One Night of Passion

Danvers Family (Chronological order) #1

by Elizabeth Boyle

They Met At London's Notorious Cyprian's Ball . . . Georgiana Escott has one night to find the perfect man to ruin her and leave her with a tattered reputation so she can avoid an arranged marriage to an aging, despicable roue. With a misstep, she tumbles into the arms of the disgraced and dashing Lord Danvers. But Georgie doesn't know that the lover she has enticed to follow her into the night and the stranger she holds responsible for her misfortunes are in the same . . . When Lord Danvers find himself entangled with a tempting Cyprian, his secret mission to expose a dangerous spy goes awry. Yet once he starts to unmasked this bewitching lady, he realizes the seductress who claims his heart may be the traitor he seeks. Mistrust makes them adversaries in a perilous game—but how can he dismiss his obsession with her when one night of passion entwined their lives forever?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Regency Romance

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 2, 2002

About the author

Elizabeth Boyle is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 historical romance novels and several novellas. Her upcoming novel, O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, is a mix of women's fiction and historical fiction, with a bit of magic thrown in. This story of friendship and empowerment is already getting rave reviews.

Her first novel, Brazen Angel, won Dell's Diamond Debut Award and the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best First Book. Her books are called "fast-paced," "adventurous," and "funny."

Not sure where to begin? If you love adventure, try THIS RAKE OF MINE or ONE NIGHT OF PASSION.

If you need to laugh, SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE, LOVE LETTERS FROM A DUKE, or THE VISCOUNT WHO LIVED DOWN THE LANE.

Want a little magic in your romance? Try HIS MISTRESS BY MORNING.

When not writing, Elizabeth enjoys knitting, gardening, travel and reading a wide variety of stories. She lives with her family in Seattle.

Sign up for her weekly newsletter, Five Things for Friday on her website. A weekly roundup of books, shows, and things to cook or laugh over, her readers love this weekly laugh.

Reviews

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sooooo bored

[kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Georgie, in an attempt to not get married, goes to a ball and meets Colin who (eventually) (after much haranguing) ruins her. FAST FORWARD ONE YEAR: Georgie, now in Italy, attempts to escape the French and ends up on Colin's boat!! He thinks she might be a spy! She realizes (belatedly) that he's her guardian! OH HORRORS.

1. AHAHAHA. Perfect companion to The Proposal because NO ONE IN THIS BOOK IS A FREAKING ADULT!!!

2. So Georgie attends this scandalous ball in order to get herself ruined. This ONE EVENING of her life takes up SIX CHAPTERS. 40% OF THE BOOK. And it's tedious and boring and Colin tries to get rid of George like seventy-bajillion times (I counted) and instead of feeling like the culmination of sexual tension and emotional connection, the actual sex was like "FINA-OH IS THAT IT??"

3. So Georgie has a kid, right? (Because of course she got pregnant!! FAF!!) But WOW talk about a prop-poppet! The last half of the book is centered around spies and sailing and WHY IS THERE A BABY THERE.

4. I thought I had more? But I can't remember it?

[Izzah ꒰Duchess of Cabria ಇ ⭑✧ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ ✧ ⋆꒱ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The dreaded miscommunication

I think it's because of books like these where two sentences would cut the book in half that has readers nowadays detesting the miscommunication trope.


⋆˙⟡ The meeting, one third
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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[Sally Jask-eh]

not bad, bold FMC Georgiana, mystery spy action with Lord Colin Danvers. I did get distracted occasionally because pacing was off. Baby in the bag was really odd. Srsly who puts their baby in a bag🤣🏴‍☠️

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that I have read in a while. Georgiana finds her self betrothed to a Lord Harris quite old enough to be her grandfather and whats more a man who has already out lived nine wives. And as Georgi puts it at least King Henry VIII had the good sense to die after 6. In an act of desperation She finds her self attending a less than reputable ball with rumination in mind. Once there she stumbles quite literally into Colin, the most honorable man in the room and most defiantly not the one that she wants. Though he turns out to be just who she needed, if only she hadn't slipped away the morning after.

Colin, Lord Danvers, has just been convicted of treason and had his fiance break their betrothal, all on what should have been his wedding day. And while the charges against him were fake, Lady Diana returning his ring was not. His cousin convinces him to attend a cyprian ball where he meets a certain lady who just doesn't seem to belong. Even as he tries to do the right thing and send her home untouched he cant seem to quite shake how 'right' she feels. Unfortunately after their night together Georgie disappears before he can ask her to marry him, and while he did search for her, with little to go on and wrong assumptions he made no head way before having to sail out two days later.

Fast forward a year, Georgi is hiding out anywhere but England with her sister and daughter, to avoid Kit's having to marry Lord Harris in Georgi's stead. With the French invading however they Are forced to flee, as luck would have it Georgi see's another man escaping and knows that if she follows him she is certain to find an escape as well. And an escape she did find right into Colin's arms(so to speak). And what would have been a happy reunion quickly turns sour when she discovers that that Colin is Lord Danvers, her guardian, a man who had never bothered to check on her and her sister and who had signed the contract for her marriage to Lord Harris.

Accusations and suspicions fly as Georgie hates Lord Danvers but still holds a tender for Colin. And with Colin out to catch a spy and traitor Georgie's assumed name and refusal to answer any questions seems to point suspicion towards her.

And that is all you get from me, thought that may be just about half the book. I really enjoyed this book and the Heroine is quite enjoyable as well. She is rather strong and has quite the devious mind when she needs to put it to use. There were no over dramatics but plenty of cloak and dagger, I'm eager to read the next in the series! Over all 5 stars for a wonderful story with a good bit of suspense and romance.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your basic romance filled with mistaken identity, extreme coincidences, misunderstandings, danger and a little steamy sex.

When I started reading, I had to ask myself if perhaps I'd already read this? It just sounded a little familiar. Seriously, with these romances, often they do all seem very similar. ONE of the reasons I am recording them here on GR (so I can say DUH, I've already read that one!). They usually aren't super memorable, I actually need a record!

But it may have sounded familiar for a different reason. My library has this set listed in a different order (Once Tempted as #1, This as #2, Stealing the Bride as #3) ... although it says this is #2 in the title, if you click on the series (http://www.goodreads.com/series/84017...) it then shows this was as #1.

I believe these are all basically stand alone books with some overlap of characters. I had read "Once Tempted" last summer, and I do believe the main characters made an appearance in it, and I do think they were together in that book (if I remember correctly), so logically (chronologically at least)it does seem this one should be "first" ...

[Jessica Grogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I actually enjoyed the first part of the book and was looking forward to seeing Georgie escape the clutches of Lord Harris and then...we flash forward a year and are told instead of shown what has happened to Georgie in the past year, including how she evaded Lord Harris's lecherous old clutches. And it just got boring to me because at that point it started to feel like a second chance romance and I'm pretty sure if they had just talked to each other there wouldn't be a second half. I'm not going to read the next book because Diana and Temple have HISTORY and that makes for a boring read for me.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is this book so perfect!!!!!!!

[Karen Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love it when the heroine is the hero.

[Annii · Rating 2 out of 5]

"One Night of Passion" is the story of Miss Georgiana Escott, a young woman who is about to be forced into an unwanted marriage, and Lord Colin Danvers, a naval officer on a secret mission. Discovering that the horrible man her guardian wants her to marry will only do so if she is proven to be a virgin (by a doctor) she runs off in the middle of the night to find a man to make sure she fails the test. She ends up spending the night in Colin's arms, then rushes out the next morning, leaving Colin a bit shocked and dissapointed, as he would have liked to continue their relationship. The story then cuts to a year later, in Italy. Colin is conducting a secret mission against the French. Georgiana, who has a child from the one night she spent with Colin, has fled England and is in Italy with her sister. While fleeing from the French, she finds herself on Colin's ship and eventually accused of being a French spy herself.

This book is somewhat ridiculous and complicated. I never did entirely understand Colin's secret mission, and the whole premise of Georgiana having to ruin herself in order to save herself from a horrible marriage was a bit of a stretch. Why didn't she just run away? She was obviously willing to do it later... or just refuse to marry the guy?? She didn't HAVE to say "I do." I was also a bit distraught by the fact that she was carrying her daughter around in her luggage. WTF? Why wasn't she carrying the child in her arms like a decent mother? As I've found to be the case in Elizabeth Boyle's novels, she lets the complicated, somewhat silly plot run away with the story. This book is no exception.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Nothing special.

[Anushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the MCs! ending was too rushed

[Karmen O · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Night of Passion by Elizabeth Boyle, book one of the Danvers Family series
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Cover (stepback): 5/5
Story: 4/5
Steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 (+kissing, two scenes do appear close together, but I did not combine them because both are lengthy)
Ending: HEA with Epilogue
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Stand Alone or Series: Could be read as a stand alone. Some set up for future books in the series.
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England, Regency (1800)
Socially Outcast Baron
Socially Outcast Lady
Mistaken Identity
Hidden Identity
Jilted Hero
Guardian/Ward
Former Military Hero
Mystery Plot
Espionage
Ruination to Avoid Marriage
Touch of Cinderella Vibes
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Fans of historical romance with a heavy mystery plot won't be disappointed with this title. While readers are immersed in a deep mystery, it doesn't overshadow the weighty romance plot as some mystery/HR mash-ups can. Due to the nature of a large portion of this book taking place on a large ship, it allows for a great deal of time for the hero and heroine on the page together as they work through their love for each other and the trials and tribulations that are thrown their way.

This book does take on some darker and traumatic themes, some occurring on the page. While there are brushes of comedic dialog here and there, the overall tone of the book is heavier. While not as perhaps outlandish with darkness as, say, the Maiden Lane series by Hoyt, Boyle does dive right into some pretty twisted themes here. I, for one, like darker historical romances.

Something that truly stands out with this title is that it takes place during a time in which England is really in the thick of it with Bonaparte. I feel as though many HRs either took place before the French Revolution or shortly after Waterloo. It was enjoyable to read a historical romance that takes this political upheaval head-on.

Danvers seems to jump to conclusions after conclusion when most of their problems could be solved by him simply talking through things with Georgie. On the other hand, Georgie can be rather cagey and flat-out refuse to divulge information that would avoid conflict and misunderstanding. Georgie makes for such a vivacious and adventurous heroine who was a delight to see on the page. She does not shy away from giving someone the what-what. I love how once Danvers stops being so bone-headed, he would stop at nothing to protect and claim Georgie once and for all.

As for steam, Boyle uses alluded-to terms. I wouldn't describe her scenes as being sweet, although she uses non-explicit language. Her scenes are passionate, and lengthy, and showcase a variety of actions. It is thrilling to not have a Heroine who is completely obvious to s*x and enjoys/pursues it. There are some kissing scenes that some readers may view as dubcon.
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Read as a physical copy.
Honest review left voluntarily.
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Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
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Mention of de*th of parents
Mention of man with many wives who have passed away under suspicious circumstances
Threat of S.A and S.V.
Unwanted physical advances
Invasion by foreign military force
Secret/unknown baby- she had no way to contact him
Mu*der- several, on page
Dr*gging
Excessive consumption of alcohol

[The Book Coyote · Rating 2 out of 5]

"One Night of Passion" is the story of Miss Georgiana Escott, a young woman who is about to be forced into an unwanted marriage, and Lord Colin Danvers, a naval officer on a secret mission. Discovering that the horrible man her guardian wants her to marry will only do so if she is proven to be a virgin (by a doctor) she runs off in the middle of the night to find a man to make sure she fails the test. She ends up spending the night in Colin's arms, then rushes out the next morning, leaving Colin a bit shocked and dissapointed, as he would have liked to continue their relationship. The story then cuts to a year later, in Italy. Colin is conducting a secret mission against the French. Georgiana, who has a child from the one night she spent with Colin, has fled England and is in Italy with her sister. While fleeing from the French, she finds herself on Colin's ship and eventually accused of being a French spy herself. This book is somewhat ridiculous and complicated. I never did entirely understand Colin's secret mission, and the whole premise of Georgiana having to ruin herself in order to save herself from a horrible marriage was a bit of a stretch. Why didn't she just run away? She was obviously willing to do it later... or just refuse to marry the guy?? She didn't HAVE to say "I do." I was also a bit distraught by the fact that she was carrying her daughter around in her luggage. WTF? Why wasn't she carrying the child in her arms like a decent mother? As I've found to be the case in Elizabeth Boyle's novels, she lets the complicated, somewhat silly plot run away with the story. This book is no exception.

[Alex Parr · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so disappointed with this book, as she was a recommended author, and it just failed to deliver on so many levels.

Georgie, the heroine, just drove me nuts with her continual whingeing. The hero, Captain Danvers, was delicious and I failed to understand what he saw in her. The side characters were, however, fun.

There were so many loose plotlines and unanswered questions.

So, she inherits money but as a young lady she manages to change her name with a baby and travel to Italy? How? She argues with the Captain whilst the ship is under attack. Yeah, right!

We never find out what is in the secret papers and what happens to Mandeville's son.

It's so far fetched that it's maddening and it only really started getting interesting from chapter 13!

A waste of time and money.

[Wednesday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced adventure with two great leads. I love all the things that tie Georgie and Colin together and their passionate attraction makes for a sizzling and emotional love affair. The story never gets bogged down but unfolds with purpose. Georgie does more than her share of delivering the inevitable happy ending - in fact I would have liked Colin to have a heroic moment to balance that out a bit.
I would have scored 5 stars if not for the epilogue. Instead of showing how the loose ends were resolved, it went way into the future and seemed completely pointless. It was really disappointing.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites. Quick read, and some fun characters. It took me a second to sort out the flash-forward, but it was refreshing that the heroine had some consequences to her evening of fun a year ago. I would definitely have liked to actually read about the confrontation and leave-taking in the interim. Did they sneak out effectively? Was there a row? I missed having that part. Nevertheless, I liked the main characters and wanted for them to succeed in their quests. And by the end, there was some great chemistry between the heroine and hero.

[penelopewanders]

I'm not sure, but if feels like a long time since I've read something by this author. Again, I'm not sure why, as it seems to me I generally enjoy her books very much.
Here we have an independent and rather unconventional young woman, determined to avoid marriage to a horrid man... and ready to take drastic measures. Having remained on a "first name only basis" with the handsome not-quite rake, there is a bit of confusion and surprise when identities are revealed.
Quite the adventurous romp, with ships and spies and maritime battles. A fun read.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed this author’s newer books, so I thought I’d go search out some stories from her backlist. This was disappointing. The characters are fine, but this book seemed like two different books in one. It was very disjointed. The first 40% was the heroine trying to escape an arranged marriage and the rest was a shipboard spy adventure. I liked the secondary characters too so I might continue with this series and hopefully it flows a bit better!

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the first 30% was rather slow, with that all taking place over only one night, the rest was pretty fast paced, and I did enjoy the intrigue with the French, and Georgie's cunning and courage. All in all, a pretty good romance. I'm really enjoying Elizabeth Boyle's writing style and characters.

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comfort book to me personally, and I find myself coming back to it often. Is it somewhat predictable in a few twists? A tad kitschy? Maybe. But it makes my little soft romance reader heart satisfied, and that's what matters. Easy 3 hour slow read.

Good twist with Mandeville every time though!

[Lizzeth Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could have been a four star book but the ending sucked. There was still so much that was left unsaid. What happened to the awful aunt and uncle? The nasty Lord Harris? It gave us nothing and it didn’t end very romantic. The beginning was a bit slow and the last half of the book was more adventure than romance but overall it was okay. Probably wouldn’t read it again

[Abbey Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun, lots of adventures at sea, etc. Once again, a plotline that is compete based on misunderstandings and assumptions that could have been cleared up by just TAKING TO EACH OTHER HONESTLY, but still it's a fun story.

Rating : Really Great!

[Cynincal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was so much fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Of course it's totally silly and unbelievable. It has all the usual obvious misunderstandings and is a super light guilty pleasure, but I just loved it and the characters.
A solid 4.5 stars.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Pretty much because Georgie is an awesome character and the storyline is different.

[Rox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is good until Boyle decided to put in some lame love triangle toward the end just to increase the conflict, which is unnecessary.

[Shoshana G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many coincidences.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLAH. Lazy writing, overuse of epithets, could have been more interesting, wasn't.

[SLW · Rating 5 out of 5]

9

[Al · Rating 2 out of 5]

Broken engagement...Cyprian Ball...one night...a baby...and spies

You would think excitement right? Unfortunately it’s everything but...