Yeah, I'm definitely in the "ewwwwww" camp. I see your point regarding time passing and all that, but it just icks me out. YMMV.
Honestly, I was never in the 'ewww' camp. But I get the perspective that comes from. but as I said, time can change things between people, so can having to face those horrors they are facing. Soemtimes you get to a point you can only relate and open up with someone who has tread those same dark paths. Winter is definitely a dark path.
But it also depends on how it is all handled too. To be honest and blunt, I'm not sure Butcher would handle it very well anyway...he doesn't tend to write relationships very well from anything of his I have read.
One thing I came away from PT thinking was that Butcher had changed his tune on Lara. He seemed to be going out of his way to make her more appealing to Harry, as well as make her his equal in some respects. I was baffled at how weak she was at the end of PT, and now I'm baffled that she was that strong at the start of BG after being that weak at the end of PT. I mean, I think her power levels in BG were appropriate, but still...
Anyway, she seems to be genuinely Interested in Harry. I wouldn't call it True Love or anything like that, but I think she respects him and his power and she likes the way he looks. But I'm not sure Lara even asked Mab to date Harry. She might not have been thinking of Harry at all. Mab said Lara "desired a binding alliance with Winter." Lara is modern-thinking enough to not necessarily think that a marriage is the way to accomplish that. And it wouldn't surprise me if we end up seeing her express that in a later book, where she admits that she's not opposed to the idea out of hand, but that it wasn't her intention. It'd go a long ways to making Harry more accepting of her role in the arrangement.
Right, but you notice the tension between Lara and Molly? and Mab did specifically mention 'courting' her Knight. That makes me think she mentioned Harry specifically. But maybe she didn't. Maybe that is just how Mab interpreted things...with Mab it's difficult to know.
I think your right though, I think Butcher has changed his mind about Lara. I'm not opposed to their match or marriage. I honestly think that Harry needs a staunch ally with a lot of money and some political power. I think that for him to survive and thrive without the WC behind him, he's going to need someone like Lara for this phase in his life.
He's got his lab back, but now he needs money so he can repair and re-stock it. It's in Lara's best interest for him to be at his magical best. It's not a love thing, but it's a useful thing for sure and that is what a lot of marriages in medieval times were made for.
The truth of the matter is, Mab has Harry's back. She downplays it and Harry isn't aware of it, but you can see that through her words and actions. She cuts Harry a lot of slack she'd never cut anyone else, not only because he is useful to her and his plans, but because she is actually fond of him....and that can count for a lot. You can see it in small actions, like when she essentially whispers and warns him to not be showing any weakness. She cares as much as a being like her can really care....so both on a personal and a "professional" level.