Title: Mr Speedy
Author: Elda Minger
In: Fantasy (Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Feminism, Gender
Dates read: 21st September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m disappointed, but I have to respect your judgement.
In a private, all-male school for seduction…
…she might just graduate with honors. If she can only maintain her disguise long enough to teach the man of her dreams a few lessons.
There are so many issues with gender and courting. There’s also so many things about it that are ridiculously fun. But those people that think women are just something to prey upon? Well, that’s where it gets seriously problematic… and this novella perfectly encompasses that. By featuring a backdrop of a seminar designed to get women into bed… in the worst way possible.
Miranda is a driven, independent and strong woman. Her slightly insane drive causes her to make a decision, one that I’m not entirely sure I would do myself. I might be driven, but I’m not sure I would want to immerse myself in a world of toxic masculinity, discussed as an incredibly effeminate man. Yet, this obviously works for her, because she manages to find the man of her dreams, get to know him, and find a bit of understanding about how truly insecure most of the attendants at the seminar truly are. It would probably help all of us to understand what sometimes seems incredibly confusing (actually, scratch that, I’m never going to understand the decisions my partner makes)…
I loved this novella, but I did spend the entire time thinking about the movie She’s the Man. There is something that seems to be recurring in this theme of cross-dressing to get what one desires. And then falling in love. Which is both annoyingly predictable, and so beautifully, dreamily fun. Actually, mostly it’s just fun. It’s hard enough to get to know the people that you’re interested in, but when there are extra boundaries… I can kind of understand going undercover as a man after all…
Earth and Skye 
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