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Belfield Hall #1
L'amore proibito del duca di Bielfid
Il duca Maldon è il signore di Belfield Hall. Vive da solo in quell'immensa ed elegante casa perché non ha interesse per nessuno al di fuori di sé stesso. Tutti sanno che è così. Per questo nessuna dama ha mai pensato di presentargli qualche figlia come possibile sposa. Ma tutto cambia quando i suoi profondi occhi azzurri incrociano quelli di Sophie, la più giovane cameriera del palazzo. Lei è malvista dal resto del personale perché adora danzare e dice sempre quello che pensa. Basta un breve incontro e qualcosa di potente e sconosciuto li travolge. Entrambi sanno che ciò che hanno provato in quell'istante non può esistere: lui è un duca, lei una donna della servitù. Eppure ci sono tentazioni contro cui è vano combattere. Sophie non ha altra scelta che lasciarsi sedurre da quell'uomo, dal suo animo tormentato e misterioso. E d'altro canto il nobiluomo non riesce a resistere al fascino di lei, puro e ingenuo. Ma presto il loro amore impossibile deve fare i conti con gli intrighi di palazzo, con un'etichetta rigida e severa. E con il passato oscuro del duca di Belfield. Elizabeth Anthony racconta la storia di un amore proibito e impossibile che si scontra con le regole imposte dalla società. La storia di una passione alimentata dal fuoco eterno del desiderio e dell'attrazione. Perché, se il tuo cuore non ha paura di amare, non importa chi sei o da dove vieni.
256 pages, Paperback
Published March 25, 2021
13 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Anthony
23 books15 followersElizabeth Anthony discovered historical novels early in her teens. After graduating from university she worked as a tutor in English Studies, but always dreamed of writing. Her ambition was fulfilled with the publication of an 18th century thriller received with great acclaim in the UK and US and translated into nine languages. She has also written several historical romances. Elizabeth lives with her husband in the Peak District.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
May 7, 2015
I'm really going to try to keep this brief, but we all know "brief" isn't really my thing so...
The first half of this book was pretty decent. It sets up a solid picture of being in the lower class in turn of the century England. The writing is pretty simplistic, but it fit the voice of the thirteen year old narrator.
After working at a Downton Abbey type mansion for a few years, Sophie is unwittingly pulled into sexual escapades with some of the staff. Sophie has a low profile in the house - except for her roommate, most of the other staff doesn't like her, so she keeps to herself. As such, she's much more sheltered than most. So when one of the other staff members comes on to her, she really doesn't know what to do or think.
Overall I thought this line of the story was well done. It was rather unexpected how it happened, and it wasn't clear what the motives of either of her partners were. I must say that I felt for someone as naive as Sophie, she didn't seem to be too shaken about unintentionally becoming sexually active. It was just kind of "gee that happened and I had no idea it was going to but even though it was weird I liked it alright, so I guess I'm having sex now."
Then she beings an uncomfortably twisted relationship with one of the ladies of the house. It's clear Lady Beatrice is using her, but not to what end. As a reader, this was a really interesting plot line and I was excited to see where it was going.
Unfortunately where it was going was straight to 50 Shades of Grey.
When Ash first shows up, even though I could see the turn, I was still intrigued. Earlier that day I'd been talking about the wondrous magic that is Henry Cavill; once they said his eyes were the bluest she'd ever seen or whatever, I'd already cast Henry, so I was willing to put up with a lot.
I mean for the love of everything good and holy in this world:
This face can save just about anything:
Seriously. I can't even think right now. Jesus. What was I talking about?....
Oh right, this book.
[Sidebar - while I'm grateful he did not ruin his career by starring in 50 Shades of Grey, I would totally have fucking seen that movie. As many times as the theater would let me in before I was banned. But that's neither here nor there]
So despite me reading a sex book starring him:
I still came to loathe this book. Do you know how hard you have to work to make me hate the idea of sex with that man?
In the first chapter he appears in, Ash is more than an asshole, more than a douchebag. He's an aggressively dislikeable character. I haven't hated a character this fiercely in a long time. Perhaps since the aforementioned Christian. Or Abby, who we all know needed a sorority girl style junk punch IMO. But even those two, while they irritated me, I didn't viscerally hate them in the way I hated Ash. In his first few scenes, he manages to reduce Sophie to little more than an expendable piece of ass, then demands her continued presence under the "what better things do you have to do" line of reasoning. Their initial sex scene almost made me cry - and not in a good way. Because at this point I still felt for Sophie as a character, and I could only imagine being treated that way by someone you've idolized for so long.
Which is fine as a plot line, were I not to be sold, a la Christian Grey, on how terribly romantic this all is. And that gets me to a larger point beyond the scope of this book. Christian, Travis and all the other heros of similar type books that I can't bring myself to read, are the type of self important assholes who walk around treating women - and people in general - as nothing more than means to their personal ends. And then somewhere a long the line some broad - who can't fucking tie her own shoes without needing a man to rescue her from The Big Bad Shoelaces that are out to destroy her - looks at him twice and he becomes a decent human being. Yet, rather than fall on his knees and thank the heavens from being saved from a life whole of almost incurable assholism, he uses her like he uses all the other people in his life. Except he says (and that's all he does his talk, because his actions paint a different picture) he cares about her and is amazed by her and all that shit, so it's okay.
Quite simply, Ash uses sex as a weapon. You know what, plenty of people do. I've met at least one such fucker myself. Again, it's not the characterization that pisses me off, but the romanticization. I just don't fucking get it. Sex with the person you love is not supposed to leave you weeping on the floor or, in this case, giving up your hopes and dreams. Maybe I'm a prude, but emotional abuse just isn't a turn on for me. Even if it were by someone that looks like this:
He basically tells Sophie "I want you, you're just a servant so I should be able to have you, and no we're not going to have anything approaching a relationship because I'm me and you're you, so deal with it." Swoon - amirite? GTFOH
And what follows is a Best of 50 Shades of Grey tour. He won't let her touch him during sex because he's damaged or some shit, so he blindfolds her and ties her hands every time they have sex. At one point Sophie wonders if he's going to bring out handcuffs and whips - and I must point out that for a girl as sheltered as Sophie, and considering the time and place - I can't see why she would even know about something like that, but whatever. He spanks her. I shit you not at one point he says "You are mine. Mine!" He of course saves her in a dark alley from being attacked, only to half-rape her his damn self seconds later. His chaffeur also serves as his security guard, whom he dispatches tostalk keep an eye out on Sophie. I really felt like I had already read this book.
And Sophie, while merely sheltered and not stupid like Ana, was so whiny I almost started to reconsider turning down my hatred of Ash. She plays the "I'm no good for you" card even after Ash starts to come around and is willing to consider some sort of live-in-sex arrangement with her. Now, I was willing to give Sophie a pass. She's sixteen for one, and time periods be damned hormones are hormones and I don't believe 16-year-olds a century ago were any less irrational and impulsive than they are now. Plus her reasoning, if melodramatic, was actually understandable. But they went through the same fucking conversation over and over again. I think they broke up at least four times. It got redundant, and felt like drama for the sake of drama. After a while I couldn't figure out which I hated more - seeing Ash get to use her at his disposal, or the incessant breaking up and running away that Sophie pulled time after time. Honestly, I only kept reading because I read a review and wanted to see what happened in the end.
There's also a lot of other shit that happens, but it's so disjointed and haphazard it's really not worth getting into. Drug dealers and unwanted pregnancies and pimps and marriage schemes and I just cannot even...
My advice - read the first half of the book. It's entertaining. After that - here's what you need to know. They have a lot of sex. And he's damaged. But he loves her "the way that he can" or some shit (I'll rage about that in the next review like this that I have to write. This one is already far too long). And they breakup. But they can't stay away from each other because they're connection is just that strong. Don't ask me to explain it. I just read it. First half - three stars. Second half - half a star.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
The first half of this book was pretty decent. It sets up a solid picture of being in the lower class in turn of the century England. The writing is pretty simplistic, but it fit the voice of the thirteen year old narrator.
After working at a Downton Abbey type mansion for a few years, Sophie is unwittingly pulled into sexual escapades with some of the staff. Sophie has a low profile in the house - except for her roommate, most of the other staff doesn't like her, so she keeps to herself. As such, she's much more sheltered than most. So when one of the other staff members comes on to her, she really doesn't know what to do or think.
Overall I thought this line of the story was well done. It was rather unexpected how it happened, and it wasn't clear what the motives of either of her partners were. I must say that I felt for someone as naive as Sophie, she didn't seem to be too shaken about unintentionally becoming sexually active. It was just kind of "gee that happened and I had no idea it was going to but even though it was weird I liked it alright, so I guess I'm having sex now."
Then she beings an uncomfortably twisted relationship with one of the ladies of the house. It's clear Lady Beatrice is using her, but not to what end. As a reader, this was a really interesting plot line and I was excited to see where it was going.
Unfortunately where it was going was straight to 50 Shades of Grey.
When Ash first shows up, even though I could see the turn, I was still intrigued. Earlier that day I'd been talking about the wondrous magic that is Henry Cavill; once they said his eyes were the bluest she'd ever seen or whatever, I'd already cast Henry, so I was willing to put up with a lot.
I mean for the love of everything good and holy in this world:
This face can save just about anything:
Seriously. I can't even think right now. Jesus. What was I talking about?....
Oh right, this book.
[Sidebar - while I'm grateful he did not ruin his career by starring in 50 Shades of Grey, I would totally have fucking seen that movie. As many times as the theater would let me in before I was banned. But that's neither here nor there]
So despite me reading a sex book starring him:
I still came to loathe this book. Do you know how hard you have to work to make me hate the idea of sex with that man?
In the first chapter he appears in, Ash is more than an asshole, more than a douchebag. He's an aggressively dislikeable character. I haven't hated a character this fiercely in a long time. Perhaps since the aforementioned Christian. Or Abby, who we all know needed a sorority girl style junk punch IMO. But even those two, while they irritated me, I didn't viscerally hate them in the way I hated Ash. In his first few scenes, he manages to reduce Sophie to little more than an expendable piece of ass, then demands her continued presence under the "what better things do you have to do" line of reasoning. Their initial sex scene almost made me cry - and not in a good way. Because at this point I still felt for Sophie as a character, and I could only imagine being treated that way by someone you've idolized for so long.
Which is fine as a plot line, were I not to be sold, a la Christian Grey, on how terribly romantic this all is. And that gets me to a larger point beyond the scope of this book. Christian, Travis and all the other heros of similar type books that I can't bring myself to read, are the type of self important assholes who walk around treating women - and people in general - as nothing more than means to their personal ends. And then somewhere a long the line some broad - who can't fucking tie her own shoes without needing a man to rescue her from The Big Bad Shoelaces that are out to destroy her - looks at him twice and he becomes a decent human being. Yet, rather than fall on his knees and thank the heavens from being saved from a life whole of almost incurable assholism, he uses her like he uses all the other people in his life. Except he says (and that's all he does his talk, because his actions paint a different picture) he cares about her and is amazed by her and all that shit, so it's okay.
Quite simply, Ash uses sex as a weapon. You know what, plenty of people do. I've met at least one such fucker myself. Again, it's not the characterization that pisses me off, but the romanticization. I just don't fucking get it. Sex with the person you love is not supposed to leave you weeping on the floor or, in this case, giving up your hopes and dreams. Maybe I'm a prude, but emotional abuse just isn't a turn on for me. Even if it were by someone that looks like this:
He basically tells Sophie "I want you, you're just a servant so I should be able to have you, and no we're not going to have anything approaching a relationship because I'm me and you're you, so deal with it." Swoon - amirite? GTFOH
And what follows is a Best of 50 Shades of Grey tour. He won't let her touch him during sex because he's damaged or some shit, so he blindfolds her and ties her hands every time they have sex. At one point Sophie wonders if he's going to bring out handcuffs and whips - and I must point out that for a girl as sheltered as Sophie, and considering the time and place - I can't see why she would even know about something like that, but whatever. He spanks her. I shit you not at one point he says "You are mine. Mine!" He of course saves her in a dark alley from being attacked, only to half-rape her his damn self seconds later. His chaffeur also serves as his security guard, whom he dispatches to
And Sophie, while merely sheltered and not stupid like Ana, was so whiny I almost started to reconsider turning down my hatred of Ash. She plays the "I'm no good for you" card even after Ash starts to come around and is willing to consider some sort of live-in-sex arrangement with her. Now, I was willing to give Sophie a pass. She's sixteen for one, and time periods be damned hormones are hormones and I don't believe 16-year-olds a century ago were any less irrational and impulsive than they are now. Plus her reasoning, if melodramatic, was actually understandable. But they went through the same fucking conversation over and over again. I think they broke up at least four times. It got redundant, and felt like drama for the sake of drama. After a while I couldn't figure out which I hated more - seeing Ash get to use her at his disposal, or the incessant breaking up and running away that Sophie pulled time after time. Honestly, I only kept reading because I read a review and wanted to see what happened in the end.
There's also a lot of other shit that happens, but it's so disjointed and haphazard it's really not worth getting into. Drug dealers and unwanted pregnancies and pimps and marriage schemes and I just cannot even...
My advice - read the first half of the book. It's entertaining. After that - here's what you need to know. They have a lot of sex. And he's damaged. But he loves her "the way that he can" or some shit (I'll rage about that in the next review like this that I have to write. This one is already far too long). And they breakup. But they can't stay away from each other because they're connection is just that strong. Don't ask me to explain it. I just read it. First half - three stars. Second half - half a star.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
November 8, 2013
Introducing the bastard child of Tipping the Velvet and Downton Abbey
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I like TTV and DA. All I Want is You had a certain sort of appeal which kept me glued to the pages. I love stories where a young girl meets an older man and we have to wait years for the man to notice that she's finally grown up.
However, I don't think I have it in me to champion for another "author's got balls" moment twice in one week. My patience is wearing a little thin. I blame Allegiant.
The good news : This is the ending that I'd wished for The Luxe series to have.
The bad news : I got to erase the bad news for this step! (see edit below)
The good news : This was a sensual, captivating read.
The bad news : The characters carried out the back-and-forth indecision about three misunderstandings too long.
The good news : The writing was flawless.
The bad news : I was somewhat confused by the mash-up of literary fiction, historical romance, childlike innocence, and dark erotic themes. If I'd known going into the read that the story would have ups and downs similar to Tipping the Velvet, I might have enjoyed it in a more thorough manner, instead of trying to analyze the constant mood shifts.
Who would enjoy this book?
Fans of stories with scarred heroes who need a woman to break through their walls. The chemistry was gorgeous, and the prose was lush. I will say that the nod to a Downton Abbey setting was not so much the draw, since Sophie was all over the place throughout the story.
I liked that the hero had his alpha moments when it came to his sexual desires, but still had sort of the quiet and mysterious recluse thing going on. Ash was extremely protective and kind, then he'd break out with these "you're mine" moments which gave me the delicious type of chills. He was a great balance of honorable and devious.
The draw truly is in the sensuality and chemistry between Ash and Sophie.
My complaints are few, but they are not minor.
As mentioned earlier, I didn't know what I was getting into and something about the cohesiveness between style shifts didn't always work for me. While I have no issues reading f/f stories (and have enjoyed several in the past, including the aforementioned TTV), the part of the story featuring the f/f interlude felt clunky and awkward. I would have preferred this part of the story to have been used a vehicle to explore Sophie's sexuality, instead used of as a strange way to show how Sophie was being used by the upper class. Actually, I probably would have preferred in this instance for the "outside" conflict between Ash and Sophie to have come from some other idea entirely. There was enough to draw from in the conflict department from Ash's past.
*edit* Complaint number 2 is no longer valid after finding out that there is a second book coming soon!
Final thoughts :
I think All I Want is You was worth the read, even if just for the sake of getting to watch Sophie write to Ash over the years and dream of a day when she would see him again. When we got to see these two together, it was very rewarding indeed.
This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2014
This is the first romance I have ever read that is continuous with the next in the series, Breathless For You. The ending of this would have crushed me if it were a standalone, as I'm not fond of non-HEAs. (What's the point of reading a romance if it the characters are alone and miserable at the end?) Nonetheless, All I Want is You was a rather heart-wrenching story that very much portrays the interplay of politics, power, prestige, passion and sex in a rich historical era, in the vein of The Great Gatsby.
*Review copy from the publisher for an honest review
*Review copy from the publisher for an honest review
December 19, 2013
I'll start with the good. The history is amazing. It did feel quite a bit like Downton Abbey in a way most books that compare themselves to Downton fail. I felt Sophie is very comparable to Daisy or Ivy and I could make comparisons to other staff as well.
The rest of the book kind of fell apart for me. The sex in the beginning was lesbian but not in a loving way. One woman was using poor Sophie to entrap a man so she needed to keep her a virgin while she taught her the art of the sexytimes. Then there was the real love interest. A man with a dark past (oooh) and he kept her hands tied and blindfolded her for the act. She loved him dearly but hated that bit.
The rest is going to be spoilery.
Of course she cures Ash of his need to blindfold and handcuff her. Of course he only uses BDSM because he was sexually assaulted over and over again as a way of gaining information by a German female officer in the war. Of course she loves him dearly but she is lowborn so she leaves him (repeatedly) (and by repeatedly I mean over, and over, and over). The climax and conclusion of the book was worst than the awkward sex in the book. I've never thrown a book at a wall until today. This book was the one that broke me.
Oh and the author used the word moist (MOIST! CRINGE!) to describe our dear innocent annoying MC's vagina twice.
The rest of the book kind of fell apart for me. The sex in the beginning was lesbian but not in a loving way. One woman was using poor Sophie to entrap a man so she needed to keep her a virgin while she taught her the art of the sexytimes. Then there was the real love interest. A man with a dark past (oooh) and he kept her hands tied and blindfolded her for the act. She loved him dearly but hated that bit.
The rest is going to be spoilery.
Of course she cures Ash of his need to blindfold and handcuff her. Of course he only uses BDSM because he was sexually assaulted over and over again as a way of gaining information by a German female officer in the war. Of course she loves him dearly but she is lowborn so she leaves him (repeatedly) (and by repeatedly I mean over, and over, and over). The climax and conclusion of the book was worst than the awkward sex in the book. I've never thrown a book at a wall until today. This book was the one that broke me.
Oh and the author used the word moist (MOIST! CRINGE!) to describe our dear innocent annoying MC's vagina twice.
Want to read
October 25, 2013GAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Downton Abbey meets Fifty??!?! Mind you, I haven't read Fifty but the blurb screams MIAAAAAAAAA!!!!
September 26, 2015
Due stelle mi sembra anche eccessivo.
September 16, 2013
4 Stars!
*Special thanks to the author for granting me access to the ARC via NetGalley
A wonderful read! I have a few complaints about the story, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel wasn't exactly what I expected (not in a bad way), but it did ring true to what was presented in the synopsis. For the most part, whatever you expect to come from a 1920s erotic romance, you'll most likely get it. Now...let's get into character discussion, shall we?
Sophie Our leading lady is, for the most part, not a strong independent character. However, she isn't completely weak either. She's mostly kept to herself for her life so far since Will was her only friend growing up and Nell was the only worker at Belfield Hall who was more than happy to befriend her. Being the scullery maid that she is with not much social interaction, you pretty much have a quiet innocent girl who does what she's told. But, as I mentioned earlier, she isn't completely weak as she has proven to defend herself and strive to get what she wants (i.e. getting someone to help take her mom to the hospital, fighting back a worker coming on to her, and working to achieve her dream of becoming a dancer). While I liked her character for most of the novel, I was utterly frustrated with her as the end was approaching. The actions/decisions she made approaching the end were a bit impulsive not well thought out as to how it would affect others (specifically Ash).
Speaking of Ash, he was also a likable character. There wasn't really much that made me love him, but I fond his feelings towards Sophie very endearing (even if they do seem a bit cold without knowing the backstory). He's one of those men who has a whole bunch of rumors that follow him and it's unclear what's true and what isn't (one of them being that he's a bad man), but underneath all those labels and stories is a man with heart. Like most leading male characters in romance novels, Ash has his own demons that he doesn't reveal until later in the book which makes him a character to be sympathized. His character, actions, and motives are constantly questioned throughout the book, but rest assured that his heart is in the right place.
As for the romance/erotica of this book, it was nice. The romance fell a tiny bit flat for me just because it seemed a bit rash in the beginning. I can understand Sophie obsessing over the guy in the beginning, but I can't see her loving him that fast. I don't doubt that she loves him (in fact, I accept it in the end), but I think her "I love you" was realized a bit too quickly. As for the sex scenes, they were certainly steamy and sexy. I was definitely surprised that there was f/f action since the synopsis didn't mention anything about it, but if you're open to all kinds of sex relationships, you certainly won't mind the f/f, m/f, and slight bondage action that goes on in the book. The book wasn't completely filled with sex, sex, sex, but I'd say it fills up maybe 30-35% of it while the rest is romance/drama.
The writing style was appropriate for the setting of the novel. It was eloquently written and made me feel like I was actually in that time era. I wasn't expecting for the synopsis to only cover roughly 34% of the novel. I'd say 33% is the beginning that explains/leads to her situation that is explained by the synopsis, the synopsis covers 34% is the resolution/other conflict that arises. Even though I usually hate it when a story doesn't start and end where the synopsis leads us to believe it will start and end, I still enjoyed reading this novel.
Overall, I really liked this book (hence the "I really liked it" rating. The ending was a bit predictable once the final conflict was revealed which was a bit of a downfall for me, but I still liked it. If it weren't for the fact that there's going to be a sequel to this book, I probably would've rated this book a 3 for a cliche stand alone ending. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book for those who enjoy erotic historical romance novels. It's well written, the sex scenes can get steamy, and the romance can be gushy and sweet.
That being said, I absolutely can't wait to see what's to come in book 2!
P.S. Can we please kill of Beatrice? If not, can we at least give her a bitch slap? I absolutely hate her (as I'm sure you're supposed to). Seriously, no one likes a chick who's bitter about not catching a duke.
*Special thanks to the author for granting me access to the ARC via NetGalley
A wonderful read! I have a few complaints about the story, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel wasn't exactly what I expected (not in a bad way), but it did ring true to what was presented in the synopsis. For the most part, whatever you expect to come from a 1920s erotic romance, you'll most likely get it. Now...let's get into character discussion, shall we?
Sophie Our leading lady is, for the most part, not a strong independent character. However, she isn't completely weak either. She's mostly kept to herself for her life so far since Will was her only friend growing up and Nell was the only worker at Belfield Hall who was more than happy to befriend her. Being the scullery maid that she is with not much social interaction, you pretty much have a quiet innocent girl who does what she's told. But, as I mentioned earlier, she isn't completely weak as she has proven to defend herself and strive to get what she wants (i.e. getting someone to help take her mom to the hospital, fighting back a worker coming on to her, and working to achieve her dream of becoming a dancer). While I liked her character for most of the novel, I was utterly frustrated with her as the end was approaching. The actions/decisions she made approaching the end were a bit impulsive not well thought out as to how it would affect others (specifically Ash).
Speaking of Ash, he was also a likable character. There wasn't really much that made me love him, but I fond his feelings towards Sophie very endearing (even if they do seem a bit cold without knowing the backstory). He's one of those men who has a whole bunch of rumors that follow him and it's unclear what's true and what isn't (one of them being that he's a bad man), but underneath all those labels and stories is a man with heart. Like most leading male characters in romance novels, Ash has his own demons that he doesn't reveal until later in the book which makes him a character to be sympathized. His character, actions, and motives are constantly questioned throughout the book, but rest assured that his heart is in the right place.
As for the romance/erotica of this book, it was nice. The romance fell a tiny bit flat for me just because it seemed a bit rash in the beginning. I can understand Sophie obsessing over the guy in the beginning, but I can't see her loving him that fast. I don't doubt that she loves him (in fact, I accept it in the end), but I think her "I love you" was realized a bit too quickly. As for the sex scenes, they were certainly steamy and sexy. I was definitely surprised that there was f/f action since the synopsis didn't mention anything about it, but if you're open to all kinds of sex relationships, you certainly won't mind the f/f, m/f, and slight bondage action that goes on in the book. The book wasn't completely filled with sex, sex, sex, but I'd say it fills up maybe 30-35% of it while the rest is romance/drama.
The writing style was appropriate for the setting of the novel. It was eloquently written and made me feel like I was actually in that time era. I wasn't expecting for the synopsis to only cover roughly 34% of the novel. I'd say 33% is the beginning that explains/leads to her situation that is explained by the synopsis, the synopsis covers 34% is the resolution/other conflict that arises. Even though I usually hate it when a story doesn't start and end where the synopsis leads us to believe it will start and end, I still enjoyed reading this novel.
Overall, I really liked this book (hence the "I really liked it" rating. The ending was a bit predictable once the final conflict was revealed which was a bit of a downfall for me, but I still liked it. If it weren't for the fact that there's going to be a sequel to this book, I probably would've rated this book a 3 for a cliche stand alone ending. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book for those who enjoy erotic historical romance novels. It's well written, the sex scenes can get steamy, and the romance can be gushy and sweet.
That being said, I absolutely can't wait to see what's to come in book 2!
P.S. Can we please kill of Beatrice? If not, can we at least give her a bitch slap? I absolutely hate her (as I'm sure you're supposed to). Seriously, no one likes a chick who's bitter about not catching a duke.
October 25, 2014
Recensione completa QUI
Vorrei non essere critica, e se è per questo nemmeno cattiva. Di solito non lo sono mai, quando leggo. Certo, ci sono libri che non mi appassionano e che non mi piacciono, ma arrivo sempre alla fine, anche se la narrazione è pessima e i personaggi non hanno né arte e né parte.
Questo è stato il primo libro letto dopo la maturità, e fatemelo dire senza troppi giri di parole: Elizabeth Anthony non ci ha capito un cazzo.
Mi sono arrabbiata come una iena, leggendolo. La trama non era così promettente, ma ho voluto dargli una speranza: quanti libri sembrano brutti, e poi si rivelano fantastici?
Credevo fosse così anche per Tu sei mia, ma mi sbagliavo di grosso.
Ci troviamo nel 1920, vicino a Londra. Mi piacciono da morire i libri storici, meglio ancora se romanzati. La protagonista è Sophie, e infatti parte tutto proprio da lei: conosciamo bene o male i suoi genitori, sua madre che lavora Belfied Hall come domestica, che poi si rivela essere l’amante del Conte. Sophie è solo una ragazzina, eppure suo padre decide di partire per la guerra, e non tornare mai più. Mentre sua madre si ammala di nonsocosa, viene licenziata, ed un giorno vomitando e tossendo sangue decide di portare la sua bambina tredicenne a fare shopping. Sì, avete capito proprio bene, shopping.
Si recano ad Oxford, e fra una spruzzata di sangue qui, un vestito comprato di là, sua madre cade riversa a terra. Sophie chiede aiuto, ma nessuno si avvicina, finché non ferma un uomo. Un ragazzo mai visto e conosciuto prima, dovrebbe soltanto aiutarti, no? Nel giro di tre righe questo sconosciuto si occupa della madre di Sophie, pagandole anche il funerale. Dopo, spedisce con non so quali credenziali la piccola a lavorare a Belfied Hall come sguattera, e le dice di scrivergli. Sempre. Sophie per tre anni scrive a questo uomo mai visto e conosciuto, che sinceramente non le ha nemmeno mai dato un indirizzo. Ma lasciamo stare.
Insomma, Sophie lavora per anni a Belfied Hall. Intanto vede il Conte morire durante la guerra, il suo successore di soli dieci morire avvelenato, e così via. A Belfield Hall arriva la vedova del Conte, che in quattro e quattr’otto organizza dei rapporti lesbo con la sedicenne Sophie. Non parliamo di violenza, tranquilli. Lei è più che consenziente.
La nostra protagonista è in preda agli ormoni, crede quasi di amare Lady Beatrice, finché non le rivela le serve soltanto per uno scopo: cederla al nuovo conto di Belfied Hall come regalo ed amante, così che lui in preda al piacere decida di sposare Lady Beatrice.
E indovinate chi è questo fantomatico nuovo Conte? Quel poveretto di Mr. Maldon, l’uomo che aveva aiutato Sophie anni prima e che si rivela essere in realtà il Duca Ashley, cioè successore ed erede di Belfield Hall.
Lui non è per niente d’accordo con Lady Beatrice, ma Sophie con estrema facilità gli concede la sua innocenza, per poi scappare a Londra.
Passa qualche anno, lei diventa ballerina e il Duca la segue. La vede per caso in una compagnia di ballo, la attacca ad un muro per fare voi immaginate cosa, e poi la lascia lì dicendole che è una puttana. Tutto regolare, direi.
Sophie torna da lui in preda alle lacrime a alla sua migliore amica che nel 1920 si fa di cocaina come se non ci fosse un domani, chiedendogli pietà. Lui la prende sotto la sua protezione, la coccola, fanno sesso sfrenato e… Mi sono rifiutata di continuare a leggere. Arrivata all’87% di lettura, mi sono proprio rifiutata, sennò spaccavo il Kindle contro il muro. La cosa che mi rode di più, è che ci ho speso soldi. Quella che invece mi fa incazzare, è che ci sono così tante autrici talmente brave che restano nei loro angoletti bui per i NO delle case editrici, mentre i libri di Elizabeth Anthony vengono pubblicati come se non ci fosse un domani.
Non ho letto altre opinioni su questo libro, e nemmeno lo farò: mi vergogno anche a dargli una stellina.
Ma ripeto: sono ancora talmente incazzata che dovevo condividere questo mio pensiero con voi.
Vorrei non essere critica, e se è per questo nemmeno cattiva. Di solito non lo sono mai, quando leggo. Certo, ci sono libri che non mi appassionano e che non mi piacciono, ma arrivo sempre alla fine, anche se la narrazione è pessima e i personaggi non hanno né arte e né parte.
Questo è stato il primo libro letto dopo la maturità, e fatemelo dire senza troppi giri di parole: Elizabeth Anthony non ci ha capito un cazzo.
Mi sono arrabbiata come una iena, leggendolo. La trama non era così promettente, ma ho voluto dargli una speranza: quanti libri sembrano brutti, e poi si rivelano fantastici?
Credevo fosse così anche per Tu sei mia, ma mi sbagliavo di grosso.
Ci troviamo nel 1920, vicino a Londra. Mi piacciono da morire i libri storici, meglio ancora se romanzati. La protagonista è Sophie, e infatti parte tutto proprio da lei: conosciamo bene o male i suoi genitori, sua madre che lavora Belfied Hall come domestica, che poi si rivela essere l’amante del Conte. Sophie è solo una ragazzina, eppure suo padre decide di partire per la guerra, e non tornare mai più. Mentre sua madre si ammala di nonsocosa, viene licenziata, ed un giorno vomitando e tossendo sangue decide di portare la sua bambina tredicenne a fare shopping. Sì, avete capito proprio bene, shopping.
Si recano ad Oxford, e fra una spruzzata di sangue qui, un vestito comprato di là, sua madre cade riversa a terra. Sophie chiede aiuto, ma nessuno si avvicina, finché non ferma un uomo. Un ragazzo mai visto e conosciuto prima, dovrebbe soltanto aiutarti, no? Nel giro di tre righe questo sconosciuto si occupa della madre di Sophie, pagandole anche il funerale. Dopo, spedisce con non so quali credenziali la piccola a lavorare a Belfied Hall come sguattera, e le dice di scrivergli. Sempre. Sophie per tre anni scrive a questo uomo mai visto e conosciuto, che sinceramente non le ha nemmeno mai dato un indirizzo. Ma lasciamo stare.
Insomma, Sophie lavora per anni a Belfied Hall. Intanto vede il Conte morire durante la guerra, il suo successore di soli dieci morire avvelenato, e così via. A Belfield Hall arriva la vedova del Conte, che in quattro e quattr’otto organizza dei rapporti lesbo con la sedicenne Sophie. Non parliamo di violenza, tranquilli. Lei è più che consenziente.
La nostra protagonista è in preda agli ormoni, crede quasi di amare Lady Beatrice, finché non le rivela le serve soltanto per uno scopo: cederla al nuovo conto di Belfied Hall come regalo ed amante, così che lui in preda al piacere decida di sposare Lady Beatrice.
E indovinate chi è questo fantomatico nuovo Conte? Quel poveretto di Mr. Maldon, l’uomo che aveva aiutato Sophie anni prima e che si rivela essere in realtà il Duca Ashley, cioè successore ed erede di Belfield Hall.
Lui non è per niente d’accordo con Lady Beatrice, ma Sophie con estrema facilità gli concede la sua innocenza, per poi scappare a Londra.
Passa qualche anno, lei diventa ballerina e il Duca la segue. La vede per caso in una compagnia di ballo, la attacca ad un muro per fare voi immaginate cosa, e poi la lascia lì dicendole che è una puttana. Tutto regolare, direi.
Sophie torna da lui in preda alle lacrime a alla sua migliore amica che nel 1920 si fa di cocaina come se non ci fosse un domani, chiedendogli pietà. Lui la prende sotto la sua protezione, la coccola, fanno sesso sfrenato e… Mi sono rifiutata di continuare a leggere. Arrivata all’87% di lettura, mi sono proprio rifiutata, sennò spaccavo il Kindle contro il muro. La cosa che mi rode di più, è che ci ho speso soldi. Quella che invece mi fa incazzare, è che ci sono così tante autrici talmente brave che restano nei loro angoletti bui per i NO delle case editrici, mentre i libri di Elizabeth Anthony vengono pubblicati come se non ci fosse un domani.
Non ho letto altre opinioni su questo libro, e nemmeno lo farò: mi vergogno anche a dargli una stellina.
Ma ripeto: sono ancora talmente incazzata che dovevo condividere questo mio pensiero con voi.
August 19, 2014
Era veramente tantissimo tempo che non mi imbattevo in un libro che rispecchiasse i miei gusti in modo così completo ed era una vita che non mi sentivo in totale armonia con un testo letterario.
Nonostante (anzi forse proprio per quello) il romance parta col narrare, in modo molto particolareggiato, la storia dell’infanzia della piccola Sophie, la sua vita dura, la sofferenza della morte della madre, il suo lavoro presso la dimora del duca di Belfield ad una tenerissima età e di conseguenza la routine quotidiana del lavoro di sguattera, mettendo apparentemente in secondo piano la storia d’amore, l’ho trovato a dir poco perfetto. Mi sono piaciute anche le scene di vita quotidiana dei domestici e mi ha fatto vedere uno spaccato piuttosto realistico della società del tempo. Ho potuto così assistere alla crescita fisica e psicologica di un personaggio stupendo che col passare degli anni e delle pagine si è evoluto in modo magistrale.
Una figura femminile che mi ha dato molte emozioni differenziandosi dallo stereotipo della donna dei romance -storici e non-. Sophie è una bambina onesta ma non eccessivamente ingenua quando arriva a servizio nella casa del Duca: ha già dovuto affrontare molte prove dolorose e ne incontrerà altre durante la sua permanenza là, facendo scelte a volte discutibili ma che io ho trovato estremamente concrete anche se poco assennate, ma non bisogna dimenticare che parliamo di una ragazzina e quando uno è giovane può commettere qualche errore. Ho adorato la sua forza, la tenacia dei suoi sentimenti e la costanza nel seguire le sue scelte, la determinazione nel perseguire il suo obbiettivo cercando di non scendere a compromessi e mantenendo una purezza di fondo nonostante tutto. E poi c’è lui, Mr. Maldon, figura misteriosa e defilata nella prima parte del libro, idealizzata e amata dalla giovane ragazza che aveva aiutato e salvato dalla rovina anni prima e che dopo un breve scambio epistolare, fa perdere le sue tracce nonostante la piccola Sophie continui a scrivergli e a ricordarlo nei suoi pensieri e nel suo cuore. Ma dopo anni di silenzi finalmente il suo ritorno avrà effetti sconvolgenti sulla giovane che ormai è diventata una donna bellissima e innescherà una serie di eventi e intrighi davvero subdoli per non parlare della passione che divamperà tra i due che toccherà, pur nella gradevolezza delle descrizioni, apici molto alti.
Continua su... Crazy for Romance
Nonostante (anzi forse proprio per quello) il romance parta col narrare, in modo molto particolareggiato, la storia dell’infanzia della piccola Sophie, la sua vita dura, la sofferenza della morte della madre, il suo lavoro presso la dimora del duca di Belfield ad una tenerissima età e di conseguenza la routine quotidiana del lavoro di sguattera, mettendo apparentemente in secondo piano la storia d’amore, l’ho trovato a dir poco perfetto. Mi sono piaciute anche le scene di vita quotidiana dei domestici e mi ha fatto vedere uno spaccato piuttosto realistico della società del tempo. Ho potuto così assistere alla crescita fisica e psicologica di un personaggio stupendo che col passare degli anni e delle pagine si è evoluto in modo magistrale.
Una figura femminile che mi ha dato molte emozioni differenziandosi dallo stereotipo della donna dei romance -storici e non-. Sophie è una bambina onesta ma non eccessivamente ingenua quando arriva a servizio nella casa del Duca: ha già dovuto affrontare molte prove dolorose e ne incontrerà altre durante la sua permanenza là, facendo scelte a volte discutibili ma che io ho trovato estremamente concrete anche se poco assennate, ma non bisogna dimenticare che parliamo di una ragazzina e quando uno è giovane può commettere qualche errore. Ho adorato la sua forza, la tenacia dei suoi sentimenti e la costanza nel seguire le sue scelte, la determinazione nel perseguire il suo obbiettivo cercando di non scendere a compromessi e mantenendo una purezza di fondo nonostante tutto. E poi c’è lui, Mr. Maldon, figura misteriosa e defilata nella prima parte del libro, idealizzata e amata dalla giovane ragazza che aveva aiutato e salvato dalla rovina anni prima e che dopo un breve scambio epistolare, fa perdere le sue tracce nonostante la piccola Sophie continui a scrivergli e a ricordarlo nei suoi pensieri e nel suo cuore. Ma dopo anni di silenzi finalmente il suo ritorno avrà effetti sconvolgenti sulla giovane che ormai è diventata una donna bellissima e innescherà una serie di eventi e intrighi davvero subdoli per non parlare della passione che divamperà tra i due che toccherà, pur nella gradevolezza delle descrizioni, apici molto alti.
Continua su... Crazy for Romance
November 2, 2013
I learned about this book via an ad on Goodreads that was promoting it as a combination of Downton Abbey and FSOG. I'm a bigger fan of the former than the latter, and the sample chapter was well-written enough to capture my interest (despite being written in first person POV, of which I am not a fan). I had a gift certificate to purchase, otherwise I would not have bought it. 8.89 for an ebook, especially by a relatively unknown author, is way too much. After reading this book, I wouldn't pay more than 2.99 for it.
The book starts off well. You get a good sense of time and place, a young girl (Sophie) in pre-World War I England, forced by circumstances to work as a scullery maid at a Duke's estate. A handsome stranger helps her get the job. He asks her to write to him. The reader knows before Sophie does that they will meet again. The exchange of letters is sweet, the tension builds towards their meeting again when she is a few years older. But then the story takes a path I wasn't expecting, and enters into territories that I, frankly, am just not interested in reading about. And after the h and H do meet again, everything just fizzles from that point. It's almost as if the first and second half of the book were written by two different people. The ending was very disappointing. I was left thinking, "I just spent three hours reading this for THAT?" It isn't clear if this is the first in a series, or a stand-alone. Doesn't matter. I just didn't feel a strong enough connection with either the h or the H to want to read anything more about them in the future.
I won't reveal any spoilers, but I DO feel that the blurb should have come with the following warning: This book contains f/f sex and non-consensual sex (a woman forced to have sexual relations in public with several men). Also, if you're a FSOG fan, you will be extremely disappointed. This isn't a BDSM book (not that FSOG was a genuine BDSM book either), and you won't find spanking, handcuffs, floggers or canes here. Just a few scenes where the h is tied to the bed and blindfolded.
Thank me for saving you a few dollars. If you're still interested in reading this, wait until the price gets below 3.00. Unlikely it will ever be offered for free. The publisher has to pay for all that expensive (false) advertising somehow!
The book starts off well. You get a good sense of time and place, a young girl (Sophie) in pre-World War I England, forced by circumstances to work as a scullery maid at a Duke's estate. A handsome stranger helps her get the job. He asks her to write to him. The reader knows before Sophie does that they will meet again. The exchange of letters is sweet, the tension builds towards their meeting again when she is a few years older. But then the story takes a path I wasn't expecting, and enters into territories that I, frankly, am just not interested in reading about. And after the h and H do meet again, everything just fizzles from that point. It's almost as if the first and second half of the book were written by two different people. The ending was very disappointing. I was left thinking, "I just spent three hours reading this for THAT?" It isn't clear if this is the first in a series, or a stand-alone. Doesn't matter. I just didn't feel a strong enough connection with either the h or the H to want to read anything more about them in the future.
I won't reveal any spoilers, but I DO feel that the blurb should have come with the following warning: This book contains f/f sex and non-consensual sex (a woman forced to have sexual relations in public with several men). Also, if you're a FSOG fan, you will be extremely disappointed. This isn't a BDSM book (not that FSOG was a genuine BDSM book either), and you won't find spanking, handcuffs, floggers or canes here. Just a few scenes where the h is tied to the bed and blindfolded.
Thank me for saving you a few dollars. If you're still interested in reading this, wait until the price gets below 3.00. Unlikely it will ever be offered for free. The publisher has to pay for all that expensive (false) advertising somehow!
December 7, 2014
No tenía grandes expectativas en esta novela porque antes de empezar a leerla, curioseé por Goodreads y tenía puntuaciones bastante bajas, pensé que se me iba a hacer cuesta arriba, aunque para mi sorpresa me enganchó desde la primera página.
La autora tiene un estilo muy fluido, sin grandes descripciones y con frases cortas, sí que contextualiza más o menos bien la época aunque eché en falta más referencias a la misma. Digamos que los años veinte no son muy usuales en la romántica, y bueno en tema político y económico le podía haber dado más consistencia y riqueza a la historia, aunque reitero que sí hace unas referencias básicas, en tema de ejército y se ve bien cómo funcionan las unidades domésticas.
La novela empieza con una Sophie muy inocente, perdida y asustada, acaba de quedar sola y un hombre la ayuda consiguiéndole un trabajo y dándole un hombro donde apoyarse, durante muchos meses se dedica a escribir cartas a ese muchacho que la guió en su peor época. Nunca pensó que lo iba a volver a ver.
Durante su estancia como sirvienta conoce a una mujer de la alta clase que la introduce en un mundo lleno e placer y oscuros deseos, le propone un plan un tanto turbio, amenazándola y chantajeándola para ello. La pobre Sophie se mete en la boca del lobo.
El heredero, futuro duque, queda prendado de la inocente y dulce Sophie, no duda en proponerle ser su amante a pesar de que esa relación puede afectarles a ambos.
Ash es un protagonista taciturno, misterioso y atormentado por demonios del pasado, no sabe cómo reaccionar al contacto, al cariño y afecto de Sophie. Y tampoco entiende los celos que le embargan cada vez que un hombre se acerca a ella.
Sophie tiene las cosas muy claras, tanto sus sentimientos como el futuro que quiere. Se buscará su vida como bailarina e intentará comprender a Ash, tomará decisiones duras para ambos, pero creo que ella es la que lleva las riendas de la relación y la más fuerte de ambos. Me ha encantado como protagonista.
Novela romántica histórica con tintes eróticos, en un período de la historia muy poco explotado en este género, así que tiene un punto de originalidad, y le doy otro tanto por el fuerte carácter de la protagonista, difícil de encontrar en la novela erótica y más costoso en una histórica. He disfrutado mucho leyéndola.
Muy buena.
La autora tiene un estilo muy fluido, sin grandes descripciones y con frases cortas, sí que contextualiza más o menos bien la época aunque eché en falta más referencias a la misma. Digamos que los años veinte no son muy usuales en la romántica, y bueno en tema político y económico le podía haber dado más consistencia y riqueza a la historia, aunque reitero que sí hace unas referencias básicas, en tema de ejército y se ve bien cómo funcionan las unidades domésticas.
La novela empieza con una Sophie muy inocente, perdida y asustada, acaba de quedar sola y un hombre la ayuda consiguiéndole un trabajo y dándole un hombro donde apoyarse, durante muchos meses se dedica a escribir cartas a ese muchacho que la guió en su peor época. Nunca pensó que lo iba a volver a ver.
Durante su estancia como sirvienta conoce a una mujer de la alta clase que la introduce en un mundo lleno e placer y oscuros deseos, le propone un plan un tanto turbio, amenazándola y chantajeándola para ello. La pobre Sophie se mete en la boca del lobo.
El heredero, futuro duque, queda prendado de la inocente y dulce Sophie, no duda en proponerle ser su amante a pesar de que esa relación puede afectarles a ambos.
Ash es un protagonista taciturno, misterioso y atormentado por demonios del pasado, no sabe cómo reaccionar al contacto, al cariño y afecto de Sophie. Y tampoco entiende los celos que le embargan cada vez que un hombre se acerca a ella.
Sophie tiene las cosas muy claras, tanto sus sentimientos como el futuro que quiere. Se buscará su vida como bailarina e intentará comprender a Ash, tomará decisiones duras para ambos, pero creo que ella es la que lleva las riendas de la relación y la más fuerte de ambos. Me ha encantado como protagonista.
Novela romántica histórica con tintes eróticos, en un período de la historia muy poco explotado en este género, así que tiene un punto de originalidad, y le doy otro tanto por el fuerte carácter de la protagonista, difícil de encontrar en la novela erótica y más costoso en una histórica. He disfrutado mucho leyéndola.
Muy buena.
November 12, 2013
Within a few pages of beginning All I Want Is You, I knew this one wasn't going to be my cup of tea. The writing style is not one I enjoy reading. Full of purple prose, full of actions and emotions but no real reasons behind them. But I wanted to see where it was heading instead of just judging it by all that. Unfortunately, it just became more and more not my speed as the story went on.
I didn't like the main characters. Sophie has absolutely no reason to fall in love with "Mr. Maldon", he never seems to have a real reason to be interested in her, and I think everyone knew that Beatrice was going to be bad news from the beginning. Sophies relationship with her never seemed to have a point besides setting up a villain.
And goodness, if there was a drinking game for every time that Sophie ran away from a situation she didn't want to deal with/Lord Ashley... Well, I probably never would have made it to the end of the book. It got pretty ridiculous. Especially the last one. The ending of this book just made me want to throw my Nook across the room. Do you just WANT to be unhappy? Cause that was the impression I was getting. That and sequel bait. Which I will not be interested in if it happens.
Copy courtesy of Redhook Books, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't like the main characters. Sophie has absolutely no reason to fall in love with "Mr. Maldon", he never seems to have a real reason to be interested in her, and I think everyone knew that Beatrice was going to be bad news from the beginning. Sophies relationship with her never seemed to have a point besides setting up a villain.
And goodness, if there was a drinking game for every time that Sophie ran away from a situation she didn't want to deal with/Lord Ashley... Well, I probably never would have made it to the end of the book. It got pretty ridiculous. Especially the last one. The ending of this book just made me want to throw my Nook across the room. Do you just WANT to be unhappy? Cause that was the impression I was getting. That and sequel bait. Which I will not be interested in if it happens.
Copy courtesy of Redhook Books, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 7, 2013
This was under the "erotica" category at NetGalley, and it sounded interesting. For about the first half I enjoyed it, but it's very Danielle Steele like, so it may work for her fans. It's got a lot of anguish. The story is focused on the heroine, Sophie, not the relationship between her and Ash.
I would not consider this story a romance, as I think a happily ever after ending is necessary in a romance.
Sophie she goes through a lot of tough times, yet continues to push away any help he would offer.
At first I was pretty proud of her, but it quickly turned I to a situation where she was cutting off her nose to spite her face! She ran from safety time and time again.
I will add that I thought the writing was solid and the editing was good. It just didn't like the ending or the angst.
I would not consider this story a romance, as I think a happily ever after ending is necessary in a romance.
Sophie she goes through a lot of tough times, yet continues to push away any help he would offer.
At first I was pretty proud of her, but it quickly turned I to a situation where she was cutting off her nose to spite her face! She ran from safety time and time again.
I will add that I thought the writing was solid and the editing was good. It just didn't like the ending or the angst.
November 12, 2013
This book was so frustrating. The historical aspect I enjoyed, but the characters were flat. Also, Sophie was the most annoying character ever. Ever.
I think I hate romances. Are they ALL like, "oh I love you but I am bad for you so I am going to run away from you without telling you why! or maybe I'll just keep saying how bad I am for you but never do anything about it! or maybe BOTH!" Seriously. Ridiculous.
Don't waste your time or your money. As a side note, I read this book on my birthday. What a waste of a birthday.
I think I hate romances. Are they ALL like, "oh I love you but I am bad for you so I am going to run away from you without telling you why! or maybe I'll just keep saying how bad I am for you but never do anything about it! or maybe BOTH!" Seriously. Ridiculous.
Don't waste your time or your money. As a side note, I read this book on my birthday. What a waste of a birthday.
September 14, 2015
Hero and heroine meet once and then for the next hundred pages the heroine proceeds to have sexual encounters with all the women in the house she works in...with no sign of the hero that I could see anytime soon. DNF'd.
May 21, 2021
Voto libro: 2.5
Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:
https://ilconfinedeilibri.blogspot.co...
Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:
https://ilconfinedeilibri.blogspot.co...
July 21, 2021
Un amore impossibile, proibito per una società con degli stereotipi sociali. Questo è uno dei temi che affronta questo libro. Ma questo libro parla anche della vita di Sophie una bambina, povera e onesta ma soprattutto una sguattera, che diventerà una donna bella, forte e tenace. Poi abbiamo il duca, bello, dolce e con qualche mistero, a cui non importa il ceto sociale, Sophie è sua e farà ogni cosa per proteggerla. Mille emozioni mi hanno tenuta incollata a questo libro. Era tantissimo tempo che non riuscivo a trovare un libro che mi prendesse così tanto, la scrittura è semplice e chiara, e le scene di sesso se pur descritte in maniera spiccata mantengono uno stile dolce e armonioso. Consiglio la lettura a chi ama i romance, altrimenti la lettura può essere solo vista come un altro libro che parla di amore proibito e di sesso.
April 19, 2025
Wait why did I love this.
June 11, 2013
This review was originally posted on my blog, and I read the edition published by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK.
I'm a massive fan of Downton Abbey, and of course I loved Fifty Shades of Grey, so I have to admit that I was pretty intrigued when All I Want is You popped through my letterbox. But, then again, I was also weary – historical romance novels which tend to take 'modern liberties' have a track record of getting on my nerves (see my review of Julia Quinn's The Duke and I). How would I end up feeling about this one?
Well, All I Want is You starts like a normal historical novel. In the beginning, Sophie describes her life as a young girl and the lead-up to becoming a maid at a big house. It seems to show more of an accurate portrayal of a servant's life than even Downton Abbey (it's fair to say that the staff at Downton are perhaps a little too spoilt to be believed!). However, these accuracies fade as soon as the expected sexual side of the plot begins to develop.
At first, I found it really hard to accept that all these people could be that forward and blasé about sexuality. Surely they would have been a little more careful about discussing sex it in those days, and would have chosen their partners with greater care? This certainly wasn't so in Sophie's version of 1920s England.
And that's the point. All I Want is You isn't supposed to be an accurate historical representation of love, sex and hierarchies in the 1920s – it's supposed to be enjoyed for what it is, and that is a powerful story of forbidden romance. So when I finally managed to wrap my brain around this realisation, I really started to enjoy the novel.
In the end, I managed to finish All I Want is You in about three days, all because I could barely put it down! I became addicted to Sophie and Lord Ashley's love story, and I couldn't wait to find out how they would resolve the many complications getting in the way of their relationship. One of these complications is the seductive and relentless Lady Beatrice, who will do anything to exploit those who get in the way of her plans.
There are plenty of sex scenes in the book and they can be quite graphic, though they are tastefully written. But, be warned, many are not for the squeamish!
In summary, All I Want is You is a wonderful, addictive tale of romance in an alternative 1920s England. If you enjoy an intense love story and don't mind some modern touches blended within a historical period, I'd highly recommend it. My only complaint now is having to wait for book two to find out what happens next!
I'm a massive fan of Downton Abbey, and of course I loved Fifty Shades of Grey, so I have to admit that I was pretty intrigued when All I Want is You popped through my letterbox. But, then again, I was also weary – historical romance novels which tend to take 'modern liberties' have a track record of getting on my nerves (see my review of Julia Quinn's The Duke and I). How would I end up feeling about this one?
Well, All I Want is You starts like a normal historical novel. In the beginning, Sophie describes her life as a young girl and the lead-up to becoming a maid at a big house. It seems to show more of an accurate portrayal of a servant's life than even Downton Abbey (it's fair to say that the staff at Downton are perhaps a little too spoilt to be believed!). However, these accuracies fade as soon as the expected sexual side of the plot begins to develop.
At first, I found it really hard to accept that all these people could be that forward and blasé about sexuality. Surely they would have been a little more careful about discussing sex it in those days, and would have chosen their partners with greater care? This certainly wasn't so in Sophie's version of 1920s England.
And that's the point. All I Want is You isn't supposed to be an accurate historical representation of love, sex and hierarchies in the 1920s – it's supposed to be enjoyed for what it is, and that is a powerful story of forbidden romance. So when I finally managed to wrap my brain around this realisation, I really started to enjoy the novel.
In the end, I managed to finish All I Want is You in about three days, all because I could barely put it down! I became addicted to Sophie and Lord Ashley's love story, and I couldn't wait to find out how they would resolve the many complications getting in the way of their relationship. One of these complications is the seductive and relentless Lady Beatrice, who will do anything to exploit those who get in the way of her plans.
There are plenty of sex scenes in the book and they can be quite graphic, though they are tastefully written. But, be warned, many are not for the squeamish!
In summary, All I Want is You is a wonderful, addictive tale of romance in an alternative 1920s England. If you enjoy an intense love story and don't mind some modern touches blended within a historical period, I'd highly recommend it. My only complaint now is having to wait for book two to find out what happens next!
July 24, 2015
Questo è il mio periodo di lettura degli History Romance, non so perché, in estate prediligo questo genere sugli altri, normalmente mi dedico al periodo Regency essendo il mio preferito, ma in questo caso ho fatto un eccezione.
Questo libro mi ha veramente colpito, non pensavo mi sarebbe piaciuto tanto.
Inizio dicendo però, che la parte iniziale è forse un po' più lenta rispetto al seguito, sempre molto interessante, ma non molto ricca di colpi di scena, l'autrice tratteggia un quadro sulla "classe inferiore" la manodopera, durante il periodo della prima guerra mondiale e nell'immediato dopoguerra in Inghilterra. Ci mostra, mediante la storia di una famiglia e delle persone gravitanti intorno a essa la stratificazione sociale dell'epoca.
La scrittura è piuttosto semplice, ma è dovuta al fatto che inizialmente la voce narrante è una bambina di 13 anni, e quindi viviamo il periodo con i suoi occhi, tramite le sue emozioni, e a tratti in maniera epistolare quello che vive e che le accade.
Chi legge questo libro e ha visto lo sceneggiato di Downton Abbey, farà un facile collegamento sia per quanto concerne il periodo storico, che per l'ambientazione, che per la descrizione di diversi personaggi, anche se le vicende naturalmente sono molto diverse.
Sophie sarà i nostri occhi in questo viaggio nel tempo nonché la protagonista assoluta del romanzo. Lei ricopre nella casa un ruolo molto basso: "la sguattera", non ha più i genitori, e dopo alcuni anni di vita nella Hall verrà suo malgrado coinvolta nei giochetti sessuali di alcuni membri della casa e benché resti sempre fedele a se stessa e alla sua indole, questo la porterà a essere odiata da gran parte della servitù.
CONTINUA A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
Questo libro mi ha veramente colpito, non pensavo mi sarebbe piaciuto tanto.
Inizio dicendo però, che la parte iniziale è forse un po' più lenta rispetto al seguito, sempre molto interessante, ma non molto ricca di colpi di scena, l'autrice tratteggia un quadro sulla "classe inferiore" la manodopera, durante il periodo della prima guerra mondiale e nell'immediato dopoguerra in Inghilterra. Ci mostra, mediante la storia di una famiglia e delle persone gravitanti intorno a essa la stratificazione sociale dell'epoca.
La scrittura è piuttosto semplice, ma è dovuta al fatto che inizialmente la voce narrante è una bambina di 13 anni, e quindi viviamo il periodo con i suoi occhi, tramite le sue emozioni, e a tratti in maniera epistolare quello che vive e che le accade.
Chi legge questo libro e ha visto lo sceneggiato di Downton Abbey, farà un facile collegamento sia per quanto concerne il periodo storico, che per l'ambientazione, che per la descrizione di diversi personaggi, anche se le vicende naturalmente sono molto diverse.
Sophie sarà i nostri occhi in questo viaggio nel tempo nonché la protagonista assoluta del romanzo. Lei ricopre nella casa un ruolo molto basso: "la sguattera", non ha più i genitori, e dopo alcuni anni di vita nella Hall verrà suo malgrado coinvolta nei giochetti sessuali di alcuni membri della casa e benché resti sempre fedele a se stessa e alla sua indole, questo la porterà a essere odiata da gran parte della servitù.
CONTINUA A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
October 13, 2013
I was really excited to read this book. Although I am not a huge historical fiction/romance fan, I am a huge fan of Downton Abbey and this book appeared to fit that bill. It started out just as I hoped: I was sucked into the story and the description of the characters and setting. It was dark and steamy, totally intriguing and original. It was headed for a 4+ rating!
And then I don't know what happened. The story takes a twist (a predictable twist) and suddenly Sophie has a completely different personality. By the end, I was forcing myself to finish reading. Sophie flip-flopped so many times I got whiplash and I really ended up not liking or caring about her at all. And the ending? Awful. Although it doesn't say it anywhere, I am guessing there is more to this story, but I don't really care to continue.
In conclusion, I have to give it 2 stars because the first half was really good, but I was so disappointed by the second half. I won't read any more if this is a series, but I won't rule this author out because the first half was near perfect.
*ARC courtesy of Redhook Books, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*
And then I don't know what happened. The story takes a twist (a predictable twist) and suddenly Sophie has a completely different personality. By the end, I was forcing myself to finish reading. Sophie flip-flopped so many times I got whiplash and I really ended up not liking or caring about her at all. And the ending? Awful. Although it doesn't say it anywhere, I am guessing there is more to this story, but I don't really care to continue.
In conclusion, I have to give it 2 stars because the first half was really good, but I was so disappointed by the second half. I won't read any more if this is a series, but I won't rule this author out because the first half was near perfect.
*ARC courtesy of Redhook Books, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*
November 3, 2013
I read this book in one day, the story of a young scullery maid who meets a powerful man, whiile in desperate situation. His kindness and concern for her is never forgotten and she keeps the fragile connection intact by writing to him, although after a while, her letters are not returned. As Sophie grows up, in innocence remains intact and she is easily manipulated into becoming a game piece for her boss's quest for matrimony, an offering to an unknown man.
The past and present collide in a fiery and heartrendering crash, and the collisions continue throughout the story.
I loved this story, I read it on the edge of my seat for the most part, and believing that it was part of a trilogy, was not anticipating an HEA, however the ending did hurt and make me cry and made me wish the second book was here for some much needed relief.
Ms. Anthony, I loved your writing and your characters; their development and interactions. I loved the backdrop of the story and how music is woven into it. I hope the next installment will be ready soon.
Beautiful cover, also.
Thank you.
The past and present collide in a fiery and heartrendering crash, and the collisions continue throughout the story.
I loved this story, I read it on the edge of my seat for the most part, and believing that it was part of a trilogy, was not anticipating an HEA, however the ending did hurt and make me cry and made me wish the second book was here for some much needed relief.
Ms. Anthony, I loved your writing and your characters; their development and interactions. I loved the backdrop of the story and how music is woven into it. I hope the next installment will be ready soon.
Beautiful cover, also.
Thank you.
December 5, 2017
Non ce la posso fare: 34 pagine di pura noia. Ci si aspetta un romanzo passionale e si legge di una sguattera di tredici anni. Tra l’altro Elizabeth ha un modo di raccontare lento e fiacco. Sgradevole scorcio dei primi del novecento nei dintorni di Londra, ti saluto.
May 24, 2019
That was one of the dumbest books I've read in a long time. And the ending was extremely disappointing.
May 16, 2021
Usele4ss, unemotional, implausible
![Profile Image for ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1572968006i%2F3840999._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 22, 2014
My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book... for more, visit Punya Reviews...
“All I ever wanted was you. Oh, my love. My only love.”
I wanted to read Elizabeth Anthony’s All I Want Is You not only because of the beautiful cover that caught my attention on-spot but also because I’m crazy about this song. Then I read some negative reviews as the book being was compared to a popular contemporary BDSM romance and any comparison to that, good or bad, makes me want to stay away. But because I requested for the ARC, in spite of it I went right ahead.
TBH, I would’ve missed if I hadn’t read this book. It didn’t feel like one of those clichéd BDSM stories with headache inducing drama. Whatever drama this story had, it was done very well. The storytelling was gorgeous, the prose flowing and lush. Elizabeth Anthony has a way to keep you turning pages. Although at first, I believed she’s a debut author - which she’s not – I’ve found that her writing is simply divine. The setting was also very different. Let’s face it, we don’t read many romances, erotica or traditional, set in the 1920s. I just LOVED the whole environment because this book had a glossy, cinematic touch to it.
Set against the backdrop of a looming WWI, All I Want Is You spans over 4+ years, the later part taking place in the ‘20s. It talks about a young star-crossed pair and class-distinction, as our heroine, Sophie, had a working class background. Ash, our hero, becomes the heir to the Duke of Ashley. Now, I’ll try to walk you through it.
Sophie was the only daughter of her parents. Her mother Florence, a beautiful blonde, always caught attentions everywhere she went. And she was taken advantage of no doubt because of her lower class status. When Florence started working as a maid at the Belfield Hall, she caught the eyes of the debauched heir to the Dukedom, Lord Charlwood. I tried my best not to judge her cause she, indeed, starts an affair with the man and everyone knew of it. After a while, sure enough, Charlwood grew tired of her and kicked her out. Already she was a colored woman throughout the town, and after this incident, Sophie’s family became outcasts. Gradually, Florence became ill, possibly with consumption. Then her husband up and left them, never to return again. One day, as Florence lay dying, the 12 yrs. old had no other option but to beg for help. Unsurprisingly, no one came forward and Sophie could do little else. They are very poor and she would be left entirely alone. That day, a Mr. Maldon saves it for Sophie and forever remains in her memory as her Knight in Shining Armor.
Mr. Maldon not only helps taking Florence to the hospital, but also arranges for her burial when she passes away right afterwards. Rumor has it that he came to visit the Bellfield Hall but Sophie didn’t know anything beyond that. She could only see kindness and a handsome young face with beautiful blue eyes. He tells Sophie that he has to leave soon, but before that, he can help her securing a job at the Belfield Hall as a maid. She only has to refer to him to the housekeeper. Mr. Maldon also gives Sophie his London address, asking her to write to him regularly.
Sophie gets the job, thanks to the housekeeper who apparently was fond of the young man. It also became apparent that the majority of the servants hate the snooty Duke and the Duchess because of their meanness, especially to the servants. Lord Charlwood has already married another spoiled heiress but they don’t live here. Sophie begins her working hours as a scullery maid, learning not only housework but also how to fend off eager young bucks amongst the servants. It must be mentioned that Sophie inherited Florence’s blonde beauty, so her youthful body gradually begins catching the roving eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘downstairs’ talks; gossips of the servants, as it gave me an idea of the cycle of their lives. The Romance novels I generally read don’t deal with such stuff. It gave Sophie the idea of a rather unknown world, opening up her eyes to the ‘reality’. She’d also hear of ‘that disgraceful man’, someone called Lord Ashley who the Duke and Duchess hate with a passion. He’s, apparently, sullying the ‘noble name’ of the family by doing things no noble should be doing. Ashley is rumored to be wild, without any inhibition or remorse. The Duke and Duchess can’t seem to pass one moment without saying something nasty about him.
Sophie also keeps writing to Mr. Maldon. He replies to couple of her early letters, most very short to her long ones, detailed with her life at the Belfield Hall. But after a time, his replies stop coming. Sophie is at first surprised, then saddened. She’s even hurt thinking he has probably forgotten about her. After a year of waiting for his replies, Sophie stops expecting them. Really, why would he care or bother about a lowly servant girl, right? But Sophie keeps writing to him for a year or two more, regularly, unfailingly. Whenever she’s happy or sad, or just wants to talk to someone, she’d write a letter to her Mr. Maldon. This book is worth a read to read Sophie’s innocent, honest letters, speaking of her happiness, sadness, anger... and vulnerabilities.
In the midst of it the war breaks out. Things are gloomy, sad... plain miserable everywhere. I could feel the misery off the pages as I read through; it seems everyone is waiting for a bad news to drop. Every single day. Lord Charlwood also joins the army, and though he’s not physically involved in the battle, somehow, fate’s intervenes and he dies. The Duke and Duchess are inconsolable at the death of their precious heir. Charlwood didn’t have children so there’s no direct line. The next in the line was a young, ill boy who dies soon after he inherits. Now, the Dukedom will transfer Lord Ashley. Talk about the nightmare coming alive for the current Duke! And so we learn that this was one of the major reasons why they despised Ashley so much.
What happen next are some rapid incidents. The duke dies. Sophie’s only best friend there, a plain and physically challenged girl, falls prey to a local man and becomes pregnant. This guy is a shark, a disgusting piece of sh!t. He took advantage of the girl. It was also very apparent that he doesn’t hold women in high regard. To him, they’re just something to use and discard. The poor girl trusted him, thought in love and paid the price. He denies any responsibility of her pregnancy. The girl probably dies later while trying to get an abortion. When a sad and enraged Sophie, now 15 yrs. old, confronts the man, he even threatens her and makes dirty insinuations. Sophie is angry but she’s also alone in this fight.
At that time, rumor starts flying that the widow of Lord Charlwood is coming to visit soon. This woman, who is not used to the ‘backward, unsophisticated’ country life, has never set foot here. Rumor also has it that she’s popular with the ‘fast’ bunch in London. Even when her husband was alive, she lived her life as she saw fit. But now, she has a whim to check out her ‘dearly departed’ husband’s ancestral home. Belfield Hall becomes alive with the servants preparing for her arrival. Lady Beatrice, as she’s called, arrives soon enough, bringing with her Sophie’s happiness and downfall, both.
Beatrice brings with her the so-called sophistication of London living, and more than a few of her ‘male friends’ come visit her during the stay. Needless to say, Beatrice cares zero about what her MIL thinks. But it was not even her who was responsible of Sophie’s sexual awakening. Beatrice’s lady’s maid, whom I think was more than a lady’s maid, first targets Sophie because of her youthful beauty. This woman was definitely taking advantage of her. There was some F/F stuff here that I skipped because I’m never turned on by these scenes. Yet I also knew how much gullible yet curious Sophie was. I wasn’t sure if this was the right way for a naïve girl to have her first sexual encounter. Sophie wanted to know more about the ‘forbidden’ and was unable the proverbial siren’s call. Beatrice, of course, knew about it as the whole thing was the part of a bigger, more nefarious plan.
Soon enough, Sophie is snared into Beatrice’s ‘black-hole’ (pun intended, I hate this b!tch with the same passion the Duke hated Ashley or Ash). Her glamorous looks, dresses and sophisticated ways, along with her lies, convinces Sophie that she’s her salvation, the way out of Bellfield Hall. I wouldn’t call this greed on Sophie’s part cause if you read, you’ll know how tough her life was with very little pay. And Sophie was beautiful. She was made to believe that she can be one of those dancing girls and live better if she has the right kind of ‘training and polish’ to go with it. I was mad, knowing all of these were a lies that Beatrice told her, yet Sophie was ensnared. Beatrice starts ‘training’ Sophie on pleasuring men. Sophie has previously, merely by chance, spied on Beatrice in action and was intrigued. I skimmed through this part as well, fuming at what was to come next...
Soon enough, Beatrice starts making demands of Sophie. By now, Belfield Hall was abuzz with the news of Lord Ashley’s arrival. It happened that he was detained somewhere and couldn’t visit to take over his newly acquired responsibilities as the Duke of Belfield. Beatrice tells Sophie that she has a plan, and for that she needs Sophie’s help. You see, Beatrice wants to marry the Duke. But before that, she wants to ‘gift’ Sophie’s virginity to Ash (as Beatrice calls him)... well, you can say, it would be a way to improve Ash’s interest in the matter. In return, she’ll help Sophie with a job in London. Sophie, at first, isn’t sure of it but it doesn’t take Beatrice long to convince her that it’s the best for everyone concerned. Sophie will do it for the woman she has unintentionally begun to worship, or so it seemed to me. Sophie thought she’s helping out a good ‘friend’. Well, far from it girl!
I would always remember the first time Sophie set eyes on Lord Ashley at his arrival and had the shock of her life. No wonder he never replied to her letters! No wonder he doesn’t remember her! The shock begins setting in as Sophie stares ather Mr. Maldon! At first, Sophie spies on him from afar, not knowing what he’s reaction might be. Then, he sees her too, and remembers the little girl he helped couple of years ago.
After this, Sophie is entirely unsure of her ‘role’ as a seductress. Before, she didn’t know who it was. Whoring herself didn’t seem all that bad in exchange of her freedom. But now, she just can’t do it when it’s Mr. Maldon; the man she’s idolized, craved for so many years. The man she’s fallen in love with while writing those letters. The man she thought she wants to be with when the time comes. I believed in her longing for Ash because Sophie was loyal if not anything else, and Ash had her unfailing loyalty since the day he helped her when no one else did.
Beatrice, of course, won’t hear of it. Her real face begins emerging right away when Sophie declines to help. The b!tch, this time, resorts to blackmailing, forcing Sophie to get on with their ‘plan’. She also drugs Sophie so that she doesn’t back off. But the plan itself backfires. It seems Ash held Beatrice in contempt. He’s mad when he finds Sophie in this state, but her innocent yet seductive charms doesn’t escape his notice. I believed in what Sophie was feeling at that time- that she wanted to be in his bed, no matter what he thought of her. But Ash would never take advantage of her. I loved Ash’s venomous reply to Beatrice’s revolting plan, where she very nonchalantly brushed off any wrongdoing in the whole thing. She wants to marry the new Duke to continue with her luxurious and debauched lifestyle. So what if she was using some nobody to get to her target? No harm done!
At this point, I begin to believe that Ash remembered more about Sophie than he let on. There was some darker element in him that he had closeted away. It was also very apparent that he was attracted to Sophie, especially seeing her half-naked and so ready for him. I was never really sure of Sophie and Ash’s age difference but I believe it was around 8 years, Sophie being 17 at the time. Ash becomes protective of Sophie, sending Beatrice right off to the rat-hole she emerged from. But Beatrice promises vengeance. Because she couldn’t convince Ash to marry her, she won’t let them be in peace. And it’s all Sophie’s fault!
Knowing how she was used by a viper, Sophie is overcome with shame. She also can’t deny that she wants Ash. So after a while, because of Sophie’s willingness, Ash gives into her. Yet, it was plain that she gave him the kind of solace that Ash never ever had. The first sex scene was... different and Ash’s preference to bondage came into light. Sophie, of course, had no idea about it but she instinctively trusted him to guide her through her first experience. She’s curious as to why he won’t let her touch or kiss him but she’s happy to be with him finally. Ash gradually begins opening up about his plans for the Belfield Hall and his other business ventures but he never confides to her about his past.
Sophie secretly begins living as Ash’s mistress, knowing she’d never really be anything else. Their match is too uneven and the society gossip will be cruel. Ash wants to keep her with him as long as he can, yet Sophie wants her freedom. She still wants to go to London but her wishes never meet his approval. Because of this, one day, she runs to London in search of her dream.
Her life as a dancing girl wasn’t quite what Sophie hoped for. For one, she really didn’t have any security whatsoever, every male around thinking she’s fair game. Still, she liked the freedom of living on her own. Once she sees Ash, who was mad to find her showing herself off to the world. Sophie runs from him again. She changes job too. Later, she meets this girl, who becomes her friend. But this girl was in trouble already as her a$$hole of a boyfriend was abusive and a petty criminal. Soon the girl gets caught up in her own mire. She becomes, what seems like, a drug addict and was ruthlessly used by that creep. One day, she begs for help from Sophie but it was too late. She ran and her ‘loving boyfriend’ was searching for her. The girls had no option but to escape. I felt that Ash has always kept tab on Sophie, so it was no wonder he finds them and takes them to his home.
At Ash’s residence, Sophie tries to find some balance. Even though she fails to help her friend in the end, who disappears finally, God knows where, Sophie is reunited with Ash, who is ever more determined to keep her. He opens up about his time in Germany, and some nightmare-ish memories of being abused. The reason why he needs to be in control, both in and out of bed. It seemed somehow he’s also addicted to bondage and can’t do without it. I didn’t like knowing it all but it was apparent that Ash wanted to forget his nightmares and ONLY Sophie can help him. It has always been her, once as the form of letters, now in flesh and bone. Sophie feels his pain as if her own and begins considering becoming his mistress again. She loves him, she’d do anything to help. When they become lovers again Ash promises to take care of her, but Sophie knows nothing is going to make their situation better. She’ll always want what she can’t have; to become an integral part of Ash’s life.
No matter how private Ash tries to keep it, as a Duke, his association with a former dancing girl catches the media attention. Then one day, Beatrice comes knocking at the door, spewing more filth. She blackmails Sophie, who, again, walks into her trap. Beatrice tempts her to an orgy but Sophie declines. When her attempt to corrupt Sophie beyond hope fails, Beatrice strikes with the ultimate jibe... The fact that once Ash and she were lovers.
Nothing could’ve prepared Sophie for this. She couldn’t endure this, neither could I. Sophie felt horribly betrayed, that Ash never told her about Beatrice. When she confronts Ash about it, hoping against hope that it was another of Beatrice’s lies, her world crashes down on her again. Ash doesn’t deny it, though he emphasizes it was a mistake. But Sophie couldn’t deal with it. She runs once again, from all the hurt and misery, from Ash and maybe, from herself.
With her prior experience as a dancing girl, Sophie finds another job. After her training as a singer, she also begins to garner attention from people with her performance. Her status improves from a mere dancing girl to a performing artist, who is invited to sing in much bigger, better events. She hasn’t heard from Ash but from the newspaper she knew that he’s engaged to be married to some heiress. Sophie’s heart is broken but such is her life now. One day, while performing at a posh club, Sophie finds Ash present with his fiancée and her family. Out of sheer despair, Sophie starts singing ‘All I Want is You’, her rapt attention all the while on him. People begin whispering and the song ends, Sophie runs at the dressing room. But Ash follows her there. It was very much apparent that Ash was still keeping tab on Sophie’s life, and came to see her performance. The hot and intense sex scene that followed in the dressing room... wow! I think that was the hottest sex scene in the whole story! The intensity was just about perfect, even though the ending of this story wasn’t.
When both are inevitably found out, Ash’s fiancée leaves in a huff. I should’ve felt bad for her but I could see that they had nothing in common. It was a match made for business purposes between Ash and the girl’s rich American father. Knowing Ash and Sophie’s history, I knew that the girl didn’t even have a chance against that explosive chemistry and a love that created a bond, making these two returning to each-other over and over again. But Sophie still knew that if Ash has to survive in this world, he needs to marry someone of his own stature. She can’t be his downfall as media once again goes frenzy with gossip.
In the end, Sophie returns to the place where her and Ash’s story started, to visit her mother’s grave. Sophie has seen to it that her mother has an identity in the form of a nice headstone, now that she has the means. I think Ash also had a hand behind the care of the grave site. When she and Ash meet again, Sophie declines Ash’s offer to reunite with him. She wants to have her own adventure and see the world! This time, Ash bids her goodbye. Personally, I was quite flabbergasted at that cause I, myself, wasn’t prepared to say goodbye yet.
No, this story doesn’t have an HEA but I know I cried the last half of it even when I didn’t want to. It emotionally exhausted me. I wanted Sophie and Ash to be together so badly hat if I didn’t know about a sequel, I’d be really very mad. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel, Breathless for You, in hopes to see them finally together.
4.25 stars but easily could’ve been a 5 stars read. Absolutely LOVED this one!
This ARC was provided to me by Redhook via netgalley which didn’t influence my review and rating in any way.
“All I ever wanted was you. Oh, my love. My only love.”
I wanted to read Elizabeth Anthony’s All I Want Is You not only because of the beautiful cover that caught my attention on-spot but also because I’m crazy about this song. Then I read some negative reviews as the book being was compared to a popular contemporary BDSM romance and any comparison to that, good or bad, makes me want to stay away. But because I requested for the ARC, in spite of it I went right ahead.
TBH, I would’ve missed if I hadn’t read this book. It didn’t feel like one of those clichéd BDSM stories with headache inducing drama. Whatever drama this story had, it was done very well. The storytelling was gorgeous, the prose flowing and lush. Elizabeth Anthony has a way to keep you turning pages. Although at first, I believed she’s a debut author - which she’s not – I’ve found that her writing is simply divine. The setting was also very different. Let’s face it, we don’t read many romances, erotica or traditional, set in the 1920s. I just LOVED the whole environment because this book had a glossy, cinematic touch to it.
Set against the backdrop of a looming WWI, All I Want Is You spans over 4+ years, the later part taking place in the ‘20s. It talks about a young star-crossed pair and class-distinction, as our heroine, Sophie, had a working class background. Ash, our hero, becomes the heir to the Duke of Ashley. Now, I’ll try to walk you through it.
Sophie was the only daughter of her parents. Her mother Florence, a beautiful blonde, always caught attentions everywhere she went. And she was taken advantage of no doubt because of her lower class status. When Florence started working as a maid at the Belfield Hall, she caught the eyes of the debauched heir to the Dukedom, Lord Charlwood. I tried my best not to judge her cause she, indeed, starts an affair with the man and everyone knew of it. After a while, sure enough, Charlwood grew tired of her and kicked her out. Already she was a colored woman throughout the town, and after this incident, Sophie’s family became outcasts. Gradually, Florence became ill, possibly with consumption. Then her husband up and left them, never to return again. One day, as Florence lay dying, the 12 yrs. old had no other option but to beg for help. Unsurprisingly, no one came forward and Sophie could do little else. They are very poor and she would be left entirely alone. That day, a Mr. Maldon saves it for Sophie and forever remains in her memory as her Knight in Shining Armor.
Mr. Maldon not only helps taking Florence to the hospital, but also arranges for her burial when she passes away right afterwards. Rumor has it that he came to visit the Bellfield Hall but Sophie didn’t know anything beyond that. She could only see kindness and a handsome young face with beautiful blue eyes. He tells Sophie that he has to leave soon, but before that, he can help her securing a job at the Belfield Hall as a maid. She only has to refer to him to the housekeeper. Mr. Maldon also gives Sophie his London address, asking her to write to him regularly.
Sophie gets the job, thanks to the housekeeper who apparently was fond of the young man. It also became apparent that the majority of the servants hate the snooty Duke and the Duchess because of their meanness, especially to the servants. Lord Charlwood has already married another spoiled heiress but they don’t live here. Sophie begins her working hours as a scullery maid, learning not only housework but also how to fend off eager young bucks amongst the servants. It must be mentioned that Sophie inherited Florence’s blonde beauty, so her youthful body gradually begins catching the roving eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘downstairs’ talks; gossips of the servants, as it gave me an idea of the cycle of their lives. The Romance novels I generally read don’t deal with such stuff. It gave Sophie the idea of a rather unknown world, opening up her eyes to the ‘reality’. She’d also hear of ‘that disgraceful man’, someone called Lord Ashley who the Duke and Duchess hate with a passion. He’s, apparently, sullying the ‘noble name’ of the family by doing things no noble should be doing. Ashley is rumored to be wild, without any inhibition or remorse. The Duke and Duchess can’t seem to pass one moment without saying something nasty about him.
Sophie also keeps writing to Mr. Maldon. He replies to couple of her early letters, most very short to her long ones, detailed with her life at the Belfield Hall. But after a time, his replies stop coming. Sophie is at first surprised, then saddened. She’s even hurt thinking he has probably forgotten about her. After a year of waiting for his replies, Sophie stops expecting them. Really, why would he care or bother about a lowly servant girl, right? But Sophie keeps writing to him for a year or two more, regularly, unfailingly. Whenever she’s happy or sad, or just wants to talk to someone, she’d write a letter to her Mr. Maldon. This book is worth a read to read Sophie’s innocent, honest letters, speaking of her happiness, sadness, anger... and vulnerabilities.
In the midst of it the war breaks out. Things are gloomy, sad... plain miserable everywhere. I could feel the misery off the pages as I read through; it seems everyone is waiting for a bad news to drop. Every single day. Lord Charlwood also joins the army, and though he’s not physically involved in the battle, somehow, fate’s intervenes and he dies. The Duke and Duchess are inconsolable at the death of their precious heir. Charlwood didn’t have children so there’s no direct line. The next in the line was a young, ill boy who dies soon after he inherits. Now, the Dukedom will transfer Lord Ashley. Talk about the nightmare coming alive for the current Duke! And so we learn that this was one of the major reasons why they despised Ashley so much.
What happen next are some rapid incidents. The duke dies. Sophie’s only best friend there, a plain and physically challenged girl, falls prey to a local man and becomes pregnant. This guy is a shark, a disgusting piece of sh!t. He took advantage of the girl. It was also very apparent that he doesn’t hold women in high regard. To him, they’re just something to use and discard. The poor girl trusted him, thought in love and paid the price. He denies any responsibility of her pregnancy. The girl probably dies later while trying to get an abortion. When a sad and enraged Sophie, now 15 yrs. old, confronts the man, he even threatens her and makes dirty insinuations. Sophie is angry but she’s also alone in this fight.
At that time, rumor starts flying that the widow of Lord Charlwood is coming to visit soon. This woman, who is not used to the ‘backward, unsophisticated’ country life, has never set foot here. Rumor also has it that she’s popular with the ‘fast’ bunch in London. Even when her husband was alive, she lived her life as she saw fit. But now, she has a whim to check out her ‘dearly departed’ husband’s ancestral home. Belfield Hall becomes alive with the servants preparing for her arrival. Lady Beatrice, as she’s called, arrives soon enough, bringing with her Sophie’s happiness and downfall, both.
Beatrice brings with her the so-called sophistication of London living, and more than a few of her ‘male friends’ come visit her during the stay. Needless to say, Beatrice cares zero about what her MIL thinks. But it was not even her who was responsible of Sophie’s sexual awakening. Beatrice’s lady’s maid, whom I think was more than a lady’s maid, first targets Sophie because of her youthful beauty. This woman was definitely taking advantage of her. There was some F/F stuff here that I skipped because I’m never turned on by these scenes. Yet I also knew how much gullible yet curious Sophie was. I wasn’t sure if this was the right way for a naïve girl to have her first sexual encounter. Sophie wanted to know more about the ‘forbidden’ and was unable the proverbial siren’s call. Beatrice, of course, knew about it as the whole thing was the part of a bigger, more nefarious plan.
Soon enough, Sophie is snared into Beatrice’s ‘black-hole’ (pun intended, I hate this b!tch with the same passion the Duke hated Ashley or Ash). Her glamorous looks, dresses and sophisticated ways, along with her lies, convinces Sophie that she’s her salvation, the way out of Bellfield Hall. I wouldn’t call this greed on Sophie’s part cause if you read, you’ll know how tough her life was with very little pay. And Sophie was beautiful. She was made to believe that she can be one of those dancing girls and live better if she has the right kind of ‘training and polish’ to go with it. I was mad, knowing all of these were a lies that Beatrice told her, yet Sophie was ensnared. Beatrice starts ‘training’ Sophie on pleasuring men. Sophie has previously, merely by chance, spied on Beatrice in action and was intrigued. I skimmed through this part as well, fuming at what was to come next...
Soon enough, Beatrice starts making demands of Sophie. By now, Belfield Hall was abuzz with the news of Lord Ashley’s arrival. It happened that he was detained somewhere and couldn’t visit to take over his newly acquired responsibilities as the Duke of Belfield. Beatrice tells Sophie that she has a plan, and for that she needs Sophie’s help. You see, Beatrice wants to marry the Duke. But before that, she wants to ‘gift’ Sophie’s virginity to Ash (as Beatrice calls him)... well, you can say, it would be a way to improve Ash’s interest in the matter. In return, she’ll help Sophie with a job in London. Sophie, at first, isn’t sure of it but it doesn’t take Beatrice long to convince her that it’s the best for everyone concerned. Sophie will do it for the woman she has unintentionally begun to worship, or so it seemed to me. Sophie thought she’s helping out a good ‘friend’. Well, far from it girl!
I would always remember the first time Sophie set eyes on Lord Ashley at his arrival and had the shock of her life. No wonder he never replied to her letters! No wonder he doesn’t remember her! The shock begins setting in as Sophie stares ather Mr. Maldon! At first, Sophie spies on him from afar, not knowing what he’s reaction might be. Then, he sees her too, and remembers the little girl he helped couple of years ago.
After this, Sophie is entirely unsure of her ‘role’ as a seductress. Before, she didn’t know who it was. Whoring herself didn’t seem all that bad in exchange of her freedom. But now, she just can’t do it when it’s Mr. Maldon; the man she’s idolized, craved for so many years. The man she’s fallen in love with while writing those letters. The man she thought she wants to be with when the time comes. I believed in her longing for Ash because Sophie was loyal if not anything else, and Ash had her unfailing loyalty since the day he helped her when no one else did.
Beatrice, of course, won’t hear of it. Her real face begins emerging right away when Sophie declines to help. The b!tch, this time, resorts to blackmailing, forcing Sophie to get on with their ‘plan’. She also drugs Sophie so that she doesn’t back off. But the plan itself backfires. It seems Ash held Beatrice in contempt. He’s mad when he finds Sophie in this state, but her innocent yet seductive charms doesn’t escape his notice. I believed in what Sophie was feeling at that time- that she wanted to be in his bed, no matter what he thought of her. But Ash would never take advantage of her. I loved Ash’s venomous reply to Beatrice’s revolting plan, where she very nonchalantly brushed off any wrongdoing in the whole thing. She wants to marry the new Duke to continue with her luxurious and debauched lifestyle. So what if she was using some nobody to get to her target? No harm done!
At this point, I begin to believe that Ash remembered more about Sophie than he let on. There was some darker element in him that he had closeted away. It was also very apparent that he was attracted to Sophie, especially seeing her half-naked and so ready for him. I was never really sure of Sophie and Ash’s age difference but I believe it was around 8 years, Sophie being 17 at the time. Ash becomes protective of Sophie, sending Beatrice right off to the rat-hole she emerged from. But Beatrice promises vengeance. Because she couldn’t convince Ash to marry her, she won’t let them be in peace. And it’s all Sophie’s fault!
Knowing how she was used by a viper, Sophie is overcome with shame. She also can’t deny that she wants Ash. So after a while, because of Sophie’s willingness, Ash gives into her. Yet, it was plain that she gave him the kind of solace that Ash never ever had. The first sex scene was... different and Ash’s preference to bondage came into light. Sophie, of course, had no idea about it but she instinctively trusted him to guide her through her first experience. She’s curious as to why he won’t let her touch or kiss him but she’s happy to be with him finally. Ash gradually begins opening up about his plans for the Belfield Hall and his other business ventures but he never confides to her about his past.
Sophie secretly begins living as Ash’s mistress, knowing she’d never really be anything else. Their match is too uneven and the society gossip will be cruel. Ash wants to keep her with him as long as he can, yet Sophie wants her freedom. She still wants to go to London but her wishes never meet his approval. Because of this, one day, she runs to London in search of her dream.
Her life as a dancing girl wasn’t quite what Sophie hoped for. For one, she really didn’t have any security whatsoever, every male around thinking she’s fair game. Still, she liked the freedom of living on her own. Once she sees Ash, who was mad to find her showing herself off to the world. Sophie runs from him again. She changes job too. Later, she meets this girl, who becomes her friend. But this girl was in trouble already as her a$$hole of a boyfriend was abusive and a petty criminal. Soon the girl gets caught up in her own mire. She becomes, what seems like, a drug addict and was ruthlessly used by that creep. One day, she begs for help from Sophie but it was too late. She ran and her ‘loving boyfriend’ was searching for her. The girls had no option but to escape. I felt that Ash has always kept tab on Sophie, so it was no wonder he finds them and takes them to his home.
At Ash’s residence, Sophie tries to find some balance. Even though she fails to help her friend in the end, who disappears finally, God knows where, Sophie is reunited with Ash, who is ever more determined to keep her. He opens up about his time in Germany, and some nightmare-ish memories of being abused. The reason why he needs to be in control, both in and out of bed. It seemed somehow he’s also addicted to bondage and can’t do without it. I didn’t like knowing it all but it was apparent that Ash wanted to forget his nightmares and ONLY Sophie can help him. It has always been her, once as the form of letters, now in flesh and bone. Sophie feels his pain as if her own and begins considering becoming his mistress again. She loves him, she’d do anything to help. When they become lovers again Ash promises to take care of her, but Sophie knows nothing is going to make their situation better. She’ll always want what she can’t have; to become an integral part of Ash’s life.
No matter how private Ash tries to keep it, as a Duke, his association with a former dancing girl catches the media attention. Then one day, Beatrice comes knocking at the door, spewing more filth. She blackmails Sophie, who, again, walks into her trap. Beatrice tempts her to an orgy but Sophie declines. When her attempt to corrupt Sophie beyond hope fails, Beatrice strikes with the ultimate jibe... The fact that once Ash and she were lovers.
Nothing could’ve prepared Sophie for this. She couldn’t endure this, neither could I. Sophie felt horribly betrayed, that Ash never told her about Beatrice. When she confronts Ash about it, hoping against hope that it was another of Beatrice’s lies, her world crashes down on her again. Ash doesn’t deny it, though he emphasizes it was a mistake. But Sophie couldn’t deal with it. She runs once again, from all the hurt and misery, from Ash and maybe, from herself.
With her prior experience as a dancing girl, Sophie finds another job. After her training as a singer, she also begins to garner attention from people with her performance. Her status improves from a mere dancing girl to a performing artist, who is invited to sing in much bigger, better events. She hasn’t heard from Ash but from the newspaper she knew that he’s engaged to be married to some heiress. Sophie’s heart is broken but such is her life now. One day, while performing at a posh club, Sophie finds Ash present with his fiancée and her family. Out of sheer despair, Sophie starts singing ‘All I Want is You’, her rapt attention all the while on him. People begin whispering and the song ends, Sophie runs at the dressing room. But Ash follows her there. It was very much apparent that Ash was still keeping tab on Sophie’s life, and came to see her performance. The hot and intense sex scene that followed in the dressing room... wow! I think that was the hottest sex scene in the whole story! The intensity was just about perfect, even though the ending of this story wasn’t.
When both are inevitably found out, Ash’s fiancée leaves in a huff. I should’ve felt bad for her but I could see that they had nothing in common. It was a match made for business purposes between Ash and the girl’s rich American father. Knowing Ash and Sophie’s history, I knew that the girl didn’t even have a chance against that explosive chemistry and a love that created a bond, making these two returning to each-other over and over again. But Sophie still knew that if Ash has to survive in this world, he needs to marry someone of his own stature. She can’t be his downfall as media once again goes frenzy with gossip.
In the end, Sophie returns to the place where her and Ash’s story started, to visit her mother’s grave. Sophie has seen to it that her mother has an identity in the form of a nice headstone, now that she has the means. I think Ash also had a hand behind the care of the grave site. When she and Ash meet again, Sophie declines Ash’s offer to reunite with him. She wants to have her own adventure and see the world! This time, Ash bids her goodbye. Personally, I was quite flabbergasted at that cause I, myself, wasn’t prepared to say goodbye yet.
No, this story doesn’t have an HEA but I know I cried the last half of it even when I didn’t want to. It emotionally exhausted me. I wanted Sophie and Ash to be together so badly hat if I didn’t know about a sequel, I’d be really very mad. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel, Breathless for You, in hopes to see them finally together.
4.25 stars but easily could’ve been a 5 stars read. Absolutely LOVED this one!
This ARC was provided to me by Redhook via netgalley which didn’t influence my review and rating in any way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2025
"Tieni sempre caro il tuo amore, Sophie. Ricordati che il giudizio della gente dipende dalla stima che fai di te stessa."
🌷 I libri ambientati in epoche passate sono diventati una mia nuova passione. Quando ho scovato questo libro nella libreria della mia amica l'ho voluto subito leggere perché la trama la trovavo intrigante. Effettivamente il libro ha del potenziale, è scorrevole e la trama è gradevole, ma ha anche alcuni difetti che mi hanno fatto storcere il naso. "Tu sei mia" di Elizabeth Anthony è un romanzo che si colloca nel genere storico-romantico con una forte impronta erotica, ambientato negli anni '20 nella sfarzosa campagna inglese. Il libro racconta la storia di Sophie, una giovane cameriera che lavora a Belfield Hall, una grandiosa tenuta aristocratica, e del suo incontro con Lord Ashley, il padrone della casa, un uomo tanto affascinante quanto misterioso. Lo stile della narrazione è lineare, ma in alcuni punti del romanzo sembra che la scrittrice corra un po' e passi subito alla scena seguente lasciandoci con qualche dubbio.
《Sei il mio angelo buono, Sophie, lo sai?》
🩷 La trama segue l'evoluzione del rapporto tra Sophie e Lord Ashley, un legame che nasce tramite lettere e che si sviluppa in amore, forse un po' troppo velocemente, appena si rivedono dopo anni di lontananza. La descrizione della vita a Belfield Hall è vivida e ben dettagliata, e il lettore viene trasportato in un mondo di eleganza e rigidità, dove le apparenze contano più della realtà.
❤️ Parliamo adesso dei personaggi. Ho adorato Sophie così dolce, determinata, ingenua che vede il bello in ogni creatura e questa sua ultima caratteristica, purtroppo, viene spesso usata contro di lei. Sophie lotta per trovare il proprio posto in un mondo che le offre poche opportunità. Lei è una sognatrice desidera ardentemente diventare una ballerina e una cantante, ma allo stesso tempo sogna il suo amore con Mr Maldon. Si tratta di un amore impossibile poiché Sophie è di umili origini, mentre Ash è un duca.
🖤 Lord Ashley, d'altro canto, è un personaggio affascinante ma volutamente enigmatico, il cui sviluppo resta in parte incompleto, lasciando alcune delle sue motivazioni e sfumature inesplorate. Ash è un personaggio che ho fatto fatica ad apprezzare perché sinceramente non ho amato il modo in cui ha trattato, in alcune scene iniziali del libro, Sophie. Capisco tutti i traumi che ha subito, ma far sentire una donna inferiore o una poco di buono non mi sembra l'atteggiamento giusto. E la povera piccina si dava anche la colpa di non essere abbastanza!
💚 Uno degli aspetti che spiccano nel romanzo è sicuramente l'intensità delle scene erotiche, che vengono descritte con una sensualità palpabile, senza mai scadere nel volgare. Tuttavia, proprio questa enfasi sull'erotismo può risultare eccessiva per chi cerca una trama più equilibrata tra il romanticismo e lo sviluppo dei personaggi. Io stessa avrei preferito non leggere alcune scene perché mi sembrano messe un pochino a caso. Un punto debole del romanzo è la prevedibilità della trama. Sebbene Elizabeth Anthony riesca a creare un'atmosfera avvolgente, la storia procede su binari piuttosto lineari e senza grandi sorprese.
🩶 Solo il finale mi ha lasciata un po' sorpresa ed è stato dolceamaro, ma anche un po' soddisfacente. Ho compreso la scelta di Sophie e credo che abbia preso la decisione migliore al momento. Sono una fan delle storie d'amore, ma anche del lieto fine e magari un giorno le loro strade si riuniranno.
💚 "Tu sei mia" è un romanzo che può conquistare gli amanti del genere romantico-erotico, soprattutto per la sua ambientazione storica ben delineata e per le sue atmosfere sensuali. Tuttavia, chi cerca una trama più complessa o una maggiore profondità nei personaggi potrebbe trovare il libro un po' deludente. Resta comunque una lettura piacevole per chi desidera immergersi in un mondo di passioni segrete e amori proibiti nella cornice di un'epoca affascinante.
🌷 I libri ambientati in epoche passate sono diventati una mia nuova passione. Quando ho scovato questo libro nella libreria della mia amica l'ho voluto subito leggere perché la trama la trovavo intrigante. Effettivamente il libro ha del potenziale, è scorrevole e la trama è gradevole, ma ha anche alcuni difetti che mi hanno fatto storcere il naso. "Tu sei mia" di Elizabeth Anthony è un romanzo che si colloca nel genere storico-romantico con una forte impronta erotica, ambientato negli anni '20 nella sfarzosa campagna inglese. Il libro racconta la storia di Sophie, una giovane cameriera che lavora a Belfield Hall, una grandiosa tenuta aristocratica, e del suo incontro con Lord Ashley, il padrone della casa, un uomo tanto affascinante quanto misterioso. Lo stile della narrazione è lineare, ma in alcuni punti del romanzo sembra che la scrittrice corra un po' e passi subito alla scena seguente lasciandoci con qualche dubbio.
《Sei il mio angelo buono, Sophie, lo sai?》
🩷 La trama segue l'evoluzione del rapporto tra Sophie e Lord Ashley, un legame che nasce tramite lettere e che si sviluppa in amore, forse un po' troppo velocemente, appena si rivedono dopo anni di lontananza. La descrizione della vita a Belfield Hall è vivida e ben dettagliata, e il lettore viene trasportato in un mondo di eleganza e rigidità, dove le apparenze contano più della realtà.
❤️ Parliamo adesso dei personaggi. Ho adorato Sophie così dolce, determinata, ingenua che vede il bello in ogni creatura e questa sua ultima caratteristica, purtroppo, viene spesso usata contro di lei. Sophie lotta per trovare il proprio posto in un mondo che le offre poche opportunità. Lei è una sognatrice desidera ardentemente diventare una ballerina e una cantante, ma allo stesso tempo sogna il suo amore con Mr Maldon. Si tratta di un amore impossibile poiché Sophie è di umili origini, mentre Ash è un duca.
🖤 Lord Ashley, d'altro canto, è un personaggio affascinante ma volutamente enigmatico, il cui sviluppo resta in parte incompleto, lasciando alcune delle sue motivazioni e sfumature inesplorate. Ash è un personaggio che ho fatto fatica ad apprezzare perché sinceramente non ho amato il modo in cui ha trattato, in alcune scene iniziali del libro, Sophie. Capisco tutti i traumi che ha subito, ma far sentire una donna inferiore o una poco di buono non mi sembra l'atteggiamento giusto. E la povera piccina si dava anche la colpa di non essere abbastanza!
💚 Uno degli aspetti che spiccano nel romanzo è sicuramente l'intensità delle scene erotiche, che vengono descritte con una sensualità palpabile, senza mai scadere nel volgare. Tuttavia, proprio questa enfasi sull'erotismo può risultare eccessiva per chi cerca una trama più equilibrata tra il romanticismo e lo sviluppo dei personaggi. Io stessa avrei preferito non leggere alcune scene perché mi sembrano messe un pochino a caso. Un punto debole del romanzo è la prevedibilità della trama. Sebbene Elizabeth Anthony riesca a creare un'atmosfera avvolgente, la storia procede su binari piuttosto lineari e senza grandi sorprese.
🩶 Solo il finale mi ha lasciata un po' sorpresa ed è stato dolceamaro, ma anche un po' soddisfacente. Ho compreso la scelta di Sophie e credo che abbia preso la decisione migliore al momento. Sono una fan delle storie d'amore, ma anche del lieto fine e magari un giorno le loro strade si riuniranno.
💚 "Tu sei mia" è un romanzo che può conquistare gli amanti del genere romantico-erotico, soprattutto per la sua ambientazione storica ben delineata e per le sue atmosfere sensuali. Tuttavia, chi cerca una trama più complessa o una maggiore profondità nei personaggi potrebbe trovare il libro un po' deludente. Resta comunque una lettura piacevole per chi desidera immergersi in un mondo di passioni segrete e amori proibiti nella cornice di un'epoca affascinante.
August 16, 2021
Tu sei mia è il primo volume di una miniserie romance erotica composta da due volumi ambientata nel 1920.
Purtroppo questo volume finisce proprio sul più bello e sembra che il secondo oltre a portare avanti la storia, si soffermi anche sulle vicende di Madeline, la pupilla di Ash (che in questo volume farà una brevissima apparizione).
Cominciamo col dire che la sinossi scelta è fuorviante perché si tratta di una storia leggermente diversa.
Le vicende sono raccontate in prima persona da Sophie (unico punto di vista), la nostra protagonista. Il padre è partito per il fronte e non è più tornato mentre la madre muore quando lei ha tredici anni e proprio in quell'occasione conosce Mr Maldon che non solo paga il funerale ma le trova lavoro come sguattera a Belfield Hall. Lavoro che Sophie accetta. Passano gli anni, Sophie ha 17 anni, continua a pensare al suo benefattore e sogna diventare una ballerina, pur di riuscirci si lascia trascinare in situazioni particolari senza troppo pensare alle conseguenze. Tutto cambia quando arriva il nuovo erede e scopre con immenso stupore che si tratta di...
Devo dire che la storia è intrigante soprattutto all'inizio poi comincia a perdere attrattiva e a sembrare un po' ripetitiva. Nella prima parte viene raccontata la vita di Sophie, dal primo incontro con Mr Maldon, il suo rapporto con gli altri domestici, le sue prime esperienze sessuali, le sue aspirazioni mentre nella seconda parte la nostra Sophie comincia a fare troppo spesso gli stessi ragionamenti (Stiamo insieme. No, non possiamo stare insieme. Ora possiamo stare insieme. No, dobbiamo lasciarci e via di seguito.).
Inoltre, per alcuni aspetti ricorda 50 sfumature di grigio. Per esempio, il protagonista maschile è anch'egli ricco mentre la protagonista femminile è povera, ingenua e vergine, il protagonista ha anch'egli un passato oscuro che lo ha segnato profondamente e questo comporta rapporti non tradizionali con le donne. Lei che riesce a salvarlo con il suo amore.
Mr Maldon è un uomo ferito nel corpo e nell'anima, orgoglioso senza dubbio ma che soffre tanto. E' un uomo buono, coraggioso e fiero. Ad essere sincera non c'è mai stato un momento in cui l'ho odiato. Sophie è una ragazza ingenua ma sinceramente non ho ben capito come sia nato l'amore per quest'uomo. E vogliamo parlare del fatto che abbia gridato ai quattro venti che voleva fare la ballerina e poi si ritrova a fare altro?
Ambientato nel 1920, vengono presentati elementi legati a quell'epoca: il jazz, gli ammodernamenti, l'abbigliamento, l'orrore della guerra e i cambiamenti della società stessa.
Oltre alla storia di passione tra i due protagonisti, non mancano vicende che coinvolgono chi sta vicino a Sophie e nelle quali si ritrova invischiata suo malgrado: gravidanze indesiderate, spaccio di droga, amiche in difficoltà, accuse di furto e tanto altro.
Lo stile è scorrevole (si lascia leggere facilmente e velocemente) e trattandosi di un erotico non mancano le scene più hot (anche f/f). Nonostante l'interessante scelta del periodo storico in cui è ambientata la storia, si poteva fare decisamente di più.
Purtroppo questo volume finisce proprio sul più bello e sembra che il secondo oltre a portare avanti la storia, si soffermi anche sulle vicende di Madeline, la pupilla di Ash (che in questo volume farà una brevissima apparizione).
Cominciamo col dire che la sinossi scelta è fuorviante perché si tratta di una storia leggermente diversa.
Le vicende sono raccontate in prima persona da Sophie (unico punto di vista), la nostra protagonista. Il padre è partito per il fronte e non è più tornato mentre la madre muore quando lei ha tredici anni e proprio in quell'occasione conosce Mr Maldon che non solo paga il funerale ma le trova lavoro come sguattera a Belfield Hall. Lavoro che Sophie accetta. Passano gli anni, Sophie ha 17 anni, continua a pensare al suo benefattore e sogna diventare una ballerina, pur di riuscirci si lascia trascinare in situazioni particolari senza troppo pensare alle conseguenze. Tutto cambia quando arriva il nuovo erede e scopre con immenso stupore che si tratta di...
Devo dire che la storia è intrigante soprattutto all'inizio poi comincia a perdere attrattiva e a sembrare un po' ripetitiva. Nella prima parte viene raccontata la vita di Sophie, dal primo incontro con Mr Maldon, il suo rapporto con gli altri domestici, le sue prime esperienze sessuali, le sue aspirazioni mentre nella seconda parte la nostra Sophie comincia a fare troppo spesso gli stessi ragionamenti (Stiamo insieme. No, non possiamo stare insieme. Ora possiamo stare insieme. No, dobbiamo lasciarci e via di seguito.).
Inoltre, per alcuni aspetti ricorda 50 sfumature di grigio. Per esempio, il protagonista maschile è anch'egli ricco mentre la protagonista femminile è povera, ingenua e vergine, il protagonista ha anch'egli un passato oscuro che lo ha segnato profondamente e questo comporta rapporti non tradizionali con le donne. Lei che riesce a salvarlo con il suo amore.
Mr Maldon è un uomo ferito nel corpo e nell'anima, orgoglioso senza dubbio ma che soffre tanto. E' un uomo buono, coraggioso e fiero. Ad essere sincera non c'è mai stato un momento in cui l'ho odiato. Sophie è una ragazza ingenua ma sinceramente non ho ben capito come sia nato l'amore per quest'uomo. E vogliamo parlare del fatto che abbia gridato ai quattro venti che voleva fare la ballerina e poi si ritrova a fare altro?
Ambientato nel 1920, vengono presentati elementi legati a quell'epoca: il jazz, gli ammodernamenti, l'abbigliamento, l'orrore della guerra e i cambiamenti della società stessa.
Oltre alla storia di passione tra i due protagonisti, non mancano vicende che coinvolgono chi sta vicino a Sophie e nelle quali si ritrova invischiata suo malgrado: gravidanze indesiderate, spaccio di droga, amiche in difficoltà, accuse di furto e tanto altro.
Lo stile è scorrevole (si lascia leggere facilmente e velocemente) e trattandosi di un erotico non mancano le scene più hot (anche f/f). Nonostante l'interessante scelta del periodo storico in cui è ambientata la storia, si poteva fare decisamente di più.
August 21, 2015
Per una volta cammino indietro come i gamberi... dopo aver letto "Tu sei il mio desiderio" faccio un passo indietro tornando ai fatti precedenti la storia di Madeline e del suo Nathan. Così dopo aver scoperto del matrimonio del Duca Ash e della sua Sophie in "Tu sei mia" conosciamo quella che è stata la nascita e l'evoluzione della loro storia d'amore... anche se....
Sophie Davis è rimasta sola al mondo... la madre è morta improvvisamente e il padre non è più tornato dalla guerra.
Quello che la tiene in vita e al sicuro è la promessa di Mr. Maldon. Un uomo che durante gli ultimi istanti di vita di sua madre si è comportato con lei in maniera protettiva e affettuosa, promettendole un posto sicuro e un lavoro dignitoso che la aiuti a vivere. Inizia così la nuova vita di Sophie, cameriera a Belfield Hall, una tenuta di proprietà di un duca. La vita alla tenuta si rivela abbastanza ardua, Sophie non viene tenuta molto in considerazione dal resto della servitù ma nonostante ciò stringe una sincera amicizia con la giovane Nell. L'unica cosa che la spinge a stringere i denti e ad andare avanti è la relazione epistolare che intrattiene con Mr Maldon, mantenendo così la promessa fatta anni prima. Le sue lettere sono sempre affettuose e raccontano la vita alla tenuta, le sue nuove manzioni e i suoi pensieri. Ma la giovane Sophie ha anche una vera e propria passione: il ballo. Durante le feste organizzate dalla duchessa si ritrova a guardare sognante la vita di quelle persone ricche e facoltose e mentre il giradischi suona le canzoni più famose, si ritrova a ballare i passi ispirati dalla musica e a cantarne i motivetti. Ma un giorno dal fronte arriva la notizia della morte di lord Charwoold e l'intera Belfield Hall si veste a lutto, il duca e la moglie sono inconsolabili, anche perchè il loro figlio era l'unico erede del ducato e la sua morte rimette tutto in gioco. Ben presto si scopre che il fratello del duca ha avuto un figlio: il giovane lord Edwin, un ragazzino totalmente inconsapevole del ruolo che ha ereditato, ruolo che ahimè lo porta ad una morte precoce.
Passato il periodo di lutto, Belfield Hall, riapre i suoi salotti alle feste e al divertimento. Tra i nuovi arrivi c'è Lady Beatrice, la vedova del defunto Lord Charwoold, che contro ogni buon senso non sembra essere minimamente toccata dal lutto, anzi intrattiene incontri sessuali nelle sue stanze private.
Ed è proprio ad uno di questi incontri che Sophie si ritrova inconsapevolmente spettatrice furtiva. La ragazza, nuova a questo genere di vita, si ritrova ammaliata da Lady Beatrice: adora i suoi vestiti, il suo stile di vita e vede in lei l'occasione perfetta per fuggire dalla vita a Belfield Hall e far avverare il suo sogno di diventare una ballerina di fila. Ma i piani di Lady Beatrice non sono del tutto onesti e caritatevoli, perchè da quando è rimasta vedova, l'unica cosa che desidera è accalappiare il nuovo duca in un matrimonio. In tutto questo Sophie ha un ruolo quasi chiave, istruita a dovere da Lady Beatrice, l'innocente Sophie viene catapultata in un mondo fatto di lussuria ed erotismo solo con lo scopo di diventare un regalo prezioso per il nuovo duca.
Col passare dei giorni anche la salute del vecchio duca di Belfield si aggrava e in pochi giorni muore, affrettando così la nomina del successore, che in poche settimane arriva alla tenuta. L'arrivo del nuovo duca si rivelerà parecchio interessante soprattutto per Sophie... che si ritroverà davanti proprio l'ultima persona da lei immaginata. Come si metteranno le cosa da quel momento in avanti? Riuscirà Sophie a lasciare la strettissima Belfields Hall e diventare la ballerina che ha sempre sognato d'essere?
E' la prima volta che sono davvero contenta di aver fatto un errore di lettura... aver letto prima il 2° volume e poi il 1° mi ha risparmiato settimane e settimane di anatemi alla scrittrice... come si può concludere un libro in questo modo? Un finale apertissimo che ti fa pensare a qualsiasi cosa... dalla più assurda alla più catastrofica... ok c'è stato una specie di riscatto morale e sociale per la protagonista, anche se inconcludente ai fini della storia ma avrei preferito diversamente... magari qualcosa che lasciasse un po' meno quel retrogusto amaro che i finali aperti irrimediabilmente lasciano.
Ho trovato l'intera lettura abbastanza inconcludente e a tratti noiosetta e scontata... ho apprezzato di più il 2° volume, più completo e dettagliato a mio parere.
Anche nelle scene erotiche ho trovato una differenza sostanziale, alcune mi sono sembrate quasi forzate. Il suo legarla e bendarla mi riporta al moderno Christian Grey che come Ash non voleva essere toccato per via del suo passato tormentato, solo che qui abbiamo pure il lato visivo a rincarare la dose, si può trattare il tema della sottomessa e del dominatore anche discostandosi da alcuni clichè... mi meraviglio come quelle poche recensioni che ho letto non abbiano accennato a questo piccolo ma significante requesito, visto che ormai quello di paragonare le sfumature della James è diventato un vero e proprio must.
Altra cosa che ho trovato un po' paradossale è la totale incoerenza di Sophie... ama Mr Maldon... sogna una vita con lui... però appena scopre chi è scappa... ma ovviamente dopo essersi concessa... se non ti reputi all'altezza di un duca dovresti mantenere la coerenza di non averci niente a che fare a priori... invece lei parla di amore... gli si riconcede e alla prima turbolenza lo riabbandona... per non parlare delle cavolate che combina nel frattempo...
Se avessi letto questo per prima non avrei nemmeno pensato di aprire il 2 volume... perchè è come se fosse stato scritto da 2 persone diverse... di solito con i seguiti ti ritrovi a dire eeeh il rpimo amore non si scorda mai... forse si faceva prima a lasciare tutto come stava, ma con "Tu sei mia" posso dire benedetto sia il seguito... e conoscendo l'epilogo della storia tra Ash e Sophie viene da chiedersi... non poteva fare un epilogo e chiudere li la storia? Tanto a conti fatti il loro epilogo è stato inserito sempre in un epilogo.
I vari personaggi visti singolarmente lasciano un po' a desiderare... e ci si ritrova a trovare il villain, e cioè Lady Beatrice, quasi più strutturato del personaggio principale, per lo meno a carattere è più decisa e coerente con quello che fa e dimostra d'essere. Sophie invece vuole essere una donna emancipata e di carattere fiero, ma sono più le volte che cede all'incoerenza che quelle in cui sostiene le battaglie che vuole combattere... dice una cosa e nel rigo dopo fa l'esatto opposto... portando chi legge a chiudere e a fare qualcos'altro... Ash cerca di apparire come il principe azzurro della favola, salva la madre della ragazzina le promette una vita decente ma alla fine si rivela una copia mal riuscita. Altra enorme delusione!
Vado a concludere, anche se ci sarebbe dell'altro da aggiungere... ma lascio a voi il giudizio finale... che fortunatamente non sempre coincide con quello personale.
A mio modesto parere 2 stelline e 1/2 è quanto di più coerente io possa assegnare per questo romanzo che tanto promette e poco mantiene.
«T u e io... non è possibile. Lo sai benissimo che non è possibile.»
Lui si avvicinò ancora. Mi abbracciò, mi strinse a sé e disse: «Mi hai promesso devozione nelle tue lettere, ricordi?».
“Oh, adesso più che mai.” «Sì», sospirai, «certo che me ne ricordo, ogni singola parola.»
«Allora vieni con me. Stai con me.»
Sophie Davis è rimasta sola al mondo... la madre è morta improvvisamente e il padre non è più tornato dalla guerra.
Quello che la tiene in vita e al sicuro è la promessa di Mr. Maldon. Un uomo che durante gli ultimi istanti di vita di sua madre si è comportato con lei in maniera protettiva e affettuosa, promettendole un posto sicuro e un lavoro dignitoso che la aiuti a vivere. Inizia così la nuova vita di Sophie, cameriera a Belfield Hall, una tenuta di proprietà di un duca. La vita alla tenuta si rivela abbastanza ardua, Sophie non viene tenuta molto in considerazione dal resto della servitù ma nonostante ciò stringe una sincera amicizia con la giovane Nell. L'unica cosa che la spinge a stringere i denti e ad andare avanti è la relazione epistolare che intrattiene con Mr Maldon, mantenendo così la promessa fatta anni prima. Le sue lettere sono sempre affettuose e raccontano la vita alla tenuta, le sue nuove manzioni e i suoi pensieri. Ma la giovane Sophie ha anche una vera e propria passione: il ballo. Durante le feste organizzate dalla duchessa si ritrova a guardare sognante la vita di quelle persone ricche e facoltose e mentre il giradischi suona le canzoni più famose, si ritrova a ballare i passi ispirati dalla musica e a cantarne i motivetti. Ma un giorno dal fronte arriva la notizia della morte di lord Charwoold e l'intera Belfield Hall si veste a lutto, il duca e la moglie sono inconsolabili, anche perchè il loro figlio era l'unico erede del ducato e la sua morte rimette tutto in gioco. Ben presto si scopre che il fratello del duca ha avuto un figlio: il giovane lord Edwin, un ragazzino totalmente inconsapevole del ruolo che ha ereditato, ruolo che ahimè lo porta ad una morte precoce.
Passato il periodo di lutto, Belfield Hall, riapre i suoi salotti alle feste e al divertimento. Tra i nuovi arrivi c'è Lady Beatrice, la vedova del defunto Lord Charwoold, che contro ogni buon senso non sembra essere minimamente toccata dal lutto, anzi intrattiene incontri sessuali nelle sue stanze private.
Ed è proprio ad uno di questi incontri che Sophie si ritrova inconsapevolmente spettatrice furtiva. La ragazza, nuova a questo genere di vita, si ritrova ammaliata da Lady Beatrice: adora i suoi vestiti, il suo stile di vita e vede in lei l'occasione perfetta per fuggire dalla vita a Belfield Hall e far avverare il suo sogno di diventare una ballerina di fila. Ma i piani di Lady Beatrice non sono del tutto onesti e caritatevoli, perchè da quando è rimasta vedova, l'unica cosa che desidera è accalappiare il nuovo duca in un matrimonio. In tutto questo Sophie ha un ruolo quasi chiave, istruita a dovere da Lady Beatrice, l'innocente Sophie viene catapultata in un mondo fatto di lussuria ed erotismo solo con lo scopo di diventare un regalo prezioso per il nuovo duca.
Col passare dei giorni anche la salute del vecchio duca di Belfield si aggrava e in pochi giorni muore, affrettando così la nomina del successore, che in poche settimane arriva alla tenuta. L'arrivo del nuovo duca si rivelerà parecchio interessante soprattutto per Sophie... che si ritroverà davanti proprio l'ultima persona da lei immaginata. Come si metteranno le cosa da quel momento in avanti? Riuscirà Sophie a lasciare la strettissima Belfields Hall e diventare la ballerina che ha sempre sognato d'essere?
«Ash è una follia, è sempre stata una follia. Io non vado bene per te, non vado bene affatto... tu hai tutto quello che desideri, hai la tua ereditiera. Vuoi deciderti a lasciarmi in pace, per l’amor del cielo?»
Lui mi baciava sempre più forte. Senza gentilezza, senza tenerezza, era un bacio di possesso.
«T u sei mia», disse con lo sguardo stralunato.
E' la prima volta che sono davvero contenta di aver fatto un errore di lettura... aver letto prima il 2° volume e poi il 1° mi ha risparmiato settimane e settimane di anatemi alla scrittrice... come si può concludere un libro in questo modo? Un finale apertissimo che ti fa pensare a qualsiasi cosa... dalla più assurda alla più catastrofica... ok c'è stato una specie di riscatto morale e sociale per la protagonista, anche se inconcludente ai fini della storia ma avrei preferito diversamente... magari qualcosa che lasciasse un po' meno quel retrogusto amaro che i finali aperti irrimediabilmente lasciano.
Ho trovato l'intera lettura abbastanza inconcludente e a tratti noiosetta e scontata... ho apprezzato di più il 2° volume, più completo e dettagliato a mio parere.
Anche nelle scene erotiche ho trovato una differenza sostanziale, alcune mi sono sembrate quasi forzate. Il suo legarla e bendarla mi riporta al moderno Christian Grey che come Ash non voleva essere toccato per via del suo passato tormentato, solo che qui abbiamo pure il lato visivo a rincarare la dose, si può trattare il tema della sottomessa e del dominatore anche discostandosi da alcuni clichè... mi meraviglio come quelle poche recensioni che ho letto non abbiano accennato a questo piccolo ma significante requesito, visto che ormai quello di paragonare le sfumature della James è diventato un vero e proprio must.
Altra cosa che ho trovato un po' paradossale è la totale incoerenza di Sophie... ama Mr Maldon... sogna una vita con lui... però appena scopre chi è scappa... ma ovviamente dopo essersi concessa... se non ti reputi all'altezza di un duca dovresti mantenere la coerenza di non averci niente a che fare a priori... invece lei parla di amore... gli si riconcede e alla prima turbolenza lo riabbandona... per non parlare delle cavolate che combina nel frattempo...
Se avessi letto questo per prima non avrei nemmeno pensato di aprire il 2 volume... perchè è come se fosse stato scritto da 2 persone diverse... di solito con i seguiti ti ritrovi a dire eeeh il rpimo amore non si scorda mai... forse si faceva prima a lasciare tutto come stava, ma con "Tu sei mia" posso dire benedetto sia il seguito... e conoscendo l'epilogo della storia tra Ash e Sophie viene da chiedersi... non poteva fare un epilogo e chiudere li la storia? Tanto a conti fatti il loro epilogo è stato inserito sempre in un epilogo.
I vari personaggi visti singolarmente lasciano un po' a desiderare... e ci si ritrova a trovare il villain, e cioè Lady Beatrice, quasi più strutturato del personaggio principale, per lo meno a carattere è più decisa e coerente con quello che fa e dimostra d'essere. Sophie invece vuole essere una donna emancipata e di carattere fiero, ma sono più le volte che cede all'incoerenza che quelle in cui sostiene le battaglie che vuole combattere... dice una cosa e nel rigo dopo fa l'esatto opposto... portando chi legge a chiudere e a fare qualcos'altro... Ash cerca di apparire come il principe azzurro della favola, salva la madre della ragazzina le promette una vita decente ma alla fine si rivela una copia mal riuscita. Altra enorme delusione!
Vado a concludere, anche se ci sarebbe dell'altro da aggiungere... ma lascio a voi il giudizio finale... che fortunatamente non sempre coincide con quello personale.
A mio modesto parere 2 stelline e 1/2 è quanto di più coerente io possa assegnare per questo romanzo che tanto promette e poco mantiene.
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