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The Slightest Provocation
Sensual historical romance from an award-winning author Mary Penley and Kit Stansell were secret friends who became adolescent lovers and eloped. But the marriage didn't survive. Now nine years later, Mary and Kit meet again, where intense desire leads them to rekindle their physical relationship. But Kit is devoted to maintaining social order, and once again finds himself at odds with Mary-a reformer who is appalled by the repressive government. When a political conspiracy forces them to work together, they have a second chance to reconcile their differences...and create a future together.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2006
7 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Pam Rosenthal
11 books48 followersA funny thing happened to San Francisco computer programmer and occasional essayist Pam Rosenthal: sometime in the late 1990s she became seized by an urge to write sexy period romance novels. She’d already published some erotica, buoyed by a wave of life-changing feminist discussion about what was possible, permissible, or just plain fun to say about female sexual desire. This led her to explore the history of sexual expression – and to think hard about what love has to do with sex and sex with love, and what sex and love have to do with freedom and respect between equals.
Or to put it another way, she’d begun taking on the big subjects at the heart of countless lives and also at the heart of romance fiction.
It was the experience of a lifetime, culminating in 2009 – which was when The Edge of Impropriety won Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Historical Romance. And also when Pam realized that she’d said all that she had to say, at least in novel form.
But happily, the books remain, while these days Pam works alongside Michael, her retired bookseller husband, at their copyediting business, P&M Editorial Services. P&M love editing romance (check out their website at pmeditorial.com) and recently they've begun lovingly reissuing selected, revised, and expanded versions of Pam’s romance fiction.
“Thank you for giving me so much to think about. Thank you for challenging me and for moving me. Thank you for having the courage to break so many conventions, to write something so complex and unique…” – DearAuthor.com, about The Slightest Provocation
Or to put it another way, she’d begun taking on the big subjects at the heart of countless lives and also at the heart of romance fiction.
It was the experience of a lifetime, culminating in 2009 – which was when The Edge of Impropriety won Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Historical Romance. And also when Pam realized that she’d said all that she had to say, at least in novel form.
But happily, the books remain, while these days Pam works alongside Michael, her retired bookseller husband, at their copyediting business, P&M Editorial Services. P&M love editing romance (check out their website at pmeditorial.com) and recently they've begun lovingly reissuing selected, revised, and expanded versions of Pam’s romance fiction.
You can write to Pam at pam@pamrosenthal.com
Visit Pam on the web at pamrosenthal.com, on Twitter @pamrosenthal, and on Facebook
Find out about P&M Editorial Services at pmeditorial.com
Or check out Pam’s erotica-writing alter ego Molly Weatherfield, at mollyweatherfield.com
“Thank you for giving me so much to think about. Thank you for challenging me and for moving me. Thank you for having the courage to break so many conventions, to write something so complex and unique…” – DearAuthor.com, about The Slightest Provocation
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 5, 2016
I have that tingly great book feeling. As I write this I can't help but smile and sigh, I'm positively preening with post-read satisfaction. Pam Rosenthal really is something. This should be read by everyone who has any affection for historical romance.
So, let's start with hero and heroine. And you can't really talk about their characters without explaining their love story because it's affected their development. They're the children of neighbouring landlords. They came of age together. They explored their sexuality together and in the throes of heady, optimistic, adolescent love they elope to Gretna. And for a year or so, it's great. Fantastic sex and lives without any real direction, save for the satisfaction of one another. But Rosenthal is nothing if not an adult romance writer and far from living HEA they end up hurting one another as they try and work out the muddle of being young and in love. They both cheat on the other and so begins a ten year separation in which their lives are largely shaped, particularly in the case of Kit by trying to hurt the other, best the other, or conceive of ways of getting one another back.
Kit turns into a government man, a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, then a spy of sorts and then a Home Office official in the repressive post-War government. He thinks himself on the side of right. Mary has gone the other way, and thrown her lot in with some radical thinkers.
They come back together and continue to combust in bed but reconciling their competing belief systems and forgiving one another for their youthful transgressions is a difficult and fascinating journey. PR weaves in the historical background beautifully (there's an afterword which explains the fact behind the fiction she's created) and with her masterful grasp of language and scene setting she brings these two back together. It's just brilliant to read.
And, as ever, there's a whole cast of secondary characters who are all engaging and interesting in their own ways and who get their own romances. They also serve to shed light on the main romance which is important in this genre.
This is a proper, grown up, expertly written novel and I enjoyed every minute of it.
So, let's start with hero and heroine. And you can't really talk about their characters without explaining their love story because it's affected their development. They're the children of neighbouring landlords. They came of age together. They explored their sexuality together and in the throes of heady, optimistic, adolescent love they elope to Gretna. And for a year or so, it's great. Fantastic sex and lives without any real direction, save for the satisfaction of one another. But Rosenthal is nothing if not an adult romance writer and far from living HEA they end up hurting one another as they try and work out the muddle of being young and in love. They both cheat on the other and so begins a ten year separation in which their lives are largely shaped, particularly in the case of Kit by trying to hurt the other, best the other, or conceive of ways of getting one another back.
Kit turns into a government man, a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, then a spy of sorts and then a Home Office official in the repressive post-War government. He thinks himself on the side of right. Mary has gone the other way, and thrown her lot in with some radical thinkers.
They come back together and continue to combust in bed but reconciling their competing belief systems and forgiving one another for their youthful transgressions is a difficult and fascinating journey. PR weaves in the historical background beautifully (there's an afterword which explains the fact behind the fiction she's created) and with her masterful grasp of language and scene setting she brings these two back together. It's just brilliant to read.
And, as ever, there's a whole cast of secondary characters who are all engaging and interesting in their own ways and who get their own romances. They also serve to shed light on the main romance which is important in this genre.
This is a proper, grown up, expertly written novel and I enjoyed every minute of it.
March 22, 2016
This is certainly romance for readers who usually prefer literary fiction. Romance addicts however will I think find that all of Rosenthal's contributions, this not least, both fulfill and transcend their genre. With her you get to have your cake, to eat it, and to burn off all the calories with a course of moderately intense intellectual and aesthetic exercise.
Although all that readers usually need from this form is amply supplied - wrenching conflicts and swoony fusions, a hero and heroine made for each other but held apart by credible psychological, social and circumstantial obstacles, peril, longing, erotic discovery, the ecstatic HEA -- Rosenthal's work also exhibits some features typical of literary novels but infrequently found in genre romance. Her (approximately) "Regency" historical romances are unusual in the genre for their (relatively) unvarnished depiction of the period and its inequalities, violence and physical hardships. Themes are developed in a symbolic dimension, though not so substantially as to distract from the dominant obligations to storytelling. Her secondary but richly drawn labouring class characters affectingly limn the reality of ordinary lives that cannot be fully presented without fatally overshadowing the core romance.
In an interview, Rosenthal once said:
The men’s coats, the tight pants, the boots. Georgian architecture. Adam rooms. Wedgewood. I think of all that poise and balance as coiled-up energy waiting to burst forth as the industrial revolution and the nineteenth century British Empire....There are ways in which I don’t like the Regency at all, for its snobbery and political reaction. Which is also a good reason to write about a period -- a love-hate relationship can be an extremely productive and interesting one.
The Slightest Provocation involves the lovers in the Pentrich uprising, an early 19th century rural revolt, allowing Rosenthal to layer atop the standard generic use of the era as fantasy scenery a critique of its real social relations from an openly progressive point of view. "A wonderful, challenging, envelope-pushing, smart and astonishing book", according to one of the leading Romance Review weblogs, the novel discovered the potential for serious social critique in what is often seen as the most escapist of popular fiction forms, the wish-fulfilling love story, developing an extended analogy between the political dilemma of liberty vs. security as it was felt in the period (echoed in ours) and the delicate tensions and interdependence of freedom and responsibility, self-will and restraint, in the erotic and emotional experience of the lovers. A writer of BDSM erotica as well (under the pseudonym Molly Weatherfield), Rosenthal is an adept at plumbing the wells of political and psychological import in the sensual battles she depicts with celebrated skill. It's common to call books "sexy and smart" but in this case, the reader will really find it both, almost a treatise on the seductive arts delivered by luxurious illustration.
Although all that readers usually need from this form is amply supplied - wrenching conflicts and swoony fusions, a hero and heroine made for each other but held apart by credible psychological, social and circumstantial obstacles, peril, longing, erotic discovery, the ecstatic HEA -- Rosenthal's work also exhibits some features typical of literary novels but infrequently found in genre romance. Her (approximately) "Regency" historical romances are unusual in the genre for their (relatively) unvarnished depiction of the period and its inequalities, violence and physical hardships. Themes are developed in a symbolic dimension, though not so substantially as to distract from the dominant obligations to storytelling. Her secondary but richly drawn labouring class characters affectingly limn the reality of ordinary lives that cannot be fully presented without fatally overshadowing the core romance.
In an interview, Rosenthal once said:
The men’s coats, the tight pants, the boots. Georgian architecture. Adam rooms. Wedgewood. I think of all that poise and balance as coiled-up energy waiting to burst forth as the industrial revolution and the nineteenth century British Empire....There are ways in which I don’t like the Regency at all, for its snobbery and political reaction. Which is also a good reason to write about a period -- a love-hate relationship can be an extremely productive and interesting one.
The Slightest Provocation involves the lovers in the Pentrich uprising, an early 19th century rural revolt, allowing Rosenthal to layer atop the standard generic use of the era as fantasy scenery a critique of its real social relations from an openly progressive point of view. "A wonderful, challenging, envelope-pushing, smart and astonishing book", according to one of the leading Romance Review weblogs, the novel discovered the potential for serious social critique in what is often seen as the most escapist of popular fiction forms, the wish-fulfilling love story, developing an extended analogy between the political dilemma of liberty vs. security as it was felt in the period (echoed in ours) and the delicate tensions and interdependence of freedom and responsibility, self-will and restraint, in the erotic and emotional experience of the lovers. A writer of BDSM erotica as well (under the pseudonym Molly Weatherfield), Rosenthal is an adept at plumbing the wells of political and psychological import in the sensual battles she depicts with celebrated skill. It's common to call books "sexy and smart" but in this case, the reader will really find it both, almost a treatise on the seductive arts delivered by luxurious illustration.
June 20, 2009
Due to a hand injury, I cannot write all of the marvelous things I could say about this book. It seriously had me on the edge of my seat for the entire journey! The hero and heroine are haunted by their younger selves (who among us is not?) and sizzle with a sexual energy that leaps out at you from the pages.
I will honestly say I cannot wait to read another Rosenthal.. and may be making a trip to the bookstore to shorten that wait significantly.
I will honestly say I cannot wait to read another Rosenthal.. and may be making a trip to the bookstore to shorten that wait significantly.
October 25, 2022
This is pretty much Regency-era Hepburn and Tracy, where love is shown by breaking things and storming, and the more hotheaded the tempers the truer and deeper the love. Kudos to Rosenthal for writing so quickly to the heart of the matter, where it’s not overblown drama, or spoiled, impetuous, childlike behavior, but two reasonable adults who know very well that the fact they’re antagonists means they’re made for each other. It’s a difficult dynamic to pull off, and I think it’s even more difficult in books than in movies, where physical chemistry can at least saturate the screen.
I’m liking these stories where the marriage is already in place and it’s just a matter of growing older and wiser. The reveal in the epilogue is sweet, simple, perfect.
I’m liking these stories where the marriage is already in place and it’s just a matter of growing older and wiser. The reveal in the epilogue is sweet, simple, perfect.
April 20, 2010
This is the story of Mary Penley and Kit Stansell. The daughter of a brewer and the (illegitimate) son of a duchess whose parents hated each other, they fell in love and decided to elope together but their marriage didn't last long with both committing adultery. When the story opens they have been estranged for a number of years and meeting in Paris they decide that the best thing is to start divorce proceedings. They both travel to England and they meet again at the village where they grew up. Mary is visiting her family and Kit investigating a political conspiracy. They soon find that they can't keep their hands off each other...
My main problem with the story was Rosenthal's writing style. There were many points of view, many flashbacks and that made me feel very distant from the characters and if I can't care about them I have a hard time wanting to know about them. That's the reason why I felt that maybe I should have left it DNF. Most people seem to have loved it and felt that this was a rich story but my lack of interest in it just made it a chore to reach the end. I couldn't see why Kit and Mary were so in love, or why they couldn't stop meeting when they seemed to have very different ways of thinking. Maybe I should tackle it some other time when I can concentrate more... or maybe I should go read something else...
Grade: 2/5
My main problem with the story was Rosenthal's writing style. There were many points of view, many flashbacks and that made me feel very distant from the characters and if I can't care about them I have a hard time wanting to know about them. That's the reason why I felt that maybe I should have left it DNF. Most people seem to have loved it and felt that this was a rich story but my lack of interest in it just made it a chore to reach the end. I couldn't see why Kit and Mary were so in love, or why they couldn't stop meeting when they seemed to have very different ways of thinking. Maybe I should tackle it some other time when I can concentrate more... or maybe I should go read something else...
Grade: 2/5
January 10, 2011
Rosenthal is one of my new favorite historical romance authors. She seems to get low marks, star-wise, here on Goodreads for being too difficult -- too many flashbacks, point of view switches, too much historical background, etc. But this is what draws me to her books, as well as her depiction of flawed but deeply human characters. THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION is the portrait of an estranged couple, and the reasons for their estrangement, as well as the ties that still bind them together, are depicted with nuance and believability. A book for intellectually-inclined romance readers...
August 2, 2021
4/4.5 stars.
The relationship between our main couple, Mary Artemis(what a NAME<3) and Kit, is explored beautifully, and Rosenthal is such a skilled author that she doesn’t even need to rely on lengthy flashbacks to give us a sense of how long these two people have loved each other. The in medias res beginning of the book and their first ‘meeting’ at Calais are particularly well written.
I usually feel very strongly about cheating husbands reconciling with their wives (ie. I steer clear of such narratives), but in this particular case not only I understood the psychology behind Kit’s betrayal, but actively wanted this couple to get together. Both husband and wife were little more than kids themselves when they eloped and lived very adventurous lives in London, so I’m not surprised that they mucked up their marriage within a year.
The two of them made a lot of growing up in the intervening 9 years of separation and their reconciliation was both emotional and melancholy. Unlike with other romances, I could see these two building a fulfilling, politically engaged, life together by the end of the book. My one criticism is that I wish Rosenthal had lingered more on their respective feelings for one another at the end of the book: drawn out love confessions make me cringe, but in this case I would’ve liked the two of them to say the three magic words on page. Still, the ‘renewed’ vows and Mary calling him the love of her life during the tavern brawl were very touching moments. Other strong suits of this book are its shining portrayal of the regency period, not limited to its fashion trends, and the hints at world politics outside the UK.
The relationship between our main couple, Mary Artemis(what a NAME<3) and Kit, is explored beautifully, and Rosenthal is such a skilled author that she doesn’t even need to rely on lengthy flashbacks to give us a sense of how long these two people have loved each other. The in medias res beginning of the book and their first ‘meeting’ at Calais are particularly well written.
I usually feel very strongly about cheating husbands reconciling with their wives (ie. I steer clear of such narratives), but in this particular case not only I understood the psychology behind Kit’s betrayal, but actively wanted this couple to get together. Both husband and wife were little more than kids themselves when they eloped and lived very adventurous lives in London, so I’m not surprised that they mucked up their marriage within a year.
The two of them made a lot of growing up in the intervening 9 years of separation and their reconciliation was both emotional and melancholy. Unlike with other romances, I could see these two building a fulfilling, politically engaged, life together by the end of the book. My one criticism is that I wish Rosenthal had lingered more on their respective feelings for one another at the end of the book: drawn out love confessions make me cringe, but in this case I would’ve liked the two of them to say the three magic words on page. Still, the ‘renewed’ vows and Mary calling him the love of her life during the tavern brawl were very touching moments. Other strong suits of this book are its shining portrayal of the regency period, not limited to its fashion trends, and the hints at world politics outside the UK.
September 14, 2010
Just couldn't get interested in this book. Never finished reading it.
April 7, 2015
Much about nothing... Extremely disappointing. Very boring plot and dialogues.
October 8, 2023
I'm befuddled by the low ratings! Well, that's not entirely true - the cheating MCs and their messy relationship with one another is probably why people hate this book, (I loved that about this book!). Similarly to Sherry Thomas's Not Quite a Husband, there are multiple timelines and the mistakes made in the past were those of young adults who fall in love hard yet stumble and don't have the tools developed to communicate with one another. However, the way we time-jump is different from ST - often these parts are set off with italics or are part of a stream-of-conscious memory a character has in the present time. So those stylistic choices may be difficult to follow at first.
This was my first romance by Pam Rosenthal and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is lovely and often very sexy. There were some passages where I had to reread to make sure I was following whose POV I was in, since we do some head-hopping. There are a few love stories being told along with our MCs (one that had me choking up at work!). I do think some of the political backdrop was a bit flimsy and at times confusing - but whatever I enjoyed myself. I am excited to explore her backlist!
This was my first romance by Pam Rosenthal and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is lovely and often very sexy. There were some passages where I had to reread to make sure I was following whose POV I was in, since we do some head-hopping. There are a few love stories being told along with our MCs (one that had me choking up at work!). I do think some of the political backdrop was a bit flimsy and at times confusing - but whatever I enjoyed myself. I am excited to explore her backlist!
May 14, 2018
I love stories about women disguised as men.
What I want from them are to see all of the fun the woman gets up to in her disguise and how it frees her from her usual role. Instead, I got a romance where the heroine falls in love and immediately loses interest in her fuckbuddy. (Oh please! The choice to have a fuckbuddy was half of what made her interesting!)
I also want to see the male love interest grappling with his identity. Instead, he finds out instantly. This author, like most who attempt and botch the trope, is terrified of the specter of male bisexuality.
As soon as it turned into alpha male/shrinking violet and completely ruined the central trope, I put the book down and have never gone back.
What I want from them are to see all of the fun the woman gets up to in her disguise and how it frees her from her usual role. Instead, I got a romance where the heroine falls in love and immediately loses interest in her fuckbuddy. (Oh please! The choice to have a fuckbuddy was half of what made her interesting!)
I also want to see the male love interest grappling with his identity. Instead, he finds out instantly. This author, like most who attempt and botch the trope, is terrified of the specter of male bisexuality.
As soon as it turned into alpha male/shrinking violet and completely ruined the central trope, I put the book down and have never gone back.
February 25, 2019
Best way to describe this book, meh. It has terrible plotting, takes over 200 pages to get to any excitement, the first 150 pages are just bits of back story, some dialogue and lots of erotica.
The two main characters, Kit and Mary and twats. They spend 7 years apart and in the span of two weeks fall back in love and decide to work on being married and not get a divorce. oh brother. By the and I was reading to finish this book.
I would only recommend for those ladies who like romance with erotica.
The two main characters, Kit and Mary and twats. They spend 7 years apart and in the span of two weeks fall back in love and decide to work on being married and not get a divorce. oh brother. By the and I was reading to finish this book.
I would only recommend for those ladies who like romance with erotica.
November 21, 2019
Romance between two people who are already married, but have been separated for nine years. They've both grown up enough in the meantime to be able to make a good marriage, but they haven't resolved the quarrels that drove them apart when they were young. Also, they find themselves on opposite sides of a puzzling and dangerous political problem. The sex is still great, but they're going to have to listen and show respect to each other to get to their Happily Ever After.
October 21, 2011
Somewhat atypical, and therefore interesting, but I still didn't find it satisfying. This book considers itself an 'intelligent' romance novel, but it's placed in a somewhat uncomfortable position between Austen and erotica when it would have been better to choose one the other. The intelligence shows in the novel's atypical nature, but the prose and the characters would do well to be quite a bit more clever. The sexuality is frank and slightly edgy, but the best of sensualism takes place in the opening chapters, particularly in the descriptions of food.
Quotes pulled from ISBN 0451219473, p.27.
The food and wine's taste, texture, and perfume melded perfectly, sliding past her tongue and down her throat. She paused to watch him bring his fork to his lips again; he'd moved closer to the table now and she could see, rather than guess, that he was looking into her eyes.This book was republished 4 years after its release with a more traditional lurid romance cover. I like the original cover better. The posture of the model, the smile, the cut of the dress all paired so very well with the title flowing in dainty pink script. You just know the model is poised to skewer whoever was stupid enough to annoy her, and will do so in the most cutting, cold, and strictly polite fashion possible. This cover impression is what lead me to make considerable effort to track the book down. This cover impression, sadly, is the best part this novel.
She felt herself tempted to eat more and more slowly. To flirt with downcast eyelashes from behind a napkin pressed to her lips, as though from behind a painted fan in a box at the opera. And then, almost as an afterthought, to bring another bite to her mouth, sucking sweetness from the apples and raisins, sinking her teeth in to buttery crust, licking up any unctuous morsel of cream that might have stuck to her lips.
At any rate, they'd be here all night.
Quotes pulled from ISBN 0451219473, p.27.
June 8, 2012
I found a signed copy of this at Goodwill, and since I'm sucker for historical fiction, and particularly historically based romance stories, I snatched it right up. This story is about an estranged husband and wife who reunite after years apart and reconcile their differences. While it could have been a great story, I was really disappointed in this book.
The narrative style of this book was vague and rather odd. There were ongoing indeterminate pronouns being used and the POV would randomly switch to a very minor character who was then never mentioned again. For example, the preface to this book is told from Kit's mother's point of view, and she never really appears again following that scene.
I also felt like the sex scenes were too graphic - Rosenthal even goes so far as to describe the smell of well-used sheets and the feel of you-know-what hair pressed against Mary's lips. Way too much for me. Really disgusting, honestly. I almost stopped reading this book several times, and as I write this review, I'm still not sure why I didn't just go ahead and do so.
Despite the lovely cover image and the signed copy I have, I can't say much else positive about this book.
The narrative style of this book was vague and rather odd. There were ongoing indeterminate pronouns being used and the POV would randomly switch to a very minor character who was then never mentioned again. For example, the preface to this book is told from Kit's mother's point of view, and she never really appears again following that scene.
I also felt like the sex scenes were too graphic - Rosenthal even goes so far as to describe the smell of well-used sheets and the feel of you-know-what hair pressed against Mary's lips. Way too much for me. Really disgusting, honestly. I almost stopped reading this book several times, and as I write this review, I'm still not sure why I didn't just go ahead and do so.
Despite the lovely cover image and the signed copy I have, I can't say much else positive about this book.
June 21, 2010
I didnt like this book as well as "The Edge of Impropriety" but it was good. I would have given it a 3.5 given the choice of half stars..
I just didnt connect with the characters as well as I did in other book.
Sex scense were not as good. I like the character of Peggy(?) the maid the 2 stupid cousins just grated.
The only chapters I had trouble with in each book was the into. Sometimes I just dont connect to how its written.
I read alot of books (runs the spectrum from Romance to Mystery to SciFi) and this one was just OK. I do want to read Rosenthal's new book. I always give authors a couple of chances if I like the first book and dont like the next. Since I love "The Edge of Impropriety" , I will read the next one.
I just didnt connect with the characters as well as I did in other book.
Sex scense were not as good. I like the character of Peggy(?) the maid the 2 stupid cousins just grated.
The only chapters I had trouble with in each book was the into. Sometimes I just dont connect to how its written.
I read alot of books (runs the spectrum from Romance to Mystery to SciFi) and this one was just OK. I do want to read Rosenthal's new book. I always give authors a couple of chances if I like the first book and dont like the next. Since I love "The Edge of Impropriety" , I will read the next one.
February 5, 2015
Loved it! A husband and wife whose youthful romance fizzled out, reunite as mature adults and find that passion can improve with age. SPOILER-Y QUESTION: Is Pam Rosenthal the first author of a sexy historical romance to take on the Great Taboo that is normal among men entering middle age but virtually unheard-of in romance novels? Or have I missed one? (There is a frustrated love scene in which he, um, has difficulty performing, believe it or not, like an actual human male. Not to worry; as in real life, the episode causes him some embarrassment but they get past it and have plenty of erotic sex scenes.) Kudos for the courage to introduce a dose of reality and demonstrate that a couple's sexual chemistry doesn't rely on perfection.
May 23, 2012
This book didn't thrill me as did "The Edge of Impropriety". It was a good, solid book. I liked Mary and Kit very much, and I was glad to see their growth from their first year of marriage to nine years later. The author did a very good job of allowing them to find one another again - to find more than just passion and excitement, but to find reality and warmth and real love.
I'd never known the history of the government trying to stir up rebels amongst the under classes. It was quite an eye-opening!
But the childish crush stuff with Fannie and Betts/Elizabeth... it made sense and then again, it didn't.
Regardless, it was a good book.
I'd never known the history of the government trying to stir up rebels amongst the under classes. It was quite an eye-opening!
But the childish crush stuff with Fannie and Betts/Elizabeth... it made sense and then again, it didn't.
Regardless, it was a good book.
February 22, 2009
The hero and heroine, as well as the wonderful secondary characters, are written well with unexpected depth. The story is clever but gets caught up by too many love scenes (is that possible in a romance book?). Rosenthal's almost stream of conciousness prose is a little more literary than you tend to find in romance books. The setting is also grittier which makes the historical aspects seem more accurate for that time period following the defeat of Napoleon.
March 25, 2012
I really loved this book, which is not your typical Regency-era romance, despite the mass-market paperback edition that is meant to make you think so. This is a smart, very adult story of a married couple who separate due to irreconcilable differences. They still love each other, but are too prideful to admit it. Not for everyone, and not for those times when you're looking for something fluffy.
August 15, 2014
I really liked Pamela Rosenthal's other books, but this one just didn't work well for me. There was way too much complicated history and too many characters to keep track of. The relationship between Mary and Kit was very complex and confusing. I was never sure how much they really cared for each other. The worst criticism -- it took forever to finish the book!
dnf
September 15, 2013 I so rarely give up on books and I have a high tolerance for really crappy romance novels, but this one I just couldn't put myself through farther than about 30 pages. I'm all for not painting romance with a too rosy brush and then there's, "I dislike every character in here. I hope they all die alone." Couldn't do it.
March 14, 2016
I don't normally seek out second chance romances, as they are rather too bittersweet to be my preferred form of escapism. But this had so many things I like: politics, intrigue, class difference, maturity, genuine sexual chemistry. But perhaps the most touching part of the book was the epilogue's last sentences.
December 1, 2022
This book was perfect. Literally, utterly perfect. It hit every sweet spot for me. Estranged married couple, check. Deep emotion, check. Gorgeously rendered world-building, check. Humor, lightness, darkness, depth. I think this might be the best romance novel I’ve ever read. I want to just marinate in it for awhile. Wow. Wow.
May 23, 2010
reread. Rosenthal's edgy sexy books are worth a reread, and this book has a hero and heroine 10 years after a spectacular breakup find their way back together.
Some more honest and less classist look at the politics of the time are also a welcome change.
Some more honest and less classist look at the politics of the time are also a welcome change.
September 10, 2015
So-so historical romance set in regency times of estranged married couple that find their way back to each other. Somewhat scattered and dull and fell a bit flat in emotion.
http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2010/12/s...
http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2010/12/s...
September 10, 2010
I highly recommend Pam Rosenthal for smart-but-smutty Regency romance. Her writing is really quite beautiful, and Kit and Mary in this one were to me the most relatable romance couple I've ever read.
January 14, 2012
Yes! Another intelligent, provocative erotic historical romance from one of my favorite authors. This takes Regency for a political spin that ought to resonate with anyone who lived through the last ten years in America.
January 30, 2012
I think I actually lost the will to live whilst trying to read this book. Overhyped, and overdone. Not for me thanks. Sorry.
My full review can be found here.
My full review can be found here.
July 18, 2013
So besides the literary nature of the writing and the sex, it was totally unconventional and, dare I say it, disgraceful setup that made me fall in love with it. You just don't DO things like that in romance, and...this author did.
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