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The Regency Rags to Riches #2
Devil's Bargain
A penniless relation, thanks to the sudden death of her father, Lynette resigns to the inevitable: selling herself into marriage.
But to whom?
Viscount Marlock—a carnal, unrepentant, dark-devil of a man—has offered to arrange a profitable match.
But for a price.
The Viscount commits to teach her all she must know about ensnaring a man—using touch and tongue—opening her to the pleasures of the flesh. In turn, she must obey without question, trusting his whispered promises.
But who will be caught, and who will be saved?
But to whom?
Viscount Marlock—a carnal, unrepentant, dark-devil of a man—has offered to arrange a profitable match.
But for a price.
The Viscount commits to teach her all she must know about ensnaring a man—using touch and tongue—opening her to the pleasures of the flesh. In turn, she must obey without question, trusting his whispered promises.
But who will be caught, and who will be saved?
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2004
73 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
About the author
Jade Lee
100 books2,967 followersLibrarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Kathy Lyons.
A USA Today Bestseller, JADE LEE has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. An author of more than 40 romance novels and winner of dozens of industry awards, her latest series is RAKES AND ROGUES. The first one, 50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE, is an awesome tale of love and laughter.
And don’t forget Kathy Lyons.. She’s Jade’s paranormal half. Check out her new shifter series GRIZZLIES GONE WILD.
To find all the latest news on Jade or Kathy, visit them at www.jadeleeauthor.com or www.kathylyons.com! And find out where you can meet her at: http://jadeleeauthor.com/appearances
A USA Today Bestseller, JADE LEE has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. An author of more than 40 romance novels and winner of dozens of industry awards, her latest series is RAKES AND ROGUES. The first one, 50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE, is an awesome tale of love and laughter.
And don’t forget Kathy Lyons.. She’s Jade’s paranormal half. Check out her new shifter series GRIZZLIES GONE WILD.
To find all the latest news on Jade or Kathy, visit them at www.jadeleeauthor.com or www.kathylyons.com! And find out where you can meet her at: http://jadeleeauthor.com/appearances
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 19, 2012
A Difficult Tale But The Ending Made Up For It.
This was a difficult book to review. So you’ll understand my comments, you need to know that I am a lover of historical romance, especially the deep “keeper” stories. I had just finished reading one of those (SEPTEMBER MOON by Candice Proctor) when a friend recommended DEVIL’S BARGAIN as having great sexual tension. Well….
To begin with, I was a bit put off by the premise of the story: impoverished parson’s daughter, trying to help her siblings, decides she needs a rich husband and makes a “devil’s bargain” with an indebted, degenerate viscount who turns innocent young women into courtesans to marry them off to wealthy old men for profit. It seemed contrived and not very historical. What of honor? Ah well…you can read Candice Proctor for the honorable heroes. But I also did not find it very alluring from a sexual point of view. To be fair, however, it is well written and Lee gives you a feel for what, one assumes, is the Regency period.
Our heroine, Lynette Jameson is a thinking female determined to stick with her bargain, especially since it is abundantly clear she is now quite ruined and has few options. Adrian, Viscount Marlock is a dark, jaded creature, indifferent to his vice if not the comely Lynette. Having led six other young women down this path, he’s, ho hum, ready for another.
I’m sure some readers love this kind of “historical” romance (Lee sells a lot of books), but it’s not the kind of historical I love to read. Most of it took place in a single rundown estate. There were four main characters. It was well over half way through the book when Lynette thought she might be attracted to the Viscount. And that after his aunt told her “all the girls” fall in love with him. His role was that of a pimp…oh the girls might be sold as verifiably pure, but they were sold nonetheless. And the sexual tension? Well, the book I just finished, SEPTEMBER MOON, had a better sexual tension in my opinion. Here the sexual tension didn’t pick up until the last half of the book.
Having said all that, I must say that the last third--maybe the last fourth--of the book was masterful. Lee brought the human dilemma to the foreground and shed light on the ghosts that haunted Lynette and Adrian. So you see my quandary. I give the first half of the book 3 stars and the last third 5 stars—hence the rating I came to.
This was a difficult book to review. So you’ll understand my comments, you need to know that I am a lover of historical romance, especially the deep “keeper” stories. I had just finished reading one of those (SEPTEMBER MOON by Candice Proctor) when a friend recommended DEVIL’S BARGAIN as having great sexual tension. Well….
To begin with, I was a bit put off by the premise of the story: impoverished parson’s daughter, trying to help her siblings, decides she needs a rich husband and makes a “devil’s bargain” with an indebted, degenerate viscount who turns innocent young women into courtesans to marry them off to wealthy old men for profit. It seemed contrived and not very historical. What of honor? Ah well…you can read Candice Proctor for the honorable heroes. But I also did not find it very alluring from a sexual point of view. To be fair, however, it is well written and Lee gives you a feel for what, one assumes, is the Regency period.
Our heroine, Lynette Jameson is a thinking female determined to stick with her bargain, especially since it is abundantly clear she is now quite ruined and has few options. Adrian, Viscount Marlock is a dark, jaded creature, indifferent to his vice if not the comely Lynette. Having led six other young women down this path, he’s, ho hum, ready for another.
I’m sure some readers love this kind of “historical” romance (Lee sells a lot of books), but it’s not the kind of historical I love to read. Most of it took place in a single rundown estate. There were four main characters. It was well over half way through the book when Lynette thought she might be attracted to the Viscount. And that after his aunt told her “all the girls” fall in love with him. His role was that of a pimp…oh the girls might be sold as verifiably pure, but they were sold nonetheless. And the sexual tension? Well, the book I just finished, SEPTEMBER MOON, had a better sexual tension in my opinion. Here the sexual tension didn’t pick up until the last half of the book.
Having said all that, I must say that the last third--maybe the last fourth--of the book was masterful. Lee brought the human dilemma to the foreground and shed light on the ghosts that haunted Lynette and Adrian. So you see my quandary. I give the first half of the book 3 stars and the last third 5 stars—hence the rating I came to.
September 3, 2010
I really really liked this book! It was set in the same Regency type period as a ton of other historical romances, but instead of the uptight, prim and proper side, this book shows the darker side. The sensuality was steamy, and I loved the main guy, for all his flawed sexiness. The scene where he takes her to show her what it is a husband will want was HOT... man I was wanting it to be me, instead of her :) A great little surprise from a book I picked up on a whim.
May 5, 2016
Es el primer libro que leo de esta autora y creo que no voy a leer mas de ella porque es aburrido y lento.La sipnosis prometia un buen libro pero se queda en nada, los dialogos sosos ,las situaciones muchas veces absurdas y los personajes no atraen nada, mas bien repelen y dejan indiferente (ella en el papel de sanadora y pura y el de pobre victima de las situaciones )y que decir del final, mejor que hubiera acabado mal por lo menos hubiera tenido sentido el libro. Lo dicho un horrorrrrrr!!!!
July 2, 2008
I love this book and wish Jade Lee would write more like these. Very steamy, love the characters and the smut.
re-read June/2008
re-read June/2008
June 27, 2014
I really loved the characters in this work. It offers a unique perspective on marriage in Victorian England while maintaining Jade Lee's signature erotic power. One of my favorite books.
September 12, 2017
Me gustó. Es duro, a la vez un poco fantasioso e inverosimil.
Pero estaba un poco harta de historias almibaradas.
También es para pensar acerca de las decisiones que tomamos en la vida.
Y el eterno dilema: amor vs sexo, sexo vs amor.
Final también inverosímil
Pero estaba un poco harta de historias almibaradas.
También es para pensar acerca de las decisiones que tomamos en la vida.
Y el eterno dilema: amor vs sexo, sexo vs amor.
Final también inverosímil
February 24, 2014
Lynette has been left poor and responsible for two siblings on the death of her father, a minister. She takes the decision, on the prompting of a neighbour, to sell herself into marriage with a rich, old man - any rich old man. To this end she goes to people who will prepare her for this life: a viscount and his aunt, the Baroness.
At first the viscount seems remote and threatening, profiting from the desperate girls who seek his help. Gradually though as the book progresses we understand more of him and his predicament, and we come to see he is tied into the situation just as Lynette is.
Not an easy book to read in parts; and in spite of not much actual sex, it's quite sensual, not for those who are sensitive to that sort of thing.
At first the viscount seems remote and threatening, profiting from the desperate girls who seek his help. Gradually though as the book progresses we understand more of him and his predicament, and we come to see he is tied into the situation just as Lynette is.
Not an easy book to read in parts; and in spite of not much actual sex, it's quite sensual, not for those who are sensitive to that sort of thing.
November 24, 2015
Me gustó.
Una novela romántica con un toque de erotismo bien logrado. Cuando menos es más.
Una historia atípica, donde solo parece primar el interés económico, y por alcanzar ese fin no importa como se llegue. Orgullos y vergüenzas deben dejarse de lado, lo importante es tratar de lograr un buen matrimonio y sacar rédito de ello...pero adónde queda el amor en medio de esa negociación?
Recomendada lectura
Una novela romántica con un toque de erotismo bien logrado. Cuando menos es más.
Una historia atípica, donde solo parece primar el interés económico, y por alcanzar ese fin no importa como se llegue. Orgullos y vergüenzas deben dejarse de lado, lo importante es tratar de lograr un buen matrimonio y sacar rédito de ello...pero adónde queda el amor en medio de esa negociación?
Recomendada lectura
January 27, 2009
There's something a bit rigid and hollow about the characters and the writing—it's like they're forced into being what they are and if they do change it seems farcical or out of character (!). I can't articulate my impression... Needless to say, I was glad when the novel was over. I've enjoyed Lee's Tigress series a lot more.
Rating: 2.5/5
Rating: 2.5/5
October 5, 2011
Loved it loved it loved it. Stayed up all night and read it in one go. If you love your Historical Romances with amazing love scenes but need a book that is amazingly written as well which will pull at your emotions, This is it. Absoltely brilliant
January 20, 2013
Jade Lee is definitely not for everyone. Her books are often dark and sometimes make you uncomfortable with the story lines and character arcs. I find them absolutely thrilling, a little dirty (but not smutty), and definitely memorable.
January 27, 2016
This storyline is not going to be for everyone, but I like stories and characters that are a bit different (especially in this genre where that's rare), so it worked for me. A little racier than the norm for Regency romance but not as much as I excpected it to be given the circumstances.
July 2, 2014
Lo que me queda de este libro son preguntas. ¿Realmente Adrian ama a Lynette o amaría a cualquier otra pupila que se hubiese atrevido a mostrar su amor? ¿Era Lynette diferente a las demás a pesar de ser comparada continuamente con el resto?
September 21, 2017
Take one desperate woman, add an impoverished rake who thinks he knows the marriage mart, and throw in some family drama. Stir vigorously. Pour a non-surprise twist in at the end. Bake for about an hour and 22 minutes. Serve with a side of cynical sarcasm.
January 10, 2012
I tried. 50 pages in. Gave up. Not my cup of tea at all.
December 30, 2014
Recuerdo que lei esto hace mucho adaptada a nick jonas (si, tengo un negro pasado) y adore mucho el personaje masculino principal por perro. Nadamas por eso.
Perro adrian, te amo.
Perro adrian, te amo.
May 7, 2017
I thought this book was going to go in a different direction than it did, but I still liked it well enough. Lynette was my favourite kind of female lead--tough and independent and empathetic. She didn't take any shit, but she didn't stoop to being petty with people for no reason. Even when she thought she had cause [like with the other Marlock brides and with Jenny] she didn't stop being kind. Or badass. Her interactions with Dunworth and Adrian and the baroness were lovely solely because of how intuitive she was. Also, she embraced her sexuality which was a huge bonus. There was the usual "what is happening to me, this is a sin" thing, but she came to terms with it fairly easily. Plus all her questions were kinda hilarious. [I haven't taken notes, but everything she said to Adrian at Jenny's brothel was amazing.]
Not gonna lie, Adrian made my heart break a lot. Yeah, what he does to get paid is despicable. There's no way to argue that. But you also got to see his side of things, and even though it doesn't reduce how appalling his chosen "profession" is, you do end up feeling bad for him. Or at the very least, you're sad about his circumstances and what led him to his really awful path in life. And it helped that he was pretty much constantly miserable with what he'd been doing. You don't get too many instances with male leads and genuine remorse, and in this book, there was a decent amount of the male lead crying, which I LOVED. [Toxic masculinity is the worst and needs to die in a fire.]
The ending was kinda rushed IMO, especially given how evenly paced the rest of the book was. We went from "I can't marry you because of reasons" to "I'm marrying you, to hell with reasons" in like one chapter [which, okay, is pretty typical of romance novels so I'll give it a pass.] The rushed part came into play with how the whole situation was resolved. It didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but it was pretty close. I mean, obviously I'm happy everything worked out, but it did blindside me just a bit.
Things I didn't like:
- previous Marlock brides' jealousy/the baroness' jealousy at the end of the book [come on, Agatha, she's literally being sold to the supposed man of your dreams and you're sitting there being envious of where she is in life? Your dreamboat paid for her and your nephew likes her and that's somehow a thing to be jealous of? Nope.]
- the whole Agatha for Lynette thing that happened at the end.
- also, the way Lynette and Adrian ended up together. I was hoping we'd see her marry the guy she was sold to, live out her Marlock bride life and wind up with Adrian after she'd become a widow and he'd put his estate back to rights. Maybe it's the angst lover in me, but that would have been a really upsetting turn of events. More dramatic, yeah, but we wouldn't have had all the jealousy from the other women.
- seriously, I did not like all the woman-hating that seemed to come out of nowhere in certain scenes, it made me very uncomfortable, especially given that all the hate was because of (the lack of) a man.
- the way Lynette went from not wanting kids because she didn't like children in general to wanting kids because "Adrian's children will be different." There's nothing wrong with women who don't want kids. And the logic at play here makes no sense. Especially in this book where kids didn't seem to be a priority for Adrian either.
Total rating: 3.5/5 stars
Not gonna lie, Adrian made my heart break a lot. Yeah, what he does to get paid is despicable. There's no way to argue that. But you also got to see his side of things, and even though it doesn't reduce how appalling his chosen "profession" is, you do end up feeling bad for him. Or at the very least, you're sad about his circumstances and what led him to his really awful path in life. And it helped that he was pretty much constantly miserable with what he'd been doing. You don't get too many instances with male leads and genuine remorse, and in this book, there was a decent amount of the male lead crying, which I LOVED. [Toxic masculinity is the worst and needs to die in a fire.]
The ending was kinda rushed IMO, especially given how evenly paced the rest of the book was. We went from "I can't marry you because of reasons" to "I'm marrying you, to hell with reasons" in like one chapter [which, okay, is pretty typical of romance novels so I'll give it a pass.] The rushed part came into play with how the whole situation was resolved. It didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but it was pretty close. I mean, obviously I'm happy everything worked out, but it did blindside me just a bit.
Things I didn't like:
- previous Marlock brides' jealousy/the baroness' jealousy at the end of the book [come on, Agatha, she's literally being sold to the supposed man of your dreams and you're sitting there being envious of where she is in life? Your dreamboat paid for her and your nephew likes her and that's somehow a thing to be jealous of? Nope.]
- the whole Agatha for Lynette thing that happened at the end.
- also, the way Lynette and Adrian ended up together. I was hoping we'd see her marry the guy she was sold to, live out her Marlock bride life and wind up with Adrian after she'd become a widow and he'd put his estate back to rights. Maybe it's the angst lover in me, but that would have been a really upsetting turn of events. More dramatic, yeah, but we wouldn't have had all the jealousy from the other women.
- seriously, I did not like all the woman-hating that seemed to come out of nowhere in certain scenes, it made me very uncomfortable, especially given that all the hate was because of (the lack of) a man.
- the way Lynette went from not wanting kids because she didn't like children in general to wanting kids because "Adrian's children will be different." There's nothing wrong with women who don't want kids. And the logic at play here makes no sense. Especially in this book where kids didn't seem to be a priority for Adrian either.
Total rating: 3.5/5 stars
August 21, 2024
Recommended if you like a lot of explicit smut and if the flimsy premise won't annoy you.
tropes: rags to riches, "one last job", manic pixie dreamgirl
content warnings:
Heroine: Lynette Jameson, daughter of a minister, left in poverty after her father's death. Her father was abusive to her mother and the children. She doesn't want to be part of the reason her mother would need to remarry, possibly to another abusive man, to provide for the 3 children. Lynette's brother wants to buy a commission and the sister needs at least a little dowry to get a man. They need shelter to not be dependent on the uncle. She tells the hero she couldn't consider working as a governess/nurse because she dislikes children (and doesn't want any). Though she could seek marriage to a country villager, she has dreams of happiness and joy. So, even after finding out the true nature of the arrangement, she chooses to continue, to sell her body to gain eventual freedom.
Hero: Adrian Grant, Viscount Marlock, orphaned at age 13, left in debt by worthless father, rescued from debtor's prison by a sex worker. He (of course) does not believe that he deserves love or care. He takes pride in his role of preparing the women, giving them a way out of desperate situations and obtain their freedom (as wealthy widows).
tropes: rags to riches, "one last job", manic pixie dreamgirl
content warnings:
Heroine: Lynette Jameson, daughter of a minister, left in poverty after her father's death. Her father was abusive to her mother and the children. She doesn't want to be part of the reason her mother would need to remarry, possibly to another abusive man, to provide for the 3 children. Lynette's brother wants to buy a commission and the sister needs at least a little dowry to get a man. They need shelter to not be dependent on the uncle. She tells the hero she couldn't consider working as a governess/nurse because she dislikes children (and doesn't want any). Though she could seek marriage to a country villager, she has dreams of happiness and joy. So, even after finding out the true nature of the arrangement, she chooses to continue, to sell her body to gain eventual freedom.
Hero: Adrian Grant, Viscount Marlock, orphaned at age 13, left in debt by worthless father, rescued from debtor's prison by a sex worker. He (of course) does not believe that he deserves love or care. He takes pride in his role of preparing the women, giving them a way out of desperate situations and obtain their freedom (as wealthy widows).
April 27, 2012
Review also published on www.laphalene.com (This is more like 3.75 stars, and only a rating that low because 3 stars on this system is still a 'good book!' rating)
It's porn. Let's not beat around the bush here: some romance novels are about nursing sentimentality, this one is kinky erotica packaged in the same girl falling out of her dress cover that the tamer sisters try to titillate potential buyers. Specifically this is M/f (that means male dominating female), with menacing overtones but lacking some of the unintentionally creepy elements that sometimes pop up when an author tries to do a helpless heroine-masterful male story. We don't have bondage by pirates or lusty Scottish warlords and their hostage ladies, neither do we have "I'm only abducting you to save you from X peril!". We have titillation with sexual danger and boundary violations, but no sense that this is all okay because true lurv justifies the crazy. If you like thinking about or being lightly bossed into orgasm and lady training, and you don't want a fantasy vehicle that makes you want to hurl, this book will fill the need stupendously. Also Jade Lee does f-self erotic descriptions of self exploration that are very, very well constructed. This is not "he found her little bud and hit all the requisite buttons now turn the page, my publisher makes me write these scenes", this is a body loving, whole person is a sex organ approach to lust.
Adrian, completely incidentally a Viscount, is a high class pimp, preparing young women to be trophy wives to old men for a cut of the marriage settlement. Lynette is a penniless vicar's daughter who considers selling her body in a marriage of convenience a better alternative to genteel poverty or the marriage prospects immediately available. There's no bones being made about the wrongness of what's going on, but neither are all the people in this situation happy hookers nor wretches of circumstances. Lynette is vulnerable and being exploited. So, to some extent is Adrian and every other character, and the non-porn part of the story is breaking the cycle and coming to some sort of understanding.
We meet Lynette as a shy virgin, advised by a family friend to contact and meet a mysterious Baroness to facilitate a wealthy husband. Having informed her new guardian, and uncle, that she's joining a convent, Lynette arrives at the meeting place to find out the Baroness is a front for her nephew, who has already prepped and sold a stream of girls to the relative satisfaction of all parties. With some hesitation Lynette decides to join their number.
Sexy wife training begins with being made to order small household things, to make sure she can handle the wife part of the job, and lady training courtesy of the Baroness. We discover the latter is an alcoholic, and around standard Stepford wife people skills instructions (men don't want opinions, they want appreciation!) and challenges like making sure dinner is possible despite an empty kitchen, Lynette charms the obligatory crusty man servant and Baroness by asking for help when she's out of her depth. Apparently past girls were lousy at this part. Lynette is gradually characterized as otherwise practical and good with people, but a little emotionally repressed- she worked hard in her father's parish primarily in the sort of social work appropriate for her era and is used to making herself as socially small as possible in the face of loud autocrats like her father. This is one of the book's strengths, we get her personality via show, don't tell- for example she asses the crusty man servant's personality by physiognomy, and makes the correct call, rather than us being told 'she's good with people!' and rather than just being told she's prim, we get her very judgey internal narrative.
The subject of the sexual exploitation is, by and large, handled pretty well. Adrian's task is to come into Lynette's bedroom every night and gradually teach her to be sexually satisfied without formally deflowering her and as I mentioned, it's quasi-creepy but I can believe the character is getting a progressive awakened to the idea of sensuality. We get a window into Adrian's sexuality as well, and the characters' introspection saves the damaged-because-I-am-alone trope from being too corny. The using going on is not one sided, and even the nocturnal fondling is successfully explained as getting his girls trained so that they can enjoy an aspect of life otherwise closed to them, really a testament to the authors ability again. Adrian is a dom; he controls and bosses Lynette around, as he has his past charges, but there's an emotional connection there.
Some things though, were not so good, dinging off a star, for example the Baroness being an alcoholic is never formally addressed. She's certainly symptomatic of a chemical dependency, but again, romance novel magic implies her highly convenient quasi-honourable action that allows our leads to end up together also solved her issues. I'm not so sure it works that way. Similarly the guilt/social ruination aspect gives the story a very dark edge. A repeated reason Lynette doesn't back out is because she feels guilty that Adrian spent all sorts of money to get her launched. This is classic pimp/sex traffic'r scheming- "you must do X to recoup, because you owe me". Since Adrian also outright threatens to find Lynette no matter where she runs during the initial stage of her training, Lynette's choice is blurred, no matter if Adrian later tells her he was only fooling and not that awful, and if he has evidence he protects his hos even after selling them.
All that being said, the major eyeroll... the wicked BDSM lord who is seen as a bad choice because he'll get Lynette so hooked on masochistic pain it'll end in a snuff scene. Bad book! After an entire story devoted to titillating darkness, including a bondage scene where the author clearly has some exposure to kink and a romance orbiting all sorts of sexy peril, this is what we call bullshitting your audience. Yes, you can have evil murderous sadists, but dear lord book, masochism does not bloody work that way!
Last complaint, the ending is a bit rushed and forced. Though the Baronesses convenient actions that resolve the story were somewhat telegraphed, since an equal amount of stage time was spent with the woman getting blackout drunk, we don't really get any idea how she accomplished her feat.
If this is your kink, you'll like it. If not, it's still a good example of it's sub category of the genre.
It's porn. Let's not beat around the bush here: some romance novels are about nursing sentimentality, this one is kinky erotica packaged in the same girl falling out of her dress cover that the tamer sisters try to titillate potential buyers. Specifically this is M/f (that means male dominating female), with menacing overtones but lacking some of the unintentionally creepy elements that sometimes pop up when an author tries to do a helpless heroine-masterful male story. We don't have bondage by pirates or lusty Scottish warlords and their hostage ladies, neither do we have "I'm only abducting you to save you from X peril!". We have titillation with sexual danger and boundary violations, but no sense that this is all okay because true lurv justifies the crazy. If you like thinking about or being lightly bossed into orgasm and lady training, and you don't want a fantasy vehicle that makes you want to hurl, this book will fill the need stupendously. Also Jade Lee does f-self erotic descriptions of self exploration that are very, very well constructed. This is not "he found her little bud and hit all the requisite buttons now turn the page, my publisher makes me write these scenes", this is a body loving, whole person is a sex organ approach to lust.
Adrian, completely incidentally a Viscount, is a high class pimp, preparing young women to be trophy wives to old men for a cut of the marriage settlement. Lynette is a penniless vicar's daughter who considers selling her body in a marriage of convenience a better alternative to genteel poverty or the marriage prospects immediately available. There's no bones being made about the wrongness of what's going on, but neither are all the people in this situation happy hookers nor wretches of circumstances. Lynette is vulnerable and being exploited. So, to some extent is Adrian and every other character, and the non-porn part of the story is breaking the cycle and coming to some sort of understanding.
We meet Lynette as a shy virgin, advised by a family friend to contact and meet a mysterious Baroness to facilitate a wealthy husband. Having informed her new guardian, and uncle, that she's joining a convent, Lynette arrives at the meeting place to find out the Baroness is a front for her nephew, who has already prepped and sold a stream of girls to the relative satisfaction of all parties. With some hesitation Lynette decides to join their number.
Sexy wife training begins with being made to order small household things, to make sure she can handle the wife part of the job, and lady training courtesy of the Baroness. We discover the latter is an alcoholic, and around standard Stepford wife people skills instructions (men don't want opinions, they want appreciation!) and challenges like making sure dinner is possible despite an empty kitchen, Lynette charms the obligatory crusty man servant and Baroness by asking for help when she's out of her depth. Apparently past girls were lousy at this part. Lynette is gradually characterized as otherwise practical and good with people, but a little emotionally repressed- she worked hard in her father's parish primarily in the sort of social work appropriate for her era and is used to making herself as socially small as possible in the face of loud autocrats like her father. This is one of the book's strengths, we get her personality via show, don't tell- for example she asses the crusty man servant's personality by physiognomy, and makes the correct call, rather than us being told 'she's good with people!' and rather than just being told she's prim, we get her very judgey internal narrative.
The subject of the sexual exploitation is, by and large, handled pretty well. Adrian's task is to come into Lynette's bedroom every night and gradually teach her to be sexually satisfied without formally deflowering her and as I mentioned, it's quasi-creepy but I can believe the character is getting a progressive awakened to the idea of sensuality. We get a window into Adrian's sexuality as well, and the characters' introspection saves the damaged-because-I-am-alone trope from being too corny. The using going on is not one sided, and even the nocturnal fondling is successfully explained as getting his girls trained so that they can enjoy an aspect of life otherwise closed to them, really a testament to the authors ability again. Adrian is a dom; he controls and bosses Lynette around, as he has his past charges, but there's an emotional connection there.
Some things though, were not so good, dinging off a star, for example the Baroness being an alcoholic is never formally addressed. She's certainly symptomatic of a chemical dependency, but again, romance novel magic implies her highly convenient quasi-honourable action that allows our leads to end up together also solved her issues. I'm not so sure it works that way. Similarly the guilt/social ruination aspect gives the story a very dark edge. A repeated reason Lynette doesn't back out is because she feels guilty that Adrian spent all sorts of money to get her launched. This is classic pimp/sex traffic'r scheming- "you must do X to recoup, because you owe me". Since Adrian also outright threatens to find Lynette no matter where she runs during the initial stage of her training, Lynette's choice is blurred, no matter if Adrian later tells her he was only fooling and not that awful, and if he has evidence he protects his hos even after selling them.
All that being said, the major eyeroll... the wicked BDSM lord who is seen as a bad choice because he'll get Lynette so hooked on masochistic pain it'll end in a snuff scene. Bad book! After an entire story devoted to titillating darkness, including a bondage scene where the author clearly has some exposure to kink and a romance orbiting all sorts of sexy peril, this is what we call bullshitting your audience. Yes, you can have evil murderous sadists, but dear lord book, masochism does not bloody work that way!
Last complaint, the ending is a bit rushed and forced. Though the Baronesses convenient actions that resolve the story were somewhat telegraphed, since an equal amount of stage time was spent with the woman getting blackout drunk, we don't really get any idea how she accomplished her feat.
If this is your kink, you'll like it. If not, it's still a good example of it's sub category of the genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2021
The setup is the trope of a man teaching a woman how to catch a wealthy older husband, and we all know how that ends. But in this case, I found the hero a nasty piece of work, despite his backstory, and the relationship unpleasant, notwithstanding the characters' agreement that a poor woman can do much worse than marry a wealthy older man. However, by considering the story as erotica rather than romance, and thus reading it with different expectations, I was able to enjoy this sometimes dark story. The ending meets romance requirements, though it seems like a hasty coda to morally justify the previous explorations.
March 3, 2024
I read this book quite some time ago but couldn't remember the name. I just had to do a search to find it! I was so drawn to it before and it was just as emotionally powerful now. Such a unique plot as it unfolded. Loved the book!!
July 24, 2017
Leído en Enero de 2010
Más o menos pero fue entretenido
Más o menos pero fue entretenido
July 30, 2017
Very Erotic!
This book is hard to review. I linked itbutpt also found it a bit hard to believe . Very erotic . very interesting characters that's for sure!
This book is hard to review. I linked itbutpt also found it a bit hard to believe . Very erotic . very interesting characters that's for sure!
July 23, 2021
Read before, never forgot
The first time I read this I was weeping by the end. This time I knew the ending yet I savored each part. Highly recommend.
The first time I read this I was weeping by the end. This time I knew the ending yet I savored each part. Highly recommend.
November 24, 2022
3.5 stars. Thoroughly enjoyed. Would have loved an epilogue at the end.
February 1, 2023
Ça va un peu trop vite et c’est pas très réaliste, mais reste très fluide à lire ! Plutôt bonne lecture. Le côté psychologique peut être assez apprécié.
March 11, 2017
Super steamy romance. Ms. Lee never fails to bring the heat and ramp up emotions. This historical romance did not disappoint. A great story.
January 19, 2014
Wow, I was so disappointed in this book. And, may I state at the outset - we all have different hopes when we choose to read a book. I'm only expressing my own thoughts and feelings. Jade Lee has some talent as a writer and I have read some of her other books. This one did not suit me at all.
*Spoilers* My feelings relative to the darkness at the beginning and throughout the book kept telling me to "quit reading," "quit reading." Wishful thinking on my part lead me to hope that Marlock's designs would somehow turn out to be less depraved than they actually were. Ugh! Not so! Some parts of the book implied that he was doing his protegees a big favor by training them and selling them to "suitable" old men who wouldn't live very long. Supposedly, the hope was that these old geezers' desires wouldn't be depraved to the extreme, that they wouldn't live all that long and that they would leave their fortunes to their young wives resulting in the women being able to enjoy freedom and a quality of life for the rest of their years. Somehow, I was never persuaded.
In my opinion Marlock was the epitome of an extremely debauched man. The behavior of Lynette and ultimately, her thoughts and values, matched Marlock's to the point one could infer that perhaps they were deserving of each other. This book left me with an upset stomach and a bad taste in my mouth. Currently, I'm not feeling very elevated or pleased. In fact, just the opposite - the worst way to feel after spending a couple of hours reading a book.
*Spoilers* My feelings relative to the darkness at the beginning and throughout the book kept telling me to "quit reading," "quit reading." Wishful thinking on my part lead me to hope that Marlock's designs would somehow turn out to be less depraved than they actually were. Ugh! Not so! Some parts of the book implied that he was doing his protegees a big favor by training them and selling them to "suitable" old men who wouldn't live very long. Supposedly, the hope was that these old geezers' desires wouldn't be depraved to the extreme, that they wouldn't live all that long and that they would leave their fortunes to their young wives resulting in the women being able to enjoy freedom and a quality of life for the rest of their years. Somehow, I was never persuaded.
In my opinion Marlock was the epitome of an extremely debauched man. The behavior of Lynette and ultimately, her thoughts and values, matched Marlock's to the point one could infer that perhaps they were deserving of each other. This book left me with an upset stomach and a bad taste in my mouth. Currently, I'm not feeling very elevated or pleased. In fact, just the opposite - the worst way to feel after spending a couple of hours reading a book.
October 22, 2015
Bon alors ce ne sera vraiment pas un coup de coeur pour moi.
J'ai vraiment trouvé ce livre...étrange. Le thème est limite malsain, le comte m'a un peu fait penser à un macro en fait. Bon il ne déflore par ses filles, mais il les vends au plus offrant après leur avoir apprit à bien se comporter en société et surtout après avoir éveillé leur sensualité.
Certaines scènes m'ont vraiment dérangée et je n'ai pas du tout compris comment l'héroïne, qui est fille de pasteur, peut accepter l'éducation du comte.
Il y a très peu de sensualité pendant les trois quarts du livre, par contre sur les derniers chapitres tout s'accélère et on a quelques scènes dignes de la collection PI.
En dehors de ça, j'ai trouvé le caractère des personnages peu fouillé, la fin limite bâclée, quand à Linette je n'ai absolument pas compris sa façon de penser. Apparemment, elle a la science infuse et sait ce que pense le comte avant que lui-même ne l'ait comprit...
La fin nous offre un petit retournement de situation qui m'a quand même fait sourire, mais je n'ai pas eu le sentiment que les héros s'aimaient vraiment. Tout se précipite et on perd en crédibilité.
Il m'a quand même tenu en haleine jusqu'au bout parce que je voulais savoir comment les héros allaient s'en sortir, mais heureusement qu'il n'était pas très long sans quoi j'aurais certainement laissé tomber.
J'ai vraiment trouvé ce livre...étrange. Le thème est limite malsain, le comte m'a un peu fait penser à un macro en fait. Bon il ne déflore par ses filles, mais il les vends au plus offrant après leur avoir apprit à bien se comporter en société et surtout après avoir éveillé leur sensualité.
Certaines scènes m'ont vraiment dérangée et je n'ai pas du tout compris comment l'héroïne, qui est fille de pasteur, peut accepter l'éducation du comte.
Il y a très peu de sensualité pendant les trois quarts du livre, par contre sur les derniers chapitres tout s'accélère et on a quelques scènes dignes de la collection PI.
En dehors de ça, j'ai trouvé le caractère des personnages peu fouillé, la fin limite bâclée, quand à Linette je n'ai absolument pas compris sa façon de penser. Apparemment, elle a la science infuse et sait ce que pense le comte avant que lui-même ne l'ait comprit...
La fin nous offre un petit retournement de situation qui m'a quand même fait sourire, mais je n'ai pas eu le sentiment que les héros s'aimaient vraiment. Tout se précipite et on perd en crédibilité.
Il m'a quand même tenu en haleine jusqu'au bout parce que je voulais savoir comment les héros allaient s'en sortir, mais heureusement qu'il n'était pas très long sans quoi j'aurais certainement laissé tomber.
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