A cracking good read for me, though I suspect it's not for everyone. This is a genderflipped Regency romance in space. Yes. (Yeesss.) A thousand years before the story begins, a ship crewed by women landed on Forus and set up a society in which the initially genetically manipulated test-tube-born men are the "weaker" sex--protected, oppressed, and expected to obey their mothers and then wives in all things, including remaining virginal until marriage. Jorlan (oh, lord, the names are, to a one, soooo bad) is a sheltered, highly sought after young aristocrat with no intention of ever agreeing to marry. Green is a well-respected politician and landowner with no intention of seeking to marry. When Green gets wind of villainy afoot with regards to Jorlan's future, she maneuvers them into a marriage, at which point Jorlan and Green must negotiate their personalities, conflicting ideologies (Jorlan is determined (single-handedly?) to bring equality to men), and further villainy as they make a life together. The plot is a bit predictable and the story has some flaws (the vague workings of the matriarchal society, the occasional wooby nature stuff, the silly names), but the world building, characterization, and writing are surprisingly good. There's also some very neat play with traditionally gendered language in the sex scenes. Recommended if you like this sort of thing. ( )

This book made me giggle. She-lords! Like a cross between a superhero and a historical drama. I thought it was a lot of fun. I liked the feminist role reversal. And spicy! A wordy book, but unfortunately not as witty as it wanted to be. But still, engaging, with interesting characters and relationships. ( )

Good beach read ( )

About 1,000 years ago a band of warrior woman discovered a new, beautiful and welcoming world to populate. Now their descendants care for the land, and their men, continuing with the ideals passed down for generations. Green Tamryn is a more progressive thinker than many of her status. Her manner has earned her the animosity of a very sneaky and hostile She-Lord. Despite the pressure to produce a heir Green has no wish to become name-giver to any man.

Jorlan Reynard knows that the ways of society are wrong when it comes to men. Rather than being kept and cosseted Jorlan believes they should be treated as equals. He has sworn to never be kept and never to become name-bearer to any woman. However, when Green and Jorlan come together there is an immediate, undeniable attraction between the two. Soon outside forces are combining to bring them together despite their respective vows to never bond but, compromise is never easy, especially when it comes to beliefs held for a millennium and secrets that could shake the foundation of society.

This was a much more intricate tale than I expected when I started reading. Although it is a character-driven romantic tale I was surprised by the amount of world building the author did. It was rather more a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, gender bending and regency romance rendered in a very pleasing story. I really enjoyed both the characters of Jorlan and Green and also the creatures she created to populate her world. It has also made me curious to see if she ever did something with a few of the side characters (such as River) in other books. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this tale to those interested in "the gender switch" plot (which seem to be few and far between) who do not mind steamier bedroom scenes. ( )

Although this is my least favorite of Dara Joy's books, it's still on my keeper shelf. Ms. Joy turns the tables on the male sex by penning this book of males as the 'weaker' sex. Males in this world are pampered, closeted, and powerless. They remain virgins until marriage and experience pain when losing their virginity!! YOWZA...
Jorlan is considered quite the prize and Marquelle ends up marrying him to "save his name". It's a crazy, mixed-up world and both characters must compromise to save both their relationship and their world.
A truly interesting concept that felt like the beginning to another series. There were several secondary characters whose stories I would like to read. Now that Ms. Joy and her publisher have 'made nice', maybe this is another series we'll see more of! ( )