I recently had a lovely review for Doctor January from Fresh Fiction, whose reviewer said Doctor January should be read by every woman!
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=50132
The thing that really touched me about this review (and the related review on Goodreads) is that the reviewer picked up on how girls see controlling behaviour in boyfriends as normal these days. One of the inspirations for Doctor January was Twilight. As a mother of two daughters, it worries me that my girls would think that Edward’s bossy treatment of Bella was okay (I hope I’ll bring my girls up to be a bit more cynical than that, but you never know!). That’s what led me to research emotionally abusive relationships in the first place.
I like to think that Doctor January contains both sides of Edward Cullen – but separated out into two men. The devoted and caring side (in Hibs) and the creepy, controlling side (in Gordon).
So, thank you, reviewer from Fresh Fiction. I really, really appreciate your review. It makes me feel like I’ve achieved what I set out to do.
(I’m going to go hide under the table now, until my critique partner stops throwing things at me at telling me I don’t understand Twilight at all).
Rhoda Baxter 
Great review on a great book!
Although I do love Twilight (throw things, me?!) I do wish Meyer had made Edward less controlling, or at least that Bella hadn’t accepted it as normal behaviour. Interestingly, Bella also cooks dinner for her dad every night and clears away his empty beer cans. I think this says A LOT about Meyer’s views of male/female roles.
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…” how girls see controlling behaviour in boyfriends as normal these days.” THESE days?? Ha! My guess is that it’s seen not only as normal but as sexy, too. That’s what makes Mr. Rochester so appealing, and why he & Jane Eyre aren’t nearly so interesting after he’s blinded and she has to steer him around. Charlotte Bronte knew when to say “The End.” We’ve come a long way, right. But we still have a long way to go. Thanks for showing Gordon as he really is — and Hibs as HE really is! (Maybe every man should read this book too.)
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That’s a fair point. Heathcliff was a bit of git too (shudder).
The distant, brooding, hero is okay so long as he doesn’t stray into the to manipulative, domineering git territory. I quite like Mr Darcy (although, I have trouble telling him apart from Colin Firth…)
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