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Naked Nobility #6.5
Dulcele păcat al iubirii
Savurează patru povești în care dragostea și misterul se împletesc în cele mai neașteptate împrejurări...
Tânara Anna Featherstone e încântată să părăsească pentru câteva luni casa de la țară pentru a merge împreună cu famila ei la Londra. Încântarea ei sporește când află că parinții au închiriat o reședință elegantă dintr-un cartier select. Urmează să afle însă că dormitorul ei ascunde o ușă secretă ce devine o poartă spre pericole – și spre romantism!
Deși statutul ei de văduvă îndurerată și dragostea pe care încă i-o poartă iubitului ei soț o împiedică să se apropie de un alt bărbat mai mult decât o permit convențiile sociale, Clarissa Middleton nu poate rezista prea mult timp pasiunii pentru căpitanul Christian Archer. Înlănțuiți unul în brațele celuilalt, dragostea și dorința transformă două inimi în una singură…
Descoperă și aventurile surprinzătoare prin care trec Josephine Atworthy și Charlotte Wilton ca să-și împlinească dragostea…
Jo Beverley, Sally MacKenzie, Vanesa Kelly și Kaitlin O’Riley se numară printre cele mai apreciate autoare de romane de dragoste istorice, fiind prezente în topurile de bestselleruri ale genului.
Tânara Anna Featherstone e încântată să părăsească pentru câteva luni casa de la țară pentru a merge împreună cu famila ei la Londra. Încântarea ei sporește când află că parinții au închiriat o reședință elegantă dintr-un cartier select. Urmează să afle însă că dormitorul ei ascunde o ușă secretă ce devine o poartă spre pericole – și spre romantism!
Deși statutul ei de văduvă îndurerată și dragostea pe care încă i-o poartă iubitului ei soț o împiedică să se apropie de un alt bărbat mai mult decât o permit convențiile sociale, Clarissa Middleton nu poate rezista prea mult timp pasiunii pentru căpitanul Christian Archer. Înlănțuiți unul în brațele celuilalt, dragostea și dorința transformă două inimi în una singură…
Descoperă și aventurile surprinzătoare prin care trec Josephine Atworthy și Charlotte Wilton ca să-și împlinească dragostea…
Jo Beverley, Sally MacKenzie, Vanesa Kelly și Kaitlin O’Riley se numară printre cele mai apreciate autoare de romane de dragoste istorice, fiind prezente în topurile de bestselleruri ale genului.
Paperback
First published February 1, 2011
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About the author
Jo Beverley
143 books1,132 followersMary Josephine Dunn was born 22 September 1947 in Lancashire, England, UK. At the age of eleven she went to an all-girls boarding school, Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool. At sixteen, she wrote her first romance, with a medieval setting, completed in installments in an exercise book. From 1966 to 1970, she obtained a degree in English history from Keele University in Staffordshire, where she met her future husband, Ken Beverley. After graduation, they married on June 24, 1971. She quickly attained a position as a youth employment officer until 1976, working first in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, and then in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.
In 1976, her scientist husband was invited to do post-doctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When her professional qualifications proved not to be usable in the Canadian labour market, she raised their two sons and started to write her first romances.
Moved to Ottawa, in 1985 she became a founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association, that her “nurturing community” for the next twelve years. The same year, she completed a regency romance, but it was promptly rejected by a number of publishers, and she settled more earnestly to learning the craft. In 1988, it sold to Walker, and was published as "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed". She regularly appears on bestseller lists including the USA Today overall bestseller list, the New York Times, and and the Publishers Weekly list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Leaf, the Award of Excellence, the National Readers Choice, and a two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. She is also a five time winner of the RITA, the top award of the Romance Writers Of America, and a member of their Hall of Fame and Honor Roll.
Jo Beverley passed away on May 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.
In 1976, her scientist husband was invited to do post-doctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When her professional qualifications proved not to be usable in the Canadian labour market, she raised their two sons and started to write her first romances.
Moved to Ottawa, in 1985 she became a founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association, that her “nurturing community” for the next twelve years. The same year, she completed a regency romance, but it was promptly rejected by a number of publishers, and she settled more earnestly to learning the craft. In 1988, it sold to Walker, and was published as "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed". She regularly appears on bestseller lists including the USA Today overall bestseller list, the New York Times, and and the Publishers Weekly list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Leaf, the Award of Excellence, the National Readers Choice, and a two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. She is also a five time winner of the RITA, the top award of the Romance Writers Of America, and a member of their Hall of Fame and Honor Roll.
Jo Beverley passed away on May 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
September 24, 2020
This is an outstanding collection of four steamy, well-written, entertaining historical romance novellas. My favorite was Ms. Kelly's entry which has an older woman and an irresistible soldier.
October 17, 2015
Dulcele păcat al iubirii
întruneşte patru povestioare romantice foarte faine, fiecare dintre ele având mai mult sau mai puţin de o sută de pagini pline de umor, spirit, afecţiune, sinceritate, speranţă, ironii delicioase, mister, pasiune şi, mai ales, dragoste.
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Dulcele păcat al iubirii - Jo Beverley ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
Primul titlu îi are ca protagonişti pe Anna Featherstone, o tânără de numai 16 ani, ce n-a părăsit încă băncile şcolii, şi pe Roland, conte de Carne, în vârstă de 30 de ani, ce a fost nevoit, într-o oarecare măsură, să părăsească casa familiei din Londra, datorită unui incident din trecut. Încă de la prima întâlnire, ce n-a decurs chiar în nişte circumstanţe adecvate unor persoane respectabile, între cei doi are loc o chimie puternică ce ameninţă să şocheze lumea mondenă.
Pentru ca fiica lor cea mare, Maria, să-şi facă debutul în societate, familia Featherstone vine la Londra împreună cu aceasta şi fata cea mică, Anna. Aceştia închiriază pentru câteva luni una dintre locuinţele lordului Carne, iar cea mai sinistră şi ciudată cameră din casă va fi luată chiar de mezina familiei, deoarece surorile nu suportau să doarmă una cu cealaltă. În plus, camera o cam speria pe sensibila Maria.
Anna posedă o inteligenţă aparte pentru vârsta ei, deşi fetele şi femeile nu prea aveau voie să se arate doritoare de prea multe cunoştinţe pe vremea aceea. Asta pentru binele lor. Totuşi, tatăl ei o încuraja să citească mult, iar tânăra era foarte receptivă la recomandările sale. O cititoare înrăită, fata găseşte o legătură între cartea de dragoste şi aventură pe care tocmai o citea şi casa în care stătea în prezent. Astfel, Anna dă peste o uşă secretă, ca şi cea din roman. Uşa ducea chiar spre casa vecină, ce făcea parte tot din proprietatea lordului. Crezând doar în lucrurile logice şi curioasă din fire, după ce toată lumea s-a retras la culcare, tânăra se aventurează singură după uşa secretă pentru a descoperi ce alte asemănări mai există între roman şi casa descrisă în el.
Deşi i s-a adus la cunoştinţă că inteligenţa şi curiozitatea ei acerbă o va băga în bucluc, Anna îşi ascultă doar instinctul şi mintea, nemaiţinând cont de avertizările primite. Odată aflată de cealaltă parte a uşii, fata are parte de multe surprize. Ce alte mistere o vor mai învălui, înafara celui ascuns printre paginile romanului? Va reuşi să le elucideze înainte de a fi prea târziu pentru ea? Trebuie să aflaţi singuri!
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Plăcerea unui iubit mai tânăr - Vanessa Kelly ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
A doua povestioară debutează cu o petrecere fastuoasă dată de către familia lui Christian, căpitanul Archer, în onoarea revenirii acestuia din armată pentru câteva săptămâni pe meleagurile părinteşti, la care va participa şi Clarissa Middleton.
După moartea soţului ei, care şi-a găsit sfârşitul pe front, luptând pentru ţară şi regele lor, Clarissa a preferat să aibă grijă de socrul ei şi să nu mai acorde importanţă societăţii mondene. S-a închis cu totul în ea şi a refuzat să mai iasă în lume sau să se recăsătorească cu altcineva, preferând să ducă o viaţă izolată. Totuşi, într-un final, s-a lăsat convinsă de buna ei prietenă, Lillian, să renunţe la doliu şi să participe la unul din cele mai mari evenimente ale societăţii, dat în cinstea fratelui mai mic al acesteia.
Christian a cerut o permisie pentru umărul său rănit şi a revenit acasă pentru o scurtă perioadă, dar adevăratul motiv era revederea celor dragi şi a iubirii sale din adolescenţă, găsind că poate mai are o şansă la inima acesteia. Astfel că, atunci când cei doi se întâlnesc la petrecere, ambii sunt aproape schimbaţi, din toate punctele de vedere, şi sunt surprinşi de apariţia fiecăruia. Christian reuşeşte să-şi controleze emoţiile, pe când Clarissa rămâne, la propriu, cu gura căscată la vederea acestuia.
Nu mai era adolescentul pe care-l ştia ea şi pe care îl urechea la vreo boacănă pe care o făcea, acum era un bărbat în toată firea, dar ei i se părea că era încă destul de tânăr pentru a-şi lua angajamente serioase. Faptul că era cu cinci ani mai mic, n-o mai deranja ca înainte, mai ales la ce impozanţă dădea dovadă. Emana pericol şi masculinitate din toţii porii, ceea ce-i trimitea fiori reci pe şira spinării. Dar nu...nu putea să-i permită acestuia să se apropie mai mult de cât trebuia. Era doar un prieten vechi de familie şi atât. Dar dacă ar putea exista ceva mai mult între cei doi? Va renunţa Clarissa la prejudecăţile impuse de lumea mondenă şi îşi va da frâu liber sentimentelor, ce nu credea că le mai are în ea, sau va rămâne o singuratică până la sfârşitul vieţii?
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Prinţul gol - Sally MacKenzie ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
Cea de-a treia povestioară ni aduce în prim plan pe Josephine (Jo) Atworthy şi Damian Weston, conte de Kenderly. Aceştia se întâlnesc pentru prima dată la petrecerea organizată de baronul Greyham, în onoarea zilei de Sf. Valentin.
Aceştia descoperă cu mare surprindere că se cunosc de mai bine de luni de zile, deşi de-abia acum au avut ocazia de se găsi faţă-n faţă. Prin intermediul unor scrisori, iniţiate chiar de Jo, pe marginea unui articol de ziar ce viza latina, semnat chiar de conte, cei doi ajung să se cunoască într-o manieră aproape intimă: împărtăşirea gândurilor unul altuia, percepţia asupra lucrurilor din jur, inteligenţa aparte care reiese din cuvintele transmise de fiecare dintre ei.
Astfel că, această corespondenţă, această legătură, ce se leagă între tinerii noştri, îi apropie destul de mult la nivel psihic, făcându-i nerăbdători în aşteptarea scrisorii celuilalt. Dar, nici Jo, nici Damian, nu ştiu cine este cu adevărat persoana din spatele scrisorilor adresate lor. Josephine continuă să viseze că, în spatele celui ce se semna cu "K" în scrisorile ei, se află un "prinţ pe cal alb" care va veni s-o salveze pe ea şi tatăl ei din sărăcie, pe când Damian crede că discută, de fapt, cu Joseph Atworthy, tatăl fetei. Pe vremea lor, erau foarte nelalocul lor, de-a dreptul scandaloase, aceste conversaţii dintre un bărbat şi o femeie, chiar dacă se limitau doar la scrisori.
Revenind la întâlnirea lor, este una cât se poate de explozivă, "o Cenuşăreasă" care nu-şi pierde preţiosul pantof, ci se pierde pe ea însăşi în braţele "prinţului" mult aşteptat, acesta fiind mereu pregătit s-o prindă atunci când tânăra se împiedica la fiecare pas. Cum va decurge şederea lor pe toată perioada petrecerii, rămâne să descoperiţi voi.
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Aventură de-o vară - Kaitlin O'Riley ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
În ultima povestire, dar nu cea din urmă, ne întâlnim cu doi tineri la început de drum, Charlotte Wilton şi Gavin Ellsworth, ce ne arată că, uneori, dacă ne îngăduim o clipă de fericire şi ne lăsăm duşi de val, nepăsându-ne de regulile impuse de societatea în care trăim, ne putem aştepta ca acea clipă să dureze toată viaţa.
După câteva sezoane "dezastruoase", în care şi-a refuzat toţii pretendenţii, negăsind pe nimeni potrivit pentru ea, Charlotte se lasă convinsă de către mama sa în a o însoţi pe mătuşa Louise într-o Spanie liberă şi lipsită de prejudecăţi, faţă de sobra şi constrângătoarea Anglie. Astfel că, acestea, ajung într-o zonă liniştită de ţară cu o privelişte minunată asupra Mediteranei, unde vor locui la o prietenă dragă de-a mătuşii sale, Yvonne.
Acolo are parte de o surpriză ameţitoare sub forma unui tânăr englez cu plete aurii, ce reuşeşte s-o facă să-şi piardă minţile, ceva ce nu i s-a mai întâmplat vreodată. Descoperă cu furie că nu găseşte să-i dea replica, aşa cum o făcea cu ceilalţi masculi. Cunoştea prea bine tipii de ţeapa lui, iar Gavin nu făcea excepţie. Era genul care obţine mereu ceea ce-şi doreşte, chiar şi atenţia femeilor, fără să depună prea mare efort pentru asta. Şi nu greşeşte! Dar oricine se poate schimba...
Hotărât să părăsească Spania, datorită plictiselii ce-l acaparase, Gavin îşi schimbă planurile atunci când observă îngerul blond de la micuţul balcon ce trona deasupra sa. Se lansează, după câteva cuvinte schimbate, în a o caracteriza ca arogantă, o femeie ce se crede prea bună pentru orice bărbat, ca să-l ia în seamă. Asemenea Charlottei, se lasă antrenat de prima impresie, impresie care poate fi, de cele mai multe ori, greşită. Intervenţia doamnei Yvonne, ce consta în a-i picta pe amândoi într-o postură promiţătoare, începe să-i apropie ceva mai mult. Dar cât va dura această legătură ce a înflorit pe neaşteptate între cei doi? Se vor lăsa ei duşi de val într-o Spanie care nu-i arătă cu degetul, aşa cum s-ar fi întâmplat în locul natal? Vor fi împreună pentru totdeauna sau această poveste va rămâne doar o aventură de-o vară?
Link: https://bookysme.wordpress.com/2015/1...
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Dulcele păcat al iubirii - Jo Beverley ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
Primul titlu îi are ca protagonişti pe Anna Featherstone, o tânără de numai 16 ani, ce n-a părăsit încă băncile şcolii, şi pe Roland, conte de Carne, în vârstă de 30 de ani, ce a fost nevoit, într-o oarecare măsură, să părăsească casa familiei din Londra, datorită unui incident din trecut. Încă de la prima întâlnire, ce n-a decurs chiar în nişte circumstanţe adecvate unor persoane respectabile, între cei doi are loc o chimie puternică ce ameninţă să şocheze lumea mondenă.
Pentru ca fiica lor cea mare, Maria, să-şi facă debutul în societate, familia Featherstone vine la Londra împreună cu aceasta şi fata cea mică, Anna. Aceştia închiriază pentru câteva luni una dintre locuinţele lordului Carne, iar cea mai sinistră şi ciudată cameră din casă va fi luată chiar de mezina familiei, deoarece surorile nu suportau să doarmă una cu cealaltă. În plus, camera o cam speria pe sensibila Maria.
Anna posedă o inteligenţă aparte pentru vârsta ei, deşi fetele şi femeile nu prea aveau voie să se arate doritoare de prea multe cunoştinţe pe vremea aceea. Asta pentru binele lor. Totuşi, tatăl ei o încuraja să citească mult, iar tânăra era foarte receptivă la recomandările sale. O cititoare înrăită, fata găseşte o legătură între cartea de dragoste şi aventură pe care tocmai o citea şi casa în care stătea în prezent. Astfel, Anna dă peste o uşă secretă, ca şi cea din roman. Uşa ducea chiar spre casa vecină, ce făcea parte tot din proprietatea lordului. Crezând doar în lucrurile logice şi curioasă din fire, după ce toată lumea s-a retras la culcare, tânăra se aventurează singură după uşa secretă pentru a descoperi ce alte asemănări mai există între roman şi casa descrisă în el.
Deşi i s-a adus la cunoştinţă că inteligenţa şi curiozitatea ei acerbă o va băga în bucluc, Anna îşi ascultă doar instinctul şi mintea, nemaiţinând cont de avertizările primite. Odată aflată de cealaltă parte a uşii, fata are parte de multe surprize. Ce alte mistere o vor mai învălui, înafara celui ascuns printre paginile romanului? Va reuşi să le elucideze înainte de a fi prea târziu pentru ea? Trebuie să aflaţi singuri!
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Plăcerea unui iubit mai tânăr - Vanessa Kelly ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
A doua povestioară debutează cu o petrecere fastuoasă dată de către familia lui Christian, căpitanul Archer, în onoarea revenirii acestuia din armată pentru câteva săptămâni pe meleagurile părinteşti, la care va participa şi Clarissa Middleton.
După moartea soţului ei, care şi-a găsit sfârşitul pe front, luptând pentru ţară şi regele lor, Clarissa a preferat să aibă grijă de socrul ei şi să nu mai acorde importanţă societăţii mondene. S-a închis cu totul în ea şi a refuzat să mai iasă în lume sau să se recăsătorească cu altcineva, preferând să ducă o viaţă izolată. Totuşi, într-un final, s-a lăsat convinsă de buna ei prietenă, Lillian, să renunţe la doliu şi să participe la unul din cele mai mari evenimente ale societăţii, dat în cinstea fratelui mai mic al acesteia.
Christian a cerut o permisie pentru umărul său rănit şi a revenit acasă pentru o scurtă perioadă, dar adevăratul motiv era revederea celor dragi şi a iubirii sale din adolescenţă, găsind că poate mai are o şansă la inima acesteia. Astfel că, atunci când cei doi se întâlnesc la petrecere, ambii sunt aproape schimbaţi, din toate punctele de vedere, şi sunt surprinşi de apariţia fiecăruia. Christian reuşeşte să-şi controleze emoţiile, pe când Clarissa rămâne, la propriu, cu gura căscată la vederea acestuia.
Nu mai era adolescentul pe care-l ştia ea şi pe care îl urechea la vreo boacănă pe care o făcea, acum era un bărbat în toată firea, dar ei i se părea că era încă destul de tânăr pentru a-şi lua angajamente serioase. Faptul că era cu cinci ani mai mic, n-o mai deranja ca înainte, mai ales la ce impozanţă dădea dovadă. Emana pericol şi masculinitate din toţii porii, ceea ce-i trimitea fiori reci pe şira spinării. Dar nu...nu putea să-i permită acestuia să se apropie mai mult de cât trebuia. Era doar un prieten vechi de familie şi atât. Dar dacă ar putea exista ceva mai mult între cei doi? Va renunţa Clarissa la prejudecăţile impuse de lumea mondenă şi îşi va da frâu liber sentimentelor, ce nu credea că le mai are în ea, sau va rămâne o singuratică până la sfârşitul vieţii?
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Prinţul gol - Sally MacKenzie ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
Cea de-a treia povestioară ni aduce în prim plan pe Josephine (Jo) Atworthy şi Damian Weston, conte de Kenderly. Aceştia se întâlnesc pentru prima dată la petrecerea organizată de baronul Greyham, în onoarea zilei de Sf. Valentin.
Aceştia descoperă cu mare surprindere că se cunosc de mai bine de luni de zile, deşi de-abia acum au avut ocazia de se găsi faţă-n faţă. Prin intermediul unor scrisori, iniţiate chiar de Jo, pe marginea unui articol de ziar ce viza latina, semnat chiar de conte, cei doi ajung să se cunoască într-o manieră aproape intimă: împărtăşirea gândurilor unul altuia, percepţia asupra lucrurilor din jur, inteligenţa aparte care reiese din cuvintele transmise de fiecare dintre ei.
Astfel că, această corespondenţă, această legătură, ce se leagă între tinerii noştri, îi apropie destul de mult la nivel psihic, făcându-i nerăbdători în aşteptarea scrisorii celuilalt. Dar, nici Jo, nici Damian, nu ştiu cine este cu adevărat persoana din spatele scrisorilor adresate lor. Josephine continuă să viseze că, în spatele celui ce se semna cu "K" în scrisorile ei, se află un "prinţ pe cal alb" care va veni s-o salveze pe ea şi tatăl ei din sărăcie, pe când Damian crede că discută, de fapt, cu Joseph Atworthy, tatăl fetei. Pe vremea lor, erau foarte nelalocul lor, de-a dreptul scandaloase, aceste conversaţii dintre un bărbat şi o femeie, chiar dacă se limitau doar la scrisori.
Revenind la întâlnirea lor, este una cât se poate de explozivă, "o Cenuşăreasă" care nu-şi pierde preţiosul pantof, ci se pierde pe ea însăşi în braţele "prinţului" mult aşteptat, acesta fiind mereu pregătit s-o prindă atunci când tânăra se împiedica la fiecare pas. Cum va decurge şederea lor pe toată perioada petrecerii, rămâne să descoperiţi voi.
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Aventură de-o vară - Kaitlin O'Riley ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
În ultima povestire, dar nu cea din urmă, ne întâlnim cu doi tineri la început de drum, Charlotte Wilton şi Gavin Ellsworth, ce ne arată că, uneori, dacă ne îngăduim o clipă de fericire şi ne lăsăm duşi de val, nepăsându-ne de regulile impuse de societatea în care trăim, ne putem aştepta ca acea clipă să dureze toată viaţa.
După câteva sezoane "dezastruoase", în care şi-a refuzat toţii pretendenţii, negăsind pe nimeni potrivit pentru ea, Charlotte se lasă convinsă de către mama sa în a o însoţi pe mătuşa Louise într-o Spanie liberă şi lipsită de prejudecăţi, faţă de sobra şi constrângătoarea Anglie. Astfel că, acestea, ajung într-o zonă liniştită de ţară cu o privelişte minunată asupra Mediteranei, unde vor locui la o prietenă dragă de-a mătuşii sale, Yvonne.
Acolo are parte de o surpriză ameţitoare sub forma unui tânăr englez cu plete aurii, ce reuşeşte s-o facă să-şi piardă minţile, ceva ce nu i s-a mai întâmplat vreodată. Descoperă cu furie că nu găseşte să-i dea replica, aşa cum o făcea cu ceilalţi masculi. Cunoştea prea bine tipii de ţeapa lui, iar Gavin nu făcea excepţie. Era genul care obţine mereu ceea ce-şi doreşte, chiar şi atenţia femeilor, fără să depună prea mare efort pentru asta. Şi nu greşeşte! Dar oricine se poate schimba...
Hotărât să părăsească Spania, datorită plictiselii ce-l acaparase, Gavin îşi schimbă planurile atunci când observă îngerul blond de la micuţul balcon ce trona deasupra sa. Se lansează, după câteva cuvinte schimbate, în a o caracteriza ca arogantă, o femeie ce se crede prea bună pentru orice bărbat, ca să-l ia în seamă. Asemenea Charlottei, se lasă antrenat de prima impresie, impresie care poate fi, de cele mai multe ori, greşită. Intervenţia doamnei Yvonne, ce consta în a-i picta pe amândoi într-o postură promiţătoare, începe să-i apropie ceva mai mult. Dar cât va dura această legătură ce a înflorit pe neaşteptate între cei doi? Se vor lăsa ei duşi de val într-o Spanie care nu-i arătă cu degetul, aşa cum s-ar fi întâmplat în locul natal? Vor fi împreună pentru totdeauna sau această poveste va rămâne doar o aventură de-o vară?
Link: https://bookysme.wordpress.com/2015/1...
November 10, 2011
Humor improves any Napoleon era romance. In this hot collection, Jo Beverley's Forbidden Affections and Sally MacKenzie's The Naked Prince are 4* giggles.
The first title is one of Gothic romances by the late owner of the Featherstone family summer rental. Anna, 16, daring, forthright, bookish, takes the Lady's recreated gargoyled bedroom, follows the secret passage to next door, where the bruised Lady was found overdosed on laudanum, and finds the handsome Earl of Carne. He fled under suspicion, now returns to thwart his cousin's claims. They arrange an assignation to solve the murder with a triple word-play on cake, as sweet tart, silly fool, and victory ("take the cake"). Clever. (I'd be happier with less age difference - personal experience.)
Second, handsome Lord K, nicknamed Prince of Hearts, attends a valentine orgy weekend to protect his best friend from an avaricious London widow. He lets months-long correspondent on Latin treatises JA know of their visit to the Atworthy neighborhood. But the true J is spinster daughter Jo, and K sees beneath the dowdy country exterior when their identities are revealed. "Her virtue was shrivelling inside her like a grape forgotten on the vine", while pallid bits bobble in the frigid February air.
*** The Pleasure of a Younger Lover by Vanessa Kelly. Brawny soldier Chris helps lifelong crush Clarissa clear the reputation of her late husband. Page-long tongue tangle leads to hot afternoon roll.
** A Summer Love Affair by Kaitlin O'Reilly has tight thin dresses more suited to other times. Meeting on a Spanish holiday, being painted as near-naked Greek gods, pairs a rich English couple for a later in-love reunion. Transparent, explicit.
The first title is one of Gothic romances by the late owner of the Featherstone family summer rental. Anna, 16, daring, forthright, bookish, takes the Lady's recreated gargoyled bedroom, follows the secret passage to next door, where the bruised Lady was found overdosed on laudanum, and finds the handsome Earl of Carne. He fled under suspicion, now returns to thwart his cousin's claims. They arrange an assignation to solve the murder with a triple word-play on cake, as sweet tart, silly fool, and victory ("take the cake"). Clever. (I'd be happier with less age difference - personal experience.)
Second, handsome Lord K, nicknamed Prince of Hearts, attends a valentine orgy weekend to protect his best friend from an avaricious London widow. He lets months-long correspondent on Latin treatises JA know of their visit to the Atworthy neighborhood. But the true J is spinster daughter Jo, and K sees beneath the dowdy country exterior when their identities are revealed. "Her virtue was shrivelling inside her like a grape forgotten on the vine", while pallid bits bobble in the frigid February air.
*** The Pleasure of a Younger Lover by Vanessa Kelly. Brawny soldier Chris helps lifelong crush Clarissa clear the reputation of her late husband. Page-long tongue tangle leads to hot afternoon roll.
** A Summer Love Affair by Kaitlin O'Reilly has tight thin dresses more suited to other times. Meeting on a Spanish holiday, being painted as near-naked Greek gods, pairs a rich English couple for a later in-love reunion. Transparent, explicit.
April 23, 2011
Four Regency-ish romances featuring characters in somewhat scandalous situations. I pretty much expect anthologies to be meh, so I wasn’t disappointed -- except perhaps in the Jo Beverley story. Beverley is generally the highlight of any anthology she’s in, but though her story has by far the most original and interesting plot, it’s talky and claustrophobic feeling, with very little action. And the age difference between the characters is pretty squicky. (He is thirty, she is sixteen.)
Vanessa Kelly’s story about a grieving widow is a pleasant, quick read, featuring a younger man who finally wins the older woman he’s always loved. I really dislike the sophomoric sex humor in Sally Mackenzie’s books but in the smaller doses of a short story, it wasn’t so bad. Kaitlin O'Riley’s summer romance was okay. Overall, the whole book was okay.
Vanessa Kelly’s story about a grieving widow is a pleasant, quick read, featuring a younger man who finally wins the older woman he’s always loved. I really dislike the sophomoric sex humor in Sally Mackenzie’s books but in the smaller doses of a short story, it wasn’t so bad. Kaitlin O'Riley’s summer romance was okay. Overall, the whole book was okay.
March 1, 2011
Four authors, four stories, four disappointments. And I usually love Jo Beverley. Sorry.
October 18, 2015
O carte relaxanta, frumoasa, numai buna pentru un weekend in care nu vrei sa te soliciti !
November 14, 2021
My biggest complaint about this anthology is that the title is misleading. There wasn't much sinning by the protagonists of any of these stories. Lots of promise, no payoff.
Forbidden Affections by Jo Beverley Tons of time spent on the buildup of a May-December relationship, and then a too-swift resolution.
The Pleasure Of A Younger Lover by Vanessa Kelly
Forbidden Affections by Jo Beverley Tons of time spent on the buildup of a May-December relationship, and then a too-swift resolution.
The Pleasure Of A Younger Lover by Vanessa Kelly
Stopped reading this one after she asked him to compromise his morals and job for her late husband. Too much blushing for a widow, anyway.
The Naked Prince by Sally MacKenzie
This was the best of the three, so I"ll probably check her other stuff out. Lots of humor, a stiff heroine who begins to recognize her faults, and a hero who is n't afraid to admit his lust or feelings. Hot, but again no payoff.
"A Summer Love Affair" by Kaithlin O'Riley.
This one was like O'Riley wrote a New Adult contemporary but needed to tweak it for this anthology. Nothing about it sounded historical. Bunch of lusty teenagers, and any falling in love happened off-page. They at least got some action.
July 14, 2023
Four stories
Jo Beverley's "Forbidden Affection."
First was a decent concept, but the characters were awful. H & h interactions were weird and shallow. He was drunk and forcing himself on her their first interaction and I just couldn't get past that to think he was a decent guy. He was also nearly twice her age (16) which just gave me the creeps. She was naive and acted 16 so was annoying. Just didn't work for me.
"The Pleasure of a Younger Lover" by Vanessa Kelly
Second story also had a pretty messed up power dynamic of a heroine who was abused by her father and is recovering from being widowed to an apparently perfect first spouse. They describe a lot of her attributes of being kind, etc but we don't really see any of that in her actions, where she's cowardly, manipulative, and generally extremely selfish. Hero deserved better.
"The Naked Prince" by Sally MacKenzie
I liked the concept of being intellectually compatible and knowing eachother through letters before they meet. The premise of an orgy going on while these two try to stop H friend from being trapped into marriage was ridiculous. Heroine was a bit inconsistent between being a shy prude, a strong intellectual, or a passionate woman and ended up being a bit of a muddle.
H was nothing special, and kept kissing her in odd situations that didn't seem romantic or warranted- like when she fell out of a carriage and he'd never even met her. Or when he tries to hide from someone and bumps into an "unknown" person and kisses them just cause that's all he could think of so they would make noise?? Wha??
"A Summer Love Affair" by Kaitlin O'Rile
This was just a silly an unremarkable story. Meh.
Jo Beverley's "Forbidden Affection."
First was a decent concept, but the characters were awful. H & h interactions were weird and shallow. He was drunk and forcing himself on her their first interaction and I just couldn't get past that to think he was a decent guy. He was also nearly twice her age (16) which just gave me the creeps. She was naive and acted 16 so was annoying. Just didn't work for me.
"The Pleasure of a Younger Lover" by Vanessa Kelly
Second story also had a pretty messed up power dynamic of a heroine who was abused by her father and is recovering from being widowed to an apparently perfect first spouse. They describe a lot of her attributes of being kind, etc but we don't really see any of that in her actions, where she's cowardly, manipulative, and generally extremely selfish. Hero deserved better.
"The Naked Prince" by Sally MacKenzie
I liked the concept of being intellectually compatible and knowing eachother through letters before they meet. The premise of an orgy going on while these two try to stop H friend from being trapped into marriage was ridiculous. Heroine was a bit inconsistent between being a shy prude, a strong intellectual, or a passionate woman and ended up being a bit of a muddle.
H was nothing special, and kept kissing her in odd situations that didn't seem romantic or warranted- like when she fell out of a carriage and he'd never even met her. Or when he tries to hide from someone and bumps into an "unknown" person and kisses them just cause that's all he could think of so they would make noise?? Wha??
"A Summer Love Affair" by Kaitlin O'Rile
This was just a silly an unremarkable story. Meh.
June 25, 2019
I rarely give anthologies 4 stars but I really enjoyed 3 if these stories, I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed.
1. Forbidden Affections by Jo Beverly was the best, even though the age difference between the H&H was a little too big, he 30, she 16. This is actually a gothic mystery, and I loved how loving and understanding the father is.
2. The pleasure of a younger lover was the sad one. A widow grieves her husband killed in the war in Spain. Her emotions are quite understandable, but it takes a man who has loved her for years to finally overcome her grief. He was a wonderful hero.
3. I have read all of Sally Mackenzie's naked series, so I laughed through her Naked Prince story, silly, but with a nice love story at the core.
4. The last, by Kaitlin O'Riley was my least favorite, the characters were very young and the heroine was not quite believable.
1. Forbidden Affections by Jo Beverly was the best, even though the age difference between the H&H was a little too big, he 30, she 16. This is actually a gothic mystery, and I loved how loving and understanding the father is.
2. The pleasure of a younger lover was the sad one. A widow grieves her husband killed in the war in Spain. Her emotions are quite understandable, but it takes a man who has loved her for years to finally overcome her grief. He was a wonderful hero.
3. I have read all of Sally Mackenzie's naked series, so I laughed through her Naked Prince story, silly, but with a nice love story at the core.
4. The last, by Kaitlin O'Riley was my least favorite, the characters were very young and the heroine was not quite believable.
May 31, 2020
This review is for “Forbidden Affections.” I read this twice - the first time I would have given it a 3.5. The second time and I am tempted to give it a 5! Because we never read the Earl’s thoughts, there is a smouldering Mr Darcy thing going on that makes this so sexy. You can see that he is trying not to be attracted to Anna, because of her age. Anna is a lovable character - intelligent, and brave. Even the 14 year difference between them did not throw me off because my good friends have been happily married for over 10 years and there’s 14 years between them! The author takes a slightly implausible plot and makes it believable - and I was laying more attention on my second reading! And best of all, no annoying relatives and extraneous characters. Just two people falling in love. 5 stars!
August 27, 2021
Each of these stories had something that bothered me. Anna Featherstone is 16! I'm sure that was typical, but if you suspend disbelief in some ways, might as well go that direction as well.
However pretty good fun otherwise. Nothing rose above the level of pleasant entertainment to truly sweep me away.
However pretty good fun otherwise. Nothing rose above the level of pleasant entertainment to truly sweep me away.
August 21, 2017
An anthology of four short historical romance stories all with an
erotic element.
erotic element.
January 2, 2020
It was fun. I do enjoy Jo Beverly and Sally McKenzie and short stories are good for when I don't want to get into a longer book.
February 5, 2020
four short period novellas, some better than others
Read
January 6, 2021contains the stories
"forbidden affections" by jo beverly
"the pleasure of a younger lover" by vanessa kelly
"the naked prince" by sally mackenzie
"a summer love affair" by kaithlin o'riley
"forbidden affections" by jo beverly
"the pleasure of a younger lover" by vanessa kelly
"the naked prince" by sally mackenzie
"a summer love affair" by kaithlin o'riley
March 4, 2017
Forbidden Affections – Jo Beverley - 2/5 – This one was a bit weird. Anna Featherstone is 16 and in London for her sister’s coming out when she realizes that her bedroom fireplace opens up into her neighbor’s house. The Earl of Carne, with a rakish and scandalous reputation finds her and mistakes her for a housemaid and more or less coerces her into a kiss. He spends some time trying to figure out who she is, while she is falling in love with him based on a kiss. It’s weird because our Hero was willing to seduce an unwilling housemaid and in my opinion that gives me some insight into his character and I don’t like him much. Also, why does the heroine have to be 16? Why couldn’t she be 18? This might not have bothered me except that at one point he calls her an “Outrageous child” while in this same conversation talking about overtaxing her with carnal attentions. And what attachment could they have possibly formed over one kiss? I just didn’t feel like they knew each other at all by the end of the story.
The Pleasure of a Younger Lover - Vanessa Kelly – 3/5 – Clarissa is a 30-year-old widow who acts as though she thinks she’s 60. She’s finally come out of mourning for her husband and goes to a party where she encounters her best friend’s younger brother, Christian. He’s only about 5 years younger than her, but he’s been in love with her forever. He’s a soldier, like her previous husband, so that causes some tension for Clarissa. I liked Christian – a lot. He was a delightful character. I had trouble sympathizing with Clarissa who comes across rather selfish and Machiavellian. Within this story, she asks two men to forego their honor for her sake, she manipulates the man who loves her into destroying his own career for her dead husband’s reputation which I could have forgiven her for if she’d actually loved him. It was an enjoyable story, but poor Christian! There was a bit of grovel on the part of the wrong-doer, which kept the rating up, but I still didn’t like Clarissa very much.
The Naked Prince – Sally McKenzie – 4/5 – I enjoy Sally McKenzie’s romance writing on the whole. Her characters tend to walk the line between charming and annoying, but there’s always humor and a good love story. This is no exception. In fact, I found the exploits of Jo and Damian rather enjoyable. Jo is a bookish spinster trying to take care of her financially irresponsible and very academic father. Damian is the former “Prince of Hearts” who has since given up his rakish ways for the pursuit of academics. Jo invited to an orgy to even out numbers and she attends to find a rare book that her father lent to the host, thinking she can sell it. There she is paired with Damian, who unbeknownst to him is the man she has been corresponding with. Their romance was very enjoyable. As good as she is with characters and plot, this author struggles with love scenes. I almost wish she wouldn’t do them, since there’s very little lead up or attention to detail and then it’s like, “Wait, they’re having sex already?” Then it’s over and a bit of a let down, but then we get back to the conversation and relationship and we’re all good. This is a very enjoyable story and definitely one of the better stories in this anthology.
A Summer Love Affair – Kaitlin O’Riley – 3/5 – Charlotte is vacationing in Spain with her aunt and staying at a friend’s Villa where she meets Gavin, a bit of a rogue who recently got kickd out of Oxford. This strikes me as a bit of a New Age romance meets historical, since Gavin is college-aged (and therefore a younger hero than I’m used to reading about) and Charlotte is about the same age. For some reason I couldn’t get past the age-thing, especially since Gavin really does act like a college-aged guy, although he does mature before the end of the story. The romance was good, but it didn’t really pick up and earn its stars until after the two characters return to England and encounter one another. Then it gets angsty. Overall it was an enjoyable read, but one particular thing irked me. I HATED that Charlotte, who purports to be an intelligent and self-confident woman who is ripe with sardonic comments loses the ability to be herself in the presence of Gavin. Instead she becomes his simpering fan and giggles in his presence. Oh please! I’d much rather have a heroine stay true to herself and have the hero fall in love with her for that reason.
The Pleasure of a Younger Lover - Vanessa Kelly – 3/5 – Clarissa is a 30-year-old widow who acts as though she thinks she’s 60. She’s finally come out of mourning for her husband and goes to a party where she encounters her best friend’s younger brother, Christian. He’s only about 5 years younger than her, but he’s been in love with her forever. He’s a soldier, like her previous husband, so that causes some tension for Clarissa. I liked Christian – a lot. He was a delightful character. I had trouble sympathizing with Clarissa who comes across rather selfish and Machiavellian. Within this story, she asks two men to forego their honor for her sake, she manipulates the man who loves her into destroying his own career for her dead husband’s reputation which I could have forgiven her for if she’d actually loved him. It was an enjoyable story, but poor Christian! There was a bit of grovel on the part of the wrong-doer, which kept the rating up, but I still didn’t like Clarissa very much.
The Naked Prince – Sally McKenzie – 4/5 – I enjoy Sally McKenzie’s romance writing on the whole. Her characters tend to walk the line between charming and annoying, but there’s always humor and a good love story. This is no exception. In fact, I found the exploits of Jo and Damian rather enjoyable. Jo is a bookish spinster trying to take care of her financially irresponsible and very academic father. Damian is the former “Prince of Hearts” who has since given up his rakish ways for the pursuit of academics. Jo invited to an orgy to even out numbers and she attends to find a rare book that her father lent to the host, thinking she can sell it. There she is paired with Damian, who unbeknownst to him is the man she has been corresponding with. Their romance was very enjoyable. As good as she is with characters and plot, this author struggles with love scenes. I almost wish she wouldn’t do them, since there’s very little lead up or attention to detail and then it’s like, “Wait, they’re having sex already?” Then it’s over and a bit of a let down, but then we get back to the conversation and relationship and we’re all good. This is a very enjoyable story and definitely one of the better stories in this anthology.
A Summer Love Affair – Kaitlin O’Riley – 3/5 – Charlotte is vacationing in Spain with her aunt and staying at a friend’s Villa where she meets Gavin, a bit of a rogue who recently got kickd out of Oxford. This strikes me as a bit of a New Age romance meets historical, since Gavin is college-aged (and therefore a younger hero than I’m used to reading about) and Charlotte is about the same age. For some reason I couldn’t get past the age-thing, especially since Gavin really does act like a college-aged guy, although he does mature before the end of the story. The romance was good, but it didn’t really pick up and earn its stars until after the two characters return to England and encounter one another. Then it gets angsty. Overall it was an enjoyable read, but one particular thing irked me. I HATED that Charlotte, who purports to be an intelligent and self-confident woman who is ripe with sardonic comments loses the ability to be herself in the presence of Gavin. Instead she becomes his simpering fan and giggles in his presence. Oh please! I’d much rather have a heroine stay true to herself and have the hero fall in love with her for that reason.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2012
The following review is more about The Pleasure of a Younger Lover than about the other three novellas in this delightful anthology.
The Pleasure of a Younger Lover by Vanessa Kelly is one of four novellas included in the anthology An Invitation to Sin. It was, in fact, the last story I read in this anthology. I started with Sally Mackenzie's The Naked Prince simply because, well, it was the reason I purchased the anthology (Damien, by the way, is another to-die-for hero, but I already knew my love for Mackenzie. Kelly, on the other hand, I had never read before that anthology). Afterward, I skimmed the back and chose the ones that looked appealing. For those wondering about the anthology overall, I liked A Summer Love Affair by Kaitlin O'Riley, even if I was yearning for a showdown at the end. Forbidden Affections by Jo Beverly was well-written with a very intriguing plot that I would have enjoyed a lot more if the heroine had been older.
Let me stop to examine that. I myself know quite a bit about history. In this novel, Jo Beverly was historically accurate in making the heroine sixteen years old. It seems like only yesterday I would have thrown myself into such a book with no qualms whatsoever. I'm young enough to remember being sixteen -- I'm only twenty-two, after all. But for this story, I found myself wanting an older heroine. I could no longer connect with a sixteen-year-old protagonist. It looks as though I've changed, grown up so to speak, when I wasn't paying attention.
But while relevant, that's hardly the point of this post. My age also played a factor in picking Kelly's tale to read last. You see, when I skimmed the blurbs -- well, even Kelly's title suggests to me that this story is about a cougar. Being only twenty-two, I didn't think I would connect to such a tale and therefore chose another. Finally, I came to the last one, and having enjoyed this anthology so thoroughly, I decided to read it.
Imagine my surprise when I read that the heroine is only thirty-two and the hero no more than five years younger than her! Not precisely a cougar tale at all, though (considering the times) I understood her qualms over his age.
This story was easily the most powerful in the anthology. The heroine is a widow, whose husband died in the war against Napolean. The hero is not only a soldier in the same war, but the younger brother of her best friend. Maybe it was their history that gave them such a strong emotional tie from the very start. Not only did I connect with both characters on an emotional level, but the power of the ending is still with me.
This story made me want to go out and buy every single one of Vanessa Kelly's books I can get my hands on. I won't be, but only because I'm a very fangirl-type reader. When I find a book I really love, I hop online to email the author and squeal over how much I adored it. I did this with Kelly, naturally, but never received a response. Not even a single line reading "Thanks." I don't like unapproachable authors, so I in fact won't be reading another of Ms. Kelly's books. But I was talking about the book, wasn't I? Which, let's face it, was fantastic. In this story, she writes such a riveting, emotional tale that whets the appetite for more of her words.
The Pleasure of a Younger Lover by Vanessa Kelly is one of four novellas included in the anthology An Invitation to Sin. It was, in fact, the last story I read in this anthology. I started with Sally Mackenzie's The Naked Prince simply because, well, it was the reason I purchased the anthology (Damien, by the way, is another to-die-for hero, but I already knew my love for Mackenzie. Kelly, on the other hand, I had never read before that anthology). Afterward, I skimmed the back and chose the ones that looked appealing. For those wondering about the anthology overall, I liked A Summer Love Affair by Kaitlin O'Riley, even if I was yearning for a showdown at the end. Forbidden Affections by Jo Beverly was well-written with a very intriguing plot that I would have enjoyed a lot more if the heroine had been older.
Let me stop to examine that. I myself know quite a bit about history. In this novel, Jo Beverly was historically accurate in making the heroine sixteen years old. It seems like only yesterday I would have thrown myself into such a book with no qualms whatsoever. I'm young enough to remember being sixteen -- I'm only twenty-two, after all. But for this story, I found myself wanting an older heroine. I could no longer connect with a sixteen-year-old protagonist. It looks as though I've changed, grown up so to speak, when I wasn't paying attention.
But while relevant, that's hardly the point of this post. My age also played a factor in picking Kelly's tale to read last. You see, when I skimmed the blurbs -- well, even Kelly's title suggests to me that this story is about a cougar. Being only twenty-two, I didn't think I would connect to such a tale and therefore chose another. Finally, I came to the last one, and having enjoyed this anthology so thoroughly, I decided to read it.
Imagine my surprise when I read that the heroine is only thirty-two and the hero no more than five years younger than her! Not precisely a cougar tale at all, though (considering the times) I understood her qualms over his age.
This story was easily the most powerful in the anthology. The heroine is a widow, whose husband died in the war against Napolean. The hero is not only a soldier in the same war, but the younger brother of her best friend. Maybe it was their history that gave them such a strong emotional tie from the very start. Not only did I connect with both characters on an emotional level, but the power of the ending is still with me.
This story made me want to go out and buy every single one of Vanessa Kelly's books I can get my hands on. I won't be, but only because I'm a very fangirl-type reader. When I find a book I really love, I hop online to email the author and squeal over how much I adored it. I did this with Kelly, naturally, but never received a response. Not even a single line reading "Thanks." I don't like unapproachable authors, so I in fact won't be reading another of Ms. Kelly's books. But I was talking about the book, wasn't I? Which, let's face it, was fantastic. In this story, she writes such a riveting, emotional tale that whets the appetite for more of her words.
March 15, 2013
An anthology of 3 Regency romances, 1 Victorian romance. 3 with sex, 1 without.
Jo Beverley - 3 stars. I bought this book because of JB. I've never even heard of the other 3 authors before. JB writes intelligently & always has an interesting story to tell. I liked this one a lot. The age difference between Anna & her "wicked Earl" bothered me, but I guess this is my problem. I know young teenage girls were often given in marriage to men old enough to be their grandfathers, & the Earl is only 30. The best story in the book!
Vanessa Kelly - 1 star. Very boring, trite story. Read like bad fanfic. The widow is the usual shy, demure, straightlaced, nincompoop. The villain is spreading it around that her dead soldier husband was a coward, since she spurned his evil advances. The only thing missing from his description was a mustache to twirl.
The hero was likeable & has loved said widow since they were children. Unfortunately, she's 5 WHOLE YEARS older then him. I was really sick of the whole I'm SO much older then you, blah, blah every other paragraph. The author also thinks we'll forget how "brawny" the hero is, so she reminds us at least 3 times a chapter. "Brawny" being her usual description of him.
After all her protests at how demure & morally upright she is, the widow decides she needs the hero to help her defeat the villain's evil rumors, even though the hero's been given a direct order from his superiors (he's a soldier too). So, she seduces him & has sex with him to get her way. Great ladylike behavior.
Sally MacKenzie - 3 stars. This was the 2nd best story in the book.
It was interesting & intelligently written. I don't know how many men would encourage their virginal daughters go to a orgy house party, but I'm willing to suspend disbelief since I liked it. The sex was described very clumsily though & that's kind of funny considering finding a sex book written in Latin was one of the reasons for the heroine to be at the party. Maybe if she read some Lori Foster or Erin McCarthy she'd get an idea of what's hot.
Kaitlin O'Riley - 3 stars. I don't know how realistic it would be for a young, virginal Victorian era girl to pose practically naked with a man she just met, but I liked this story. It was different then the usual.
Jo Beverley - 3 stars. I bought this book because of JB. I've never even heard of the other 3 authors before. JB writes intelligently & always has an interesting story to tell. I liked this one a lot. The age difference between Anna & her "wicked Earl" bothered me, but I guess this is my problem. I know young teenage girls were often given in marriage to men old enough to be their grandfathers, & the Earl is only 30. The best story in the book!
Vanessa Kelly - 1 star. Very boring, trite story. Read like bad fanfic. The widow is the usual shy, demure, straightlaced, nincompoop. The villain is spreading it around that her dead soldier husband was a coward, since she spurned his evil advances. The only thing missing from his description was a mustache to twirl.
The hero was likeable & has loved said widow since they were children. Unfortunately, she's 5 WHOLE YEARS older then him. I was really sick of the whole I'm SO much older then you, blah, blah every other paragraph. The author also thinks we'll forget how "brawny" the hero is, so she reminds us at least 3 times a chapter. "Brawny" being her usual description of him.
After all her protests at how demure & morally upright she is, the widow decides she needs the hero to help her defeat the villain's evil rumors, even though the hero's been given a direct order from his superiors (he's a soldier too). So, she seduces him & has sex with him to get her way. Great ladylike behavior.
Sally MacKenzie - 3 stars. This was the 2nd best story in the book.
It was interesting & intelligently written. I don't know how many men would encourage their virginal daughters go to a orgy house party, but I'm willing to suspend disbelief since I liked it. The sex was described very clumsily though & that's kind of funny considering finding a sex book written in Latin was one of the reasons for the heroine to be at the party. Maybe if she read some Lori Foster or Erin McCarthy she'd get an idea of what's hot.
Kaitlin O'Riley - 3 stars. I don't know how realistic it would be for a young, virginal Victorian era girl to pose practically naked with a man she just met, but I liked this story. It was different then the usual.
January 19, 2012
This review & rating are for "The Naked Prince" by Sally Mackenzie only. As stated on Ms Mackenzie's website, '"The Naked Prince" won the Golden Leaf for best novella!' And I agree wholeheartedly that it was well deserved! I think this novella is a critical part of the "Naked" series, before you read "The Naked King." The female half of this romance, Miss Josephine Attworthy, is intelligent & very proper but is duped by her father to attend a very scandalous house party. Luckily for her Lord Damien Kenderly is there only because he wants to protect his best friend Stephen Parker-Roth, from a devious widow (who is Stephen's current mistress, & mistress to a few other males of the ton to boot!) who Damien believes wants to trick him into a marriage. Damien, know as the Prince of Hearts for his previous abilities to romance and bed the ladies of the ton (to his friend Damien's King of Hearts) is now more staid & interested intellectual pursuits. Damien is now paired with the naive Jo for a few days to celebrate Valentines Day which is followed by Lupercalia, a pagan Pre-Roman holiday of fertility. This holiday is the excuse used to give free reign to this parties attendee's to have explicit, open, & often deviant sexual escapades. Jo, more than appalled, is shielded as much as possible by Damien & only stays to help him with his task to save his friend. Of course this brings the couple together. Though this story does have a lot of hints, innuendos & outright scenes w/ explicit, sometimes deviant sexual acts, it just adds to the sweetness & romance between Jo & Damien. I'd recommend this book to any romance fan that isn't too offended by some blatant scenes as I've described, & as well highly recommending the whole series!
February 5, 2011
The only reason I picked up this anthology was because of 3 authors I read regularly. Four stories with no common theme. 3 star rating because while I loved The Naked Prince, I truly didn't like the Forbidden Affections, I just couldn't get past the what bothered me the most with the story.
Jo Beverley - was not a fimilar author to me, it was the first time I have read anything by her and will be the last. Forbidden Affections is about a 30 year old Earl falling for a 16 year old child, Please.... I know that in past reality this was every day occurance but let's face it we read these books for enjoyment, not historical content. And this was a short story I did not enjoy.
Vanessa Kelly - The Pleasures Of A Younger Lover, was interesting but needed more development, the story was rushed, which is understandable as it is a short story.
Sally MacKenzie - The Naked Prince....What can I say this story alone was worth buying the book. Sally is not a disappointment, she made me laught with the first book I ever read by her and the laughter still continues with this short story. Looking forward to reading The Naked King
Kaitlin O'Riley - A Summer love Affair, A delightful story and well put together and flows nicely to completion.
Jo Beverley - was not a fimilar author to me, it was the first time I have read anything by her and will be the last. Forbidden Affections is about a 30 year old Earl falling for a 16 year old child, Please.... I know that in past reality this was every day occurance but let's face it we read these books for enjoyment, not historical content. And this was a short story I did not enjoy.
Vanessa Kelly - The Pleasures Of A Younger Lover, was interesting but needed more development, the story was rushed, which is understandable as it is a short story.
Sally MacKenzie - The Naked Prince....What can I say this story alone was worth buying the book. Sally is not a disappointment, she made me laught with the first book I ever read by her and the laughter still continues with this short story. Looking forward to reading The Naked King
Kaitlin O'Riley - A Summer love Affair, A delightful story and well put together and flows nicely to completion.
March 29, 2013
This was my Christmas vacation read when I wanted to be cherished (in fantasy, at least) rather than challenged. The book is really four short romances by four different authors rather than one story, which seemed perfect for my unpredictable schedule during the holidays. I happily accepted 3/4 "invitations" (in my imagination, anyway) but was so bored by Kaitlyn O'Riley's story that I couldn't finish it (which is unusual for me). However, Jo Beverly and Sally Mackenzie were in good form (as usual), and I enjoyed the novelty in Vanessa Kelly's story of finding the heroine older than the hero (though not really old enough to be considered a cougar, I suppose -- darn.)
And, now, my Goodreads friends, if you are thinking, "OMG, we are going to have to read an entire year's worth of romance reviews from Sue," rest assured that you are not. I DO read other things, even fine, literary things worthy of college-level discourse. However, it's the stack of paperbacks on my desk that is most likely to topple over onto the floor at any moment, so I will be clearing it off first. Deal with it! And have a nice (dare I say, romance-filled?)day.
And, now, my Goodreads friends, if you are thinking, "OMG, we are going to have to read an entire year's worth of romance reviews from Sue," rest assured that you are not. I DO read other things, even fine, literary things worthy of college-level discourse. However, it's the stack of paperbacks on my desk that is most likely to topple over onto the floor at any moment, so I will be clearing it off first. Deal with it! And have a nice (dare I say, romance-filled?)day.
September 8, 2016
Wow. The only story that I even halfway liked was "The Naked Prince by Sally MacKenzie. Thank God that was why I got this book otherwise I would have been more disappointed. Josephine Atworthy is invited to an orgy when another woman drops out and they need even numbers. Little does she know that the man she's been corresponding with (her London prince) is also invited to the party. He looks beneath her dated clothes and spinsterish attitudes to see the desirable woman underneath. They also help to protect Stephen Parker-Roth from and importuning widow who wants to be a wife.
"Forbidden Affections" by Jo Beverly totally squidged me out since the heroine was sixteen. I know it was a fact of life but still...
"Pleasure of a Younger Lover" by Vanessa Kelly is about a man who's been in love with his sister's friend for years, but never caught my imagination.
"Summer Love Affair" by Katilin O'Riley was an interesting change but I wish that there had been a little more character development. Charlotte Wilson is sent to a summer in Spain where she meets handsome Gavin Ellsworth.
"Forbidden Affections" by Jo Beverly totally squidged me out since the heroine was sixteen. I know it was a fact of life but still...
"Pleasure of a Younger Lover" by Vanessa Kelly is about a man who's been in love with his sister's friend for years, but never caught my imagination.
"Summer Love Affair" by Katilin O'Riley was an interesting change but I wish that there had been a little more character development. Charlotte Wilson is sent to a summer in Spain where she meets handsome Gavin Ellsworth.
June 18, 2012
I often resort to novella compilation when I couldn't find anything I like to read. It's a good way to find new authors or even to evaluate prolific authors before I invest in a longer novel. This can be pretty hit and miss as some authors are great at short stories but suck at novel length and vice versa.
Of the 4 stories featured here, the one I enjoyed most is The Naked Prince.I remember reading Sally MacKenzie before and feeling a little disgruntled with the immense amount of contemporary Americanism littering the story that it quite took me out of it. In The Naked Prince, she gave me a pleasant surprise with the cute and satisfying romp; perhaps I'll look her up again another time.
The rest is pretty meh.
Of the 4 stories featured here, the one I enjoyed most is The Naked Prince.I remember reading Sally MacKenzie before and feeling a little disgruntled with the immense amount of contemporary Americanism littering the story that it quite took me out of it. In The Naked Prince, she gave me a pleasant surprise with the cute and satisfying romp; perhaps I'll look her up again another time.
The rest is pretty meh.
January 21, 2011
Like a lot of anthologies, this one was a mixed bag. Jo Beverley was on my autobuy list before I acquired the romance vocabulary to call her an "autobuy author," but "Forbidden Affection," although not a bad story, never reached the level I expect from this author. "The Pleasure of a Younger Lover" by Vanessa Kelly, another of my autobuy authors, was my favorite of the four. It was an enjoyable read, but I still prefer VK's novels to this novella. "The Naked Prince" by Sally MacKenzie stretched credibility a bit far for my taste, but it was an entertaining read nonetheless. "A Summer Love Affair" by Kaitlin O'Riley didn't work for me at all. Overall, I'd rank the anthology a B-/C+.
March 9, 2015
I bought this anthology for The Naked Prince by Sally McKenzie, the last part of her Naked series I hadn't yet read, and it didn't disappoint. 5 stars.
The first novella, Forbidden Affections, was okay. The heroine is only 16 though, so if that puts you off, be warned. There were times where I felt uncomfortable with the situations she was in, especially the first time she meets the hero. But it was still pretty good overall. 3 stars.
The second one, The Pleasure of a Younger Lover, was quite nice. I thought both heroes were pretty well developed for a novella. 4 stars.
And I loved the last one, A Summer Love Affair. Great style, good descriptions of feelings. 5 stars.
The first novella, Forbidden Affections, was okay. The heroine is only 16 though, so if that puts you off, be warned. There were times where I felt uncomfortable with the situations she was in, especially the first time she meets the hero. But it was still pretty good overall. 3 stars.
The second one, The Pleasure of a Younger Lover, was quite nice. I thought both heroes were pretty well developed for a novella. 4 stars.
And I loved the last one, A Summer Love Affair. Great style, good descriptions of feelings. 5 stars.
July 5, 2014
1. are you kidding me? we're really going to just slide past the ? what. no. 2. awww, he's been in love with her since forever. ...wait...did...did she just ? um...i guess if he's okay with it? 3. bahahaha, okay this one amuses me. i like. 4. um. kinda insipid and...fluffy? not to my taste. sorry ? i mean yeah, he didn't actually end up doing it but still.
March 8, 2011
All of the stories were good reads, but my favorite would have to be The Naked Prince by Sally MacKenzie.
It was a good story of the other side of parties that you do not read about in the novels from that time period. Parties where the idea is more than find someone to love, and love has nothing to do with it at all.
It was a good story of the other side of parties that you do not read about in the novels from that time period. Parties where the idea is more than find someone to love, and love has nothing to do with it at all.
August 2, 2011
At what point is a 16 yr old girl a suitable heroine for a romance novel? Even the main male character (a 30 yr old) calls her child regularly. The first story in this anthology is sickening. I strongly advise any librarians to remove this from their shelves. I deeply regret picking up this book.
Ms. Beverley, you should be ashamed.
I was so disgusted with this ephebophilic work I could bring myself to finish the novella or to read any of the others in the book.
Ms. Beverley, you should be ashamed.
I was so disgusted with this ephebophilic work I could bring myself to finish the novella or to read any of the others in the book.
February 7, 2011
I'm usually annoyed when publishers repackage old stories in their anthologies, especially when only one of the stories is new. But in this one, the only previously published novella, Forbidden Affections, is one of my very favorites and the other three are all new. The Sally MacKenzie story was the reason I bought this, but I liked the other two as well.
April 10, 2011
Loved all of these 4 short story's...........an excellent read! Turn pager, romance, hot and sassy, great characters!!!
Jo Beverley starts off with her story, which is great!
Then Sally Mackenzie, Vanessa Kelly and ending with Kaitlin O'Riley's story's.......wonderful authors of Historical Romance......
Jo Beverley starts off with her story, which is great!
Then Sally Mackenzie, Vanessa Kelly and ending with Kaitlin O'Riley's story's.......wonderful authors of Historical Romance......
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