Mare’s Guy #1: Jude
Mare isn’t a romantic, which is a good thing because the first man to show up for her is Jude Green, the Value Video!! vice president from the Italian office who looks like Jude Law.
Ah, yes, the VP. Smooth gleaming blond hair. Glistening deep green eyes. A broad curving smile. All aimed at her, dressed in a very expensive charcoal gray suit and very ugly green tie, topped off with a silver tie tack that gleamed almost as brightly as his teeth.
Gimme a raise, Pretty Boy.
“Miss O’Brien?” the vision said. “Ciao! I’m Jude Green, vice president in charge of sales for Value Video!!.” He took in her coveralls and faltered a little, evidently expecting more tailoring and less Anti-Pesto from his assistant managers.
Ciao? “Nice to meet you, Jude,” Mare said and shook his hand. It was a little damp, but not completely off-putting.
The Jude Law resemblance would have worked out a lot better for him before the whole nanny incident since Mare has no time for cheaters, but she has even less time for vice presidents who don’t appreciate her handing of the universe:
“So everything’s under control,” Jude said with a definite undercurrent of censure in his voice.
“Yes,” Mare said. “Algy gets to choose. It’s that whole free will thing.”
“That doesn’t sound like control to me.”
Mare frowned at him. “Do not confuse control with tyranny, Jude. That mistake has screwed up entire continents. Imagine what it could do to a video store.”
It’s even worse when he tells her she can have a promotion if she’ll behave normally and try to fit into the corporate structure
“Have you thought about my New York offer, Mare?” Jude said. “It would give you tremendous power. With your abilities you could go right to the top. Vice president in no time. President even.”
“Queen,” Mare said.
“The sky’s the limit. No, not even that, no limit. Limitless power. You’d like that. Of course, you’d have to stop doing strange things . . .”
Since Mare is wearing overalls with the Anti-Pesto logo from The Curse of the Were-Rabbit painted on them when she meets Jude for the first time, and a ripped-up, blue-dyed wedding dress for a showing of The Corpse Bride the second time, she feels he hasn’t quite grasped her personality, but Jude perseveres, and Mare does admire a man who perseveres. And he is gorgeous. And he didn’t cheat, his namesake did, so she can’t really hold that against him. On the other hand, he’s wearing a suit, and while it’s gorgeous, too, it’s a suit, you can’t get around that, and his tie is hideous, and she’s just not sure. And then the wind blows harder and the door to the video store opens again . . .
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the only thing I am going to say about ole Jude is that he has horrible taste in ties.
Apparently, he didn’t glance down long enough to see her GHH. That makes things tough.
it’s true, KL. the GHH would explain it all.
see, Mare sounds cool. the guy’s a little…normal.
which reminds me, i need to watch The Curse of the Were-Rabbit before i read this book.
I’m thinking Green’s not a traditional Italian surname. Pair that with various other hints, such as the frog motif and Xan’s tendency to turn people into animals, and it sounds as though we have a counterfeit suitor on our hands.
Okay, its just a few short excerpts so I could well be reading it wrong, but it seems to me that Jude is attempting to give Mare what he thinks she really wants. So I find myself wondering if this isn’t another trick up Xan’s sleeve.
I hate green ties.
Jude sounds like a jerk.
Maybe he sees the GHH, but doesn’t know how to respond.
Well of course he isn’t cheating on her, there’s not a nanny in sight. Let Mary Poppins show up, and this guy will be all over her like white on rice.
okay, permission to feel nauseous at this point
One historical-literary* critical comment: I had to snicker gleefully when Mare pointed out the horrendous potential inherent in confusing control with tyranny. Of course, I am easily amused.
*Where’s the mysterious Laura V. when you need a serious academic?
I’m here, but not being very serious right at the moment. It’s too difficult to keep up the correct furrowed browed, fist-over-mouth ‘Thinker’ look while eating muesli.
This guy is trying too hard to convince Mare that he’s got a glittery Hoo-Hoo: ‘gleaming blond hair. Glistening deep green eyes. […] a silver tie tack that gleamed almost as brightly as his teeth.’ When someone tries that hard to make themselves glitter, it can make people suspicious because if their external, generally visible glitter is that obvious, maybe it’s compensating for a lack of the One True Love kind of glitter.
And I agree that it’s interesting that Mare mentions the difference between control and tyranny. I’d take a guess that this is one of the big differences between Mare and Xan. I’m not sure Dee’s got it worked out either, because she’s not a natural leader the way Mare is - Dee had leadership thrust upon her, Mare seems to have been born with it. And it ties in with Mare’s magic. Mare moves things to the correct position but she doesn’t change them. Dee isn’t even in control of herself, and the way she metamorphoses into things she doesn’t want to be matches the way that she’s been forced to take over as substitute parent.
Yes, romance H/H are often gorgeous but rarely shiny. Maybe I need to re-think my wardrobe.
“Mare moves things to the correct position but she doesn’t change them.”
in case the GHH knowledge didn’t cement it, this did- you’re a genius.
Thanks very much, orangehands. There isn’t a blushing emoticon round here, is there?
I could be wrong about Mare’s magic, because I haven’t read more than the excerpts that have been posted here, but I get the impression that while she might put people/things in a situation where they’ll react to each other, she doesn’t change their substance. Lizzie’s the one that does alchemy. I wonder if it’s partly because her magic is potentially so powerful that she’s the least bossy of the sisters (at least, that’s the impression I get from the extracts).
And we have to wait till the end of June/beginning of July until we can read this book? I’m getting impatient. Which I suppose was their intention when they decided to post excerpts. Kind of cruel, but very effective.
yep, they’re cruel that way. i keep asking what favors (aka bribes) are needed for an advanced copy but so far, nothing.
(-: And the amazing thing is, Jenny didn’t even *know* about the GHH when she wrote about it! Did any of these ladies? Are they all Intuitive Glitterati?
I *love* the line about tyranny and control too (-:. It’s going to be a long, long spring, waiting for all these good books to come out!
uh-hem. that’s still nothing.
Nope. Mare was done and in galleys and I was working on the Fun Book when Lani Diane Rich said, “Oh, honey,” and clued me in.
But it works out nicely doesn’t it? True Love=True Glittering HH.
There are no bribes, OH. I am above bribes. Well, I’m not, but I don’t have any ARCs so I am above bribes.
Not going to rub it in that I have an ARC. Nope, not me. I am above that.
It looks like Jude has his work cut out for him in more ways than one! Isn’t Spring over yet. I’ve about had my fill of Spring showers and all that!
hmmm, must go find out where Jill lives…bwa ha ha
what about Eileen or Anne? i’m cool bribing others…Jill, you’re included in this
(among other things i can/will offer, i have a really amazing fudge place near me.)