Remember when I blogged
about how the heroine in Renae Jones' TASTE OF PASSION reminded me of the
character Rarity from MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC? Well, me, too, and
here's why: I recently read the author's latest release, a lesbian space
western science fiction romance called HELLCAT'S BOUNTY. After reading the
action-adventure novella, something struck me about Anelace Rios, one of the
heroines. I was like, OMG! Renae Jones did it again! She created a heroine that reminded me of an MLP
character--in this case, Applejack!
Before I demonstrate the shiver-inducing "similarities"
between gunslinger Anelace and apple farmer Applejack, here's the HELLCAT'S
BOUNTY blurb so you can acquaint yourself with the set-up:
Lesbian romance meets adventure in the first Rosewood
Space Western.
The hellcat of Rosewood station is the best of the best. Anelace Rios is a good old-fashioned troublemaker, fiercely independent, and best of all, a steady hand with a flamethrower. Carnivorous amoeba are slowly taking over the half-abandoned mining port, and the freelance exterminator rakes in big bounties killing them off—then she spends those bounties in a grand way. Work hard, play hard.
Meidani Sintlere's reputation is exactly the opposite of her wild friend. She's the station’s hardworking black market doctor. She’s shy. She's nice. She's got a weakness for imported chocolate and pastel dresses. And she gets mad as a sani-vacced cat when Anelace shows up missing chunks of skin.
The hellcat never lacks for a willing partner. Even so, Meidani's got notions to cut to the front of the line and stay there. She upends everything Anelace knows about good girls and the bad girls who don’t deserve them, and in a blisteringly hot night they go from friends to lovers.
But their new closeness forces the kind of reckoning even tough Anelace can't escape unscathed. She thrives on her job, relishes the payoff, but now she's endangering more than her own adrenaline-junkie hide—every run risks Meidani’s happiness. For the first time, Anelace is risking her shot at love.
The hellcat of Rosewood station is the best of the best. Anelace Rios is a good old-fashioned troublemaker, fiercely independent, and best of all, a steady hand with a flamethrower. Carnivorous amoeba are slowly taking over the half-abandoned mining port, and the freelance exterminator rakes in big bounties killing them off—then she spends those bounties in a grand way. Work hard, play hard.
Meidani Sintlere's reputation is exactly the opposite of her wild friend. She's the station’s hardworking black market doctor. She’s shy. She's nice. She's got a weakness for imported chocolate and pastel dresses. And she gets mad as a sani-vacced cat when Anelace shows up missing chunks of skin.
The hellcat never lacks for a willing partner. Even so, Meidani's got notions to cut to the front of the line and stay there. She upends everything Anelace knows about good girls and the bad girls who don’t deserve them, and in a blisteringly hot night they go from friends to lovers.
But their new closeness forces the kind of reckoning even tough Anelace can't escape unscathed. She thrives on her job, relishes the payoff, but now she's endangering more than her own adrenaline-junkie hide—every run risks Meidani’s happiness. For the first time, Anelace is risking her shot at love.
***
Okay, so let's start with the basics. For one thing, Anelace
and Applejack both begin with "A"! I know, right?!
The two characters share other similarities, ones that hit me like a tidal wave. I thought, what better way to share my reading experience than to show you via a few select MLP clips! (This is a spoiler-free post, at least as far as HELLCAT'S BOUNTY is concerned!)
Meet Anelace:
Like many bounty hunters, Anelace is a loner. She
doesn't lack for lovers, but is missing that special someone in her life
without knowing it. In classic gunslinger style, she has cool gear and wears
cool clothes.
Meet Applejack, who wears a cool hat:
As you can see by the video, AJ enjoys the occasional
apple cider. Well, guess what?! Anelace occasionally enjoys a nice whiskey at
the local Rosewood saloon! Wow, that makes them practically twins!
Anelace lives on Rosewood, a frontier-like space
station built into an asteroid. HELLCAT'S BOUNTY serves up a generous helping
of Western motif. Applejack is country folk--she lives on a farm. The American
frontier had a lot of farms, right? So there you go.
Both characters are business-oriented and want to make
money. Anelace is a bounty hunter and exterminates dangerous blobs for a living. Applejack
sells--wait for it!--apples and apple products (just
watch the first minute or so):
Both characters like being physical and aren't afraid to get dirty if the situation requires it. Anelace is good
with weapons. Applejack is good with farm tools. Both are hard workers, as evidenced by the
following "Raise This Barn" scene featuring Applejack:
(Side note: If you're really in the mood for a trip,
listen to the Dj Gestap
trance remix of "Raise This Barn"!)
Life on Rosewood is dangerous because of the blob infestation. Reading about Anelace going on the hunt for carnivorous blobs reminded me of the time Applejack's farm was infested by vampire bats:
Life on Rosewood is dangerous because of the blob infestation. Reading about Anelace going on the hunt for carnivorous blobs reminded me of the time Applejack's farm was infested by vampire bats:
Don't you just totally admire Anelace and
Applejack? They're the only things standing between us and blobs and vampire
bats!
Now, lest you think Anelace is all work and no play,
check out Applejack during one of her silly moments:
In similar fashion, Anelace cracks some funny
one-liners!
Anelace and Meidani share a passionate romance, but
conflict rears its head given Anelace's dangerous job and its impact on
their relationship. I imagine some of their arguments might have gone a little
something like this (picture Rarity as a stand-in for the sophisticated, no-nonsense Meidani):
As you can probably guess, there are steamy love scenes in HELLCAT'S BOUNTY, unlike MY LITTLE PONY, in which there are none.
Anelace is without her family, so she doesn't have, say, a brother around to help her out. But Meidani does! I don't have a picture of Brisco, but here's a shot of Applejack's brother, Big MacIntosh:
The similarities just keep adding up, don't they?! But don't take my word for it--check out HELLCAT'S BOUNTY and see for yourself!
Like Applejack says,
Joyfully yours,
Heather