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Clemens Sisters #2
Mistress
She knew she was playing with fire…and was eager to burn.
The very thought of an innocent young woman—a teacher at a fusty finishing school—modeling for a series of titillating photographs to be sold at London’s bookstalls is scandalous. But orphaned Emily Clemens’s destitute circumstances have left her little choice. It is all part of her plan to capture the attention of some well-heeled roué who will then make her his pampered mistress. So the untouched beauty sheds her outer garments—and her inhibitions—to strike provocative poses before the lens of handsome photographer Eric Twyford.
But each seductive attitude she assumes is stoking a fire within that Emily never knew existed—and the heat is spurring her on to ever-greater heights of sensuous abandon. Still, the devilishly desirable Eric, a consummate professional, remains unmoved by her erotic display. If Emily cannot arouse a man in the flesh, what hope does she have as a black-and-white postcard?
She has already gone far beyond the boundaries of propriety. Now Emily’s brazenly determined to go even farther—to seduce Eric, letting him take her to intoxicating places she has never been. But once she has reached ecstasy, will she ever be able to leave?
The very thought of an innocent young woman—a teacher at a fusty finishing school—modeling for a series of titillating photographs to be sold at London’s bookstalls is scandalous. But orphaned Emily Clemens’s destitute circumstances have left her little choice. It is all part of her plan to capture the attention of some well-heeled roué who will then make her his pampered mistress. So the untouched beauty sheds her outer garments—and her inhibitions—to strike provocative poses before the lens of handsome photographer Eric Twyford.
But each seductive attitude she assumes is stoking a fire within that Emily never knew existed—and the heat is spurring her on to ever-greater heights of sensuous abandon. Still, the devilishly desirable Eric, a consummate professional, remains unmoved by her erotic display. If Emily cannot arouse a man in the flesh, what hope does she have as a black-and-white postcard?
She has already gone far beyond the boundaries of propriety. Now Emily’s brazenly determined to go even farther—to seduce Eric, letting him take her to intoxicating places she has never been. But once she has reached ecstasy, will she ever be able to leave?
266 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2008
11 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Leda Swann
27 books40 followersLeda Swann is the writing duet of Cathy and Brent. We write out of our home overlooking the sea in peaceful New Zealand. When not writing we have busy lives bringing up four children and enjoying an adventurous outdoor life that ranges from the mountains to the sea.
We often get asked how our name Leda Swann came about. When we decided to write an erotic romance together we wanted a sexy name. We discussed how the Greek gods made for themselves a pretty good time of things, so a name from Greek mythology would be good. In any case, the word erotic comes from the Greek 'erotikos' and 'eros', meaning sexual love. We just needed to find a name that was more or less easily pronounceable. The tale of Leda and the Swan came to mind, and so Leda Swann was born.
We often get asked how our name Leda Swann came about. When we decided to write an erotic romance together we wanted a sexy name. We discussed how the Greek gods made for themselves a pretty good time of things, so a name from Greek mythology would be good. In any case, the word erotic comes from the Greek 'erotikos' and 'eros', meaning sexual love. We just needed to find a name that was more or less easily pronounceable. The tale of Leda and the Swan came to mind, and so Leda Swann was born.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 30, 2015
Books like this affirm what I've suspected for some time -- i.e., what makes me swoon over a hero doesn't jive with romantica tropes. That said, vintage photography & 19th-c courtesans are two subjects that rarely fail to pique my interest. Surely the plot details would outweigh the rubbish, right?
Wrong.
Overall, this book was unspeakably dull. The first couple chapters weren't too bad -- but then the ginormous boners and/or damp ladybits were trotted out with alarming regularity. She wants him even though he's not rich. He wants her even though she's his model. SO EXCITING! Copious eyeballing of naughty parts, dry humping, wanking, & repetitive sexual encounters with equally repetitive descriptions of ragingly unsatisfied erections and/or skin-splattering orgasms had me nodding off by the halfway point. (Important life lesson: If I never again read the word pussy in reference to sex, it will be too soon.) The heroine's repeatedly checking for wet patches, a nefarious LOLzy villain, & some last-second blackmailing with 19th-c photoshop completed this scan-worthy experience.
And then there were scenes like this, wherein the hero pleasures himself in the bathtub:
He moved his attentions to the base of his shaft, away from the sensitive glans near the top. He could just picture her warm, tight pussy deeply engulfing him, riding him with little teasing movements of her hips while he played with her nipples, not too hard and not too soft. His hand returned to full, fast strokes. Then she would rise up, almost removing his slick cock from her cunt before once more burying him to the hilt, repeating the movement over and over, until he was ready to erupt.
...Which is bad enough. But then the author tops it with this gem:
With that final image, his orgasm became unstoppable. One last downward stroke and his hips thrust out of the water. With a rush, his cum spurted out in sticky lines across his chest and, so powerful and needed was his release, jetted over his head to the floor below.
Nope. Not happening. Such overdone blow-by-blow descriptions of cocks & Feelz do nothing for my hormones.
Wrong.
Overall, this book was unspeakably dull. The first couple chapters weren't too bad -- but then the ginormous boners and/or damp ladybits were trotted out with alarming regularity. She wants him even though he's not rich. He wants her even though she's his model. SO EXCITING! Copious eyeballing of naughty parts, dry humping, wanking, & repetitive sexual encounters with equally repetitive descriptions of ragingly unsatisfied erections and/or skin-splattering orgasms had me nodding off by the halfway point. (Important life lesson: If I never again read the word pussy in reference to sex, it will be too soon.) The heroine's repeatedly checking for wet patches, a nefarious LOLzy villain, & some last-second blackmailing with 19th-c photoshop completed this scan-worthy experience.
And then there were scenes like this, wherein the hero pleasures himself in the bathtub:
He moved his attentions to the base of his shaft, away from the sensitive glans near the top. He could just picture her warm, tight pussy deeply engulfing him, riding him with little teasing movements of her hips while he played with her nipples, not too hard and not too soft. His hand returned to full, fast strokes. Then she would rise up, almost removing his slick cock from her cunt before once more burying him to the hilt, repeating the movement over and over, until he was ready to erupt.
...Which is bad enough. But then the author tops it with this gem:
With that final image, his orgasm became unstoppable. One last downward stroke and his hips thrust out of the water. With a rush, his cum spurted out in sticky lines across his chest and, so powerful and needed was his release, jetted over his head to the floor below.
Nope. Not happening. Such overdone blow-by-blow descriptions of cocks & Feelz do nothing for my hormones.
November 18, 2022
The premise was interesting, but the execution fell flat. Em, the second Clemens sister, is now a teacher at a lady's finishing school. Her experience in the workhouse has made her conscious about money, and she wanted wealth above all else. She applied for a modelling job of a risque nature to attract the attention of a wealthy patron. Eric, the photographer, is an American who has dreams of making it big. They're two peas in a pod, so they should be able to hit it off. Unfortunately, Eric is as poor as a mouse, so he isn't eligible to be Em's keeper.
I didn't feel the connection to both characters, and I didn't feel their attraction towards each other. The inclusion of Mr Murdoch into the storyline in the final 30% was just terrible. . Em seemed to have lost her brain along the way.
The first half was kinda slow, and the final 30% was just excruciating. It took me a week to finish it. I read the first book, and I liked it. This one, unfortunately, fell short of expectations. The love scenes were meh. Explicit, but it felt clinical. The book didn't quite work as a romance, and it didn't quite work as an erotica. This was a dud for me.
I didn't feel the connection to both characters, and I didn't feel their attraction towards each other. The inclusion of Mr Murdoch into the storyline in the final 30% was just terrible. . Em seemed to have lost her brain along the way.
The first half was kinda slow, and the final 30% was just excruciating. It took me a week to finish it. I read the first book, and I liked it. This one, unfortunately, fell short of expectations. The love scenes were meh. Explicit, but it felt clinical. The book didn't quite work as a romance, and it didn't quite work as an erotica. This was a dud for me.
June 29, 2019
A decent historical erotica. I just wish there was more development between the two characters. This book was only about 200 pages so you have to make every moment count. I just felt that the author decided to add somethings this story didn't need. The moments between the main characters sizzled but there were large gaps where they didn't interact. Emily and Eric showed they could communicate well but then midway they just stopped. Finally, the Mr. Murdoch situation kind of killed the book for me. It was unnecessary and quite honestly made me dislike the heroine immensely for being so stupid. You can't tell me the Emily is so smart and then throw such obvious things at her about Mr. Murdoch and then have her go: everyone is just jealous he can't possibly be that way, or how weird he treats me like this after I agreed to marry him oh well.
It was pretty tame and the plot was meh.
It was pretty tame and the plot was meh.
November 27, 2011
Kitabı pekte sevemedim. Erkek karakter moronun teki ne kadar yakışıklı olsada. Kızımızın evlenmesine ise çok şaşırdım ve bu ayrıntı beni rahatsız etti.
Konumuz ise şöyle ilk kitapta babasının iflas yüzünden intihar etmesiyle kardeşlerini fakirler evinden kurtarmak için metreslik yapan Charlotte'i okumuştuk. Şimdide bir ufağı olan Emily öğretmenliğin para getirmediğini fark eder ve bir fotoğrafçının modeli olma teklifini kabul eder. Ama bu fotoğraflar toplumun onu dışlayacağı ve işinden olacağı türdendir ama bunu göze almaktadır. İyi bi yaşamı olabilmesi için bir adamın metresi olmaya bile razıdır. Ta ki Eric'i görene kadar.
Konumuz ise şöyle ilk kitapta babasının iflas yüzünden intihar etmesiyle kardeşlerini fakirler evinden kurtarmak için metreslik yapan Charlotte'i okumuştuk. Şimdide bir ufağı olan Emily öğretmenliğin para getirmediğini fark eder ve bir fotoğrafçının modeli olma teklifini kabul eder. Ama bu fotoğraflar toplumun onu dışlayacağı ve işinden olacağı türdendir ama bunu göze almaktadır. İyi bi yaşamı olabilmesi için bir adamın metresi olmaya bile razıdır. Ta ki Eric'i görene kadar.
May 1, 2019
2.5 stars.
This was alright; I don't know why I keep trying to read romance when it so rarely goes well. The premise sounds more interesting than it was (I'm really not a fan of "lack of communication" as a pivotal trope), the characters were mostly likable but not particularly engaging, and the sex scenes weren't especially hot either.
content warnings:
This was alright; I don't know why I keep trying to read romance when it so rarely goes well. The premise sounds more interesting than it was (I'm really not a fan of "lack of communication" as a pivotal trope), the characters were mostly likable but not particularly engaging, and the sex scenes weren't especially hot either.
content warnings:
August 2, 2019
What a Pleasure, and Sexy to.
I really enjoyed Eric & Emily's love story. I particularly loved this book because of the spectacular sizzling sex. This is the first time reading anything by this author, but it will not be the last. I love this kind of erotic love story. Keep em coming.
I really enjoyed Eric & Emily's love story. I particularly loved this book because of the spectacular sizzling sex. This is the first time reading anything by this author, but it will not be the last. I love this kind of erotic love story. Keep em coming.
June 10, 2018
Really enjoyed this book. The internal fear of rejection leading to the lack of communication between the two characters felt very real to me. Also the seduction and feelings of rejection seems real. The characters were well developed and each that full and complex lives.
March 30, 2018
Lol. This book was so dumb.
August 20, 2019
Honestly stopped reading this about a quarter of the way in. It was awful. I have read better erotica that uses the same language/verbiage. It read as tawdry and low brow.
November 6, 2021
Wow what a hot and steamy story. I loved how she took charge of things. ⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐
September 27, 2011
I loved this book because of the subject it deals with. Very rarely are we given a good girl willing to do bad things to make their situation. Usually, the heroine is a hard-working woman with strict morals. While Emily is a hard-working young woman, she is tired of working so hard and not getting anywhere. She is tired of being poor. Enter Eric, an equally hard-working American man who wants to be able to live his dream of being a photographer while still debtor’s prisoner.
In each other, they see a way to achieve their dreams and embark on a journey that doesn’t exactly turn out how they imagine. They didn’t dream of falling for each other.
The novel doesn’t show their lives in a glamorous way. In fact, it shows them how they really are as they struggle with their situations. What I loved the most was the development of their relationship. Romance novels where the couple is suddenly in love is annoying on so many levels. In Mistress, the reader watches them want each other and eventually fall for each other. Of course, there are many bumps along the way.
In each other, they see a way to achieve their dreams and embark on a journey that doesn’t exactly turn out how they imagine. They didn’t dream of falling for each other.
The novel doesn’t show their lives in a glamorous way. In fact, it shows them how they really are as they struggle with their situations. What I loved the most was the development of their relationship. Romance novels where the couple is suddenly in love is annoying on so many levels. In Mistress, the reader watches them want each other and eventually fall for each other. Of course, there are many bumps along the way.
April 4, 2011
Loved the setting and premise of this book - school teacher heroine desperately needs money to get a husband so poses for postcards for a photographer. As the pictures get increasingly risque, so does their relationship. Loved both characters, loved the sensuality and the writing. The info about the photography in the 1800s was well done, without the research banging me over the head as some other authors tend to do. My only beef was the heroine towards the end - such a wonderfully strong, smart female for her time, yet she tells herself that an autocratic asshole suitor would 'not be like that when they are married'. That was her TSTL moment but by that time I was desperate to see how the book would end so forged through. Suffice to say, it ended well :-)
July 16, 2010
ok there are quite some dirty thoughts in this book O_o I think the heroine is totally shallow (with her intention to be a mistress O_O I know, I know, people can choose whatever they want in life) and the hero is a total loser - in conclusion, they're perfect for each other. Emily's modeling days are good to read but after the wedding it turns out quite lolling and making you roll your eyes quite a lot @_@ the Murdoch twist was really unnecessary :\
November 13, 2010
Emily is a Victorian schoolteacher with no prospects who decides to pose for some 'naughty' postcards in order to attract a rich patron. But then she falls in love with her photographer although marries someone else in haste which she later regrets. True love prevails in the end and it all finishes happily. It's a sweet enough romance with a few tame erotic scenes. It's well written but not what I was looking for at this particular moment.
September 28, 2008
Although Emma is unbelievably impulsive (especially as regards Murdoch), the story is actually quite well done and an enjoyably steamy read. I had thought the "education" would be a bit more gradual and found the story a bit quick to "conclude", but I suppose that, given the genre, this was considered important. Good read.
July 28, 2015
http://www.unbrindelecture.com/2015/0...
Leda Swann a réussi son pari : elle subjugue le lecteur et le rend totalement accro aux personnages. Un roman qui se lit vite et qui nous laisse le sourire aux lèvres. Les différentes intrigues rajoutent du piquant à ce récit très bien écrit. A ne pas manquer !
Leda Swann a réussi son pari : elle subjugue le lecteur et le rend totalement accro aux personnages. Un roman qui se lit vite et qui nous laisse le sourire aux lèvres. Les différentes intrigues rajoutent du piquant à ce récit très bien écrit. A ne pas manquer !
May 29, 2009
I really enjoyed this book because along with being one of those scandalous "romance" novels almost everyone is embarassed to read it actually had a great storyline throughout the book. It also wasn't quite as predictable as most romance novels I've read have been.
November 15, 2012
Not the single greatest book I have ever read but it was a quick read. It was a watered down, long ago version of 50 shades. I felt it took too long to get to the action (as in the problem the character experiences, no pun intended) and then the action was over fairly quickly.
December 29, 2014
A quick and simple read to help get back into my serial reading. Raunchy and sometimes vulgar, but appropriate. The female protagonist's character was a breath of fresh air...sure of herself, knows what she thinks she wants in life and how to obtain it.
March 23, 2016
It shouldn't have taken me five days to read this drivel. Unfortunately I have a life. Needless to say, this book was predictable and I liked the main characters less and less with each passing chapter.
February 27, 2009
It was a fun read. Not as good as THE PRICE OF DESIRE...but I read it from beginning to end.
June 16, 2009
alright
February 20, 2010
Pretty provocative - if sexual encounters don't embarrass you then this is a decent book but predictable.
March 21, 2011
This was my first book by Leda Swann. I liked it okay.
July 16, 2011
A young woman decides to pose for naughty pictures and in the process falls for the photographer - takes place in 1900s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2012
Fanbloodytastic! I love this author, i love the fact they she is a Kiwi! Yay :) I was pulled in from the first page and was keep enthralled the entire way through.
April 4, 2012
I loved this book because of the heroine. She wasn't the typical naive heroine in a historical, and she was very likeable. Plus, the writing was certainly hot enough to make me read it twice.
February 25, 2014
Wow, was not what I was expecting!
October 4, 2023
Don't recommend
This book had almost the plot as the previous one. Couple falls in love with each other but doesn't tell the other.
This book had almost the plot as the previous one. Couple falls in love with each other but doesn't tell the other.
Read
February 6, 2010pet peeve- hero not attractive enough
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews