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Fallen Ladies #2
The Untouchable Earl
He's a reclusive Earl with a painful secret that's kept him from knowing a lover's touch. She's a sheltered debutante tired of living by society's rules. But when she's forced from the ballroom to the brothel, Lily discovers the dark thrill of falling from grace...and into the arms of a man who could destroy her as easily as he saved her.
Lily Chadwick has spent her life playing the respectable debutante. But when an unscrupulous moneylender snatches her off the street and puts her up for auction at a pleasure house, she finds herself in the possession of a man who fills her with breathless terror and impossible yearning.
Though the Earl of Harte claimed Lily with the highest bid, he hides a painful secret―one that has kept him from knowing the pleasure of a lover's touch. Even the barest brush of skin brings him physical pain, and he's spent his life keeping the world at arm's length. But there's something about Lily that maddens him, bewitches him, compels him...and drives him toward the one woman brave and kind enough to heal his troubled heart.
Lily Chadwick has spent her life playing the respectable debutante. But when an unscrupulous moneylender snatches her off the street and puts her up for auction at a pleasure house, she finds herself in the possession of a man who fills her with breathless terror and impossible yearning.
Though the Earl of Harte claimed Lily with the highest bid, he hides a painful secret―one that has kept him from knowing the pleasure of a lover's touch. Even the barest brush of skin brings him physical pain, and he's spent his life keeping the world at arm's length. But there's something about Lily that maddens him, bewitches him, compels him...and drives him toward the one woman brave and kind enough to heal his troubled heart.
386 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
104 people are currently reading
964 people want to read
About the author
Amy Sandas
113 books343 followersMy love of romance began one summer when I was thirteen and complained of boredom. I ended up with one of my mother's Barbara Cartland books and an obsessive interest that expanded from there. My affinity for writing began with sappy pre-teen poems and led to a Bachelor's degree with an emphasis on Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities.
I love pizza, wine, and dark brooding heroes! With a husband, three kids, and two dogs at home, it can be difficult to find the time (and the motivation!) to write. But somehow the words keep showing up on the page. I am endlessly grateful to the many wonderful readers who enjoy my books and ask for more!
I love pizza, wine, and dark brooding heroes! With a husband, three kids, and two dogs at home, it can be difficult to find the time (and the motivation!) to write. But somehow the words keep showing up on the page. I am endlessly grateful to the many wonderful readers who enjoy my books and ask for more!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
July 7, 2017
4.25 Stars
It shocked him—that desperate, obsessive need to consume her, to take all that she was into himself. To make what was hers, his. Her breath, her taste, her softness, and her need.
Avenell, the Earl of Harte, suffers from a crippling affliction of damaged nerves due to a sickness in his childhood that has made it painful for him to endure another’s touch. He has learned to keep his distance from others, to mask his pain from accidental touch through tightly honed control. And no one has managed to threaten his control until Lily Chadwick. She makes him feel too much, makes him yearn for something he knows he can’t have and he’s determined to keep his distance. Until he comes to her rescue, claiming her with the highest bid at an auction where she shouldn’t have been and suddenly he’s faced with the very woman he tried to avoid, who wants him to claim her and who he’s unable to refuse. But Avenell is broken in a way he can’t see anyone healing him, despite how much he wishes Lily could.
Goodness, she had wickedness in her. She had suspected its existence for some time but had not fully recognized it until she had first encountered this man.
Lily Chadwick is the quiet and demure sister. She’s always tried to be respectable, even though she yearns for something more. But when an immoral moneylender kidnaps Lily as payment for a loan owed to him by their deceased father and she’s put up for auction at a brothel, her rescue comes from the very man Lily has been fascinated by. And suddenly Lily is tired of denying her desire for more, to experience the passion she’s always dreamed of with the very man she’s secretly longed for. Offering herself to him feels daring and right. But can she save him like he saved her, or would he destroy them both in the end?
He made her feel…daring.
I have to say I struggled with Lily’s character at times. At first she appeared too timid for my liking, barely fighting back against her kidnapper and then the owner of the brothel, drinking the wine she was given, when clearly only an idiot would be so trusting and then ending up drugged. Then there was the way she kept on making googly eyes at Avenell, even though he kept rejecting her or behaving cold towards her. I would have preferred if she had made him work a little harder for her affections especially since he kept trying to keep his distance from her and in the end hurting her. But on the other hand I admired her boldness, the way she was so sure that he felt the same way about her and how she fought for him and for what she believed they could have. I also liked the confidence she felt after agreeing to be Avenell’s mistress, how she finally gave into the passionate nature she’s been hiding for so long. There’s something to be said of a woman who is bold enough to go after what she wants and brave enough to fight for love.
The intensity of his reaction to her stunned him. No matter what he had done to avoid her, to deny the feelings she invoked, it had all led her to him anyway. And he had never wanted anything as much as he craved the feel of her touch.
Avenell on the other hand I really liked. Broken heroes are like catnip to me, especially the cold-hearted ones who just needed the right woman to make them lose control. At first glance Avenell appeared so indifferent and his treatment of Lily in the beginning upset me but from his POV you could see the true depth of his feelings for her and the fear he felt for not being enough, that his affliction would make her reject him. He tried so desperately to keep his control around her, to not reveal just how much he needed and wanted her but he just couldn’t stay away from her.
“You exist in everything. You have become a part of me,” he murmured thickly. “I cannot breathe without you.”
I enjoyed the romance and the sexy times were very hot and sensual because Avenell demanded that he be the only one doing the touching and how he did the exploring and introducing her to pleasure was pretty hot. I loved how patient Lily was with him, how she understood him so well, seeing beneath his icy demeanor to the fire that burned for her and I loved how much Avenell craved Lily, how much he yearned for her touch despite the pain he knew he would feel. I also loved how both changed over the course of the book, Lily embracing her passionate side and Avenell learning to hope and to trust in someone else. The concept of the hero being unable to stand the touch of others has been done before in historical romance and I think the way it was done in this book was my least favorite so far. I didn’t like how Avenell’s affliction was handled, it was such a major obstacle during the book for them and then so easily resolved in the end which didn’t work for me. I also didn’t like that Lily was basically the main pursuer of their relationship, I would have wanted Avenell to fight a bit more and harder to be with her.
I must say I like how the author has written this series – every book takes place during the same time but giving us the different view point of each Chadwick sister and their experiences. Next is Portia’s book and I’m really excited to see how this headstrong heroine’s story will go.
This is my second book by this author and I adored the previous book, Luck is no Lady, and although I didn’t love this one as much as the first one, I still enjoyed it very much. This author is a must read for all HR fans.
October 31, 2016
2.5 stars
The character – usually the hero – who, for some reason is touch averse (doesn’t like being touched, touching others or both) is not uncommon in historical romance, although I have yet to see that particular plotline played out convincingly. Most recently, the hero of Kerrigan Byrne’s The Highwayman had a history that fully explained his dislike of being touched and his reasons for not wanting to touch the heroine, but even so, his problem was solved reasonably easily once he fell in love. Lazarus, Lord Caire, in Elizabeth Hoyt’s first Maiden Lane book, Wicked Intentions had a similar problem that was also solved rather too conveniently once he’d met and fallen for his heroine.
Avenell Slade, Earl of Harte (and when will authors learn that those sorts of names for men in Regency England are too way out to be believeable? Plus the idea of the heroine panting “Avenell, do it to me Avenell!” in bed is just too ridiculous!) has reached the age of twenty-four without having experienced the touch of another person that didn’t hurt him. But he realises he isn’t going to be able to live his life without at the very least being able to stop himself flinching every time someone touches him, even accidentally. I admired him for the fact that he had the sense to realise he couldn’t go on like that, and for deciding he needed to seek a solution. He therefore heads to a discreet, high-class brothel, and confesses his problem to the madam, explaining that he needs to learn how to at least bear the touch of another person. He’s a virgin (obviously, given his condition), but at this point, having sex is the least of his worries. He does, however, also want to learn about pleasure and how to give it – and naturally a brothel is going to be able to help with that ;)
Given this set up, I thought that perhaps I was going to be reading a story in which – at last – the hero’s touch aversion was going to be realistically dealt with and solved… but alas, I was disappointed, and here was yet another instance of the hero’s being miraculously cured by the touch of the Right Woman.
The three Chadwick sisters are struggling to keep afloat financially following their father’s death. That nice man left them with a massive gambling debt, and in the previous book, Luck Is No Lady, we met the eldest sister, Emma, who had a plan to pay off the debt and get them out of trouble. As The Untouchable Earl takes place concurrently with the first book, that plan has not yet succeeded, so the bad guys are still out to get their money. Readers may recall that the man who is owed the debt – one Mason Hale – was presented as a bad-guy-with-a-heart (sort of) as he needs the money in order to pay off the opium-addicted mother of his daughter to bring the girl to him so he can care for her. I assume the author means the reader to feel conflicted about this character, and I did – but I’m not really sure where she’s going with it.
Anyway. Our heroine in this book is the middle Chadwick sister, Lily and from the minute she sets eyes on the gorgeous but dangerously aloof Earl of Harte at a ball, she’s immediately drowning in a sea of insta-lust and the reader is treated to lots of descriptions of tingling skin and fluttering bellies and hitching breath and all that stuff. Lily regards herself as the boring sister – and I can’t say that I disagree with her assessment, as her life seems to consist of reading naughty books and dreaming about being one of the heroines therein and not much else.
Soon after the first meeting of eyes across a crowded ballroom, Lily is kidnapped by Hale and taken to the very brothel at which Avenell had sought help, where she is drugged and put up for auction. Naturally, Avenell is there, and naturally he is the highest bidder.
It’s obvious where this is going, but the story ends up being little more than a string of lengthy love scenes that are not terribly sexy and are full of those same flutterings and tinglings and sparks and hot breathiness and honestly, I got fed up after the first couple and started skim reading them, which is never a good sign.
The writing throughout is decent, but there is no character development, both principals are little more than one dimensional and there is no sense of any emotional connection or chemistry between them. Avenell had the potential to be an interesting hero, but Lily is one of the blandest heroines I’ve come across in ages. I’ve read some lately who have irritated the crap out of me, but Lily is just… meh. I also couldn’t buy the idea that a gently-born young woman would so easily suggest becoming a man’s mistress at a time when a woman’s reputation was everything and once lost could never be mended. And once they do start making the beast with two backs, there is no mention of possible pregnancy or attempt at preventing it.
I normally try to avoid giving spoilers in my reviews, but I think the reason for Avenell’s issues with being touched need to be mentioned here, as it’s such an integral part of the story. We’re told that as a child he suffered a serious and lingering illness that left him with some sort of nerve damage in the upper part of his body, so that anything that touches him on those parts of his body causes him pain. It’s a sad story, because as a result of his reluctance to be touched, those who were supposed to be caring for him believed him to be wayward and attention seeking and dismissed him and his suffering. But of course, right at the end, Avenell is Cured by the Love of a Good Woman, and in the last few pages learns that his issues are mostly psychosomatic because he got so used to the pain that he expected to feel it, and so he did.
I rolled my eyes so hard…
As is obvious, I’m not recommending The Untouchable Earl, which is, ultimately, a rather dull book with flat characters, a lacklustre romance and no storyline to speak of. I will normally give an author a couple of chances to impress me before I give up (unless the first book I read is so utterly dire that I can’t face another one!) – and as this is the second book I have read by Amy Sandas that hasn’t impressed me, I doubt I’ll be trying a third.
The character – usually the hero – who, for some reason is touch averse (doesn’t like being touched, touching others or both) is not uncommon in historical romance, although I have yet to see that particular plotline played out convincingly. Most recently, the hero of Kerrigan Byrne’s The Highwayman had a history that fully explained his dislike of being touched and his reasons for not wanting to touch the heroine, but even so, his problem was solved reasonably easily once he fell in love. Lazarus, Lord Caire, in Elizabeth Hoyt’s first Maiden Lane book, Wicked Intentions had a similar problem that was also solved rather too conveniently once he’d met and fallen for his heroine.
Avenell Slade, Earl of Harte (and when will authors learn that those sorts of names for men in Regency England are too way out to be believeable? Plus the idea of the heroine panting “Avenell, do it to me Avenell!” in bed is just too ridiculous!) has reached the age of twenty-four without having experienced the touch of another person that didn’t hurt him. But he realises he isn’t going to be able to live his life without at the very least being able to stop himself flinching every time someone touches him, even accidentally. I admired him for the fact that he had the sense to realise he couldn’t go on like that, and for deciding he needed to seek a solution. He therefore heads to a discreet, high-class brothel, and confesses his problem to the madam, explaining that he needs to learn how to at least bear the touch of another person. He’s a virgin (obviously, given his condition), but at this point, having sex is the least of his worries. He does, however, also want to learn about pleasure and how to give it – and naturally a brothel is going to be able to help with that ;)
Given this set up, I thought that perhaps I was going to be reading a story in which – at last – the hero’s touch aversion was going to be realistically dealt with and solved… but alas, I was disappointed, and here was yet another instance of the hero’s being miraculously cured by the touch of the Right Woman.
The three Chadwick sisters are struggling to keep afloat financially following their father’s death. That nice man left them with a massive gambling debt, and in the previous book, Luck Is No Lady, we met the eldest sister, Emma, who had a plan to pay off the debt and get them out of trouble. As The Untouchable Earl takes place concurrently with the first book, that plan has not yet succeeded, so the bad guys are still out to get their money. Readers may recall that the man who is owed the debt – one Mason Hale – was presented as a bad-guy-with-a-heart (sort of) as he needs the money in order to pay off the opium-addicted mother of his daughter to bring the girl to him so he can care for her. I assume the author means the reader to feel conflicted about this character, and I did – but I’m not really sure where she’s going with it.
Anyway. Our heroine in this book is the middle Chadwick sister, Lily and from the minute she sets eyes on the gorgeous but dangerously aloof Earl of Harte at a ball, she’s immediately drowning in a sea of insta-lust and the reader is treated to lots of descriptions of tingling skin and fluttering bellies and hitching breath and all that stuff. Lily regards herself as the boring sister – and I can’t say that I disagree with her assessment, as her life seems to consist of reading naughty books and dreaming about being one of the heroines therein and not much else.
Soon after the first meeting of eyes across a crowded ballroom, Lily is kidnapped by Hale and taken to the very brothel at which Avenell had sought help, where she is drugged and put up for auction. Naturally, Avenell is there, and naturally he is the highest bidder.
It’s obvious where this is going, but the story ends up being little more than a string of lengthy love scenes that are not terribly sexy and are full of those same flutterings and tinglings and sparks and hot breathiness and honestly, I got fed up after the first couple and started skim reading them, which is never a good sign.
The writing throughout is decent, but there is no character development, both principals are little more than one dimensional and there is no sense of any emotional connection or chemistry between them. Avenell had the potential to be an interesting hero, but Lily is one of the blandest heroines I’ve come across in ages. I’ve read some lately who have irritated the crap out of me, but Lily is just… meh. I also couldn’t buy the idea that a gently-born young woman would so easily suggest becoming a man’s mistress at a time when a woman’s reputation was everything and once lost could never be mended. And once they do start making the beast with two backs, there is no mention of possible pregnancy or attempt at preventing it.
I normally try to avoid giving spoilers in my reviews, but I think the reason for Avenell’s issues with being touched need to be mentioned here, as it’s such an integral part of the story. We’re told that as a child he suffered a serious and lingering illness that left him with some sort of nerve damage in the upper part of his body, so that anything that touches him on those parts of his body causes him pain. It’s a sad story, because as a result of his reluctance to be touched, those who were supposed to be caring for him believed him to be wayward and attention seeking and dismissed him and his suffering. But of course, right at the end, Avenell is Cured by the Love of a Good Woman, and in the last few pages learns that his issues are mostly psychosomatic because he got so used to the pain that he expected to feel it, and so he did.
I rolled my eyes so hard…
As is obvious, I’m not recommending The Untouchable Earl, which is, ultimately, a rather dull book with flat characters, a lacklustre romance and no storyline to speak of. I will normally give an author a couple of chances to impress me before I give up (unless the first book I read is so utterly dire that I can’t face another one!) – and as this is the second book I have read by Amy Sandas that hasn’t impressed me, I doubt I’ll be trying a third.
August 12, 2016
Between the sexy guy on the cover and the premise of a romantic lead who can't be touched without feeling pain, I was very interested in reading this book.
Unfortunately, it disappointed me.
There was nothing to the characters. The heroine is a wide-eyed innocent with a penchant for reading erotic novels and wants to feel true passion and won't settle into a marriage because of it. Which we've all seen before. The hero suffers from extreme sensitivity to touch that manifests in pain. Which is interesting, but not enough to carry his entire character.
The plot, what little there was, existed only to bring the two leads together, and then it was dropped in favor of the romance itself.
Although this was competently written, my biggest annoyance with this book was the style. The descriptions of physical sensations were so overwrought as to be distracting. I started visualizing the sensations, and not in the way they were meant to be visualized. When something is "skittering over" a character's skin, that just makes me think of insects. And it was a bit unnecessary how the heroine practically spontaneously combusted every time the hero so much as glanced at her.
Lastly, the hero's aversion to touch ended up being a wasted opportunity. He experienced pain mostly in the upper torso and arms, but there's still so much more of the body to touch. Their solution to the pain: I'm sorry, but that's a major cop-out. And with his experience in a brothel , which is where they meet for trysts, you would think one of them would come up with the idea to restrain her hands with silk or something to prevent her from touching him. I mean, that's pretty basic stuff.
There were some sweet moments, but as I didn't enjoy this overall, I wasn't into them. I don't need a major plot to go along with my romance, but neither do I want a book to focus strictly on the romance, which I feel this one did.
1.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, it disappointed me.
There was nothing to the characters. The heroine is a wide-eyed innocent with a penchant for reading erotic novels and wants to feel true passion and won't settle into a marriage because of it. Which we've all seen before. The hero suffers from extreme sensitivity to touch that manifests in pain. Which is interesting, but not enough to carry his entire character.
The plot, what little there was, existed only to bring the two leads together, and then it was dropped in favor of the romance itself.
Although this was competently written, my biggest annoyance with this book was the style. The descriptions of physical sensations were so overwrought as to be distracting. I started visualizing the sensations, and not in the way they were meant to be visualized. When something is "skittering over" a character's skin, that just makes me think of insects. And it was a bit unnecessary how the heroine practically spontaneously combusted every time the hero so much as glanced at her.
Lastly, the hero's aversion to touch ended up being a wasted opportunity. He experienced pain mostly in the upper torso and arms, but there's still so much more of the body to touch. Their solution to the pain: I'm sorry, but that's a major cop-out. And with his experience in a brothel , which is where they meet for trysts, you would think one of them would come up with the idea to restrain her hands with silk or something to prevent her from touching him. I mean, that's pretty basic stuff.
There were some sweet moments, but as I didn't enjoy this overall, I wasn't into them. I don't need a major plot to go along with my romance, but neither do I want a book to focus strictly on the romance, which I feel this one did.
1.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 16, 2022
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not much
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I did not and enjoyed this book. I believe the first book is happening at the same time as this story. There are a few references of things happening throughout the story to the sister from book 1.
Basic plot:
Lily and Avenell have had a few tension filled run ins in society. It overflows when he rescues her from a night of terror at a brothel after she is kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1817)
- Medium steam – decent amount of time spent on 3 full scenes, plus a partial and kisses
- London setting
- Heroine becomes mistress
- Focus on the relationship (some villain/danger but not much)
- Double virgins
- “Sold” heroine
Ages:
- Hero is around 29, heroine is 20
My thoughts:
I ended up loving this book so, so much! This was my first Amy Sandas and I really enjoyed her writing. I definitely will be trying more!
Avenell is pretty cold and distant to keep everyone away from him. He has serious pain when he’s touched – if I had one issue with this book it’s that this wasn’t explained as much as I wanted it to be. I was looking for author notes but didn’t see any. I overall found him tender and romantic (I know many others hated him, and I can understand why he rubbed people the wrong way!) because of the very small things he did.
I adored Lily. She’s a bit of a wallflower and very sweet. Sure, the plot of this book was loosely held together – why couldn’t she just go back to her normal life after she was rescued? Because she wanted to experience things with him...I was able to totally let any frustration with that go because of how these two made me feel.
I just live for that sexual tension in romance. The longing and the butterflies and anything that makes my heart pitter patter. And I found it with these two. They just want each other so much and I was so wrapped up in them. Sandas spends a lot of time on the emotional aspect of these characters especially in their kisses and steamy scenes and I so appreciate it. I love when time is spent on kisses!!!
That’s all my thoughts for now...I finished this one in July and am just getting around to my review now so some my remembered details have faded
A few other notes:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not much
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I did not and enjoyed this book. I believe the first book is happening at the same time as this story. There are a few references of things happening throughout the story to the sister from book 1.
Basic plot:
Lily and Avenell have had a few tension filled run ins in society. It overflows when he rescues her from a night of terror at a brothel after she is kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1817)
- Medium steam – decent amount of time spent on 3 full scenes, plus a partial and kisses
- London setting
- Heroine becomes mistress
- Focus on the relationship (some villain/danger but not much)
- Double virgins
- “Sold” heroine
Ages:
- Hero is around 29, heroine is 20
My thoughts:
I ended up loving this book so, so much! This was my first Amy Sandas and I really enjoyed her writing. I definitely will be trying more!
Avenell is pretty cold and distant to keep everyone away from him. He has serious pain when he’s touched – if I had one issue with this book it’s that this wasn’t explained as much as I wanted it to be. I was looking for author notes but didn’t see any. I overall found him tender and romantic (I know many others hated him, and I can understand why he rubbed people the wrong way!) because of the very small things he did.
I adored Lily. She’s a bit of a wallflower and very sweet. Sure, the plot of this book was loosely held together – why couldn’t she just go back to her normal life after she was rescued? Because she wanted to experience things with him...I was able to totally let any frustration with that go because of how these two made me feel.
I just live for that sexual tension in romance. The longing and the butterflies and anything that makes my heart pitter patter. And I found it with these two. They just want each other so much and I was so wrapped up in them. Sandas spends a lot of time on the emotional aspect of these characters especially in their kisses and steamy scenes and I so appreciate it. I love when time is spent on kisses!!!
That’s all my thoughts for now...I finished this one in July and am just getting around to my review now so some my remembered details have faded
A few other notes:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
October 31, 2016
4.5 Stars
This is the second book in the Fallen Ladies series and it did not disappoint. Luck is No Lady, the first book in the series, impressed me so much that I knew I had to read Lily's book the first chance I got.
Lily was his as his soul was his. Just as he was hers.
Lord Harte has what today would be called a heightened sensitivity to touch which causes him pain. And because of this affliction he rarely goes out into society. But when he sees Lily he experiences desire for another human being, something he has never felt before. But the pain is still there and while he can endure it, he can't bare the pity or disgust that Lily might feel.
You'll remember Lily from Luck is no Lady, she was the even tempered sister, the one who was always the voice of reason. She was the only one of the three sisters who actually wanted to marry, until she meets Lord Harte and he tells her he can never marry her. When she hears this she knows she can never enter another relationship, no man has ever made her feel like Lord Harte.
This book was so frustrating, but in a good way. The desire that Lord Harte felt for Lily was palpable but his hangups about his sensitivity to touch were a huge block, even when it was obvious that Lily didn't see it like he did. But where would we be without angst? I loved the fact that Lord Harte was a virgin, and while Lily was also a virgin she wasn't a timid and fearful heroine.
I gave this 4.5 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the fantastic writing. If you're a fan of historical romance and smutty goodness then I would strongly recommend this series!
"You exist in everything. You have become a part of me," he murmured thickly. "I cannot breathe without you."
June 17, 2018
Amazon Bargain Bin / BookBub Ebook Bargain
(Tropes: Wallflower, Tortured Hero (can’t stand touch), Forced into Brothel)
*****
“ For the first time since she had discovered the set of erotic novels unintentionally left behind by their last governess, Lily wished she had never read them. What had they done except show her something she was never likely to experience?”
*****
Earl of Harte can’t handle to be touched. But he’s found a way around it so he can get laid at a brothel.
- “You shall have access to beautiful, sensual women. Their bodies will be yours to explore, to command, and to satisfy. When you know what it is to give pleasure to a woman, your own will naturally follow.”
Then he meets Lily, a wallflower on the shelf, that he hungers after. So he treats her like crap. Because she makes him feel things. Lily is beyond insta-lusting after him too.
- Lily’s lips parted to draw a swift breath. The flame inside her fanned to a full blaze. She could swear she saw a sort of hunger in his eyes. Hunger, and a poignant suggestion of pain.
SPOILERS!
Then we find out that the hero has had a baby with one of the prostitutes at the brothel. And Lily is kidnapped and forced into the same brothel, her virginity up for sale to the highest bidder.
Then I realised that life’s too short and my to-read-pile is too high to continue reading when the story does nothing for me.
(Tropes: Wallflower, Tortured Hero (can’t stand touch), Forced into Brothel)
*****
“ For the first time since she had discovered the set of erotic novels unintentionally left behind by their last governess, Lily wished she had never read them. What had they done except show her something she was never likely to experience?”
*****
Earl of Harte can’t handle to be touched. But he’s found a way around it so he can get laid at a brothel.
- “You shall have access to beautiful, sensual women. Their bodies will be yours to explore, to command, and to satisfy. When you know what it is to give pleasure to a woman, your own will naturally follow.”
Then he meets Lily, a wallflower on the shelf, that he hungers after. So he treats her like crap. Because she makes him feel things. Lily is beyond insta-lusting after him too.
- Lily’s lips parted to draw a swift breath. The flame inside her fanned to a full blaze. She could swear she saw a sort of hunger in his eyes. Hunger, and a poignant suggestion of pain.
SPOILERS!
Then we find out that the hero has had a baby with one of the prostitutes at the brothel. And Lily is kidnapped and forced into the same brothel, her virginity up for sale to the highest bidder.
Then I realised that life’s too short and my to-read-pile is too high to continue reading when the story does nothing for me.
December 28, 2016
++SPOILERS++
1 Star, "I did not like it"
dnf 46% and skimmed most of it.
I did not like the feelings I was having while reading it. I hated the heroine, and thought the hero's "affliction" to be full of contradictions which went beyond logic.
Glad I only wasted .99 cents on this.
Had I know the heroine was going to be stupid, ugly, weak and clumsy, I would not have wasted my dollar.
The whole.. hero doesn't like being touched but it's ok for him to touch others is just ludicrous.
I also don't care for knowing or buy the fact the hero has pleasured so many women, yet doesn't take physical pleasure himself.
Not going to say anymore. This book is not for me. I do not consider it safe by my personal standards, others will probably be ok with it.
1 Star, "I did not like it"
dnf 46% and skimmed most of it.
I did not like the feelings I was having while reading it. I hated the heroine, and thought the hero's "affliction" to be full of contradictions which went beyond logic.
Glad I only wasted .99 cents on this.
Had I know the heroine was going to be stupid, ugly, weak and clumsy, I would not have wasted my dollar.
The whole.. hero doesn't like being touched but it's ok for him to touch others is just ludicrous.
I also don't care for knowing or buy the fact the hero has pleasured so many women, yet doesn't take physical pleasure himself.
Not going to say anymore. This book is not for me. I do not consider it safe by my personal standards, others will probably be ok with it.
October 1, 2016
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
Lily Chadwick has always played by the rules that society has set out for her and her sisters and all she has gotten in return is loneliness and a sense of missing out on something more that she wants to explore. Lily has always been intrigued by the idea of desire and pleasure but doesn't know if she will ever have the chance to find it. But then one night, because of their late fathers gambling debts she is kidnapped and taken to a pleasure house to be auctioned off for money. She has one rescuer, The Earl Of Harte. Avenell, has always dreamed of finding a woman that he could touch. As a child he suffered from a disease that made physical touch painful but he feels the sparks of awareness every time he is near Lily Chadwick at a social function. But he knows he can never have her, until he sees the worst happen....seeing such a beautiful and kind soul of a woman being auctioned off to the highest bidder. He doesn't even think about it, because he knows that this is his one chance. When Lily finds out the truth of her situation, and when Avenell offers her return back to her family, this is her opportunity to find out what passion is really like. She is aware that if the truth comes out, she will be ruined. But with Avenell, she could have a chance to explore a part of herself she has always wanted to and The Earl of Harte is her ticket, because she can't deny the heat the travels between them with just one glance. So Avenell and Lily enter a arrangement, that Lily will be his mistress and they will explore together. Avenell soon learns that there is so much more to their relationship than just mere desire...its more consuming and threatens every protection he has built for himself over the years...Will the Earl of Harte accept what Lily offers or throw it away because of fear and a new experience?
Plot and Story Line
My oh my, was this romance so delightfully good!! I just couldn't get enough of these two or what they share. Now this series is about three sisters who are orphans and trying to make their way through society with the help of a grand aunt. The first book, Luck Is No Lady was Emma's book. Now its Lily's chance. Now these two books do happen around the same time of each other, so I do recommend reading them in order, and you might get a bit confused on certain details. But if needed you can read this one on your own. Even though I quite enjoyed myself with Luck Is No Lady-----The Untouchable Earl stroke a chord with me in a way I haven't felt in a long time, especially in a historical romance. The chemistry between Avenell and Lily is off the charts. WOWZERS!!! And I don't mean lots of sex scenes...nope there were only a few. But the actual connection that these two is sexy and HOT, and I just couldn't get enough of these two. This author did a wonder with this romance because it was so heartfelt and real and raw. The hero hasn't been touched since he was a small boy since any sensation especially in his upper body causes him pain, and even though he has had the aid of a certain woman in charge of a pleasure house, he doesn't know what a affectionate touch could be like until he meets Lily. At first he just wants to keep her at a distance he controls, but there is a part of him that wants more and feels more even when their eyes meet across a crowded ballroom. He doesn't understand the depth of emotion he feels for her and in some ways it terrifies him. Lily is a true heroine though, she is patient and understanding and senses the changes in him and accommodates what he needs. I love how selfless she is, most especially in the bed. I love the way these two are with each other, and their love story is remarkable and touching in many different ways and gives you all the feels!!!
I found almost nothing wrong with this book, I just loved every bit of it. I can't recommend it enough to romance lovers!!
The Cover
SEXY as Sin!!!I love covers against the wall and Sourcebooks did a brilliant job with it. I love the way he is holding her, and her dress is so pretty---love the shade of purple.
Overall View
The Untouchable Earl is a heart felt romance that goes straight from your head to toes in emotion, passion and love----a true piece of art!!!
Click On Image For Buy Link
Summary
Lily Chadwick has always played by the rules that society has set out for her and her sisters and all she has gotten in return is loneliness and a sense of missing out on something more that she wants to explore. Lily has always been intrigued by the idea of desire and pleasure but doesn't know if she will ever have the chance to find it. But then one night, because of their late fathers gambling debts she is kidnapped and taken to a pleasure house to be auctioned off for money. She has one rescuer, The Earl Of Harte. Avenell, has always dreamed of finding a woman that he could touch. As a child he suffered from a disease that made physical touch painful but he feels the sparks of awareness every time he is near Lily Chadwick at a social function. But he knows he can never have her, until he sees the worst happen....seeing such a beautiful and kind soul of a woman being auctioned off to the highest bidder. He doesn't even think about it, because he knows that this is his one chance. When Lily finds out the truth of her situation, and when Avenell offers her return back to her family, this is her opportunity to find out what passion is really like. She is aware that if the truth comes out, she will be ruined. But with Avenell, she could have a chance to explore a part of herself she has always wanted to and The Earl of Harte is her ticket, because she can't deny the heat the travels between them with just one glance. So Avenell and Lily enter a arrangement, that Lily will be his mistress and they will explore together. Avenell soon learns that there is so much more to their relationship than just mere desire...its more consuming and threatens every protection he has built for himself over the years...Will the Earl of Harte accept what Lily offers or throw it away because of fear and a new experience?
Plot and Story Line
My oh my, was this romance so delightfully good!! I just couldn't get enough of these two or what they share. Now this series is about three sisters who are orphans and trying to make their way through society with the help of a grand aunt. The first book, Luck Is No Lady was Emma's book. Now its Lily's chance. Now these two books do happen around the same time of each other, so I do recommend reading them in order, and you might get a bit confused on certain details. But if needed you can read this one on your own. Even though I quite enjoyed myself with Luck Is No Lady-----The Untouchable Earl stroke a chord with me in a way I haven't felt in a long time, especially in a historical romance. The chemistry between Avenell and Lily is off the charts. WOWZERS!!! And I don't mean lots of sex scenes...nope there were only a few. But the actual connection that these two is sexy and HOT, and I just couldn't get enough of these two. This author did a wonder with this romance because it was so heartfelt and real and raw. The hero hasn't been touched since he was a small boy since any sensation especially in his upper body causes him pain, and even though he has had the aid of a certain woman in charge of a pleasure house, he doesn't know what a affectionate touch could be like until he meets Lily. At first he just wants to keep her at a distance he controls, but there is a part of him that wants more and feels more even when their eyes meet across a crowded ballroom. He doesn't understand the depth of emotion he feels for her and in some ways it terrifies him. Lily is a true heroine though, she is patient and understanding and senses the changes in him and accommodates what he needs. I love how selfless she is, most especially in the bed. I love the way these two are with each other, and their love story is remarkable and touching in many different ways and gives you all the feels!!!
The truth was so clear. From the very beginning, she had belonged to him, but not as a mistress belonged to her protector. Lily was his as his was hers. She was a part of him He was a part of her. He could not exist without her.
I found almost nothing wrong with this book, I just loved every bit of it. I can't recommend it enough to romance lovers!!
The Cover
SEXY as Sin!!!I love covers against the wall and Sourcebooks did a brilliant job with it. I love the way he is holding her, and her dress is so pretty---love the shade of purple.
Overall View
The Untouchable Earl is a heart felt romance that goes straight from your head to toes in emotion, passion and love----a true piece of art!!!
Click On Image For Buy Link
February 13, 2018
Lily Chadwick gets kidnapped, sold to a brothel, drugged, and then sold to the highest bidder. The highest bidder turns out to be Avenell Slade, Duke of Harte (what is this name??). Harte (because NO ONE can use his name for REASONS) cannot feel pleasure, only pain. He releases Lily but only after she asks him to "Claim her" and he agrees because LUST, FOLKS.
What follows is encounter after uncomfortable encounter floating in a sea of angsty-bullshit. Eventually, they Do It and decide it's LOVE NOT LUST and they update their facebook statuses accordingly.
1. If you can't tell, I wasn't the biggest fan of this one.
2. Lily's urge to have something for herself was interesting, but ultimately useless since she uses that confidence to reach / claim the heart of the unworthy Harte (OH MY GOD THE UNINTENTIONAL PUNS). And for all the assurances that she felt more confident, there's so little evidence of that in the text that it's almost laughable to call it a thread in this particular novel. Luck is No Lady handled it better in a paragraphical aside during Emma's moping.
3. Harte was a goddamned dick. Like, I get that he's got emotional baggage from his shitty childhood after a shitty disease, but he never really has a moment of "Oh crap I'm an asshole HOW DO I FIX THIS?" because a) Lily is so "good" and "generous" and "open" that he can throw whatever bullshit he wants at her without repercussions. Like, I'm not calling Lily a doormat or anything like that: I'm calling Harte a douche. There's a slight difference! and also b) Harte never thinks that his snarling and rudeness needs to be apologized for. Which is such a gross thing.
At one point after Lily has given him leave to use her first name, she asks if she can use his first name (AVENELL WTF) and he tells her he would prefer it if she call him "Lord Harte" or "my lord". Which leads to some strangely unequal overtones to a relationship that is allegedly going to result in true love. (I'm not going to really touch on the semi-BDSM elements because I honestly couldn't tell if they were intentional or not?)
Also: she can't touch him and he offers no explanation for it. So when she does touch him (usually to brace herself for oncoming orgasm), he pulls away abruptly and ends things immediately. Which, OK: dude doesn't want to be touched. That's fair. But then maybe don't inspire orgasms in your gf while she's STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU? Maybe, IDK, offer her a chair? A bed? Have her place herself in the supine position? But don't get all pissy about the fact that she's unable to stand upright through one of your allegedly mind-blowing orgasms.
Douche.
4. There was very little family development, which is whatever. Much of it was covered by Emma's book, and since the 3rd in the series is happening parallel to the first two I'm sure Sandas didn't want to write herself into any corners.
All that to say that this book is literally obsessed with the Raw Aching Lust Feelings and very little else.
5. OH ALSO ALSO: Harte decides that he cannot bear to do the sex with his mistress in his bedroom because it's Too Much (like everything this spoiled brat does) so he....HIRES A BEDROOM AT THE FUCKING BROTHEL SHE WAS TRAUMATICALLY SOLD TO / DRUGGED AT / SOLD FROM. AND TAKES HER THERE LIKE IT'S NO BIG. LIKE 'DON'T WORRY BABE YOU'RE WITH ME'.
HOW IN THE EVER LIVING FUCK DOES THAT EVEN SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA? YOU, MR DOUCHE, ARE SO MIRED IN YOUR OWN FUCKING MISERY THAT YOU REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE POTENTIAL PAIN AND SUFFERING YOU'RE CAUSING TO A WOMAN YOU CLAIM TO CARE ABOUT (ALBEIT ONLY SEXUALLY AT THIS TIME). WHAAAAAAAT THE FUUUUUUUCK.
What follows is encounter after uncomfortable encounter floating in a sea of angsty-bullshit. Eventually, they Do It and decide it's LOVE NOT LUST and they update their facebook statuses accordingly.
1. If you can't tell, I wasn't the biggest fan of this one.
2. Lily's urge to have something for herself was interesting, but ultimately useless since she uses that confidence to reach / claim the heart of the unworthy Harte (OH MY GOD THE UNINTENTIONAL PUNS). And for all the assurances that she felt more confident, there's so little evidence of that in the text that it's almost laughable to call it a thread in this particular novel. Luck is No Lady handled it better in a paragraphical aside during Emma's moping.
3. Harte was a goddamned dick. Like, I get that he's got emotional baggage from his shitty childhood after a shitty disease, but he never really has a moment of "Oh crap I'm an asshole HOW DO I FIX THIS?" because a) Lily is so "good" and "generous" and "open" that he can throw whatever bullshit he wants at her without repercussions. Like, I'm not calling Lily a doormat or anything like that: I'm calling Harte a douche. There's a slight difference! and also b) Harte never thinks that his snarling and rudeness needs to be apologized for. Which is such a gross thing.
At one point after Lily has given him leave to use her first name, she asks if she can use his first name (AVENELL WTF) and he tells her he would prefer it if she call him "Lord Harte" or "my lord". Which leads to some strangely unequal overtones to a relationship that is allegedly going to result in true love. (I'm not going to really touch on the semi-BDSM elements because I honestly couldn't tell if they were intentional or not?)
Also: she can't touch him and he offers no explanation for it. So when she does touch him (usually to brace herself for oncoming orgasm), he pulls away abruptly and ends things immediately. Which, OK: dude doesn't want to be touched. That's fair. But then maybe don't inspire orgasms in your gf while she's STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU? Maybe, IDK, offer her a chair? A bed? Have her place herself in the supine position? But don't get all pissy about the fact that she's unable to stand upright through one of your allegedly mind-blowing orgasms.
Douche.
4. There was very little family development, which is whatever. Much of it was covered by Emma's book, and since the 3rd in the series is happening parallel to the first two I'm sure Sandas didn't want to write herself into any corners.
All that to say that this book is literally obsessed with the Raw Aching Lust Feelings and very little else.
5. OH ALSO ALSO: Harte decides that he cannot bear to do the sex with his mistress in his bedroom because it's Too Much (like everything this spoiled brat does) so he....HIRES A BEDROOM AT THE FUCKING BROTHEL SHE WAS TRAUMATICALLY SOLD TO / DRUGGED AT / SOLD FROM. AND TAKES HER THERE LIKE IT'S NO BIG. LIKE 'DON'T WORRY BABE YOU'RE WITH ME'.
HOW IN THE EVER LIVING FUCK DOES THAT EVEN SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA? YOU, MR DOUCHE, ARE SO MIRED IN YOUR OWN FUCKING MISERY THAT YOU REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE POTENTIAL PAIN AND SUFFERING YOU'RE CAUSING TO A WOMAN YOU CLAIM TO CARE ABOUT (ALBEIT ONLY SEXUALLY AT THIS TIME). WHAAAAAAAT THE FUUUUUUUCK.
September 29, 2016
Well, well, well. I'll admit that I was immediately drawn to this story as soon as I read the blurb. I'm a sucker for those mysterious, reclusive heroes. You know, the ones who you are just itching to peel back the layers of and find out who they really are. This book IMO was wonderfully executed. Literally from page one the author had you wanting to know more about the hero, the Earl of Harte. What happened to him? Why can he not bear to be touched? She also gave you insight to his desperation and need hidden behind this facade of steel. Which, mind you, I thought only added to his appeal.
The heroine, Lily, is immediately attracted to Harte from the moment she sees him--heck, so was I, lol. I mean, who can blame her? The man pretty much oozed with masculinity, power, mystery and of course he's gorgeous. But what the heroine doesn't know--and honestly I didn't even realize right away-- is that the hero was just as drawn to her. Not that he gives her any inclination of this of course ;)
The plot thickens and you find out that the heroine's deceased father's debts have now fallen on her and her sisters. Soon enough, she finds herself kidnapped and her innocence up for auction at a one of London's brothels. Well guess who happens to be there that night? That's right ((heart aflutter)) the Earl of Harte. He of course places the highest bid.
So now he has Lily all to himself, just as she has him. The emotional and sexual tension was just...wow, Then top it off with the fact that you have these two people who are so drawn to each other but he is unable to bear the slightest touch. Talk about angst.
This story IMO was very well done from start to finish. The characters were so well developed. I was hooked from page one. This is a new to me author but you can bet I'll be reading more of her books.
The heroine, Lily, is immediately attracted to Harte from the moment she sees him--heck, so was I, lol. I mean, who can blame her? The man pretty much oozed with masculinity, power, mystery and of course he's gorgeous. But what the heroine doesn't know--and honestly I didn't even realize right away-- is that the hero was just as drawn to her. Not that he gives her any inclination of this of course ;)
The plot thickens and you find out that the heroine's deceased father's debts have now fallen on her and her sisters. Soon enough, she finds herself kidnapped and her innocence up for auction at a one of London's brothels. Well guess who happens to be there that night? That's right ((heart aflutter)) the Earl of Harte. He of course places the highest bid.
So now he has Lily all to himself, just as she has him. The emotional and sexual tension was just...wow, Then top it off with the fact that you have these two people who are so drawn to each other but he is unable to bear the slightest touch. Talk about angst.
This story IMO was very well done from start to finish. The characters were so well developed. I was hooked from page one. This is a new to me author but you can bet I'll be reading more of her books.
September 3, 2016
ARC Nathalley for honest review. Rating 2.5
I really enjoyed the first book of the series but found this one not as well written.
Not going into detail of what the story is about as the synopsis above does a good job.
In this review I'm just going to give my thoughts on what I thought of the book.
Again I really enjoyed the first book and thought it was well written and had great character depth. But unfortunately this fell short in both story line and the characters development.
I found the hero's "problem" a little over the top and how it evolved during the story just not believable. I never connected with either of the main characters and they seemed one dimensional. During parts of the story I felt liked I missed a paragraph or was just dropped into another scene with no explanation or reasoning. I found it difficult to finish the book. I hope that book three returns to the same quality as book one. Will give it another try.
I really enjoyed the first book of the series but found this one not as well written.
Not going into detail of what the story is about as the synopsis above does a good job.
In this review I'm just going to give my thoughts on what I thought of the book.
Again I really enjoyed the first book and thought it was well written and had great character depth. But unfortunately this fell short in both story line and the characters development.
I found the hero's "problem" a little over the top and how it evolved during the story just not believable. I never connected with either of the main characters and they seemed one dimensional. During parts of the story I felt liked I missed a paragraph or was just dropped into another scene with no explanation or reasoning. I found it difficult to finish the book. I hope that book three returns to the same quality as book one. Will give it another try.
July 15, 2019
More of a 3.5 Star read, but still very enjoyable. Gave me a Tillie Cole "Souls Unfractured"
vibe. Not dark and twisted like T.C. likes to makes us suffer through, but similar H challenges/predicaments.
Will explain more... eventually ;)
vibe. Not dark and twisted like T.C. likes to makes us suffer through, but similar H challenges/predicaments. Will explain more... eventually ;)
March 6, 2017
Ugh, and to think that I rushed out and paid full price for this while I was in the middle of the much better book #1. :( The whole main idea of the story (girl kidnapped and sold off to a cold, unfeeling hero in a brothel) could have, should have, would have been perfect... if only it had been different.
Right off from the start, I was irritated at how much was 'told' to us. I had to constantly stop myself from trying to skim ahead looking for dialogue. I wanted to read about the hero and heroine interacting and talking with each other! I would say that 90% of the story is just us being told about eye glances at each other, the hero's gut tightening up in pain from his emotions, constantly rehashing how he felt when touched, and actually if you read the first book in the series, you will reread much of it again in this book as well (as they seem to both take place at the same time, so you get this story from Lily's point of view instead of her sister's POV from book #1).
Lastly, as irritating as the lack of enough dialogue was, I kept reading because I was really curious as to what his medical problem was and why he experienced so much pain from being touched. And I really wanted to see if they could get passed it somehow. I don't really think they ever explained what his medical issue was, so that was a let down. Just some childhood fever, but.... And then I reached the very last chapter.... but by that time I was thoroughly disgusted with the whole book and I just didn't care what happened anymore.
Another thing I have noticed now, this author likes a good slow burn. Both books, the romance, kissing, sex does not kick in until the end of the book basically.
Right off from the start, I was irritated at how much was 'told' to us. I had to constantly stop myself from trying to skim ahead looking for dialogue. I wanted to read about the hero and heroine interacting and talking with each other! I would say that 90% of the story is just us being told about eye glances at each other, the hero's gut tightening up in pain from his emotions, constantly rehashing how he felt when touched, and actually if you read the first book in the series, you will reread much of it again in this book as well (as they seem to both take place at the same time, so you get this story from Lily's point of view instead of her sister's POV from book #1).
Lastly, as irritating as the lack of enough dialogue was, I kept reading because I was really curious as to what his medical problem was and why he experienced so much pain from being touched. And I really wanted to see if they could get passed it somehow. I don't really think they ever explained what his medical issue was, so that was a let down. Just some childhood fever, but.... And then I reached the very last chapter.... but by that time I was thoroughly disgusted with the whole book and I just didn't care what happened anymore.
Another thing I have noticed now, this author likes a good slow burn. Both books, the romance, kissing, sex does not kick in until the end of the book basically.
August 21, 2018
3 Stars
October 18, 2020
When Miss Lily Chadwick is kidnapped and put up for auction in an exclusive pleasure house, she's rescued by Avenell Slade, Earl of Harte. Avenell recognizes Lily and knows she doesn't belong there. He's desired her since the first time he laid eyes on her, but he's hiding a painful secret: he has a heightened sensitivity to touch that causes him physical pain. When Lily makes a shocking proposition, Avenell is desperate to try.
This is the second book in the Fallen Ladies series about the three Chadwick sisters. The events in the first and second book are occurring in overlapping timelines. Although things are explained, I would recommend reading them in order.
I ran through this book in a day and half and only grudgingly put it down. It's definitely one of the most engaging books I've read this year. I loved Lily and Avenell right away (though I dislike his name). Lily was so open and loving, and Avenell was so broken and in need of normalcy. Intimacy and sex basically were the plot, so this book was extremely sensual throughout. The scenes were lengthy and emotionally charged. I didn't want this book to end!
Tropes: Auctioned/Sold, Ruined, Disability/Damaged Hero, Virgin Hero, Double Virgin
This is the second book in the Fallen Ladies series about the three Chadwick sisters. The events in the first and second book are occurring in overlapping timelines. Although things are explained, I would recommend reading them in order.
I ran through this book in a day and half and only grudgingly put it down. It's definitely one of the most engaging books I've read this year. I loved Lily and Avenell right away (though I dislike his name). Lily was so open and loving, and Avenell was so broken and in need of normalcy. Intimacy and sex basically were the plot, so this book was extremely sensual throughout. The scenes were lengthy and emotionally charged. I didn't want this book to end!
Tropes: Auctioned/Sold, Ruined, Disability/Damaged Hero, Virgin Hero, Double Virgin
July 12, 2023
A) Is it just me or are grey eyes purely fictional?
B) Most unreal characters. Most irritating male love interest. Ughhhhh. This is the kind of book you read to have fun, and I instead found it hundreds of pages too long.
C) I’m really not into insta-love stories. The connection is based on nothing and while it grows into what they call true love, I can’t believe that her staring at him + him being a dick to her = love.
D) The earl (named Avenell???) went from stubbornly refusing to fall in love to deciding to declare his love and get over his issues in the span of… 5 minutes. Umm. I’m embarrassed for him.
E) I’m irritated by how easily their secrets are kept, despite the fact that MANY people know about their relationship. I’m irritated by the earl’s relentless cowardice and harshness, especially when it’s juxtaposed with Lily’s openness, courage, and determination (she seems to have an endless wealth of these things, from where I’m not sure). It doesn’t make sense that these characters exist. It doesn’t make sense that they ever liked each other in the first place. It doesn’t make sense how every problem (debt, risking reputations, even the threat of pregnancy) is so easily resolved or completely ignored. 0.1 seconds spent on the fact that Lily was DRUGGED AND HER VIRGINITY WAS AUCTIONED OFF, yet I swear every other page is a description of how *intense* it is when they look into each other’s eyes (seemingly staring for an eternity in a manner very reminiscent of Twilight). Not sure how they could stare on and on and no one (no one? really?) noticed.
F) Their relationship is so imbalanced. In an effort to keep himself closed off from Lily, the early constantly hurts or disrespects her. She is never bothered by this for longer than a millisecond. What? She really demands nothing of him, receives nothing of true value from him, and gives everything of herself. Their dynamic is so unenjoyable and tiresome that I often wished for them to not get together — that one or both of them would have a tragic accident and die or fall in love with someone else or whatever.
(Also, what in the world is his unnamed illness that doesn’t allow him to touch anyone?)
Moral of the story: pussy cures all. I believe it.
B) Most unreal characters. Most irritating male love interest. Ughhhhh. This is the kind of book you read to have fun, and I instead found it hundreds of pages too long.
C) I’m really not into insta-love stories. The connection is based on nothing and while it grows into what they call true love, I can’t believe that her staring at him + him being a dick to her = love.
D) The earl (named Avenell???) went from stubbornly refusing to fall in love to deciding to declare his love and get over his issues in the span of… 5 minutes. Umm. I’m embarrassed for him.
E) I’m irritated by how easily their secrets are kept, despite the fact that MANY people know about their relationship. I’m irritated by the earl’s relentless cowardice and harshness, especially when it’s juxtaposed with Lily’s openness, courage, and determination (she seems to have an endless wealth of these things, from where I’m not sure). It doesn’t make sense that these characters exist. It doesn’t make sense that they ever liked each other in the first place. It doesn’t make sense how every problem (debt, risking reputations, even the threat of pregnancy) is so easily resolved or completely ignored. 0.1 seconds spent on the fact that Lily was DRUGGED AND HER VIRGINITY WAS AUCTIONED OFF, yet I swear every other page is a description of how *intense* it is when they look into each other’s eyes (seemingly staring for an eternity in a manner very reminiscent of Twilight). Not sure how they could stare on and on and no one (no one? really?) noticed.
F) Their relationship is so imbalanced. In an effort to keep himself closed off from Lily, the early constantly hurts or disrespects her. She is never bothered by this for longer than a millisecond. What? She really demands nothing of him, receives nothing of true value from him, and gives everything of herself. Their dynamic is so unenjoyable and tiresome that I often wished for them to not get together — that one or both of them would have a tragic accident and die or fall in love with someone else or whatever.
(Also, what in the world is his unnamed illness that doesn’t allow him to touch anyone?)
Moral of the story: pussy cures all. I believe it.
August 13, 2016
I really liked Avenell, "he chuckled, and the sound warmed her heart. “Sweetheart, the world is well aware of my pursuit of you. How can they not be when I dance with you and only you at every ball and visit your great-aunt’s house several times a week?” I really liked this book, Lily was good for Avenell.
June 26, 2019
I think these books go quickly because they truly have little depth.
There was no reason for our MCs to not be together here. The "reason" Avenell had was flimsy and fell apart the first time someone pointed that out. Lily wasn't interesting enough to keep this book alive. Emma had determination and grit. Lily... Likes erotic novels? Wants adventure? Honestly that's all I got from her. Her quiet acceptance of Avenell's nerve issues was sweet, but not a character trait.
Also how they can continue to have unprotected sex without getting pregnant is beyond me.
There was no reason for our MCs to not be together here. The "reason" Avenell had was flimsy and fell apart the first time someone pointed that out. Lily wasn't interesting enough to keep this book alive. Emma had determination and grit. Lily... Likes erotic novels? Wants adventure? Honestly that's all I got from her. Her quiet acceptance of Avenell's nerve issues was sweet, but not a character trait.
Also how they can continue to have unprotected sex without getting pregnant is beyond me.
April 23, 2022
*3.5 stars*
I picked this book up because of the sexy cover and because the blurb appealed to me very much. Sweet heroine unwittingly sold to sex club only to be rescued by damaged earl who desires her, but just can't abide her touch. What was there not to love? Sadly, I thought there was a little too much insta-love/lust between the hero and the heroine and some parts were a bit boring, so much so that I found myself skimming pages in order to reach the interesting scenes between them. I loved how protective they were of each other, though. All in all, I had a good time, so I will try to read more by this author.
I picked this book up because of the sexy cover and because the blurb appealed to me very much. Sweet heroine unwittingly sold to sex club only to be rescued by damaged earl who desires her, but just can't abide her touch. What was there not to love? Sadly, I thought there was a little too much insta-love/lust between the hero and the heroine and some parts were a bit boring, so much so that I found myself skimming pages in order to reach the interesting scenes between them. I loved how protective they were of each other, though. All in all, I had a good time, so I will try to read more by this author.
November 2, 2016
The Untouchable Earl is my first read by Amy Sandas. I was sucked in by the blurb as this sounded like a historical of a darker nature than what is common these days. The story appears to take place contemporaneously with Luck is No Lady, so I don't think you have to read these two books in order. You should be fine if you are starting with the second book as I did.
Lily Chadwick is a heroine that has fallen on hard times after the death of her parents. After the death of her mother, her father devolved into drinking and debt, leaving his three surviving daughters in dire straights after his death. Lily is the middle sister and she finds herself somewhat plain, wishing she shared more attributes with her sisters. Lily also has a secret, dark desires that stem from her stealthy reading of erotic novels. She despairs of finding a husband that will actually make her happy and satisfy her passionate nature. For a virginal heroine, Lily did not come off as a shy heroine, at least with our hero. In society, she acts the demure lady... but the chemistry with our hero seems to overwhelm her. I do wish she would have shown more grit and backbone when she is stolen off the street and sold to a pleasure house, but she seemed to lack the confidence. I also didn't connect as fully with her characters as I would have liked, but I can't put my finger on exactly what was missing.
Our hero, Avenell Slade, Earl of Thorne, is a uniquely tortured hero. He seems to be suffering from something akin to sensory processing disorder, where he cannot abide touch on most of his upper body. This affliction caused his father to reject him as a young boy, which has left Harte a bit switched off emotionally. He is always stoic and serious, like he has ice encasing his heart. I have to say that he didn't treat our heroine very well on the surface, so you had to do a lot of looking beyond his outward demeanor to glimpse the yearning underneath. I would have liked more of the story to have been told from his POV, with some inner monologues to establish a stronger character connection.
The relationship between our couple, as it developed, was unconventional for a lady of noble breeding. While there was good chemistry and an almost magnetic pull between Lily and Harte, there was not enough emotion to sink my teeth into. Harte was trying to overcome his problems, and I know he must have been in horrible turmoil, but I would have liked to feel it a little more. There was some very nice sensuality in their encounters, despite Harte's inability to be touched. So although our couple is engaging in intimacy rather quickly, their romance was more of a slow burn that built right up until the end.
So Lily is stolen by an unscrupulous moneylender , Mason Hale, and sold into a pleasure house owned by his sister, Madam Pendragon, who will auction Lily's virtue to the highest bidder. Despite Hale's motivations, I did not like him or Pendragon at all. I also felt like this aspect of the plot was dropped in favor of the romance. I wish the scheme could have carried throughout the story to provide some action and suspense, or at least develop Harte's motivations and personal situation further so we could understand his character. Instead, the desperation that should have been felt by both Hale and Pendragon felt contrived and they came off as cold and heartless.
I enjoyed the glimpses into the story of the older sister, Emma, and her tumultuous relationship with Mr. Bentley, who I believe owned a gaming hell. So I am definitely curious to go back and read her story now to see exactly what was happening.
Overall, I did enjoy the story and I will be reading this author again... but, as outlined above, I would have liked a little more in some respects. I voluntarily reviewed and advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca.
July 23, 2017
This is a bit of a Beauty and the Beast story. Lord Harte, Avenell Slade, has dealt with a rather desperate affliction all his life. He has a medical condition that makes his skin so sensitive that it is painful to be touched by another. Initially he searches out the help of Madam Pendragon, a brothel owner with an iron glove. Pendragon enforces discretion and punishes loose tongues; no one would dare gossip that Lord Harte has been serviced by her brothel in anyway, much less rumor a health issue. One doesn’t mess with the steely madam, she’s cunningly intelligent and not afraid to play Eve over Adam. Poor Adam.
Upon the heels of some bad luck, the Chadwick sisters have inherited the debts of their gambling pater. Lily becomes the pawn in a game of desperation when one of her father’s creditors calls in his loan. Mason Hale dipped his fingers in many shady dealings, now he is trying to create a better life for the woman he once loved and his daughter. When his baby momma demands money he finds himself grabbing Lily off the street. Waking up in a brothel with her virtue on at stake is tough luck. Further disconcerting is a scheming madam playing a chess game with her patrons to get the man she most wants to win the young lady.
This book does have a lot of backstory to it, the earlier book--Luck is No Lady is occurring at the same time so they need to be read in order to get the entire scope of events. Lily and her sister Emma’s love stories are separate but intertwined. All the machinations in the background are well developed and told in a way as not to draw away from the main storytelling. It makes the novel very rich in plot and done successfully to boot.
There is a great gathering of strong female characters, Lily and Pendragon are compelling as hell, both far too naughty for the Haute Ton, and too good not to fall in love with.
My one wish is that Amy Sandas had an afterword with an explanation of Lord Harte’s medical condition because I know that it is a verifiable disorder recognized today but it would add to the story to have insight to the history of it and her inspiration to write a story about it.
I do love fairy tales retold and this was very well plotted and adapted. Amy Sandas YOU are a BAWS! I can’t wait to read more of her novels.
November 4, 2016
Ok I liked the premise for this book but the problem I had was that it was a lot of telling and not showing, if that makes sense? The book kept telling me that the hero and heroine were feeling all these things but never really building up to it otherwise knowing as showing it? So it was hard for me to understand why they fell in love with each other. I wasn't a fan of the insta-attraction at the start so early on too.
Plus, I felt like the affliction was never really properly explained and felt kind of inconsistent too.
Like overall I wanted more for these characters--- they were great conceptually but the execution of the entire relationship left me wanting. After the initial first few encounters that were really hot, the second half of the book felt like a lot of repetition.
Plus, I felt like the affliction was never really properly explained and felt kind of inconsistent too.
Like overall I wanted more for these characters--- they were great conceptually but the execution of the entire relationship left me wanting. After the initial first few encounters that were really hot, the second half of the book felt like a lot of repetition.
June 22, 2019
3.5* rounded up
I didn't like this as much as the first book. I did like that we did learn more about Nathan Hale and his motivations. It's been awhile since I read the first book, so it took me a bit to catch on, but this book is occurring at the same time as book 1 (Emma's) and book 3 (Portia's).
I liked Lily, but there were moments where thought she was too passive. On the other hand, she did fight for what she wanted and I thought by the end she was more assertive. Avenell was okay. I liked that he had a disability (ill as a child, he has severe neuropathy in his upper body) and experiences pain with touch. I thought this was overcome too quickly. I also thought he was too mean to Lily at times.
I am looking forward to Portia's book.
For Ripped Bodice Bingo- I will see what else I read over the next couple of months. This might be a stretch, but Angelique is sassy- but she's a great aunt (and not a grandparent). ? for "Sassy Grandparent square.
I didn't like this as much as the first book. I did like that we did learn more about Nathan Hale and his motivations. It's been awhile since I read the first book, so it took me a bit to catch on, but this book is occurring at the same time as book 1 (Emma's) and book 3 (Portia's).
I liked Lily, but there were moments where thought she was too passive. On the other hand, she did fight for what she wanted and I thought by the end she was more assertive. Avenell was okay. I liked that he had a disability (ill as a child, he has severe neuropathy in his upper body) and experiences pain with touch. I thought this was overcome too quickly. I also thought he was too mean to Lily at times.
I am looking forward to Portia's book.
For Ripped Bodice Bingo- I will see what else I read over the next couple of months. This might be a stretch, but Angelique is sassy- but she's a great aunt (and not a grandparent). ? for "Sassy Grandparent square.
July 30, 2022
I’m done and holy wow! I am blown away by this book. I loved absolutely everything about this book. It was everything I love about a romance. She had just enough plot to give them a reason to be together, without overwhelming the romance with trying to make that overarching plot line work. It's so hard to find a romance where the true focus is how they're falling in love. At least to this level.
This book takes you on such a deep emotional journey. These two are both lost and missing something and Amy Sandas makes their need for each other palpable. She really did a wonderful job of conveying a magnetism between them that was so strong it felt like nothing in the world could come between them. I really loved how Avenell oozed both pain and tenderness and Lily was his perfect counterpart. I loved the character development and the exploration of how they felt. So much time in their heads exploring how they feel, not just physically, but emotionally, and I feel like that is often lacking in romance.
Also, she knows how to give a kiss in a romance the attention it deserves! I feel like kisses are often overlooked in romance but they’re my literal favorite thing. I wish there was more kissing and less sex a lot of the time. But the kisses here and just the intimacy overall was perfect.
I don’t think that the book had more steam than the average romance in terms of scenes, but it felt so much more steamy because of the emotional connection between these two. It just crackled off the page. She did such a good job writing that pull. The whole book their connection screamed soulmates, but she did it without it feeling cheesy or trite.
Ugh, just amazing. So many feels. I can’t wait to read the rest of her books now.
This book takes you on such a deep emotional journey. These two are both lost and missing something and Amy Sandas makes their need for each other palpable. She really did a wonderful job of conveying a magnetism between them that was so strong it felt like nothing in the world could come between them. I really loved how Avenell oozed both pain and tenderness and Lily was his perfect counterpart. I loved the character development and the exploration of how they felt. So much time in their heads exploring how they feel, not just physically, but emotionally, and I feel like that is often lacking in romance.
Also, she knows how to give a kiss in a romance the attention it deserves! I feel like kisses are often overlooked in romance but they’re my literal favorite thing. I wish there was more kissing and less sex a lot of the time. But the kisses here and just the intimacy overall was perfect.
I don’t think that the book had more steam than the average romance in terms of scenes, but it felt so much more steamy because of the emotional connection between these two. It just crackled off the page. She did such a good job writing that pull. The whole book their connection screamed soulmates, but she did it without it feeling cheesy or trite.
Ugh, just amazing. So many feels. I can’t wait to read the rest of her books now.
November 9, 2016
A reclusive Earl and a kidnapped debutante.
3.5 stars
When Lily Chadwick, debutante and innocent maid, is kidnapped, drugged and auctioned to the highest bidder in a brothel, she little expected to be bought by Avenell, the Earl of Harte, a man she has made eye contact with at various events. A man who sets her blood on fire.
(Lily is one of three sisters whose dead father has left them in debt. They have come to London for the season, staying with their eccentric and fabulous great aunt Angelique, the Dowager Countess of Chelmsworth. Only recently have the sisters come to realize how huge that debt is. (Sisters Emma and Pippa have their own secrets and the stories about them are developing simultaneously).
Avenell's relationship with Madam Pendragon, owner of the brothel, has been one of long standing. She is privy to his secret--that touch causes him extreme pain. It was Madam Pendragon Avenell turned to for schooling in touch. She knows his Archilles' heel, so then why has he been invited to this most unusual happening? And why does he find the woman who sends a shaft of frisson through his body whenever he sees her, drugged and being ogled by some of the most decadent men of the city?
Avenell must rescue Lily before all is lost--and in doing so he becomes lost!
Lily must go beyond what is expected of a woman of her gentle background in order to reach the very soul of the man she has become enamoured with. But at what cost?
The healing of Avenell is a slow unfurling dance of heightened emotions and distraught advances. Lily comes into her own.
Sometimes a little too tortured, this was nevertheless an interesting addition to the Fallen Chadwick Ladies milieu.
A NetGalley ARC
3.5 stars
When Lily Chadwick, debutante and innocent maid, is kidnapped, drugged and auctioned to the highest bidder in a brothel, she little expected to be bought by Avenell, the Earl of Harte, a man she has made eye contact with at various events. A man who sets her blood on fire.
(Lily is one of three sisters whose dead father has left them in debt. They have come to London for the season, staying with their eccentric and fabulous great aunt Angelique, the Dowager Countess of Chelmsworth. Only recently have the sisters come to realize how huge that debt is. (Sisters Emma and Pippa have their own secrets and the stories about them are developing simultaneously).
Avenell's relationship with Madam Pendragon, owner of the brothel, has been one of long standing. She is privy to his secret--that touch causes him extreme pain. It was Madam Pendragon Avenell turned to for schooling in touch. She knows his Archilles' heel, so then why has he been invited to this most unusual happening? And why does he find the woman who sends a shaft of frisson through his body whenever he sees her, drugged and being ogled by some of the most decadent men of the city?
Avenell must rescue Lily before all is lost--and in doing so he becomes lost!
Lily must go beyond what is expected of a woman of her gentle background in order to reach the very soul of the man she has become enamoured with. But at what cost?
The healing of Avenell is a slow unfurling dance of heightened emotions and distraught advances. Lily comes into her own.
Sometimes a little too tortured, this was nevertheless an interesting addition to the Fallen Chadwick Ladies milieu.
A NetGalley ARC
December 9, 2016
I hated this book. I thought I was going to read a story about a heroine teaching the hero how to love and learn how to stand being touched.
Instead the heroine is kidnapped by a bad guy who wants a debt that is owed to him from heroine's dead dad. The hero is at a virgin auction where the bad guy plans to sell her and hero buys her so no one else will. Instead of returning her, she agrees to be his secret mistress so no one will find out. Hero does not tell her that he can't perform in the bedroom.
A few days later, THEY MEET AT THE SAME BROTHEL WHERE SHE WAS DRUGGED AND ALMOST RAPED to have their secret meet up. What the heck? The hero tells her the brothel is very discreet and it is safer than his house where people will gossip.
The hero is rich. Yet he can't find a safe place to bring the heroine and BRINGS HER BACK TO THE SAME BROTHEL? Heroine has no problem with this.
And after finally getting the hero to propose marriage at the end of the book, she tells him she wants a long engagement because she likes being his secret lover.
This is supposed to be a historical romance. Yet the heroine had no trouble sneaking out of her house lots of times to meet the hero at a brothel, or spend the night at his house. She feared no consequences of being found at a brothel.
We're also told the heroine found erotic novels left by a governess in their childhood home and always dreamed of passion and being "ravished" by a man. She loves erotic novels. I hate when authors put that the heroine loves books in the book I'm reading, because it reminds me I'm reading a book. Aargh, stop doing this.
Don't waste your time on this book.
Instead the heroine is kidnapped by a bad guy who wants a debt that is owed to him from heroine's dead dad. The hero is at a virgin auction where the bad guy plans to sell her and hero buys her so no one else will. Instead of returning her, she agrees to be his secret mistress so no one will find out. Hero does not tell her that he can't perform in the bedroom.
A few days later, THEY MEET AT THE SAME BROTHEL WHERE SHE WAS DRUGGED AND ALMOST RAPED to have their secret meet up. What the heck? The hero tells her the brothel is very discreet and it is safer than his house where people will gossip.
The hero is rich. Yet he can't find a safe place to bring the heroine and BRINGS HER BACK TO THE SAME BROTHEL? Heroine has no problem with this.
And after finally getting the hero to propose marriage at the end of the book, she tells him she wants a long engagement because she likes being his secret lover.
This is supposed to be a historical romance. Yet the heroine had no trouble sneaking out of her house lots of times to meet the hero at a brothel, or spend the night at his house. She feared no consequences of being found at a brothel.
We're also told the heroine found erotic novels left by a governess in their childhood home and always dreamed of passion and being "ravished" by a man. She loves erotic novels. I hate when authors put that the heroine loves books in the book I'm reading, because it reminds me I'm reading a book. Aargh, stop doing this.
Don't waste your time on this book.
October 5, 2016
I like this book. It has a very unusual hero and a seemingly proper, but brave heroine. Lily Chadwick felt sparks and tingles when she noticed a man with a forbidding expression across the ballroom. She couldn't look away. She later learns his name and that he is the Earl of Harte. When he is introduced to her, and her friends, he slights her but later rescues her from an unwanted advance.
Lily and her sisters, Emma and Portia, have inherited their deceased father's huge debt. They have been given a date by which his loan must be paid but the day before Lily is abducted by the moneylender, drugged and auctioned to the highest bidder at a brothel.
Luckily, Harte was there and bid an extraordinary amount to rescue her. When she awakens from the drugs she was given she is relieved to find herself at Harte's home. She agrees to be his mistress without understanding all that it entails. Harte has an unusual condition that I won't spoil. This is not a G rated book but the condition the hero has and tries to overcome is real and I really liked the heroine was not disgusted with him but helped him.
I look forward to the youngest sister, Portia's story.
Lily and her sisters, Emma and Portia, have inherited their deceased father's huge debt. They have been given a date by which his loan must be paid but the day before Lily is abducted by the moneylender, drugged and auctioned to the highest bidder at a brothel.
Luckily, Harte was there and bid an extraordinary amount to rescue her. When she awakens from the drugs she was given she is relieved to find herself at Harte's home. She agrees to be his mistress without understanding all that it entails. Harte has an unusual condition that I won't spoil. This is not a G rated book but the condition the hero has and tries to overcome is real and I really liked the heroine was not disgusted with him but helped him.
I look forward to the youngest sister, Portia's story.
November 21, 2016
I have to say that I see a pattern developing with this authors heroes and heroines. She cleverly gives them a unique character trait and incorporates it within the story and in this case, the hero has a problem with people touching his person. I like that they all have something we rarely read about in romancelandia.
Another unique thing about this series is the timeline. Both books run the same timeline, and because of it, you’re better off reading them in order.
Also, the unconventional relationship that develops between the two leads is intriguing and entertaining, albeit unbelievable. It took a lot out of me to suspend my disbelief in order to thoroughly enjoy the story, which I did.
In the end, good writing and likable characters is what I appreciated in this story the most.
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
Another unique thing about this series is the timeline. Both books run the same timeline, and because of it, you’re better off reading them in order.
Also, the unconventional relationship that develops between the two leads is intriguing and entertaining, albeit unbelievable. It took a lot out of me to suspend my disbelief in order to thoroughly enjoy the story, which I did.
In the end, good writing and likable characters is what I appreciated in this story the most.
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
October 24, 2016
Link to full review below! I enjoyed it but not as much as book 1. See full review on The Book Disciple
February 20, 2017
3.5 stars
Worth any Price meets Fifty Shades of Grey.
Definitely not as good as the first one.
I am not surprised after reading a friend's rating of 5 stars for the first book dropped to one star for the second. I didn't find it quite so disparaging and will read the third story.
Worth any Price meets Fifty Shades of Grey.
Definitely not as good as the first one.
I am not surprised after reading a friend's rating of 5 stars for the first book dropped to one star for the second. I didn't find it quite so disparaging and will read the third story.
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