What do you think?
Rate this book
Tonight or Never
Touted as the "Lord of Sex," the Viscount Sexton--England's most notorious Don Juan--contemplates an end to his debauched career when he meets Chloe, a feisty redhead with a plan to beat the seducer at his own game
Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
34 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Dara Joy
30 books304 followersBlazing new trails in experimental fiction is a top priority for Dara Joy. Her novels break all the rules and have captured a huge audience. Her unique works have gone on to receive numerous awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 25, 2011
4 stars
Library shame, thy name is Dara Joy. Yikes, what a cover this book has. I'm sure it's more notorious than the book itself.
I can't recall exactly why I put this book on my tbr, but it showed up at the library the other day (to my everlasting shame) and I read it quickly, thinking to be done with it before anyone discovered what I was reading. Anyone who read my updates yesterday knows I wasn't quick enough.
Initially I wasn't sure what to make of this book -- it seemed at the beginning like the author wasn't sure how seriously to take herself while writing it. I wasn't sure if it was good, bad, or so-bad-it's-good.
Chloe (ugh, that's my dog's name, that took a while to get past) was raised in England by her French Grandmother after her parents' death. She returns from a visit to the colonies and decides that she is going to snare her long-time love, John, Viscount Sexton. Sexton (nicknamed the "Lord of Sex" by the ton) is a consummate cocksman. He doesn't seem especially bright, but he has one huge talent (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). She decides to catch him (I think) by using reverse psychology on him. She tells him that she needs him to give her lessons so that she can be as accomplished a rake as he is. She knows that John has no prospects -- no money, no land, and so she offers marriage so that he can control her estate. John practically grew up on Chloe's estate so it is like home to him.
John's self-declared best friend Sir Percy obtains a special license and they are married right away. Then they start to have lots and lots of sex. Nicely done sex, I might add. John starts to fall in love with Chloe and their interplay is quite amusing. The two of them are really funny, and this is where the book starts to shine. She plays him like a piano and he has no idea. Her main plan (again, I think - it wasn't really clear, but then Chloe was kind of a ding-dong as well) was to make John fall in love with her without ever letting him know that she loved him.
Then her relatives start trying to matchmake - although why they are when Chloe and John are already married and boinking like crazy is beyond me - and a whole bunch of weird displaced French aristocrats show up (including a bunch of rowdy brothers and an oversexed Duchess named Zu-Zu) and then there is a horse race with a sexy Arabic sheik with a beautiful racehorse, and some crackpots from France show up looking for someone nicknamed "the Black Rose" and Chloe and John start spending their nights riding around the countryside looking for him and John's foppish friend Sir Percy is in the way constantly and all the strange French people start raiding John's closet and wearing his clothes, and there's some eccentric German relative who sleeps most of the time when he's not telling lurid stories about men being strapped to barn doors back in Germany after being caught with milkmaids and a whole bunch of other silly stuff happens, along with lots more sex, and before you know it no one is who you think they are (including Sir Percy -- I think maybe there was a book planned for him, but I don't think it's ever happened) and by this point all I can think of is that I read somewhere that this Black Rose story is based on The Scarlet Pimpernel, which, until I was an adult, I thought was The Scarlet Pumpernickel, and then all I could think of was this:
What a book. Tons of fun, laugh out loud, surprisingly hot and tender in parts -- a campy ride that I enjoyed WAY more than I thought I would. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for something different -- it's true to the period and hugely entertaining, once you get settled in.
Library shame, thy name is Dara Joy. Yikes, what a cover this book has. I'm sure it's more notorious than the book itself.
I can't recall exactly why I put this book on my tbr, but it showed up at the library the other day (to my everlasting shame) and I read it quickly, thinking to be done with it before anyone discovered what I was reading. Anyone who read my updates yesterday knows I wasn't quick enough.
Initially I wasn't sure what to make of this book -- it seemed at the beginning like the author wasn't sure how seriously to take herself while writing it. I wasn't sure if it was good, bad, or so-bad-it's-good.
Chloe (ugh, that's my dog's name, that took a while to get past) was raised in England by her French Grandmother after her parents' death. She returns from a visit to the colonies and decides that she is going to snare her long-time love, John, Viscount Sexton. Sexton (nicknamed the "Lord of Sex" by the ton) is a consummate cocksman. He doesn't seem especially bright, but he has one huge talent (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). She decides to catch him (I think) by using reverse psychology on him. She tells him that she needs him to give her lessons so that she can be as accomplished a rake as he is. She knows that John has no prospects -- no money, no land, and so she offers marriage so that he can control her estate. John practically grew up on Chloe's estate so it is like home to him.
John's self-declared best friend Sir Percy obtains a special license and they are married right away. Then they start to have lots and lots of sex. Nicely done sex, I might add. John starts to fall in love with Chloe and their interplay is quite amusing. The two of them are really funny, and this is where the book starts to shine. She plays him like a piano and he has no idea. Her main plan (again, I think - it wasn't really clear, but then Chloe was kind of a ding-dong as well) was to make John fall in love with her without ever letting him know that she loved him.
Then her relatives start trying to matchmake - although why they are when Chloe and John are already married and boinking like crazy is beyond me - and a whole bunch of weird displaced French aristocrats show up (including a bunch of rowdy brothers and an oversexed Duchess named Zu-Zu) and then there is a horse race with a sexy Arabic sheik with a beautiful racehorse, and some crackpots from France show up looking for someone nicknamed "the Black Rose" and Chloe and John start spending their nights riding around the countryside looking for him and John's foppish friend Sir Percy is in the way constantly and all the strange French people start raiding John's closet and wearing his clothes, and there's some eccentric German relative who sleeps most of the time when he's not telling lurid stories about men being strapped to barn doors back in Germany after being caught with milkmaids and a whole bunch of other silly stuff happens, along with lots more sex, and before you know it no one is who you think they are (including Sir Percy -- I think maybe there was a book planned for him, but I don't think it's ever happened) and by this point all I can think of is that I read somewhere that this Black Rose story is based on The Scarlet Pimpernel, which, until I was an adult, I thought was The Scarlet Pumpernickel, and then all I could think of was this:
What a book. Tons of fun, laugh out loud, surprisingly hot and tender in parts -- a campy ride that I enjoyed WAY more than I thought I would. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for something different -- it's true to the period and hugely entertaining, once you get settled in.
May 4, 2009
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" Dara Joy's Tonight or Never is a delightful romp that is equal parts humor, tender emotion, and red hot lovin'. All the characters are pretty lighthearted, and the whole story embodies a hilarity that frequently had me smiling and laughing. One example is a scene in which Chloe coshes John over the head with a vase (on purpose), followed by the couple running through the halls of the manor house stark naked. It nearly had me rolling on the floor. Many a time I found myself thinking that this book would make a great romantic comedy movie. It isn't just about the ruckus of fun and games though. There is a very sweetly emotional element to the plot as well, in the form of a long-held love between two best friends slowly being realized by one and then admitted by the other. The love scenes are frequent, thoroughly hot, and exquisitely sensual without crossing the line into the erotic. With the exception of Lisa Kleypas, I don't believe I have yet read any other author who can write multiple love scenes in one book so creatively, with each one being as luscious as the last, but still completely different from all the ones before. Anyone who is enchanted by the idea of love-making involving bathtubs, balconies, flower gardens and sensual massage should definitely read this book. Each scene was masterfully crafted and had me sighing with satisfaction. Tonight or Never doesn't have any suspense, danger or real villains. It's just good old-fashioned romance that is all about the relationship. There is a light mystery sub-plot surrounding French nobles, who had supposedly gone to the guillotine, but later show up on John and Chloe's doorstep, and the identity of their savior, The Black Rose. This made for a fun little side plot that I actually didn't figure out until nearly the moment it was revealed, but there was never anything to weigh down the overall lightness of the story.
I absolutely loved John and Chloe, and thought they were just made for each other. John is a dissolute rake, nicknamed “The Lord of Sex” by the ton, but he is actually hiding a sensitive soul behind his shameless womanizing ways. After seeing the pain of his mother's broken heart over his father's destructive gambling and early death, John subconsciously decided that he would never risk putting himself through the same thing and locked his heart up tight. John is mostly a beta hero with just a dash of alpha protectiveness and possessiveness. He tries a few times to play the dominating husband card with endearing results, because he's just too nice of a guy to make it stick. He's also the consummate lover who is more interested in sharing pleasure than conquering his lovely wife. He isn't a swashbuckling hero and isn't even particularly good at business. He's just simply the paramour who flits from one lady's bedroom to the next until Chloe puts a stop to that once and for all, giving him everything he's always wanted and more. Chloe is John's best friend in the whole world, and she is the only person he has ever felt like he could truly be himself with. They met when she was only six and he was sixteen, and for years he has played the big brother-type protector. By the time she was a teenager, Chloe knew exactly who she wanted to marry, and that was John. She bided her time until she was grown up, hoping that John would take notice of her as a woman. When he still didn't seem to, she put into action a cunning scheme to bring this notorious rake to heel. I love Chloe's determination to go after what she wanted, and that even from a young age, she seemed to always understand John better than he understood himself. She knew exactly the right “carrots” to dangle in front of him to gain his cooperation, and all it took was luring him into her web to get him to realize what he had always known, but couldn't acknowledge: Chloe was his soulmate. I thought that John's journey to that realization was rendered in a very natural and gradual way, making it seem more realistic. I also thoroughly enjoyed their witty bantering, and some of their interactions were reminiscent of my own relationship with my husband, making them completely relatable to me.
Tonight or Never had a riotous cast of supporting characters, starting with Chloe's grandmother, Simone and John's uncle, Maurice, who have a sweet long-term romance of their own that mirrors John and Chloe's. Again, I loved the sneakiness that Maurice used to get what he wanted as well. Then there is John's self-declared best friend, Percy, a hilarious fop who seems to think that fashion and what color to wear is cause for a personal emergency. The French guests who keep showing up at the door were equally funny, from the self-involved Zu-zu who thinks the world revolves around her, to Baronne Dufond who decides to wear John's prized model ship in her hair, to the seven Cyns, the Cyndreac brothers, who all look alike, chase every female in sight and cause general mayhem everywhere they go. In spite of their foibles, all were strangely likable. In fact, thinking of all their exploits is still making me laugh as I'm writing this.
After my last read which was quite dark, I was looking for something to lighten my mood, and I couldn't have made a better choice than Tonight or Never. It was a near perfect read for me in every way. The only thing that I thought could have improved it, would have been more explanation of John and Chloe's connection. As written, it was a rather magical thing that simply was. Their relationship was so sweet, tender and passionate, it wasn't at all difficult to see that their unbreakable bond was very real. It just would have been nice if the author had demonstrated it a little more, perhaps by adding more scenes from their youth. This was a fairly small thing though, that didn't really detract much from my overall enjoyment of the novel. Ms. Joy certainly has a talent with words, describing the character's expressions, actions and interactions in a way that drew me into the book and made me feel like I was right there with them. Any romance lover looking for a rollicking good read to lighten the day and lift their spirits, but that still has plenty of touching emotional depth, should look no further. Tonight or Never was a wonderful feel-good story that was a pure pleasure for me to read. It has earned a place on my keeper shelf for those times when I just need a little boost. This was my first read by Dara Joy, but it most definitely will not be my last. Tonight or Never is part of Lovespell's multi-author series, Legendary Lovers, but to my knowledge the books are all stand-alones with no connection to each other besides a running theme of them being based on the stories and legends of famous lovers. This one parodies Don Juan mixed with a sub-plot of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
"4.5 stars" Dara Joy's Tonight or Never is a delightful romp that is equal parts humor, tender emotion, and red hot lovin'. All the characters are pretty lighthearted, and the whole story embodies a hilarity that frequently had me smiling and laughing. One example is a scene in which Chloe coshes John over the head with a vase (on purpose), followed by the couple running through the halls of the manor house stark naked. It nearly had me rolling on the floor. Many a time I found myself thinking that this book would make a great romantic comedy movie. It isn't just about the ruckus of fun and games though. There is a very sweetly emotional element to the plot as well, in the form of a long-held love between two best friends slowly being realized by one and then admitted by the other. The love scenes are frequent, thoroughly hot, and exquisitely sensual without crossing the line into the erotic. With the exception of Lisa Kleypas, I don't believe I have yet read any other author who can write multiple love scenes in one book so creatively, with each one being as luscious as the last, but still completely different from all the ones before. Anyone who is enchanted by the idea of love-making involving bathtubs, balconies, flower gardens and sensual massage should definitely read this book. Each scene was masterfully crafted and had me sighing with satisfaction. Tonight or Never doesn't have any suspense, danger or real villains. It's just good old-fashioned romance that is all about the relationship. There is a light mystery sub-plot surrounding French nobles, who had supposedly gone to the guillotine, but later show up on John and Chloe's doorstep, and the identity of their savior, The Black Rose. This made for a fun little side plot that I actually didn't figure out until nearly the moment it was revealed, but there was never anything to weigh down the overall lightness of the story.
I absolutely loved John and Chloe, and thought they were just made for each other. John is a dissolute rake, nicknamed “The Lord of Sex” by the ton, but he is actually hiding a sensitive soul behind his shameless womanizing ways. After seeing the pain of his mother's broken heart over his father's destructive gambling and early death, John subconsciously decided that he would never risk putting himself through the same thing and locked his heart up tight. John is mostly a beta hero with just a dash of alpha protectiveness and possessiveness. He tries a few times to play the dominating husband card with endearing results, because he's just too nice of a guy to make it stick. He's also the consummate lover who is more interested in sharing pleasure than conquering his lovely wife. He isn't a swashbuckling hero and isn't even particularly good at business. He's just simply the paramour who flits from one lady's bedroom to the next until Chloe puts a stop to that once and for all, giving him everything he's always wanted and more. Chloe is John's best friend in the whole world, and she is the only person he has ever felt like he could truly be himself with. They met when she was only six and he was sixteen, and for years he has played the big brother-type protector. By the time she was a teenager, Chloe knew exactly who she wanted to marry, and that was John. She bided her time until she was grown up, hoping that John would take notice of her as a woman. When he still didn't seem to, she put into action a cunning scheme to bring this notorious rake to heel. I love Chloe's determination to go after what she wanted, and that even from a young age, she seemed to always understand John better than he understood himself. She knew exactly the right “carrots” to dangle in front of him to gain his cooperation, and all it took was luring him into her web to get him to realize what he had always known, but couldn't acknowledge: Chloe was his soulmate. I thought that John's journey to that realization was rendered in a very natural and gradual way, making it seem more realistic. I also thoroughly enjoyed their witty bantering, and some of their interactions were reminiscent of my own relationship with my husband, making them completely relatable to me.
Tonight or Never had a riotous cast of supporting characters, starting with Chloe's grandmother, Simone and John's uncle, Maurice, who have a sweet long-term romance of their own that mirrors John and Chloe's. Again, I loved the sneakiness that Maurice used to get what he wanted as well. Then there is John's self-declared best friend, Percy, a hilarious fop who seems to think that fashion and what color to wear is cause for a personal emergency. The French guests who keep showing up at the door were equally funny, from the self-involved Zu-zu who thinks the world revolves around her, to Baronne Dufond who decides to wear John's prized model ship in her hair, to the seven Cyns, the Cyndreac brothers, who all look alike, chase every female in sight and cause general mayhem everywhere they go. In spite of their foibles, all were strangely likable. In fact, thinking of all their exploits is still making me laugh as I'm writing this.
After my last read which was quite dark, I was looking for something to lighten my mood, and I couldn't have made a better choice than Tonight or Never. It was a near perfect read for me in every way. The only thing that I thought could have improved it, would have been more explanation of John and Chloe's connection. As written, it was a rather magical thing that simply was. Their relationship was so sweet, tender and passionate, it wasn't at all difficult to see that their unbreakable bond was very real. It just would have been nice if the author had demonstrated it a little more, perhaps by adding more scenes from their youth. This was a fairly small thing though, that didn't really detract much from my overall enjoyment of the novel. Ms. Joy certainly has a talent with words, describing the character's expressions, actions and interactions in a way that drew me into the book and made me feel like I was right there with them. Any romance lover looking for a rollicking good read to lighten the day and lift their spirits, but that still has plenty of touching emotional depth, should look no further. Tonight or Never was a wonderful feel-good story that was a pure pleasure for me to read. It has earned a place on my keeper shelf for those times when I just need a little boost. This was my first read by Dara Joy, but it most definitely will not be my last. Tonight or Never is part of Lovespell's multi-author series, Legendary Lovers, but to my knowledge the books are all stand-alones with no connection to each other besides a running theme of them being based on the stories and legends of famous lovers. This one parodies Don Juan mixed with a sub-plot of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
March 26, 2008
I laughed my way through most of this book. I enjoy humor with my romance and Ms. Joy supplies that with ease.
Chloe is fed up. She's wanted John ever since she was a child and she's decided she's going to get him. John is called "Lord of Sex" for a reason. ALL the women want him (and so do I), so Chloe decides to use her knowledge of his character to lure him to her. Their romance is wrapped thinly in the story of the Black Rose (parody of the Scarlet Pimpernel) and the 7 Cyn brothers. At the end of the book I was hungry to read the stories of these hilarious secondary characters, but alas, none has been forthcoming. If you enjoy a rollicking good romance, hot sex, alpha males, and comedy...look no further.
Chloe is fed up. She's wanted John ever since she was a child and she's decided she's going to get him. John is called "Lord of Sex" for a reason. ALL the women want him (and so do I), so Chloe decides to use her knowledge of his character to lure him to her. Their romance is wrapped thinly in the story of the Black Rose (parody of the Scarlet Pimpernel) and the 7 Cyn brothers. At the end of the book I was hungry to read the stories of these hilarious secondary characters, but alas, none has been forthcoming. If you enjoy a rollicking good romance, hot sex, alpha males, and comedy...look no further.
November 6, 2024
Виконт Джон Секстън и лейди Хлое Харт
Това е една от най-забавните книги, която съм чела някога.
Лорд Джон Секстън, е най-прословутият женкар в Лондон, работил усърдно, за да заслужи прозвището Лорд Секс. Той е красив, умен, чаровен и истински ценител на женската красота. Но въпреки многобройните си похождения, никоя жена не го привлича достатъчно, че да свали гарда си. Единствената пред която може да е самият себе си, без преструвки и без тайни, е лейди Хлое Харт, най-добрата му приятелка. Затова, не е никак чудно, че в мига щом разбира, че Хлое се е завърнала в Англия след година и половина отсъствие, той зарязва всичко, в това число и една не особено доволна любовница, за да отиде на мига да се срещне с приятелката си.
Хлое е влюбена в Джон още от мига в който се запознава с него. Той е нейният идол, нейният закрилник и нейният най-добър приятел. Но когато един ден Хлое осъзнава, че той гледа на нея само като на малка сестричка, е решена да направи голямата жертва и да замине далеч от него за година и половина, с надеждата, че когато се срещнат отново, той ще започне да гледа на нея, като на истинска жена.
Сега Хлое е отново у дома и е решена да лъже и мами, но да вкопчи в примка мъжа, който обича, и да го направи завинаги свой. Лорд Секс дори не подозира, какво го очаква. На всичкото отгоре, в дома им започват да се появяват членове на френската аристокрация, спасени от гоненията на аристократи във Франция, и Хлое и Джон трябва да открият, кой е мистериозния шпионин Черната роза и защо води всички тези хора именно пред техният пр��г.
Хлое е най-шантавата героиня, която може да се срещне в книга с най-налудничавият план, който може да роди главата на една влюбена жена. Тя познава идеално Джон и знае точно къде да го сръчка и точно къде да го побутне, за да направи всичко, което желае тя, и макар много умен, героят ни с лекота се водеше по акъла на героинята ни. Тази книга бе лека, забавна, и много еротична. Дара Джой е авторка, която обича любовните сцени да са дълги и детайлни. В тази книга имах чувството, че 50% е историята и 50% любовните сцени, което за мен не е идеалната комбинация, и въпреки това, се насладих невероятно много на книгата и й давам заслужени 5 звезди. Жалко, че няма книга за небезизвестният Черната роза, щеше да е много интересно да научим кой е истинският мъж зад всичките роли, които играеше.
Това е една от най-забавните книги, която съм чела някога.
Лорд Джон Секстън, е най-прословутият женкар в Лондон, работил усърдно, за да заслужи прозвището Лорд Секс. Той е красив, умен, чаровен и истински ценител на женската красота. Но въпреки многобройните си похождения, никоя жена не го привлича достатъчно, че да свали гарда си. Единствената пред която може да е самият себе си, без преструвки и без тайни, е лейди Хлое Харт, най-добрата му приятелка. Затова, не е никак чудно, че в мига щом разбира, че Хлое се е завърнала в Англия след година и половина отсъствие, той зарязва всичко, в това число и една не особено доволна любовница, за да отиде на мига да се срещне с приятелката си.
Хлое е влюбена в Джон още от мига в който се запознава с него. Той е нейният идол, нейният закрилник и нейният най-добър приятел. Но когато един ден Хлое осъзнава, че той гледа на нея само като на малка сестричка, е решена да направи голямата жертва и да замине далеч от него за година и половина, с надеждата, че когато се срещнат отново, той ще започне да гледа на нея, като на истинска жена.
Сега Хлое е отново у дома и е решена да лъже и мами, но да вкопчи в примка мъжа, който обича, и да го направи завинаги свой. Лорд Секс дори не подозира, какво го очаква. На всичкото отгоре, в дома им започват да се появяват членове на френската аристокрация, спасени от гоненията на аристократи във Франция, и Хлое и Джон трябва да открият, кой е мистериозния шпионин Черната роза и защо води всички тези хора именно пред техният пр��г.
Хлое е най-шантавата героиня, която може да се срещне в книга с най-налудничавият план, който може да роди главата на една влюбена жена. Тя познава идеално Джон и знае точно къде да го сръчка и точно къде да го побутне, за да направи всичко, което желае тя, и макар много умен, героят ни с лекота се водеше по акъла на героинята ни. Тази книга бе лека, забавна, и много еротична. Дара Джой е авторка, която обича любовните сцени да са дълги и детайлни. В тази книга имах чувството, че 50% е историята и 50% любовните сцени, което за мен не е идеалната комбинация, и въпреки това, се насладих невероятно много на книгата и й давам заслужени 5 звезди. Жалко, че няма книга за небезизвестният Черната роза, щеше да е много интересно да научим кой е истинският мъж зад всичките роли, които играеше.
August 14, 2020
Chloe and John. 10 year age difference. This is a fast paced delightful comedy romance with a mystery to solve. (Even though the reader knows the who is the mystery person. The fun is seeing how the hero tries to solve the mystery). The hero reminded me of Inspector Jacques Clouseau of The Pink Panther. Not the smartest guy in the world, but at rare times streaks of wisdom hit him. The side characters are a hoot. The heroine is a sweet and determined to snare her man. The first chapter had me worried. I was looking for a humorous historical romance and the first scenes was about him and OW. Until I read the note the hero was given--then I realized all I had to was relax and enjoy the humor, puns, and hi-jinks going on. I love this type of romance story which is very hard to find. I was so excited that I had figured out the meaning of the carrot necklace before the reveal. But then realized that maybe the author had given all of us readers that chance to become like Inspector Jacques Clouseau ourselves. LOL
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2010
Dara Joy was one of my favorite authors. Her first two novels, KNIGHT OF A TRILLION STARS and HIGH ENERGY, are two of my most beloved reads of all time. They're filled with funny characters, sexier than sin heroes, laugh out loud situations and originality. REJAR was also a good read for me but I thought the sexy cat-man deserved a better heroine, one with a little more bite but I still recommend it because the hero was amazing enough to carry the book. Because her other books were so magical for me I think I went into TONIGHT OR NEVER with too high expectations and ended up being a little let down.
Tonight Or Never started out promising and had my eyes glued to the pages. I loved the introduction of the hero, John, AKA "Lord of Sex", and the heroine, Chloe, was much, much better than Lilac (in REJAR). She was likable, she had spunk and she wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted. She definitely wasn't a bore or a wimp. I wasn't sure if I could imagine a slut like John, who slept with any female that crossed his path, settling down with one woman. But I have to hand it to Dara Joy, midway through the story I really bought it.
So why wasn't this another keeper? Well, I just didn't find it all that funny, definitely not as funny as her previous work. Some of the situations were cute but nothing made me laugh. And I found the subplot featuring the search for the Black Rose a little on the boring side. Then there were the sex scenes. Much to my delight there were a lot of 'em but to my dismay they weren't the kind that draw me into the scene and make me feel a part of them. I guess I kept waiting for the "Lord of Sex" to do something truly extraordinary. And one last niggle, I wish John's true sensitive nature had been revealed in little bits and pieces throughout the novel, rather than in one short paragraph towards the very end (that one short paragraph made my eyes fill with tears but it was too darn short!) I would've liked to have been witness to more of his past.
If I hadn't read Dara Joy's previous work and loved them so much I bet I would have enjoyed this one much more than I did and have been less picky. Still, if you like light-hearted romps and ultra-sexy heroes (with sensitive hearts) you'll want to give this one a try.
Tonight Or Never started out promising and had my eyes glued to the pages. I loved the introduction of the hero, John, AKA "Lord of Sex", and the heroine, Chloe, was much, much better than Lilac (in REJAR). She was likable, she had spunk and she wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted. She definitely wasn't a bore or a wimp. I wasn't sure if I could imagine a slut like John, who slept with any female that crossed his path, settling down with one woman. But I have to hand it to Dara Joy, midway through the story I really bought it.
So why wasn't this another keeper? Well, I just didn't find it all that funny, definitely not as funny as her previous work. Some of the situations were cute but nothing made me laugh. And I found the subplot featuring the search for the Black Rose a little on the boring side. Then there were the sex scenes. Much to my delight there were a lot of 'em but to my dismay they weren't the kind that draw me into the scene and make me feel a part of them. I guess I kept waiting for the "Lord of Sex" to do something truly extraordinary. And one last niggle, I wish John's true sensitive nature had been revealed in little bits and pieces throughout the novel, rather than in one short paragraph towards the very end (that one short paragraph made my eyes fill with tears but it was too darn short!) I would've liked to have been witness to more of his past.
If I hadn't read Dara Joy's previous work and loved them so much I bet I would have enjoyed this one much more than I did and have been less picky. Still, if you like light-hearted romps and ultra-sexy heroes (with sensitive hearts) you'll want to give this one a try.
February 12, 2014
2.5 stars. This started out nice but couldn't hold the pace for me. It was too easy. I would have liked a little more thrill of the chase from the leads, but the heroine got her man pretty quickly. Which left the rest of the book much to be desired. The heroine played the hero like a fiddle and It didn't really endear me to him. I hate books where the hero is in love with the heroine but doesn't know it. It's so stupid and unrealistic, IMO. It had some good scenes but more should have been done with the heroine in pursuit theme. I lost interest after the couple got married and spent their first night together and that was only at 38%.
September 13, 2020
I kept waiting for the plot, didn't find it. The H doesn't seem to have a position, or income - we are told he's an amazing lover of countless women. The h is of course a virgin, she loves him and oddly enough is rich, and comes with a home he loves, so he decides he's in love with her. There's a spy, who was obvious and other madcap scenes about escapees from the madness that is France. Again, no real plot - except he realises he loves her. No character development of the heroine, she's like a child wanting the prettiest man. And the carrot charm? Nonsense.
November 11, 2019
Me: Romance is just as rich a genre as any other; it should be taken seriously.
Also me: yaaas give me the most batshit, bananas, crazysauce book available.
This book I wanted for the latter. And that blurb held so much promise. The first few chapters delivered: Lord Sexton haha amazing.
But after they got married it got boring. A B-plot about figuring out the (obvious) identity of a Scarlet Pimpernel knock off, whose plot was seemingly unresolved.
So sadly, only 3/5 🍌🍌🍌.
Also me: yaaas give me the most batshit, bananas, crazysauce book available.
This book I wanted for the latter. And that blurb held so much promise. The first few chapters delivered: Lord Sexton haha amazing.
But after they got married it got boring. A B-plot about figuring out the (obvious) identity of a Scarlet Pimpernel knock off, whose plot was seemingly unresolved.
So sadly, only 3/5 🍌🍌🍌.
March 26, 2010
We have all heard the saying "You can't judge a book by it's cover" right? In most cases this saying is true, but in the case of Tonight or Never it unfortunately is not true, you can look at it and know what you are going to get! Look at this book's cover and what do you think? I think... weird... corny... I need to call my hairdresser for an appointment...
Tonight or Never reminds me of an old screwball comedy and I think it would have made a better movie than a book. With that type of comedy you never know what you are going to get... you will either love it and come away laughing or you will wonder what in the world you just watched for two hours. For me the latter was true for this book, it left me wondering what in the world did I just read and what exactly was it about?
This book has many interesting and weird characters in it. For starters it has the hero, John Sexton, aka "Lord of Sex". He is supposedly a rake and a rogue who has carved a path through the ladies of the ton, having his way with them and then moving on to make his next conquest. It is said that he possesses many skills in the bedroom but I was not all that impressed with them. As a matter of fact I think I could have taught him a thing or two... would that make me "Queen of Sex" or perhaps "Empress of Seduction" or maybe even "Goddess of Love"... oh wait, that was Aphrodite and Venus... but I digress, where were we? Hm... Ah! The weird characters... this is where we meet the heroine.
Chloe has been in love with John ever since she was 6 years old. She is now 19 and wants to show John that she is a mature woman so she devises a plan to trick him into marriage, that sounds very mature doesn't it? So she tells Lord of Sex that she has experienced passion and wants to be able to do it whenever she wants and as often as she wants to and proposes marriage to him. It would be a marriage in name only and once John teaches Chloe all of his "skills" then she can start sleeping with all of the men of the ton. Very reasonable... But there is one little problem, John thinks she has slept with a man before but she has not. Indeed she is still a virgin! Chloe is afraid that when they consummate their marriage that he will realize that she tricked him so she devises yet another brilliant plan... she hits him over the head with a vase right when he enters her and knocks him unconscious! She figures that when he wakes up he will have forgotten about her being a virgin. Once again, very mature and quite clever... hm... or not! The weird thing is that when he does regain consciousness he doesn't even question her about hitting him over the head or about her lying to him about not being a virgin, he remembers but he just acts like nothing has happened!
In addition to the strange hero and heroine, there is a whole cast of very eccentric secondary characters. First of all there is Chloe's French grandmother and her lover, Maurice, who has been proposing marriage to her for the past 20 years. Then there is a German man by the name of Dieter who is a member of the family only no one actually knows how he is related and he has narcolepsy. Dieter is always telling the strangest stories about things that happened in the town where he is from, only nobody ever heard the end of them because he would fall asleep in the middle of his tale. Dieter also has a dog, who plays a pretty minor role, but he is not to be overlooked; the dog, Schnapps, has one tooth that overlaps his lips.
Another character is Sir Percival Cecil-Basil, but he goes by the name Percy because Sir Cecil-Basil can be somewhat of a tongue-twister. Percy is a frilly-lace-wearing dandy and he considers himself to be John's best friend, even though John does not return the sentiment. Now, I believe those are the most noteworthy secondary characters... Ah! I forgot, there are more... the 7 deadly Cyns... or the seven french brothers with the last name of Cyndreac. They are known as the 7 deadly Cyns because of their debauched ways of living.
Now that you have an idea of the characters in this story you pretty much know as much as I do about the book. Unfortunately I have come away from reading it with the question of "what exactly was the point of this story?" and now you are no doubt wondering the same. But I have saved you the time and trouble of actually reading this book and you may feel free to copy my review and paste it into your own! I give this book 3 stars because coming up with the eccentricities of so many characters had to have taken much effort and writing this review was so much fun! :)
Tonight or Never reminds me of an old screwball comedy and I think it would have made a better movie than a book. With that type of comedy you never know what you are going to get... you will either love it and come away laughing or you will wonder what in the world you just watched for two hours. For me the latter was true for this book, it left me wondering what in the world did I just read and what exactly was it about?
This book has many interesting and weird characters in it. For starters it has the hero, John Sexton, aka "Lord of Sex". He is supposedly a rake and a rogue who has carved a path through the ladies of the ton, having his way with them and then moving on to make his next conquest. It is said that he possesses many skills in the bedroom but I was not all that impressed with them. As a matter of fact I think I could have taught him a thing or two... would that make me "Queen of Sex" or perhaps "Empress of Seduction" or maybe even "Goddess of Love"... oh wait, that was Aphrodite and Venus... but I digress, where were we? Hm... Ah! The weird characters... this is where we meet the heroine.
Chloe has been in love with John ever since she was 6 years old. She is now 19 and wants to show John that she is a mature woman so she devises a plan to trick him into marriage, that sounds very mature doesn't it? So she tells Lord of Sex that she has experienced passion and wants to be able to do it whenever she wants and as often as she wants to and proposes marriage to him. It would be a marriage in name only and once John teaches Chloe all of his "skills" then she can start sleeping with all of the men of the ton. Very reasonable... But there is one little problem, John thinks she has slept with a man before but she has not. Indeed she is still a virgin! Chloe is afraid that when they consummate their marriage that he will realize that she tricked him so she devises yet another brilliant plan... she hits him over the head with a vase right when he enters her and knocks him unconscious! She figures that when he wakes up he will have forgotten about her being a virgin. Once again, very mature and quite clever... hm... or not! The weird thing is that when he does regain consciousness he doesn't even question her about hitting him over the head or about her lying to him about not being a virgin, he remembers but he just acts like nothing has happened!
In addition to the strange hero and heroine, there is a whole cast of very eccentric secondary characters. First of all there is Chloe's French grandmother and her lover, Maurice, who has been proposing marriage to her for the past 20 years. Then there is a German man by the name of Dieter who is a member of the family only no one actually knows how he is related and he has narcolepsy. Dieter is always telling the strangest stories about things that happened in the town where he is from, only nobody ever heard the end of them because he would fall asleep in the middle of his tale. Dieter also has a dog, who plays a pretty minor role, but he is not to be overlooked; the dog, Schnapps, has one tooth that overlaps his lips.
Another character is Sir Percival Cecil-Basil, but he goes by the name Percy because Sir Cecil-Basil can be somewhat of a tongue-twister. Percy is a frilly-lace-wearing dandy and he considers himself to be John's best friend, even though John does not return the sentiment. Now, I believe those are the most noteworthy secondary characters... Ah! I forgot, there are more... the 7 deadly Cyns... or the seven french brothers with the last name of Cyndreac. They are known as the 7 deadly Cyns because of their debauched ways of living.
Now that you have an idea of the characters in this story you pretty much know as much as I do about the book. Unfortunately I have come away from reading it with the question of "what exactly was the point of this story?" and now you are no doubt wondering the same. But I have saved you the time and trouble of actually reading this book and you may feel free to copy my review and paste it into your own! I give this book 3 stars because coming up with the eccentricities of so many characters had to have taken much effort and writing this review was so much fun! :)
August 11, 2014
A fun, hilarious and entertaining romp through historical England. Don't read if you want something serious. This isn't it. Still it was delightful and funny. If you are in the mood for a few good laughs, then go for it.
September 9, 2013
This was one amazing book that made me laugh a lot. And that talks for itself about it.
It was a pure pleasure and enjoyment to read about Chloe and John and their relationship.
I really really liked this book. It was a long time since I last laughed so much.
It was a pure pleasure and enjoyment to read about Chloe and John and their relationship.
I really really liked this book. It was a long time since I last laughed so much.
May 4, 2015
Dara Joy used to be one of my favorite authors. As I re-read this book, I kept thinking who was the editor that let this pass? It is a blatant ripoff of "The Scarlet Pimpernel". I guess it is typical of when it was written.
January 8, 2021
Dnf... all of these author’s books sound so interesting but I’m just not vibe-big with her writing style. Too much telling. Telling me someone is handsome and experienced over and over doesn’t mean it’s true. Maybe you might like it better than I did.
May 9, 2019
I really enjoyed re-reading this historical romance novel. I haven’t read it in years, and I definitely can tell the difference in perspective as a more mature reader. This story is very simple and sweet story of a girl who fell in love with her best friend and protector. She develops a plan of action to get this notorious rake to realize she’s a grown woman and to fall in love with her. There are a few heart tugging moments and a great and satisfying ending.
June 18, 2023
Historical romance set in England during the French Revolution.
The sexual prowess of the hero was mentioned too many times for my taste, as well es the heroine‘s beauty.
The story had funny moments but was rather boring.
The sexual prowess of the hero was mentioned too many times for my taste, as well es the heroine‘s beauty.
The story had funny moments but was rather boring.
January 26, 2019
It was interesting at first.
And then it went downhill.
I can't stand the characters. I find myself annoyed with the other characters as well. I think I'm not into "forming a rake" trope.
And then it went downhill.
I can't stand the characters. I find myself annoyed with the other characters as well. I think I'm not into "forming a rake" trope.
March 24, 2020
Always a favorite!
This has always been a favored romance where love has always triumphed!! ❤️ I love the wittiness and the outcome of a plot well followed thru!
This has always been a favored romance where love has always triumphed!! ❤️ I love the wittiness and the outcome of a plot well followed thru!
April 26, 2021
pleasantly surprised by how funny and sweet this was
April 20, 2025
One of my most favorite English love stories now.
The setting was so soothing, love how the author set the tone.
In love with John’s character.
The setting was so soothing, love how the author set the tone.
In love with John’s character.
October 22, 2018
Some if the exclamations the Heroine would say were, "Zounds!", "mon dieu!", "merde!"; it was enough cheesy French phrases to make me cringe. And when she started yelling them during the sexy times, it was let-me-skim-and-be-done reading.
This story started out like a horse bolting the gate kind-of-way. Interesting background friendship between Hero and Heroine, lingering attraction that brings them back together, and a sneaky plan to manipulate the Hero to marriage. I thought I was onto a four star read which soon dropped to a three star read. Sadly, it plummeted to two stars by the middle of the book.
The Heroine got her Hero fairly quickly in the story which left the remainder of the book floundering for a purpose. The mystery of the Black Rose is boring. I cannot even say who it is because I skimmed that part.
Viscount Sexton may be a rake, a rogue, a libertine, and a scoundrel, but he seemed a bit daft to not realise he'd been lassoed by Chloe-cat, his feisty red-head scheming woman.
I won't be re-reading this book.
I also think it’s the most cringe-worthy cover I own on a historical romance book.
This story started out like a horse bolting the gate kind-of-way. Interesting background friendship between Hero and Heroine, lingering attraction that brings them back together, and a sneaky plan to manipulate the Hero to marriage. I thought I was onto a four star read which soon dropped to a three star read. Sadly, it plummeted to two stars by the middle of the book.
The Heroine got her Hero fairly quickly in the story which left the remainder of the book floundering for a purpose. The mystery of the Black Rose is boring. I cannot even say who it is because I skimmed that part.
Viscount Sexton may be a rake, a rogue, a libertine, and a scoundrel, but he seemed a bit daft to not realise he'd been lassoed by Chloe-cat, his feisty red-head scheming woman.
I won't be re-reading this book.
I also think it’s the most cringe-worthy cover I own on a historical romance book.
August 12, 2013
Where the f did this come from?
Great, sexy, witty read. I am an avid reader of historical romance, and I was dying for a good read with the right blend of sexiness, a vaguely tongue-in-cheek narrator, and witty repartee between the characters. This delivered. I just loved the H and h and their chemistry and ridiculous schemes to gain each other's love without realizing they are both in love already!
It took a long, long time for them to finally sort things out, which is probably the book's greatest flaw. It just got ridiculous and a little repetitive.. I also think the author could have held back a bit before throwing them into bed. A little more buildup always makes for a more satisfying climax:)
And I usually hate romances that center on the French Revolution, but this one was just sooo delightful. Their annoying friend (I can't remember his name! Percy?) who turned out to be the Scarlet Pimpernel-type hero completely stole the show. I can't wait for his own book!!!! And the German permanent houseguest with his crazy one liners was pitch perfect.
Great, sexy, witty read. I am an avid reader of historical romance, and I was dying for a good read with the right blend of sexiness, a vaguely tongue-in-cheek narrator, and witty repartee between the characters. This delivered. I just loved the H and h and their chemistry and ridiculous schemes to gain each other's love without realizing they are both in love already!
It took a long, long time for them to finally sort things out, which is probably the book's greatest flaw. It just got ridiculous and a little repetitive.. I also think the author could have held back a bit before throwing them into bed. A little more buildup always makes for a more satisfying climax:)
And I usually hate romances that center on the French Revolution, but this one was just sooo delightful. Their annoying friend (I can't remember his name! Percy?) who turned out to be the Scarlet Pimpernel-type hero completely stole the show. I can't wait for his own book!!!! And the German permanent houseguest with his crazy one liners was pitch perfect.
July 24, 2013
They called him "Lord of Sex." He was a rake, a rogue, a libertine and a scoundrel. With his wicked sense of humor, keen intelligence and charming ways, the Viscount Sexton was an expert in the art of seduction. But little did he know his days of debauchery were about to come to an end.
For Chloe—determined little Chloe—intended to have him for her very own. She wanted him forever, and now she'd just have to get the stubborn devil to realize that they belonged together. And the feisty redhead had the perfect plan to do it. For what could be better than beating Don Juan at this own seductive game?
For Chloe—determined little Chloe—intended to have him for her very own. She wanted him forever, and now she'd just have to get the stubborn devil to realize that they belonged together. And the feisty redhead had the perfect plan to do it. For what could be better than beating Don Juan at this own seductive game?
September 12, 2015
HORRIBLE COVER. The worst I have ever dared to touch despite the monstrosity.
Unedited. That can be the only explanation; no sane publisher would ever allow this cover, and it also explains grammar and spelling errors inside, some too basic that it's painful.
It started well, certainly caught my attention for a while but quickly lost it. Some scenes aren't bad, like the pendant scene, but overall everything felt like a filler or a very pointless getup for the romance. Pointless is how this story feels like.. there is nothing compelling readers to keep on reading, and the supposed mystery of the Black Rose and emigres are boring.
Unedited. That can be the only explanation; no sane publisher would ever allow this cover, and it also explains grammar and spelling errors inside, some too basic that it's painful.
It started well, certainly caught my attention for a while but quickly lost it. Some scenes aren't bad, like the pendant scene, but overall everything felt like a filler or a very pointless getup for the romance. Pointless is how this story feels like.. there is nothing compelling readers to keep on reading, and the supposed mystery of the Black Rose and emigres are boring.
October 10, 2012
If you are looking for sexy, raunchy, notorious, humour book than this is a must read book. The cover of this book is so sexy that sometimes people peek into it & I've to cover them with my hands usually when I'm travelling in train or bus. I really love the way dara represents "Penis" in various terms such as "Manhood" "Member" "Serpent" etc which I totally find funny. The sex scenes are totally sensous & I too will try that. Looking forward to read some more books of her.
February 7, 2012
now, i'm a huge fan of historical novels. this one just didn't have the usual catch to it. i also feel it's too long. seems to drag on unnecessarily. maybe if Dara Joy cut out about 100pgs it would be better. surprisingly i'm listening to another of her novels. it's better cause with someone narrating the story it's not as slow.
January 25, 2012
This was a very hilarious read! I instantly liked Chloe. Great secondary characters also. I read this back in the 90's but remember it being very steamy and outrageously funny. Now I will be looking for it in the mess of books I have in boxes......I know that I kept it. I will update this review as soon as I find the book and reread it to see if I still feel the same about it.
April 23, 2012
Good story with quirky characters, intriguing subplot and steamy love scenes takes place in the English countryside while the French Revolution rages on, many aristocrats face the guillotine and some are saved by the Black Rose (echoes of the Scarlet Pimpernel). I was entertained and look forward to reading more by this author.
June 17, 2009
it's been about 10 years, but I remember that the girl (chloe?) was immature and slightly annoying, and the guy was a "scoundrel :) "... you know, one of those romance characters who has a bad rep and considered wicked but it's socially acceptable wicked, and he's reformed by his wife, etc.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews