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Spice Trilogy #1
Her Only Desire
From the exotic splendors of India to the elegant ballrooms of Regency London, celebrated author Gaelen Foley pens the enthralling tale of a luscious beauty who has sworn never to call any man her master, and the powerful marquess whose passion threatens to conquer her. . . .
Born into the wealthy British ruling class of India, Georgiana Knight is as unconventional as she is beautiful. She has sworn not to marry till she meets a man who will treat her as an equal–but that vow doesn’t appease her sensual curiosity. When Ian Prescott, the Marquess of Griffith, arrives on a mission to defuse the threat of war, she is immediately drawn to the mysterious and darkly handsome diplomat, and cannot resist provoking the hidden lust that smolders beneath his cool surface.
Ian is mesmerized by Georgie’s alluring mystique but burdened by a dark secret. And she is a temptation he cannot afford. But when she becomes entangled in his mission, she must be secreted away to England for her own safety. Georgie finds herself in the unfamiliar world of aristocratic London, where Ian becomes her guide, her confidant . . . her seducer. His incendiary kiss sets her soul on fire, and Georgie knows she will never be satisfied until she has made this magnificent man her own.
Born into the wealthy British ruling class of India, Georgiana Knight is as unconventional as she is beautiful. She has sworn not to marry till she meets a man who will treat her as an equal–but that vow doesn’t appease her sensual curiosity. When Ian Prescott, the Marquess of Griffith, arrives on a mission to defuse the threat of war, she is immediately drawn to the mysterious and darkly handsome diplomat, and cannot resist provoking the hidden lust that smolders beneath his cool surface.
Ian is mesmerized by Georgie’s alluring mystique but burdened by a dark secret. And she is a temptation he cannot afford. But when she becomes entangled in his mission, she must be secreted away to England for her own safety. Georgie finds herself in the unfamiliar world of aristocratic London, where Ian becomes her guide, her confidant . . . her seducer. His incendiary kiss sets her soul on fire, and Georgie knows she will never be satisfied until she has made this magnificent man her own.
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 27, 2007
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975 people want to read
About the author
Gaelen Foley
44 books1,893 followersGaelen Foley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of twenty historical romances set in the glittering world of Regency England. Her books are available in sixteen languages and have won numerous genre awards, such as the Bookseller's Best, the NJRW Golden Leaf (three times), the CRW Award of Excellence, the National Reader's Choice Award, the Beacon, and the Holt Medallion.
A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.
A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
July 25, 2021
2,5 estrellas
Gaelen Foley es una autora de la que no he leído muchos libros. Pero los dos que había leído, gracias al Reto Rita por cierto, me habían gustado mucho. En esta ocasión me ha costado mucho meterme en la historia y creérmela, por culpa de unos protagonistas demasiado modernos para la época (el habla guarra de Ian o que ella haga… yoga!!! me han sacado totalmente de la lectura), y eso que tenía todos los mimbres para encantarme.
Mientras la primera parte transcurre en la India y tiene mucho de película de aventuras (no he podido evitar recordar algunas escenas de Indiana Jones y el templo maldito y no creo que eso sea bueno cuando hablamos de una novela que se supone histórica y documentada), la segunda parte traslada la acción a Inglaterra, nos regala un falso final y da un giro, sin venir a cuento, que no pega nada con el estilo anterior. Lo dicho, no es un horror, pero no me ha convencido.
#RetoRita4 #RitaFoley
Gaelen Foley es una autora de la que no he leído muchos libros. Pero los dos que había leído, gracias al Reto Rita por cierto, me habían gustado mucho. En esta ocasión me ha costado mucho meterme en la historia y creérmela, por culpa de unos protagonistas demasiado modernos para la época (el habla guarra de Ian o que ella haga… yoga!!! me han sacado totalmente de la lectura), y eso que tenía todos los mimbres para encantarme.
Mientras la primera parte transcurre en la India y tiene mucho de película de aventuras (no he podido evitar recordar algunas escenas de Indiana Jones y el templo maldito y no creo que eso sea bueno cuando hablamos de una novela que se supone histórica y documentada), la segunda parte traslada la acción a Inglaterra, nos regala un falso final y da un giro, sin venir a cuento, que no pega nada con el estilo anterior. Lo dicho, no es un horror, pero no me ha convencido.
#RetoRita4 #RitaFoley
October 20, 2015
Being an Indian and Hindu, it offends me seriously when Western authors sweep every different religion in the East under 1 carpet and takes a "holier-than-thou' attitude about it.
Hinduism has nothing called Purdah, it doesnt condone Polygamy.
Nor does it allow treating a woman as anything less than a male's equal.
The most famous representation of Lord Shiva and his wife- as Ardhanareeswara, is a testimony to this.
Not to mention the fact that life of women in 19th century England wasn't such a peach with no freedom, no right to property or anything.
Moralizing is good - if you've got your facts right.
Hinduism has nothing called Purdah, it doesnt condone Polygamy.
Nor does it allow treating a woman as anything less than a male's equal.
The most famous representation of Lord Shiva and his wife- as Ardhanareeswara, is a testimony to this.
Not to mention the fact that life of women in 19th century England wasn't such a peach with no freedom, no right to property or anything.
Moralizing is good - if you've got your facts right.
August 4, 2021
Nuestras reseñas del #RitaFoley en A la cama con... un libro
Un claro ejemplo de nula conexión con un libro. Me ha parecido soporífero y no hay nada peor que un libro que me aburra y me parezca una tortura leer. Es mi experiencia, claro, espero que no le pase a nadie más.
Un claro ejemplo de nula conexión con un libro. Me ha parecido soporífero y no hay nada peor que un libro que me aburra y me parezca una tortura leer. Es mi experiencia, claro, espero que no le pase a nadie más.
July 21, 2021
#RetoFoley #RetoRita5
He leído “Su único deseo” (01 serie Spice)
Esta serie cuenta la historia de la rama india de la familia Knight: Georgiana, Gabriel y Derek. Nacidos y criados en la India y primos del duque de Hawkscliffe (“Seductora inocencia”) y demás hermanos.
En este primer libro conocemos la historia de Georgiana. Criada en forma más liberal que las damitas en Inglaterra (pero por supuesto, intact-hymen), tiene una idea clara: el matrimonio no es para ella, una esposa es una especie de menor de edad que depende en todo del marido. Quiere ser libre y tener decisiones propias en su vida.
El protagonista es Ian Prescott, marqués de Griffith, un diplomático que llega a India con una misión secreta: evitar una guerra (y mantener los intereses económicos del Reino Unido, obviamente). Ian tampoco quiere casarse. Ya estuvo casado y no quiere repetir la “dura experiencia”. Es un hombre serio, contenido, de alta moral.
La historia transcurre en su primera parte en la India. Vemos cómo se conocen, toda la acción cinematográfica que sucede entre la misión de Ian y los líos en que se mete Georgie, la gran tensión sexual que se produce entre los dos envueltos en la sensualidad del ambiente y cómo terminar huyendo de la India. Separados.
La segunda mitad en Inglaterra. Georgie debe incorporarse a la alta sociedad londinense mientras ambos protagonistas se acercan cada vez más a pesar de sus ideas iniciales (no entiendo por qué hubo tanto énfasis en esas ideas al principio).
Pero, a raíz de nuevos peligros que llegan desde la India, empiezan a surgir profundos secretos de la vida de Ian que hacen peligrar el romance.
Toda esta trama, ahora que la escribo, parece muy interesante. Pero la verdad es que no me enganchó. Me costaba seguir leyéndola.
¿Por qué?
Un exceso de descripciones, de las construcciones, del vestuario, de las comidas. Si hicieran una película con esta novela, ni los escenógrafos ni los vestuaristas tendrían que investigar demasiado. Está todo ahí.
Ojo, no lo veo mal en el caso que sea importante para la acción. Pero hasta describe casas en las que no pasa más que un breve diálogo. Por esto leí bastante en diagonal. Eso altera el ritmo de lectura y el interés.
Por otra parte, me sentí un poco desorientada. Empieza con una trama de acción, con discusión problemas coloniales, luchas intestinas, traiciones, huidas, tensión sexual y, hacia el final, todo se transforma en una especie de novela gótica de misterio que no tiene nada que ver con el principio. Sinceramente lo de Ian me tomó por sorpresa.
Pero, nunca sé claramente, qué es lo que me atrae de una novela y hace que no pueda dejar de leer, o qué es lo que me molesta y tenga que obligarme a continuar leyendo.
2,5 estrellas
He leído “Su único deseo” (01 serie Spice)
Esta serie cuenta la historia de la rama india de la familia Knight: Georgiana, Gabriel y Derek. Nacidos y criados en la India y primos del duque de Hawkscliffe (“Seductora inocencia”) y demás hermanos.
En este primer libro conocemos la historia de Georgiana. Criada en forma más liberal que las damitas en Inglaterra (pero por supuesto, intact-hymen), tiene una idea clara: el matrimonio no es para ella, una esposa es una especie de menor de edad que depende en todo del marido. Quiere ser libre y tener decisiones propias en su vida.
El protagonista es Ian Prescott, marqués de Griffith, un diplomático que llega a India con una misión secreta: evitar una guerra (y mantener los intereses económicos del Reino Unido, obviamente). Ian tampoco quiere casarse. Ya estuvo casado y no quiere repetir la “dura experiencia”. Es un hombre serio, contenido, de alta moral.
La historia transcurre en su primera parte en la India. Vemos cómo se conocen, toda la acción cinematográfica que sucede entre la misión de Ian y los líos en que se mete Georgie, la gran tensión sexual que se produce entre los dos envueltos en la sensualidad del ambiente y cómo terminar huyendo de la India. Separados.
La segunda mitad en Inglaterra. Georgie debe incorporarse a la alta sociedad londinense mientras ambos protagonistas se acercan cada vez más a pesar de sus ideas iniciales (no entiendo por qué hubo tanto énfasis en esas ideas al principio).
Pero, a raíz de nuevos peligros que llegan desde la India, empiezan a surgir profundos secretos de la vida de Ian que hacen peligrar el romance.
Toda esta trama, ahora que la escribo, parece muy interesante. Pero la verdad es que no me enganchó. Me costaba seguir leyéndola.
¿Por qué?
Un exceso de descripciones, de las construcciones, del vestuario, de las comidas. Si hicieran una película con esta novela, ni los escenógrafos ni los vestuaristas tendrían que investigar demasiado. Está todo ahí.
Ojo, no lo veo mal en el caso que sea importante para la acción. Pero hasta describe casas en las que no pasa más que un breve diálogo. Por esto leí bastante en diagonal. Eso altera el ritmo de lectura y el interés.
Por otra parte, me sentí un poco desorientada. Empieza con una trama de acción, con discusión problemas coloniales, luchas intestinas, traiciones, huidas, tensión sexual y, hacia el final, todo se transforma en una especie de novela gótica de misterio que no tiene nada que ver con el principio. Sinceramente lo de Ian me tomó por sorpresa.
Pero, nunca sé claramente, qué es lo que me atrae de una novela y hace que no pueda dejar de leer, o qué es lo que me molesta y tenga que obligarme a continuar leyendo.
2,5 estrellas
June 6, 2017
Cómo he disfrutado con esta pareja.
En primer lugar, he decir que, me sigue gustando cómo escribe esta mujer. Y en particular, he disfrutado con las aventuras por la India. Aunque hay algunas cosas que no me han parecido bien en cuanto a la veracidad de la religión hindú. Pero no me voy a meter en eso.
Georgiana es una mujer que ha estado muy influenciada por su tía, la famosa Duquesa. Esa influencia le ha hecho ver de un modo muy particular, y correcto, el matrimonio y a los hombres. Tiene claro, o al menos lo tenía, que no se iba a casar, para así no perder esa independencia que tanto disfruta en la India. Es una mujer valiente pero no temeraria, aunque pueda parecerlo. Ha vivido siempre con el amor de su padre y el de sus hermanos, y ha sabido ser una mujer "independiente" durante mucho tiempo.
El problema que tiene la pobre es que en cuanto aparece el diplomático estirado de Ian Prescott, Marqués de Griffith, no tiene nada que hacer. Están hecho el uno para el otro.
En cuanto a Ian, no me ha defraudado en absoluto. Eso sí, esE "secreto" me tenía un poco mosca, para que luego no me lo pareciera tanto. O al menos a mí así me lo pareció. Ian, es un hombre criado en una familia aristocrática, con una educación basada en las apariencias y las buenas maneras. Siempre guardando sus sentimientos, no mostrando ni un ápice de debilidad. Pero es un hombre con muchas facetas, y sobre todo, un hombre con una gran pasión y mucho amor que dar.
Disfruto mucho cuando hay este enfrentamiento de carácter en los personajes. Sobre todo cuando son tan compatibles entre ellos.
Pero de lo que he disfrutado mucho, y es el motivo por el cual le he dado las 5 estrellas, es que he visto y sentido esa unión de familia, de amor entre hermanos. Algo que eche en falta en los libros anteriores. Hay al principio del libro una escena donde Georgie hace un comentario a cerca de los hermanos Kinght y su comportamiento respecto al Jack, que me hizo aplaudir y decir "BRAVO".
En primer lugar, he decir que, me sigue gustando cómo escribe esta mujer. Y en particular, he disfrutado con las aventuras por la India. Aunque hay algunas cosas que no me han parecido bien en cuanto a la veracidad de la religión hindú. Pero no me voy a meter en eso.
Georgiana es una mujer que ha estado muy influenciada por su tía, la famosa Duquesa. Esa influencia le ha hecho ver de un modo muy particular, y correcto, el matrimonio y a los hombres. Tiene claro, o al menos lo tenía, que no se iba a casar, para así no perder esa independencia que tanto disfruta en la India. Es una mujer valiente pero no temeraria, aunque pueda parecerlo. Ha vivido siempre con el amor de su padre y el de sus hermanos, y ha sabido ser una mujer "independiente" durante mucho tiempo.
El problema que tiene la pobre es que en cuanto aparece el diplomático estirado de Ian Prescott, Marqués de Griffith, no tiene nada que hacer. Están hecho el uno para el otro.
En cuanto a Ian, no me ha defraudado en absoluto. Eso sí, esE "secreto" me tenía un poco mosca, para que luego no me lo pareciera tanto. O al menos a mí así me lo pareció. Ian, es un hombre criado en una familia aristocrática, con una educación basada en las apariencias y las buenas maneras. Siempre guardando sus sentimientos, no mostrando ni un ápice de debilidad. Pero es un hombre con muchas facetas, y sobre todo, un hombre con una gran pasión y mucho amor que dar.
Disfruto mucho cuando hay este enfrentamiento de carácter en los personajes. Sobre todo cuando son tan compatibles entre ellos.
Pero de lo que he disfrutado mucho, y es el motivo por el cual le he dado las 5 estrellas, es que he visto y sentido esa unión de familia, de amor entre hermanos. Algo que eche en falta en los libros anteriores. Hay al principio del libro una escena donde Georgie hace un comentario a cerca de los hermanos Kinght y su comportamiento respecto al Jack, que me hizo aplaudir y decir "BRAVO".
May 2, 2018
I've abandoned this book at about 55%. To be completely honest, I could have finished it, I just completely saw no point in doing so. I lost my interest and didn't care about the characters. Also, the whole story is a bit ridiculous. This is one of this stories that are longer than they should be.
Let's start with the main characters - Ian and Georgiana. They are both paper-thin. If Ian doesn't develop any interesting parts of personality in the second part of the story (and I seriously doubt it), there is nothing in him. We don't know about him enough to care about him. And Georgie is not better. She is inconsistent, in the beginning she seems to be a really strong heroine, a kind of feminist and activist, and then she turns into some idiotic romantic brooding over Ian and questioning everything in her life because of one incident that takes only a few pages in the book and is not even well described.
And here comes the other problem of this story. Many of the significant events are almost omitted. They are mentioned only after everything is over and only in the context of the consequences for Ian and Georgie. Let's look at the fight in which one of the important characters is very seriously wounded and the main character must flee from the country (let's not worry about the fact that her journey lasting several months is described in one sentence, these are just nuances!). What could be a really nice political intrigue on the Indian court (despite all the mistakes about Indian history and customs) becomes some strange and ridiculous story about... well, about nothing in fact. The political intrigue ends without unnecessary delay as soon as it ceases to be useful to the bizarre idea of Ian and Georgie's romance.
Yeah, the romance part. Georgie and Ian find each other attractive. Why? I have no idea, since they dislike each other instantly and don't know each other. I can't find any feelings between them. And they change their beliefs on marriage in such a hurry, it's grotesque.
But what nailed it is the fact that I totally didn't care about Georgie or Ian. That's why I abandoned this book.
Let's start with the main characters - Ian and Georgiana. They are both paper-thin. If Ian doesn't develop any interesting parts of personality in the second part of the story (and I seriously doubt it), there is nothing in him. We don't know about him enough to care about him. And Georgie is not better. She is inconsistent, in the beginning she seems to be a really strong heroine, a kind of feminist and activist, and then she turns into some idiotic romantic brooding over Ian and questioning everything in her life because of one incident that takes only a few pages in the book and is not even well described.
And here comes the other problem of this story. Many of the significant events are almost omitted. They are mentioned only after everything is over and only in the context of the consequences for Ian and Georgie. Let's look at the fight in which one of the important characters is very seriously wounded and the main character must flee from the country (let's not worry about the fact that her journey lasting several months is described in one sentence, these are just nuances!). What could be a really nice political intrigue on the Indian court (despite all the mistakes about Indian history and customs) becomes some strange and ridiculous story about... well, about nothing in fact. The political intrigue ends without unnecessary delay as soon as it ceases to be useful to the bizarre idea of Ian and Georgie's romance.
Yeah, the romance part. Georgie and Ian find each other attractive. Why? I have no idea, since they dislike each other instantly and don't know each other. I can't find any feelings between them. And they change their beliefs on marriage in such a hurry, it's grotesque.
But what nailed it is the fact that I totally didn't care about Georgie or Ian. That's why I abandoned this book.
January 12, 2013
I really liked it in the beginning...it was interesting, it was different!
Despite the historical inaccuracies (a lot of them, and MAJOR ones!) I liked where the story seemed the be heading - seemed being the operative word here.
Foley lost me somewhere after 50% ...the story seemed to have ended, yet she started on a new plotline. And I thought the new plotline was inspired by Rebecca. You haveMax Ian, the gentleman who suddenly becomes a dark and broody character on returning to his estate, Rebecca Catherine, who must not be mentioned, and shady characters who mislead our heroine.
I'm stuck between, liked it and okay-ish. Had it not fizzled out at the end, I wouldve given it a 4. It was still a nice read, and better than most Historical Romances out there.
Some inaccuracies on the social issues, if you care to know -
I really liked how she tried to highlight the social evils prevalent in the society, even if it was inaccurate. It was detailed, but perhaps she should have seen the map of the country better, and tried to understand the difference between the religions.
Despite the historical inaccuracies (a lot of them, and MAJOR ones!) I liked where the story seemed the be heading - seemed being the operative word here.
Foley lost me somewhere after 50% ...the story seemed to have ended, yet she started on a new plotline. And I thought the new plotline was inspired by Rebecca. You have
I'm stuck between, liked it and okay-ish. Had it not fizzled out at the end, I wouldve given it a 4. It was still a nice read, and better than most Historical Romances out there.
Some inaccuracies on the social issues, if you care to know -
I really liked how she tried to highlight the social evils prevalent in the society, even if it was inaccurate. It was detailed, but perhaps she should have seen the map of the country better, and tried to understand the difference between the religions.
July 9, 2021
¡Lo terminé! ¡Por fin💃!
Creo que comenzando con eso, ya lo digo todo. Me ha costado mucho leer el libro, muchísimo. Nivel... lo iba a dejar. Pero me he empecinado con terminarlo.
Se han juntado dos cosas: por mi lado, no he tenido una semana lectora; por el de la novela, mete mucha información que no me atrapaba lo más mínimo.
El último 30% me ha salvado la lectura,sino no hubiera llegado a las 3⭐
Ella me ha parecido demasiado veleta, a él no le cogía el punto...
Empecé emocionada con que transcurriera en la India (que era novedoso para mí), pero no me ha conseguido transmitir ese exotismo, ese mundo de colores y especias.
Creo que comenzando con eso, ya lo digo todo. Me ha costado mucho leer el libro, muchísimo. Nivel... lo iba a dejar. Pero me he empecinado con terminarlo.
Se han juntado dos cosas: por mi lado, no he tenido una semana lectora; por el de la novela, mete mucha información que no me atrapaba lo más mínimo.
El último 30% me ha salvado la lectura,sino no hubiera llegado a las 3⭐
Ella me ha parecido demasiado veleta, a él no le cogía el punto...
Empecé emocionada con que transcurriera en la India (que era novedoso para mí), pero no me ha conseguido transmitir ese exotismo, ese mundo de colores y especias.
April 11, 2009
Ian, a Marquess, is on a diplomatic mission and arrives in India where he meets Georgiana (Georgie) Knight and her two brothers (whose own books will arrive at a book store near you soon). Georgie gets into physical danger. Ian bails her out. Georgie gets into more danger. Ian bails her out but now Georgie and her bros must leave India for good. Ian proposes to Georgie in England after knowing her for the equivalent of two whole days. Just like in a Barbara Cartland novel but without the stuttering speeches about how they are reincarnated soulmates and are just spokes in the wheel of life. When a 453 page historical makes a 150 page Babs Cartland novel seem deep, this aint good. Anyway, Georgie goes back and forth on marrying Ian since she has known him for 2 days (duh!) and doesnt really know him. Also, Ian has a Deep Dark Secret involving his first wife which he doesnt want to talk about.
If I can describe a Foley novel in one word, it would be “work.” There are writers who polish and polish their writing until the words come together so effortlessly, even though I, as the reader, know its not and then there are writers (intentionally or not) who polish and polish their novel and yet show every sweat, tears, blood and hair-pulling it took to write their opus. Foley is one of the later for me.
Anyway, I am sort of dumbfounded right now. I dont know what to say about this book. Whether she is on top of her game or not, Foley is a craftswoman and always gives me a thoughtful read so I dont understand how so many things could have gone wrong with this novel.
Where do I start? This book is 453 pages. I felt like I was reading a 600 page novel. The first 200+ pages is spent in India and this section needed to be shortened considerably because it’s mostly action and exposition and set-up for the following new trilogy. I can see that Foley, as expected, did a lot of research on India but she takes for granted that readers would know stuff like what purdah means as Georgie, the feminist, goes on and on about it. Foley also never mentions the age of either Ian or Georgie which I thought was weird. Despite all this, the India section has a rushed quality to the way it was wrapped up while leaving very little room for the development of the romance between Ian & Georgie.
This fact was brought home to me when I realized that Ian knew Georgie for all of two whole days when he first proposes marriage to her. Ian deciding that he wants to marry Georgie after stating that he doesnt want to marry again because of his terrible first marriage doesnt make sense to me.
Actually, Ian didn’t make sense to me at all. Ian, who was first introduced about four novels ago in Lady of Desire, was established as rather staid in his previous appearances. Since he is now the Hero, Foley tries to juice him up a little by revealing that Ian is dangerous with his beserker rage ala Wolverine and the possibility that he might have done a Max de Winter (see Rebecca by Du Maurier) on his first wife. Unfortunately, I didnt find this sexy, nor interesting, leaving me with a character I had a hard time trying to grasp.
Add to this, a too-action oriented story to cover the lack of chemistry and romance, some plot threads that were just dropped, a haphazard last minute wrap-up of Ian’s Deep Dark Secret, a superficial resemblence to Mary Jo Putney’s book Veils of Silk which also was set in India with a hero named Ian (this, coming after the Dancing On the Wind/Lord of Fire coincidence) and the result is one lackluster reading experience. Georgie’s brothers didn’t seem that interesting to me despite them being a Knight Male, which I presume is like a Cynster Male — the gold standard for Regency lovers not sick of series-itis. I’m gonna pass on the rest of this trilogy and hope that Foley will get back to the form of her earlier book for her next series.
Note: This is Book #1 of the Spice Trilogy but an off-shoot of Foley’s Knight Miscelleny series.
If I can describe a Foley novel in one word, it would be “work.” There are writers who polish and polish their writing until the words come together so effortlessly, even though I, as the reader, know its not and then there are writers (intentionally or not) who polish and polish their novel and yet show every sweat, tears, blood and hair-pulling it took to write their opus. Foley is one of the later for me.
Anyway, I am sort of dumbfounded right now. I dont know what to say about this book. Whether she is on top of her game or not, Foley is a craftswoman and always gives me a thoughtful read so I dont understand how so many things could have gone wrong with this novel.
Where do I start? This book is 453 pages. I felt like I was reading a 600 page novel. The first 200+ pages is spent in India and this section needed to be shortened considerably because it’s mostly action and exposition and set-up for the following new trilogy. I can see that Foley, as expected, did a lot of research on India but she takes for granted that readers would know stuff like what purdah means as Georgie, the feminist, goes on and on about it. Foley also never mentions the age of either Ian or Georgie which I thought was weird. Despite all this, the India section has a rushed quality to the way it was wrapped up while leaving very little room for the development of the romance between Ian & Georgie.
This fact was brought home to me when I realized that Ian knew Georgie for all of two whole days when he first proposes marriage to her. Ian deciding that he wants to marry Georgie after stating that he doesnt want to marry again because of his terrible first marriage doesnt make sense to me.
Actually, Ian didn’t make sense to me at all. Ian, who was first introduced about four novels ago in Lady of Desire, was established as rather staid in his previous appearances. Since he is now the Hero, Foley tries to juice him up a little by revealing that Ian is dangerous with his beserker rage ala Wolverine and the possibility that he might have done a Max de Winter (see Rebecca by Du Maurier) on his first wife. Unfortunately, I didnt find this sexy, nor interesting, leaving me with a character I had a hard time trying to grasp.
Add to this, a too-action oriented story to cover the lack of chemistry and romance, some plot threads that were just dropped, a haphazard last minute wrap-up of Ian’s Deep Dark Secret, a superficial resemblence to Mary Jo Putney’s book Veils of Silk which also was set in India with a hero named Ian (this, coming after the Dancing On the Wind/Lord of Fire coincidence) and the result is one lackluster reading experience. Georgie’s brothers didn’t seem that interesting to me despite them being a Knight Male, which I presume is like a Cynster Male — the gold standard for Regency lovers not sick of series-itis. I’m gonna pass on the rest of this trilogy and hope that Foley will get back to the form of her earlier book for her next series.
Note: This is Book #1 of the Spice Trilogy but an off-shoot of Foley’s Knight Miscelleny series.
October 24, 2017
Ian Prescott, Marquess of Griffith adalah seorang diplomat, negosiator ulung yg sedang bertugas di India. Dan disanalah dia berjumpa dgn si cantik Georgiana yg liar, impulsif dan sulit ditebak gerak-geriknya, sejak awal perjumpaan mereka.
Karena Georgiana berhasil membuat kekacauan dan memberikan bukti kejahatan pd Maharaja Janpur, Georgiana terpisah dari kakak-kakaknya, dan terpaksa ke London sendirian. Ian menyusul dan menjemput Georgiana, tak ayal lagi Ian sudah bertekad utk memperistri wanita yg sulit diatur ini. Tetapi Ian masih menyembunyikan banyak rahasia pribadi dari Georgiana, dan beberapa rahasia itu berbahaya. Mampukah Ian mengutarakannya pd Georgiana?
Baiklah, sudah nyaris setahun saya baru membaca kembali karya author. Seperti biasa, tulisan dan gaya bahasa author memikat hati saya. Saya suka background pertemuan awal Ian dan Georgiana di tempat eksotis, India. Dgn detil, author menggambarkan pemandangan, tradisi dan budaya India pd abad 19. Sangat indah dan menakjubkan.
Kelemahan di novel ini adalah ada sedikit ketidak-konsistenan ucapan oleh tokoh utama, krn keduanya sejak awal enggan dan menolak ide pernikahan. Entah bagaimana, tetiba Georgiana menginjakkan kaki di London, gairah mereka langsung melesat laksana kembang api di Tahun Baru. Bagusnya mereka tidak mengelak ketertarikan satu sama lain, tapi sayangnya tidak dijelaskan bagaimana dan kenapa mereka berubah pikiran.
Narasi menggalau lumayan juga di novel ini walau tidak terlalu mengganggu keseluruhan jalan cerita. Pesan moral dari novel ini adalah dlm suatu relationship kejujuran dan keterbukaan adalah kunci utama yg paling penting. Pengungkapan masa lalu yg buruk, tidak perlu ditakutkan. Dan andaikan pasangan kita "menolak", anggap saja dia tidak dijodohkan oleh Tuhan utk mendampingi hidup kita sampai ajal menjelang. Perbedaan sikap satu sama lain antar pasangan anggaplah sbg pengalaman hidup. Bisa dijembatani, lanjutkan. Jika tidak, akhiri saja drpd menyakiti satu sama lain.
Karena Georgiana berhasil membuat kekacauan dan memberikan bukti kejahatan pd Maharaja Janpur, Georgiana terpisah dari kakak-kakaknya, dan terpaksa ke London sendirian. Ian menyusul dan menjemput Georgiana, tak ayal lagi Ian sudah bertekad utk memperistri wanita yg sulit diatur ini. Tetapi Ian masih menyembunyikan banyak rahasia pribadi dari Georgiana, dan beberapa rahasia itu berbahaya. Mampukah Ian mengutarakannya pd Georgiana?
Baiklah, sudah nyaris setahun saya baru membaca kembali karya author. Seperti biasa, tulisan dan gaya bahasa author memikat hati saya. Saya suka background pertemuan awal Ian dan Georgiana di tempat eksotis, India. Dgn detil, author menggambarkan pemandangan, tradisi dan budaya India pd abad 19. Sangat indah dan menakjubkan.
Kelemahan di novel ini adalah ada sedikit ketidak-konsistenan ucapan oleh tokoh utama, krn keduanya sejak awal enggan dan menolak ide pernikahan. Entah bagaimana, tetiba Georgiana menginjakkan kaki di London, gairah mereka langsung melesat laksana kembang api di Tahun Baru. Bagusnya mereka tidak mengelak ketertarikan satu sama lain, tapi sayangnya tidak dijelaskan bagaimana dan kenapa mereka berubah pikiran.
Narasi menggalau lumayan juga di novel ini walau tidak terlalu mengganggu keseluruhan jalan cerita. Pesan moral dari novel ini adalah dlm suatu relationship kejujuran dan keterbukaan adalah kunci utama yg paling penting. Pengungkapan masa lalu yg buruk, tidak perlu ditakutkan. Dan andaikan pasangan kita "menolak", anggap saja dia tidak dijodohkan oleh Tuhan utk mendampingi hidup kita sampai ajal menjelang. Perbedaan sikap satu sama lain antar pasangan anggaplah sbg pengalaman hidup. Bisa dijembatani, lanjutkan. Jika tidak, akhiri saja drpd menyakiti satu sama lain.
January 7, 2017
Foley prináša nový príbeh klanu Knightovcov, i keď z trochu inej vetvy, než ako sme mohli čítať v sérii Knight Miscellany. Dá sa povedať, že istým spôsobom nadväzuje na spomínanú sériu, čoho dôkazom je, že v knihe spomína hrdinov, ktorých príbehy sme mohli čítať (za všetkých spomeniem aspoň Jacka).
Hneď na úvod poviem, že ma nesmierne zaujalo, na akom mieste sa dej odohrával. V Indii. Práve tam totiž vyrastala a žije hlavná hrdinka tohto románu Georgiana spolu so svojimi dvomi bratmi Derekom a Gabrielom (ktorí zažijú svoje vlastné love story v ďalších častiach série ;-) ). Georgie je mladá, dravá, odvážna hrdinka. Nemá strach pred ničím a hoci žije v Indii od malička, ich zvyky a zákony jej akosi stále nie a nie vojsť pod kožu. Vďaka čomu sa nejeden raz ocitne v nebezpečenstve.
Autorka veľmi pútavo zakomponovala do knihy práve zvyky a obyčaje tejto vzdialenej krajiny. Dej tak obohatila o zaujímavé fakty. Zvyšok recenzie je tu: http://kokinakniznica.blogspot.sk/201...
Hneď na úvod poviem, že ma nesmierne zaujalo, na akom mieste sa dej odohrával. V Indii. Práve tam totiž vyrastala a žije hlavná hrdinka tohto románu Georgiana spolu so svojimi dvomi bratmi Derekom a Gabrielom (ktorí zažijú svoje vlastné love story v ďalších častiach série ;-) ). Georgie je mladá, dravá, odvážna hrdinka. Nemá strach pred ničím a hoci žije v Indii od malička, ich zvyky a zákony jej akosi stále nie a nie vojsť pod kožu. Vďaka čomu sa nejeden raz ocitne v nebezpečenstve.
Autorka veľmi pútavo zakomponovala do knihy práve zvyky a obyčaje tejto vzdialenej krajiny. Dej tak obohatila o zaujímavé fakty. Zvyšok recenzie je tu: http://kokinakniznica.blogspot.sk/201...
July 15, 2014
The writing wasn't cutting well. So, I couldn't finish it!
D x
D x
August 18, 2022
Me gustó, sin más. Es una historia bonita, con muchos detalle de la India pero ya pierde fuelle la familia Knight. No es para nada relevante en la historia que fueran sus primos y en mi opinión, no ayuda mucho a Georgiana que fuera así. Leeré a los hermanos, porque no me gusta quedarme con la intriga.
August 29, 2013
The action of this book opens in India with our heroine, Georgiana Knight, rushing in where angels fear to tread in order to save an Indian friend from a bride-burning. She is rescued by English diplomat Ian Prescott, the Marguess of Griffith. The absurdity continues from there into a weak and unbelievable plot that includes Georgiana arriving on the back of an elephant to visit an Indian king, the murder of an Indian prince, a triumphant return to England, and the kidnapping of the Marquess' son. The point of the plot? I'm really not quite sure. It's complicated, convuluted, and honestly not terribly interesting.
The love story also is incredibly weak. Georgiana is a completely unbelievable character (she would fit in better in NOW than in the 19th century) and Ian is the dime-a-dozen cardbord cutout tortured romantic hero with a dark past. We are not shown the love story, we are told that it happens - as unbelievable that it might be that Ian is attracted to this supremely annoying girl. There is no emotional involvement with the characters (at least not for me), the characters speak as if it took place in 20th century America, and even that is stilted and forced.
Oh yeah, and I don't have a clue where the title came from. Huh?
Don't waste your time.
The love story also is incredibly weak. Georgiana is a completely unbelievable character (she would fit in better in NOW than in the 19th century) and Ian is the dime-a-dozen cardbord cutout tortured romantic hero with a dark past. We are not shown the love story, we are told that it happens - as unbelievable that it might be that Ian is attracted to this supremely annoying girl. There is no emotional involvement with the characters (at least not for me), the characters speak as if it took place in 20th century America, and even that is stilted and forced.
Oh yeah, and I don't have a clue where the title came from. Huh?
Don't waste your time.
March 21, 2012
This one was alright, but I wasn't very impressed at all the important things that got skimmed over and left out, like the fact that Georgiana left the home and country she knew her whole life and never seemed to miss it. She left so abruptly she never got to see her home or the nursemaid who raised her or her best friends again. She just left and went to England and never looked back? I find that extremely hard to believe. Also, I'm annoyed by Georgiana just settling down in England and the fact that it appears her brothers are going to do the same. There was no apparent love for her home country once she left it. The others in the Knight series seemed above the average bodice-ripper, but this installment is just your typical Regency romance.
February 24, 2014
This was shoddily researched. The set-up setting seemed a mish mash between 19th century John Company Calcutta and early 20th century Imperial Calcutta. The geography is all mixed up, the Indian names are inauthentic, and the customs referred to are a mash-up of three religions.
Apart from that, the author managed to get none of the atmosphere that I actually read this book for.
Huge disappointment.
Apart from that, the author managed to get none of the atmosphere that I actually read this book for.
Huge disappointment.
July 2, 2019
This was Not Good.
The characters were entirely too modern - I kept forgetting when they were supposed to be. They were also completely bland. I kept forgetting which of the male names was the love interest, and which was the brother of the main female character.
I didn't forget who was the main female character, as she was basically the only woman in the whole book.
The characters were entirely too modern - I kept forgetting when they were supposed to be. They were also completely bland. I kept forgetting which of the male names was the love interest, and which was the brother of the main female character.
I didn't forget who was the main female character, as she was basically the only woman in the whole book.
January 1, 2026
Bueno, bastante mediocre pero me sirvió para finalizar mi reto de lectura. Aún así, not my cup of tea
April 4, 2022
No beje, ale to taka typowa mocno lekka lektura, plus niektóre opisy XD można było pominąć XD
January 1, 2023
there was ONE scene in this book that made me squeal and blush like an idiot, but after that this book just disappointed. bummer.
February 3, 2020
DNF. Gave up at 40%. Just not worth wasting any more of my time.
So many issues with this one, starting with the title. What? Maybe it made sense later in the story.
I like sexy HR books -- am not too interested in clean ones -- but I do not enjoy the "bow-chicka-wow-wow" porny talk/throbbing members/heaving bosom crap. Ugh.
The story is set in India (I realize they move to England at some point but I am jumping ship before that happens) ... I'm not Indian but damn, I cringed on behalf of the billion+ residents of the subcontinent while I read this drivel. So many stereotypes and Indian-ish crap crammed in, including the RIDICULOUS description of the mid-19th century British heroine doing YOGA. And for sure, she's doing yoga -- WEARING LEGGINGS -- as if she's at some studio in Malibu or something.
I can't even bother writing about how much this story bugged me. What a waste of time.
So many issues with this one, starting with the title. What? Maybe it made sense later in the story.
I like sexy HR books -- am not too interested in clean ones -- but I do not enjoy the "bow-chicka-wow-wow" porny talk/throbbing members/heaving bosom crap. Ugh.
The story is set in India (I realize they move to England at some point but I am jumping ship before that happens) ... I'm not Indian but damn, I cringed on behalf of the billion+ residents of the subcontinent while I read this drivel. So many stereotypes and Indian-ish crap crammed in, including the RIDICULOUS description of the mid-19th century British heroine doing YOGA. And for sure, she's doing yoga -- WEARING LEGGINGS -- as if she's at some studio in Malibu or something.
I can't even bother writing about how much this story bugged me. What a waste of time.
December 19, 2012
Bukunya baguuuuus..... suka ma alur ceritanya. Georgina walo awalnya nyebelin krn sok tau, tapi lama2 karakternya bagus, kuat, ga gampang nyerah, ga cengeng, ga berburuk sangka n mau mendengarkan tanpa menilai jelek terlebih dahulu, pinter dan menyenangkan. Ian walo kesannya sok jaim dan suram, tapi menarik utk dibaca, apalagi Matthew lucu bgt n satu lagi yg gw suka, penjahatnya dpt pembalasan yang setimpal jadi seru. Pengen baca buku kedua ttg Derek, tapi bosen ma HR, jadi lanjut nanti ja ;p
August 8, 2015
After the fantastic Knight Miscellany series I was little disappointed with this first in The Spice Trilogy spin-off. The plot was a little far fetched, some details glossed over and it lacked the emotional depth of her previous novels.
March 9, 2012
The first part of the book the hero and heroine can barely stand each other, then one fight and they're suddenly flirting and attempting to undress each other? Um.. ok.
September 10, 2018
Ah, geez, what’s with these creepy Foley heroes and their awful, horrible opinions about women and marriage until they are rescued from high handed bitchdom by our open minded intrepid virginal heroine. I was barely hanging on skimming this one when we got to the scene where the heroine is proposed to and nearly seduced by the hero, during which his mistress enters his home, banging on his bedroom door demanding entrance. All while his 5 year old son the heroine knows nothing about is watching from the shadows. Really?????? In what world would two families desire an aristocratic alliance when the hero already has an heir he doesn’t bother to tell anyone about? Yea, yea, I know, this is a romance. But gee Willy, the whole point of these alliances is about sharing resources. In this case, the resources will go to the heir and the heroine’s offspring get the leftovers. It just pissed me off so bad. Talk about your bait and switch. You’ll be my wife, my marquesa, the mother of my extra children since I already have an heir who will inherit my wealth, title, and prestige. Yep, don’t think so. And, yes, I realize this was not technically an arranged marriage, but from the get go the hero was tempted because of the potential family connection. Enough so that the damned mistress knew about it. So, yes, it pissed me off. The hero gets love, adoration, the connections to her family, and her offspring get the leftovers. Again, don’t think so. Icing on the cake? The day after her rude introduction to his mistress and the day she discovers he has an heir, she tries to slow things down and asks for more time to decide whether to accept his marriage proposal and he gets snotty and says the offer may be pulled if she takes too long. Well, screw you dude. Just screw you. Our heroine can definitely do better.
December 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this book! Our heroine is ‘Georgie’, raised in India. A feisty, caring, adventurous, yoga-practicing free spirit and I just loved her. Our hero, Ian, is a Marquess and diplomat sent to India to end a war before it begins.
This book takes place half in India and half in England, and I must say, I loved the change of scenery. India, and the events that take place there, are described in perfect detail. I could picture the exotic dishes being served for dinner, the change of clothing from corsets and dresses, without it being too descriptive. (Ever read a book with such long descriptions you no longer care what anything looks like 😂 ??)
There’s a moderate amount of action in the book, which I usually don’t like as much, but I enjoyed it in this story. It didn’t take over the story but was enough to move the plot along and keep you entertained.
I found Ian to be a hero of layers that I came to love over the course of the book. You couldn’t really get a good feel for his character in the beginning, as he was quite calm, cool, collected and closed off. Towards the end I found him to be such a wonderful hero. I loved his dialogue with Georgie and his flirty banter.
The first two almost love scenes were wonderful. Just steamy, detailed, surprisingly hot. I do wish the author would have spent the same amount of time on the first real scene, as it was extremely short and glossed over.
While the book didn’t drag on, I did catch myself wondering if a part of the book at the end was even needed. It wasn’t a large part of the story until that point and at 411 pages in I was just wondering where it came from. I thought it could have been resolved with a bit less drama. But still I didn’t mind it, it just didn’t really fit to me.
This book takes place half in India and half in England, and I must say, I loved the change of scenery. India, and the events that take place there, are described in perfect detail. I could picture the exotic dishes being served for dinner, the change of clothing from corsets and dresses, without it being too descriptive. (Ever read a book with such long descriptions you no longer care what anything looks like 😂 ??)
There’s a moderate amount of action in the book, which I usually don’t like as much, but I enjoyed it in this story. It didn’t take over the story but was enough to move the plot along and keep you entertained.
I found Ian to be a hero of layers that I came to love over the course of the book. You couldn’t really get a good feel for his character in the beginning, as he was quite calm, cool, collected and closed off. Towards the end I found him to be such a wonderful hero. I loved his dialogue with Georgie and his flirty banter.
The first two almost love scenes were wonderful. Just steamy, detailed, surprisingly hot. I do wish the author would have spent the same amount of time on the first real scene, as it was extremely short and glossed over.
While the book didn’t drag on, I did catch myself wondering if a part of the book at the end was even needed. It wasn’t a large part of the story until that point and at 411 pages in I was just wondering where it came from. I thought it could have been resolved with a bit less drama. But still I didn’t mind it, it just didn’t really fit to me.
June 20, 2012
I've been on a delightful Gaelen Foley binge for the last couple of weeks, but it seems the time has come for a break. Nothing about Her Only Desire particularly offended me, but my spirit animal still managed to grow increasingly bitchy with every page of text. After a book's worth of screeching and clawing at my brain, I decided that both of us - my inner spirit animal and I - need a break.
So let me preface this review by boldly stating: I like Gaelen Foley's books! But this book was maybe / kind of a little stupid. At times. AT TIMES. Realize that I don't mean "stupid" like a bratty teenager saying, "Waking up early in the morning is SO STUPID." I just mean that some of the actions taken in the text are stupid, therefore permeating the entire book with more stupidness.
Why the hell am I qualifying this? Moving on ...
SUMMARY:
Ian Prescott, Marquess of Griffith, arrives in India as a diplomat for the British government. He's been called away from his vacation in Ceylon to prevent war, but of course that all gets mucked up when he comes across Miss Georgiana Knight, a willful daughter of Ian's family friend from India's British ruling class. Something of an 18th century feminist, Georgie takes it upon herself to judge Ian's intentions for dealing with the land she calls home. Naturally, she does this by not listening to a word the poor man says even though he's a skilled diplomat who has prevented war many times before and taking serious international matters into her own inexperienced hands. Georgie's reckless behavior ends up getting the entire Knight family in big trouble, so she's shipped to England where there's nothing else to do but explore her budding flirtation with Ian. But Ian has secrets that can apparently steamroll their romance even faster than Georgie can cause a war. Will they grow to trust each other in the spirit of true love, or will these two crazy people screw their lives up forever?
THE GOOD THINGS:
Foley's always dependable to provide some murderous intrigue to the plot. In this case, a jealous and spiteful maharani plots to have her husband the maharaja killed. When Georgie fucks up all her plans, she sends an assassin back to England to take out revenge on Ian and troops after the Knight family to kill them. Sadly, this fun-filled vengeance plot ends way too soon for my taste, but I'll give it credit for existing in the first place.
Georgie actually gets smarter as the story progresses. Most heroines get dumber as the plot thickens, but not Georgie. She takes responsibility for her silly actions and doesn't tolerate much of Ian's bullshit. Her wild sense of independence is honed into a reasoned sense of self-preservation, and she managed to become my favorite character after starting off as one of the worst characters EVER. Hats off to you, Foley, for creating a nuanced and well-developed female protagonist.
THE STUPID THINGS:
Georgie's Modern Sensibilities: It's very nice that she believes in female autonomy and resents the way that women are basically owned by men in her society. But there's one itty-bitty problem with her line of thought: IT DIDN'T EXIST IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY. Georgie's feminist philosophy of "I don't want to marry a man because then he'll OWN me and tell me what to do" wasn't a thing at this point in history. I wish that history told a different story, but it doesn't. There's no way a young woman of Georgie's social class could live basically unchaperoned in India while her brothers traveled with the military and her father went to sea. There's no way these brothers would allow her to show up and stay unannounced at a MAHARAJA'S PALACE at the freaking brink of war. There's also no way that a cultured gentleman like Ian would easily forgive the little idiot for interfering with his negotiations by illegally breaking into the maharani's private quarters to gather information - even though she has no experience as a spy - and getting caught red-handed. That's just too much stupid for people of that time to tolerate. Georgie's lucky they didn't lock her up somewhere.
And then there's the way that Georgie treated her asthma with modern yoga.
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In addition, she's studied the Kama Sutra cover-to-cover.
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Oh, yes, Georgie, you're just SO OPPRESSED by men that you have to bitch about it constantly. But somehow, you're the ONE LUCKY woman in the world to have a dad and brothers who don't give a shit what you do or read. I'm buying it. I really am!
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Just kidding!
Ian's Late Season Wangst: Up until the book's midway mark, Ian seems rational and normal, give or take a little of the tortured soul stuff all these heroes are contractually obligated to carry around like so much baggage. But holy shit, when they get to England, Ian's wangst explodes all over the place! You know it's going to be bad when the least of his wangst has to do with the 5-year-old son he neglects to tell Georgie about until she runs into the kid on her own. There's some scuttle-buttle about Ian's disastrous marriage that he keeps all bottled up because he's afraid Georgie will hate him. By the time the big secret is revealed at the end of the book, I already knew it wasn't a big deal. These secrets are never big deals. So the secret ends up not being a big deal, and VOILA, HAPPILY EVER AFTER! I think this is my greatest complaint about the book. Why drag out all of the wangst about something pointless for close to 100 pages when the plot dealing with the bitchy maharani easily could have been extended until the end of the book? Ian's wangst and BIG DARK SECRET were not enough to carry a book. The nonsense ultimately doomed this book to a tentative 3 stars.
So let me preface this review by boldly stating: I like Gaelen Foley's books! But this book was maybe / kind of a little stupid. At times. AT TIMES. Realize that I don't mean "stupid" like a bratty teenager saying, "Waking up early in the morning is SO STUPID." I just mean that some of the actions taken in the text are stupid, therefore permeating the entire book with more stupidness.
Why the hell am I qualifying this? Moving on ...
SUMMARY:
Ian Prescott, Marquess of Griffith, arrives in India as a diplomat for the British government. He's been called away from his vacation in Ceylon to prevent war, but of course that all gets mucked up when he comes across Miss Georgiana Knight, a willful daughter of Ian's family friend from India's British ruling class. Something of an 18th century feminist, Georgie takes it upon herself to judge Ian's intentions for dealing with the land she calls home. Naturally, she does this by not listening to a word the poor man says even though he's a skilled diplomat who has prevented war many times before and taking serious international matters into her own inexperienced hands. Georgie's reckless behavior ends up getting the entire Knight family in big trouble, so she's shipped to England where there's nothing else to do but explore her budding flirtation with Ian. But Ian has secrets that can apparently steamroll their romance even faster than Georgie can cause a war. Will they grow to trust each other in the spirit of true love, or will these two crazy people screw their lives up forever?
THE GOOD THINGS:
Foley's always dependable to provide some murderous intrigue to the plot. In this case, a jealous and spiteful maharani plots to have her husband the maharaja killed. When Georgie fucks up all her plans, she sends an assassin back to England to take out revenge on Ian and troops after the Knight family to kill them. Sadly, this fun-filled vengeance plot ends way too soon for my taste, but I'll give it credit for existing in the first place.
Georgie actually gets smarter as the story progresses. Most heroines get dumber as the plot thickens, but not Georgie. She takes responsibility for her silly actions and doesn't tolerate much of Ian's bullshit. Her wild sense of independence is honed into a reasoned sense of self-preservation, and she managed to become my favorite character after starting off as one of the worst characters EVER. Hats off to you, Foley, for creating a nuanced and well-developed female protagonist.
THE STUPID THINGS:
Georgie's Modern Sensibilities: It's very nice that she believes in female autonomy and resents the way that women are basically owned by men in her society. But there's one itty-bitty problem with her line of thought: IT DIDN'T EXIST IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY. Georgie's feminist philosophy of "I don't want to marry a man because then he'll OWN me and tell me what to do" wasn't a thing at this point in history. I wish that history told a different story, but it doesn't. There's no way a young woman of Georgie's social class could live basically unchaperoned in India while her brothers traveled with the military and her father went to sea. There's no way these brothers would allow her to show up and stay unannounced at a MAHARAJA'S PALACE at the freaking brink of war. There's also no way that a cultured gentleman like Ian would easily forgive the little idiot for interfering with his negotiations by illegally breaking into the maharani's private quarters to gather information - even though she has no experience as a spy - and getting caught red-handed. That's just too much stupid for people of that time to tolerate. Georgie's lucky they didn't lock her up somewhere.
And then there's the way that Georgie treated her asthma with modern yoga.
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GIFSoup
In addition, she's studied the Kama Sutra cover-to-cover.
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Oh, yes, Georgie, you're just SO OPPRESSED by men that you have to bitch about it constantly. But somehow, you're the ONE LUCKY woman in the world to have a dad and brothers who don't give a shit what you do or read. I'm buying it. I really am!
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Just kidding!
Ian's Late Season Wangst: Up until the book's midway mark, Ian seems rational and normal, give or take a little of the tortured soul stuff all these heroes are contractually obligated to carry around like so much baggage. But holy shit, when they get to England, Ian's wangst explodes all over the place! You know it's going to be bad when the least of his wangst has to do with the 5-year-old son he neglects to tell Georgie about until she runs into the kid on her own. There's some scuttle-buttle about Ian's disastrous marriage that he keeps all bottled up because he's afraid Georgie will hate him. By the time the big secret is revealed at the end of the book, I already knew it wasn't a big deal. These secrets are never big deals. So the secret ends up not being a big deal, and VOILA, HAPPILY EVER AFTER! I think this is my greatest complaint about the book. Why drag out all of the wangst about something pointless for close to 100 pages when the plot dealing with the bitchy maharani easily could have been extended until the end of the book? Ian's wangst and BIG DARK SECRET were not enough to carry a book. The nonsense ultimately doomed this book to a tentative 3 stars.
April 23, 2018
Georgi, una inglesa en la India colonialista se entera de un marqués diplomático que llega y pretende enterarse de sus negocios pues no confía en ninguno de los ingleses que llegan porque todos pretenden llevarse el oro de India y no se preocupan por su gente.
Pero el marqués Ian tiene excelente reputación.
Llega el día en que ella debe salvar a su mejor amiga de morir junto a su marido fallecido en una pira.
Luego va a visitar a la favorita del Marajá que la invitó yendo en contra del pedido del marqués que debía tratar La Paz con aquel.
Pero ella encuentra pruebas de que el príncipe y su madre pretenden asesinarlo. Es descubierta en el acto y sus hermanos deben defenderla asesinando al príncipe en una revuelta.
La madre envía a sus leales a asesinar a sus familias en venganza.
El marqués no lo sabe pero su hijo corre peligro.
Huyen a Inglaterra y Gabriel resulta herido al interceptar una flecha que iba a su hermano Derek.
El marqués es alentado por Derek a desposar a su hermana. Durante el viaje de vuelta que son varias
Semanas él lo medita y se da cuenta que a pesar de no haber querido nunca volver a casarse por su mala experiencia, quiere a la joven y lo hará.
Ella es aventurera alentada por un libro que escribió su tía con consejos de rebeldía femenina.
Se entrega al marqués con quien quiere perder su virginidad, pero él le ofrece matrimonio.
Deberán sobrevivir a las amantes de él y al asesino que envió a matar a su hijo.
Pero el marqués Ian tiene excelente reputación.
Llega el día en que ella debe salvar a su mejor amiga de morir junto a su marido fallecido en una pira.
Luego va a visitar a la favorita del Marajá que la invitó yendo en contra del pedido del marqués que debía tratar La Paz con aquel.
Pero ella encuentra pruebas de que el príncipe y su madre pretenden asesinarlo. Es descubierta en el acto y sus hermanos deben defenderla asesinando al príncipe en una revuelta.
La madre envía a sus leales a asesinar a sus familias en venganza.
El marqués no lo sabe pero su hijo corre peligro.
Huyen a Inglaterra y Gabriel resulta herido al interceptar una flecha que iba a su hermano Derek.
El marqués es alentado por Derek a desposar a su hermana. Durante el viaje de vuelta que son varias
Semanas él lo medita y se da cuenta que a pesar de no haber querido nunca volver a casarse por su mala experiencia, quiere a la joven y lo hará.
Ella es aventurera alentada por un libro que escribió su tía con consejos de rebeldía femenina.
Se entrega al marqués con quien quiere perder su virginidad, pero él le ofrece matrimonio.
Deberán sobrevivir a las amantes de él y al asesino que envió a matar a su hijo.
January 7, 2019
I really didnt knew what to expect from this book, therefore I loved it SO MUCH! I was curious about Ian since Jacinda's book and was very happy to find out that he would be staring in this book.He is the perfect gentleman, the perfect diplomat, but with that 1% roguery that makes him absolutely perfect!
Georgiana... how can I can start to talk about her? She is AWESOME! I just love a heroine overconfidant that somehow fall from grace right on her face (and lerned from her mistakes, obvsly). My favorite scene is when she arrived at London. My heart was breaking for her and suddenly it bursts! Oh, what a lovely twist this part has. What I love most is that Georgie isnt stubborn and know when she is wrong. She has pride, yes, but doesnt take long to apologise if she needed. Her relationship with Ian is formidable from the start! I just love it.
The first part of the book is in India, and is really fast and full of action! Georgie's brothers are great characters too, even if they remind me a lot of Lucien and Damien.
The second part is in England and even if a bit sedate is never boring!
One nice thing is that after they dealed with the "outer threat" the couple has to deal with some internal demons, and this is magical. It seems that Georgie know exatcly how to take this burden from Ian. Ah, what a lovely couple <3
Georgiana... how can I can start to talk about her? She is AWESOME! I just love a heroine overconfidant that somehow fall from grace right on her face (and lerned from her mistakes, obvsly). My favorite scene is when she arrived at London. My heart was breaking for her and suddenly it bursts! Oh, what a lovely twist this part has. What I love most is that Georgie isnt stubborn and know when she is wrong. She has pride, yes, but doesnt take long to apologise if she needed. Her relationship with Ian is formidable from the start! I just love it.
The first part of the book is in India, and is really fast and full of action! Georgie's brothers are great characters too, even if they remind me a lot of Lucien and Damien.
The second part is in England and even if a bit sedate is never boring!
One nice thing is that after they dealed with the "outer threat" the couple has to deal with some internal demons, and this is magical. It seems that Georgie know exatcly how to take this burden from Ian. Ah, what a lovely couple <3
April 25, 2022
The action of this book opens in India with our heroine, Georgiana Knight, rushing in where angels fear to tread in order to save an Indian friend from a bride-burning. She is rescued by English diplomat Ian Prescott, the Marguess of Griffith. The absurdity continues from there into a weak and unbelievable plot that includes Georgiana arriving on the back of an elephant to visit an Indian king, the murder of an Indian prince, a triumphant return to England, and the kidnapping of the Marquess' son. The point of the plot? I'm really not quite sure. It's complicated, convuluted, and honestly not terribly interesting. The love story also is incredibly weak. Georgiana is a completely unbelievable character (she would fit in better in NOW than in the 19th century) and Ian is the dime-a-dozen cardbord cutout tortured romantic hero with a dark past. We are not shown the love story, we are told that it happens - as unbelievable that it might be that Ian is attracted to this supremely annoying girl. There is no emotional involvement with the characters (at least not for me), the characters speak as if it took place in 20th century America, and even that is stilted and forced. Oh yeah, and I don't have a clue where the title came from. Huh? Don't waste your time.
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