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The Tower is Lisa Valdez's erotic version of the Rapunzel fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. I've read the original version and was impressed by the author's faithful retelling of the tale but, at the same time, I liked how she filled in the gaps in the original story. The best part was the idea of the quest, which Rodrigo was on, searching for The Golden Chalice -- a mythical item that was said to end the wars. His search leads him to Rapunzel's tower and he believes that the chalice is found in the tower.
What he finds instead is Rapunzel. The lust and the sex seem to happen quite suddenly in Valdez's version but, then again, it's just as fast in Grimm's -- though Grimm's version is not as graphic and explicit as Valdez's.
And this, I think, is the value of this e-novella: Lisa Valdez writes erotic historical romance and she writes the erotic part well. I especially like Lisa's control on this novella: she was able to balance out story and sex very well and was able to sneak in a bit of insight into Rapunzel and Rodrigo's character: she's lonely and naive and he's travel-weary, far from home and also lonely -- when they first meet, it's a new thing, a fresh thing for both of them -- and they act on the desire. Yes, it's lust but it's also something more: the very primal need for companionship.
Long, long before the romance world had a taste of E.L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey
, Lisa Valdez was already writing an edgier kind of romance story with her debut novel, Passion 
(2005). It took her 5 years before Patience's story (2010) (which I didn't like as much) was released and we are still waiting for Primrose's story -- but, in the interim, she has published The Tower. It's short and incredibly steamy -- but I think fans of Lisa Valdez will come away quite satisfied (yes, pun intended) with this latest offering.My one small complaint is that when the writing gets hot, it also loses a bit of its "historical-ness" and becomes a bit too modern. (Also a bit weird when I read this part: "his seed boil in his balls." - p.61)
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