sequel has never come to light.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2012
What a silly,dumb,historicaly incorrect and "where did this author come up with this crap?" Men dying when she makes love to them? She is cursed? III say..never mind the poor fella's. Im such a sucker for a beautiful cover.. and did I get suckered..hit the wall 1/3 way in.Gahhhh!
January 26, 2014
This was picked as my January Pick-It-for-Me over in WaMRL. I'd picked it up a few years ago at a dollar store, and it just lingered on the TBR with so many others. So I was bound and determined to get it read at long last. At first, it was hard to get into. I'm not a big fan of first person perspective usually. And Nicolette being all so beautiful and perfect and able to incite men into uncontrollable lust at the mere sight of her made it kinda hard to like her much. But she did grow on me a little. Like a little bird or something, lol. That's how I saw her, all helpless like a little bird. The two men were more intriguing, Inpector Lang and Lord Baston. Both were presented as almost heroes, almost villains. Lang, because he was obviously going to be after Nicolette for the death of the other men, and Baston because of his mysterious late night excursions into the slums in disguise, with his female companions of the night 'disappearing' afterward. But both of course desired Nic. And she desired them, in new ways she'd never felt before. The writing style was not horrible, but it was unpolished or something it seemed. Sometimes it was choppy, other times it was pretty good. Once I got into the tale, I was interested enough to want to keep going, and around the halfway mark or so, I didn't want to have to put it aside, once things really started happening. Towards the end, I even got emotional when Lang made that terrible sacrifice... I had tears in my eyes for a moment. I was like... what!? Noooooooo! And that it wasn't instant, that there was suffering... I got sad for a minute. So yea. It was definitely an interesting read, although a little odd. I kinda liked it though. I was left feeling interested in the futures of the characters, where would they end up, would they meet again, that kind of stuff. The ending definitely left things open. All in all, I'm glad I got this read finally. It was not as terrible as reviews made me worry it would be, lol. Entertaing but strange, and take the 'historical' of it as more vague than true and realistic, that would be my final verdict. A 3 Stars, because it kept me interested, and I did care about the characters some.
April 2, 2012
I am EXTREMELY picky about romance novels. Most of them are just so blaaahhh. But this was actually really good! The story was interesting, VERY interesting. It kept me reading. I loved the suspense at the end, I was so worried for Nicollette! I'm glad it all worked out though :)
December 12, 2013
Is there a part 2??? I loved reading this book. It was different from what I usually read but I loved the twists and turns... I want to know what happens to them in America. I also want to know about Lang??? I recommend reading this book.
June 13, 2011
Why did I waste my time with this book?! Grr. Just so horrible!
December 12, 2012
The beginning was great. It was beautifully written and pulls the reader in. However, that is the only time I was pulled.
There is no descriptive words about the characters unless another character is talking about that person to someone else. I.E Character A is the objective, Characters C and B are talking about Character A's long, distinguished mustache. It'd be nice if the reader was pulled into the world, sadly, we don't get that luxury. As if the lack of character descriptions wasn't enough, there was no description as to who is talking or where the characters are. When we are placed in a pub, I didn't feel like I was in a pub. It felt stagnant and more like a painting than a real life situation. When there is a conversation between two or more people, Hitchcock decided to write dialogue on top of dialogue. Where this is fine, it started to get difficult when there was too much being said and not enough of who is talking. Apparently, in her world, no one has facial expressions when they talk.
Another huge point is the narrative choices. Instead of just sticking with a first person narrative, the author chose to have a third person limited as well. This confuses a reader and makes it difficult to relate to any of the characters. If Hitchcock had started and stuck with third person limited, the book would be better. At least, in the style.
Most successful books have a formula or baseline plot. For instance, it is clear that James Patterson does Mystery or Nora Roberts uses a Romance formula. Where it is possible to have genuine thought, it helps to have some form of a formula to help guide the reader. Sadly, this book seems to confuse itself and the reader.
It has elements of possible erotic, possible mystery, possible thriller, possible romance, but there isn't anything there that helps direct the reader as to how to read the book. I didn't know if I was reading a mystery, a romance, or just a sad attempt at fiction.
The story has plausible moments, but nothing too concrete. The setting, though Victorian, felt more modern contemporary. No one had manners, there was no sense of dignity among the characters, and everyone was wanting a piece of one another. If you are going to write a time period, it is fine to change reader's perceptions of the time period, but not to the extent that not only are we confused about what we are reading; we are confused as to where we are in the book. Because of this time displacement, the characters seemed out of place and I couldn't relate to them.
Honestly, the story would be better if Hitchcock took the time to organize and edit the book better. It read more like my old elementary fiction than something a published author would do. It's a shame, because there could have been more to it if the TLC was taken to refine the book.
There is no descriptive words about the characters unless another character is talking about that person to someone else. I.E Character A is the objective, Characters C and B are talking about Character A's long, distinguished mustache. It'd be nice if the reader was pulled into the world, sadly, we don't get that luxury. As if the lack of character descriptions wasn't enough, there was no description as to who is talking or where the characters are. When we are placed in a pub, I didn't feel like I was in a pub. It felt stagnant and more like a painting than a real life situation. When there is a conversation between two or more people, Hitchcock decided to write dialogue on top of dialogue. Where this is fine, it started to get difficult when there was too much being said and not enough of who is talking. Apparently, in her world, no one has facial expressions when they talk.
Another huge point is the narrative choices. Instead of just sticking with a first person narrative, the author chose to have a third person limited as well. This confuses a reader and makes it difficult to relate to any of the characters. If Hitchcock had started and stuck with third person limited, the book would be better. At least, in the style.
Most successful books have a formula or baseline plot. For instance, it is clear that James Patterson does Mystery or Nora Roberts uses a Romance formula. Where it is possible to have genuine thought, it helps to have some form of a formula to help guide the reader. Sadly, this book seems to confuse itself and the reader.
It has elements of possible erotic, possible mystery, possible thriller, possible romance, but there isn't anything there that helps direct the reader as to how to read the book. I didn't know if I was reading a mystery, a romance, or just a sad attempt at fiction.
The story has plausible moments, but nothing too concrete. The setting, though Victorian, felt more modern contemporary. No one had manners, there was no sense of dignity among the characters, and everyone was wanting a piece of one another. If you are going to write a time period, it is fine to change reader's perceptions of the time period, but not to the extent that not only are we confused about what we are reading; we are confused as to where we are in the book. Because of this time displacement, the characters seemed out of place and I couldn't relate to them.
Honestly, the story would be better if Hitchcock took the time to organize and edit the book better. It read more like my old elementary fiction than something a published author would do. It's a shame, because there could have been more to it if the TLC was taken to refine the book.
February 6, 2013
My oh my what an interesting book. When I first started Rabbit Heart I just wasn't into it. I guess I didn't like how all the characters were introduced to the reader. After the first 50 pages (if you make it that far in) this book takes a turn for the better.
Nicollette's "condition" makes for a great story. Who knew having a heart that beats as fast as a rabbit could kill your lovers?
At first Nicollette has no idea what causes the death of her lovers in the middle of there love making. As each lover dies she attempts to hide the bodies and then leaves town. Sadly she is unable to escape her past and continues to run down the same path. Once Nicollette reaches Glastonbury, her past catches up with her.
The relationship between Nicollette and Lang is one I wish would of continued to unfold. However the relationship between her and Blake is one that no one will forget.
Even though this book could seem as an erotica novel I would say it's more PG-13. Even though it's not as raw and erotic as I would of hoped the sexuality of Nicollette is enough to get anyone in the mood. (keep someone close by *wink wink*)
Needless to say make it through the first 50 pages and you'll most likely not to regreat it. This may of not been a book I would of ever picked up for myself had it not been recommended to me, it is however one I did not regreat reading.
Nicollette's "condition" makes for a great story. Who knew having a heart that beats as fast as a rabbit could kill your lovers?
At first Nicollette has no idea what causes the death of her lovers in the middle of there love making. As each lover dies she attempts to hide the bodies and then leaves town. Sadly she is unable to escape her past and continues to run down the same path. Once Nicollette reaches Glastonbury, her past catches up with her.
The relationship between Nicollette and Lang is one I wish would of continued to unfold. However the relationship between her and Blake is one that no one will forget.
Even though this book could seem as an erotica novel I would say it's more PG-13. Even though it's not as raw and erotic as I would of hoped the sexuality of Nicollette is enough to get anyone in the mood. (keep someone close by *wink wink*)
Needless to say make it through the first 50 pages and you'll most likely not to regreat it. This may of not been a book I would of ever picked up for myself had it not been recommended to me, it is however one I did not regreat reading.
December 6, 2008
Hist VBB from catsalive So far very racy...
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Quick read. Very racy. Interesting beginning that doesn't fulfill its promise. An odd ending with very last moment and ill-thought out tying up of plot lines and character "destinies". Thinking this is more a romance with a semi-mystery tossed in. Somewhat amusing/interesting but very historically off. Author needs to do her research and not intermingle values from different eras. The cover is very pretty.
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BCID: 074-5681756
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Finished on flight and gave to a woman deplaning in Taiwan.
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Quick read. Very racy. Interesting beginning that doesn't fulfill its promise. An odd ending with very last moment and ill-thought out tying up of plot lines and character "destinies". Thinking this is more a romance with a semi-mystery tossed in. Somewhat amusing/interesting but very historically off. Author needs to do her research and not intermingle values from different eras. The cover is very pretty.
--
BCID: 074-5681756
--
Finished on flight and gave to a woman deplaning in Taiwan.
June 25, 2008
I didn't find the connections between the characters to be there like it should. I felt that the two that fell for one another had little more than lust for one another, and there were several plot points that were misleading and never resolved. But I would still consider this a fun read. Tension is created by the fear that our beloved heroine is going to be hanged for her mistakes, even though the love triangle implied at the beginning never fully manifests itself.
August 24, 2008
I thought that there were to many “main” characters in the book and the beginning of the book skipped from character to character, making it very difficult to follow along. When the three characters did finally come together, about ½ in the book, the story line became easier to follow.
August 22, 2007
I would not recommend this book. It did not have an easy to follow plot and was just a little to unbelieveable. I didn't like the ending. It was not built up to appropriately.
August 26, 2008
very poorly written soft porn
January 23, 2014
My classmate gave me this book and even though it's not as mind-blowing as the other books I've read,I can still say that it's good.
June 26, 2016
I wasnt sure what genre the author was going for until 4 or 5 chapters in. I disliked how the scotland yard character was portrayed. not a book I recommend at all.
October 13, 2008
one of the worst books ever.
February 5, 2011
1 1/2 stars. Quick read but the ending was disappointing to me.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews