Lessons of Desire

Rothwell Brothers #2

by Madeline Hunter

Handsome, suave, and carnal as the devil, Lord Elliot Rothwell awaits readers in Lessons of Desire, bestselling author Madeline Hunter’s latest book in the Rothwell series and her most provocative novel to date. A man used to getting what he wants, Elliot is every woman’s most secret fantasy in the living flesh.

He first appears beneath her prison window as her savior—a sinfully attractive man whose charm and connections have ensured her release from an unjust arrest. But author and publisher Phaedra Blair quickly learns that the price of her “freedom” is to be virtually bound to her irresistible rescuer. For Elliot Rothwell didn’t come solely on a mission of goodwill. He came to extract a promise that Phaedra won’t publish a slanderous manuscript that could destroy his family’s name, and he’s not above bribery, threats, or bedding her to get his way. And with each erotic encounter raising the stakes between them, Elliot discovers he’s ever more reluctant to lose this sensual game…or the one woman who’s every bit his match.

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

367 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Madeline Hunter is a nationally bestselling author of historical romances who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. Her books have won two RITA awards and seven nominations, and have had three starred reviews in Publishers Weekly. In a parallel existence to the one she enjoys as a novelist, Madeline has a Ph.D. in art history and teaches at an East Coast university.

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4 stars. Another enjoyable read in the Rothwell series. I really like the Rothwell brothers.

I admit I did struggle a bit with parts of this book. Until about 2/3 of the way through, it was set in Italy. The exotic (to the characters) setting was fine. Interesting and a bit different from your usual HR. There were a couple of scenes I found a bit ridiculous/ a bit hard to believe, though.

But I did persist, as I had liked the first book in the series, and I'm glad I stayed the course, because the story really picked up again. After that slightly far-fetched section, the story became more real and believable again, and I really liked the arc of character development of both Phaedra and Elliott.

I didn't think I'd enjoy a character such as Phaedra. She seemed a little too hard and independent to accept a long-lasting and deep relationship with Elliott. I did become a little impatient with her at times actually, but overall I think Hunter did a decent job of allowing us to see inside her head, to see what drove her. Sadly, Phaedra's mother had some immature and not fully developed views on life, and the younger Phaedra probably suffered as a result of her mother's extreme views. But Phaedra still loved her mother and was able to understand and forgive. Their complex relationship was slowly and carefully revealed, and it was quite believable.

The mystery of the possibly fake Pompeiian artefacts added a side serve of interest to the plot line, as did the unravelling secrets of Elliot's father's past. The resolution was well done.

Overall, a very good read.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up based on quality of the writing

A man who has committed a crime needs to cover his tracks, even if he made them while wearing the best shoes that money can buy.

If only the rest of the book had lived up to that opening sentence. And maybe it did, although not in a way that I personally enjoyed.

What I enjoyed least was the FMC, Phaedra. Phaedra was the illegitimate daughter of two intellectuals, raised by an infamous bohemian mother who thumbed her nose at societal restrictions of the time, wrote pamphlets against marriage and railed against the laws that made women property of their husbands, and espoused free love. Phaedra followed her mother’s lifestyle, living independently since the age of 16 and wearing eccentric clothing and taking lovers and scorning society. Her father recently passed away, obtaining her promise to have his memoirs published, memoirs containing explosive revelations about the parents of Lord Elliot Rothwell, who is tasked by his older brother to steal the manuscript or get the scandalous revelations expunged by any means necessary.

Neither Phaedra nor Elliot can deny the desire between them, but both want the upper hand and the reader is treated to a relationship dynamic characterized by too much intransigence and too much calculation. Elliot wants control, Phaedra doesn’t want to be controlled, either by Elliot or society’s expectations.

I got really tired of the power struggle between these two and Phaedra’s endless diatribes against gender injustice. She wasn’t wrong, but I was here for a romance, not a protracted treatise on gender politics of the early 1800’s.

Elliot softens and compromises.

Phaedra doesn’t. She appreciates Elliot’s intelligence, she admires his aura of power and his physical presence, she desires him sexually, she craves his company, and she even eventually realizes she loves him. But she wants him on her terms or not at all.

Where’s the love in that?

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book a 3.5 stars. I found this story got better half way through.
I liked both Elliot and Phaedra. But Phaedra did get on my nerves at times. She needed to make her own opinions, instead of her mother’s .

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

⤅ Hunter is good at writing heroines who grapple believably with their love for the hero and their moral principles, without compromising either.

Proto-feminist Phaedra Blair is the illegitimate daughter of an MP and a bluestocking. She lives life on her own, independent terms, but when she's placed under house arrest during a trip to Italy, it's staid historian Lord Elliot Rothwell who comes to her rescue - by announcing she's under his protection.

Too bad he has ulterior motives. Phaedra's dead father wanted her to publish his memoirs, which don't exactly paint a positive picture of Elliot's similarly deceased pater. She won't accept money to expurgate the line, but she will if he brings her proof that her father was lying. Cue a trek around Italy to try and uncover the evidence.

I generally think of Hunter's writing as quite dry, so it's a surprise to me that she manages to render Italy so beautifully. The village, the mountains, the seaside view... all of them were described beautifully.

Phaedra is also a fascinating heroine. Hunter doesn't do what some, less accurate, HR authors do when they want to write 'independent' heroines, and pretend that there would be no social consequences for Phaedra's freedom. She's frequently snubbed, cut, and isolated from her fellow countrymen, which is the price she pays for living alone and having lovers. I'm glad this wasn't glossed over (although Hunter does proceed to gloss over how even marriage to a marquess's younger son wouldn't necessarily redeem her). And her ultimate decision regarding Elliot v her father made sense, and didn't feel like it had come too soon.

Elliot isn't bad, although he definitely pales into significance beside her. I liked that he has clear hobbies which are distinct from his obsession with Phaedra, and I'm absolutely not opposed to one of my darker heroes calling the heroine a 'bitch' for rejecting his advances. But he does feel a little flat at times and is probably the biggest reason I rounded down from 3.5 stars.

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeline Hunter is an author that is new to this reader. I stumbled across Lessons of Desire (Rothwell #2) and decided to take advantage of the audiobook. Starting in the audiobook did not prove well, so I decided to read the story and glad that I made the switch. This was a most enjoyable and well-written story. Although it dragged in a few places, it picked up well and I was very engrossed in finishing it. I loved the H/h and how their relationship was not rushed and made it more realistic.

I did not care too much for Phaedra's mother and her views that had an affect on her views as a little girl. Overcoming the shortcomings and learning to forgive made the heroine and it shown in her independence and maturity. Loved both characters and the HEA.

This is one that I recommend. However as I started on book 2...I definitely need to read book 1 and others in this series. Like this author but the narration by Jill Tanner, new narrator also to this reader was not effective. The reading was too pausy, i.e. slow and paused much between sentences that made me switch to reading the book.

5-Stars

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dropped this a star, but mostly I am not sure where I sit with this Reread. I like that it’s unique. Not really similar to any other HR. I like the locales and the cultural obstacles. Phaedra is the child of a Mary Wolstencraft-type character, so she has unique views/perspectives that were supported by her upbringing. I had some lengthy gaps in between listening so was often a bit of confusion/reorientation needed. Not really the book’s fault, but makes it hard to judge how I found it this time.

[Missy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew going into this book that I wasn’t going to enjoy it. The hero trying to convince the heroine to not publish her father’s memoirs to save the hero’s family name just doesn’t ring romance for me. The heroine is also investigating some mystery about her deceased mother that has to do with a cameo. I’m not entirely sure why it was so important to her to find the man who gave her mother the cameo because I lost interest in the book and began fast forwarding through the audiobook and listening at twice the speed. In the end, there was no confrontation with the man and the resolution mostly occurred off page and just summarized for the reader.

I’m beginning to tire of heroines in HR who refuse to marry because they will become their husbands’ property. Even though that is historically accurate, it’s still frustrating to read such stubbornness. It takes the enjoyment of reading a romance out.

This heroine is too eccentric for me and for the people she encounters in the book. She doesn’t follow society rules by wearing loose clothes and her hair down. She travels without a maid. She visited another country (Italy, I believe) and is imprisoned for the things she says. She visits another city in Italy and the men accuse her of being a witch. Both times the hero has to rescue her. I couldn’t connect with her. It took me a while to understand that her “friends” are men she slept with, who probably shared the same views as she did about “free love.” She learned about free love from her mother, which makes me wonder if she is just following her mother’s footsteps to feel a connection to her.

I don’t have anything to say about the hero. I still enjoy reading the interactions between the Rothwell brothers even though this time, it’s to discuss the memoir that could ruin their family name.

This was almost a DNF but since it was the last book I needed to read in the series, I didn’t completely gave up, just skimmed through it, particularly when it was dragging. I find that I don’t enjoy reading books written by Madeline Hunter, so I may have to cross her off my reading list. Her medieval romances are slightly more interesting. Just a little bit.

[Celia {Hiatus until August} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei, mas...
Talvez o livro mais fraco de Madeline Hunter que li até hoje.
Adorei o primeiro, este...
Nem por isso...
3,5 ⭐️ fiquei indecisa e estava a pensar em 3 ⭐️ mas acabei por optar por 4 ⭐️
Lê-se bem, não se devora. Faltou qualquer coisa...

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - I finally finished the June BOTM! The book started off at about 1 star. The hero thought of the heroine as a Bitch because she would not have sex with him the first time he tried to seduce her. She thought she was independent but couldn't keep herself out of trouble two weeks in a row. It's a wonder she survived to whatever her adult age was! Fortunately, the story got better in the last half. I am WAY in the minority in this. Most everyone really likes this book. I just think the author is not for me. I rated the only other book I have read by her 3 stars, and I can't remember a thing about it.

[Célia Loureiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

ENG

Is it me or is it Madeline Hunter? It's probably her. I've read a bunch of books she've written and not all are good. Take “By Arrangement”, for instance... it made me shiver at times. Take “The Sins of Lord Easterbrook”... made me yawn all time. What about this Lessons of Desire?
So you may already know Phaedra Blair from previous books around this Rothwell family. Phaedra is a feminist and she believes in free love - which means, she doesn't want to get attached and she abominates marriage. Elliot isn't exactly a rogue - at least God bless Madeline for that, her books aren't about scoundrel's that need to be redeemed. He's a quite adequate man, quite handsome and charming. But then, from the beginning... he wants her far more than she seems to want him.
What I think is that Madeline wrote more than 300 pages that could be easily compressed into 100. The characters were presented; their plot was always the same. Little surprise, little emotion. A little bit of cliché in the end...
Hope the next novel I'll read from her turns out better, or I'll consider that she spent all her talent in the Rules of Seduction and By Arrangement which are, from far, her better.
---------------
PT

É de mim ou é da Madeline Hunter? É mais provável que seja dela. Já li uma série de livros escritos por ela e nem todos são bons. “Casamento de Conveniência”, por exemplo… fez-me estremcer às vezes. “Os Pecados de Lorde Easterbrook?” Fez-me bocejar o tempo todo. E quanto a este “Lições de Desejo?” Portanto, já conhecemos a Phaedra Blair dos livros anteriores em torno da família Rothwell. A Phaedra é uma feminista que acredita no amor livre – o que significa que não quer ligar-se e abomina o casamento. O Elliot não é bem um libertino – ao menos isso, os livros dela não são só sobre desavergonhados que precisam de se redimir. Ele é um homem adequado, bem-parecido e charmoso. Mas então, desde o início… Ele está muito mais interessado nela do que ela nele. O que acho é que o que a Madeline escreveu nestas 300 páginas teria sido facilmente comprimido em 100. As personagens são apresentadas e o enredo nunca sai do mesmo. Poucas surpresas, pouca emoção. Uns quantos clichés atirados para o final. Espero que o próximo romance saia melhor, ou vou considerar que ela despejou todo o talento que tinha em “As Regras da Sedução” e “Casamento de Conveniência” que são, de longe, bem melhores.

[EmpK · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a disappointment this book is. When I read the cover blurb, I was so excited! A bluestocking who isn't strident. A marquess' third son who is a writer and seemingly more open-minded than his more rigid brothers.

Unfortunately the gap between my expectations and reality was yawning.

Plot in a paragraph: Elliot is trying to stop publisher Phaedra from publishing her famous father's memoirs, which include some salacious gossip about his father. Meanwhile, Phaedra is trying to unravel the last days of her late mother's life, which were worsened thanks to her lover. The book goes from England to Italy to England again, and involves  family secrets, stolen antiquities, and lots of book writing.

The characterization of Elliot confused me. In the previous book, Rules of Seduction, he came off as smart, kind and friendly. Here he spends the first 70 percent of the book being dominating to the point of humiliating in the bedroom, cold, alpha-holeish. Yes, he rescues her from scraps multiple times, and he's sexually attracted to her... but I wasn't feeling it. His treatment of her felt almost humiliating to me. The sex seemed focused on dominance, possession, ownership... not in a BDSM way, but in an emotionally controlling way. It was as if he was trying to prove to her that he owned her or possessed her, as opposed to pleasuring her for pleasure's sake. Then he spends the last 30 percent being noble to a fault.

Missed opportunity of a book, because these characters are initially framed as intelligent, intellectually curious people. She's a free thinker descended from two highly intellectual parents. He's a a third son of a marquess renowned for his writing on life in ancient Greece or Rome. The conversations could have been so much engaging, challenging and playful. Instead it felt like Eliot had a constant desire to either dominate or protect Phaedra, while she is alternatively submissive or defiant.  

I liked Phaedra for the most part. She's a free thinker who is opposed to marriage, and her reasons make sense. She also is a live and let live sort of person-- she has no desire to convince other women to act as she does. She holds her own with Elliot for the most part, inspite of his jealousy, his desire to dominate and possess. Toward the end of the book, however, her reasons for holding back on Elliot seem muddled. Her ideas are founded so much on what she thinks she understands of her mother's beliefs. In fact, much of that doesn't weather well under scrutiny, as her friend Alexia (heroine from previous book) explains to her.

Anyway, it's a romance novel, so happy ending, etc etc. But it wasn't a particularly satisfying book. One of the rare instances where I disliked the book because I didn't like the "hero."

[T. Rosado · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

This book started out as a disappointment, but it's finish was much stronger. I loved Elliott from the previous book, but his characterization was different than I had expected in this one and I didn't care for it. At least, initially. I also found the first half or more of the book a bit confusing and that alone made the story drag a bit. There were many characters introduced throughout the first half when Elliott and Phaedra were in Italy and I found it hard to keep track. Had I known there would be a strong mystery element, I might have tried harder to remember who's who. The author did tie it together nicely by the end.

The second half moves at a livelier pace after Elliott and Phaedra are back in England. The romance felt more authentic and I liked that there weren't any dramatic reactions to the their conflicts. Both Elliott and Phaedra acted like mature adults and treated each other respectfully.

Audiobook comments: I mostly listened to the story on audio with intermittent reading and I've decided that I'm not a big fan of Jill Tanner as a narrator. The dialogue was consistently and overly formal, even for a Georgian/Regency HR. It made the informal scenes sound awkward. It's similar to how I feel about the narrator Justine Eyre. I know J.E. is popular, but her narration never indicates a shift to the more sensitive, romantic, and passionate scenes. She doesn't change in tone or cadence. Like Justine Eyre, I'll be avoiding Jill Tanner in the future.

[Darbella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phaedra and Elliott. This is a well written story that I just could not get into. To me, the story was really slow in parts even though there was intrigue to solve. Due to the story dragging for me I kept selecting other books to read in between slump spots.

[Blackjack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons of Desire, Madeline Hunter (A-) - Disliked the title but greatly enjoyed the book, which was nice because I have had contradictory feelings about Hunter's books. I liked The Arrangement but found myself somewhat emotionally distant from it, and I did not care much for Dangerous in Diamonds. I think this is a good example of why it can be rewarding though to continue on with an author, as Hunter is a writer that produces a wide range of quality (for me, at least). Lessons in Desire was emotionally engaging and had two wonderful protagonists in Elliot and Phaedra (great name for a woman!). This novel though is also very interesting intellectually as the conflict at the heart of the novel and the romance itself concerns feminism and whether women lose too much of themselves in the institution of marriage. I sympathized greatly with Phaedra, a product of Bohemian parents and a mother, in particular, who embraced the free love philosophy, for good and bad. Phaedra idolizes her mother and believes that feminism requires renouncing marriage as a form of ownership. There is much truth to many of the ideas here concerning the loss of women's property rights in 19th-century marriage as well as the loss of sexual equality for women in general in marriage, as studies still show today that once couples marry they tend to adopt more conservative gender roles.

Does "HEA" require marriage or can it be defined more loosely as devotion outside of legality? I'm on the fence on this issue in my own personal life. So, I sympathized with Phaedra's dilemma when she falls in love and must confront on an emotional level what it means to love someone but reject the concept of ownership and all that it means: demands for fidelity as opposed to giving fidelity freely. Hunter is dead-on here in her history of the 19th-century free love debates, and I love her historical depth in this novel. I love Elliot too, who bears the burden of being the conventional partner, steeped in aristocracy as well as holding fairly conventional beliefs about marriage and gender roles. He too must confront patriarchal ideals to understand himself better, and in order to become the lifelong partner Phaedra needs. This is one romance where the two protagonists mature, develop, and change over the course of the novel, and I appreciate that kind of hard character work Hunter puts in here. The ending surprised me and may be a bit more ambivalent than will satisfy some. Perhaps a slight tick off the grade only because I thought more than felt at times, but nonetheless, I loved it, and I feel encouraged to read more of Madeline Hunter's backlist.

[Alina Acevlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't appreciate Phaedra's character. Many don't get it and me too.. She's a like a whore but refuse to acknowledge it or a level above a whore since she choose her friends.. I don't think she deserves Elliot. Many scenes happened in Italy and it's like an affair at the moment only as they were far from home. She was portrayed as independent and has her own mind but she just continuously follow her mother's steps which I think is foolish. I dunno, maybe I am very similar to those characters in the story who find her extremely eccentric.. I don't enjoy her views, no realization came to me while she explains her beliefs.. If she truly is a woman with her own mind she should at least know the benefits of marriage but she was just scared someone will own her and use power on her to limit her actions and lifestyle..

One thing I realized, her mother just deprived her of having a different future to have better standing in the society and she wants that too to her future children. Kinda selfish for me because I know all people wants the best for their children.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The h is stubborn, and stupidly idealistic. The intellgient H still fell in love with, although he saw her naivety. He tried to protect her but I found her very frustrating. Good book, the H deserved better.

[Tempo de Ler · Rating 2 out of 5]

A história já uma vez provara que o amor era uma emoção perigosa para os homens Rothwell

Muito resumidamente: o enredo de Lições de Desejo não foi suficiente para prender o meu interesse e o desenvolvimento do romance entre Phaedra e Elliot revelou-se enfadonhamente repetitivo e previsível.

Algumas referências/curiosidades históricas pareceram-me mal colocadas, surgindo do nada…se é verdade que gosto da presença de detalhes nestes livros, também é verdade que aprecio uma boa dose de coerência. De minha parte, tento sempre avaliar um livro tendo em conta o seu género e subgénero, tornando-se impossível não o comparar com outros livros que li do mesmo tipo, assim sendo: já li livros semelhantes muito melhores, mais bem trabalhados, com bastante mais conteúdo e muito mais interessantes...incluindo da própria Madeline Hunter.

Não gostei do par protagonista, especialmente por o carácter de Phaedra ser descrito como extremamente resoluto e acabamos depois por verificar que ela é bastante influenciável, primeiro pela mãe e mais tarde por Alexia e Elliot. Phaedra adquiriu um comportamento e uma filosofia de vida apenas porque lhe foi assim incutido pela mãe, sem qualquer ponto de referência de experiência pessoal no qual apoiar as suas opções.

Além disso, irritou-me o facto de tanto Phaedra e Elliot serem caracterizados com uma amplitude intelectual que depois não se concretiza nos pontos mais básicos...

[Judi Lacanlale · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was so slow I had almost put it down but the middle and towards the end made it worth while. The heroine, Phaedra Blair is so unrealistic in Regency era because of her feminist and modern day ideas that I just couldn't wrap myself around it. Besides that, I found her annoying & stupid, so it was hard to root for someone like her. The things she said and did just infuriated me and for the life of me did not, could not believe that anyone would fall for her especially the intelligent Lord Elliott. He also annoyed me just tiny bit with the way he spoke about her or even on his head (he had actually called her a bitch) although only on his thoughts it was still unlike any hero I've ever heard of. Not romantic at all. But as it progressed and they became more intimate in body and mind, then they started warming up to me enough to finish the book. I also skipped the first book, I will go back to it but right now I'm on book 3 and it's so much better than this one...something to look forward to!

[Diane Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult review to write because I have conflicting opinions about Lesson of Desire. The writing was excellent. The characters were well drawn and the plot was interesting. Phaedra Blair was an unusual and complex heroine. The best I can describe her is a feminist hippie (set in the Regency era). Her mother was an intelligent, eccentric woman and Phaedra was raised in an unconventional way. She is fiercely independent and a non-conformist. Elliott, on the other hand, was a fairly conventional younger son with a few messy family issues. For most of the book I was not really sure that they even LIKED each other. Oh, yes, there was plenty of sexually attraction and action, but their relationship always had an edge of anger and distrust. To the author's credit I really believed that they loved each by the end, but I'm just not sure how they got there. Overall, an interesting book, but not one that I related to on a deep level.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about nothing. The heroine tries to be progressive and comes off annoying. Stuff happens, most of it ridiculous or boring. The few times it gets close to being good, the author hits the brakes.

Sigh...it almost had promise.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais um romance de época bem inglês e fofinho.

Um aspeto que adorei neste livro, foram as viagens (pois a ação ocorre maioritariamente em Itália e pouco da Grécia, sendo que o foco principal não ocorre em Inglaterra) - é bom ver outros locais nesta época, conhecer os costumes, tudo...
Também a parte dos segredos - quer do passado dos pais da Phaedra quer do pai do Elliot, foi bastante interessante de conhecer - pois moldou as decisões deles e deu o mote para todo o livro.

Adorei a Phaedra, que força da natureza, quer seja na época quer seja atualmente - bolas ela tem carácter e é teimosa... Mas adoro a forma como é retratada, não se deixa dominar pelos ideais da sociedade; acredita que pode ser mais do que o mundo quer que seja e quer fazer tudo para o provar.

O Elliot é bastante galante e nota-se que não quer fazer nada de errado, ou seja, quer fazer sempre o correto quer seja para com a sua família, quer para com a Phaedra.

Gostei do modo como a relação deles evoluiu - não foi apressada, foi tudo muito natural e fez sentido.
Recomendo.

[jaxnsmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I was in the right mood when I read it.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.
MH is a NTM author and this being my first book, I wasn't sure what to expect. In reading the back of the book I expected a regular regency type historical romance. But it was really alot more than that. MH's writing was a bit uneven to me, in that at times her writing was very lush and descriptive and at other times she left me wanting to have a better description of what was taking place. (the love scenes could have used a bit more of this and sometimes the wording used was odd.) The kissing scenes were usually hot.

Phaedra was raised as a modern thinking woman, who supported free love and that she was equal to any man. Now being that this book takes place around the 1830s, that kind of idealism doesn't go well with ton thinking. So Phaedra is of course an outcast to society. She handles this distinction by keeping one girl-friend and the rest are male friends w/benefits if you know what I mean. After all what is the use of being a believer in free love if you aren't going to practice it.

Elliot is not a free thinker, in fact he is in fact one of those neanderthal men who think they own a woman and are completely responsible for her happiness. At least that is what Phaedra thinks. He is the brother of the man that Phaedra's friend just married. Phaedra has some memoirs that could make their dead dad look very bad. Elliot and his family wants her to remove the passage.

So Elliot sets of to do just that. Approach the little free thinker and offer a big chunk o change and all will be well. When he finds her in Italy she has been arrested and Elliot has to save her. That becomes the theme throughout the book. Phaedra never tries to hide her light under a bushel sort to speak and it gets her into trouble. After all if the ton is bad, countries outside of England were worse.

Because of this trouble, Elliot and Phaedra ending up married. Now since it was outside the country and they never signed the document, they didn't think it was legal and proceeded to make mad love to one another. Elliot soon though wanted to be more than a "friend" and it took Phaedra the rest of the book to catch up.

That was one of the points that go on my nerves she held on to the belief that her mom's way was the only way and anything else would just tie her down. Even though by this time, they had admitted to one another that their love was real. You felt there love and the library scene was emotional.

I will stop here because I don't want to give anything else away. It was a great book and had the writing been a bit more even I would have happily given it 4 1/2 stars. I do look forward to going back and picking up the other brother's stories.

[Aneca · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I would like to say that Madeline Hunter is one of my favourite authors. I LOVED her medievals and have been faithfully following her ever since even if she left the medieval period behind.

Handsome, suave, and carnal as the devil, Lord Elliot Rothwell awaits readers in Lessons of Desire, bestselling author Madeline Hunter's latest book in the Rothwell series and her most provocative novel to date. A man used to getting what he wants, Elliot is every woman's most secret fantasy in the living flesh.

He first appears beneath her prison window as her saviour—a sinfully attractive man whose charm and connections have ensured her release from an unjust arrest. But author and publisher Phaedra Blair quickly learns that the price of her “freedom” is to be virtually bound to her irresistible rescuer. For Elliot Rothman didn't come solely on a mission of goodwill. He came to extract a promise that Phaedra won't publish a slanderous manuscript that could destroy his family's name, and he's not above bribery, threats, or bedding her to get his way. And with each erotic encounter raising the stakes between them, Elliot discovers he's ever more reluctant to lose this sensual game…or the one woman who's every bit his match.

The problem is I feel the magic is gone. Hunter still writes a very competent story with nice and interesting characters, with an intriguing plot, sometimes, like here, with a different setting, everything that should make it worth a stay on my keeper shelf. But somehow I know I'll forget about Phaedra and Elliott, she managed to write well yes but nothing really stands out for me. I'll admit that this is the sort of story, with a very strong heroine, that doesn't always work for me and that might be one of the problems. I liked Elliott though and once again I liked the interaction between the brothers. But I wanted more; I'm greedy I want her to write more medievals! In the mean time I'll get myself ready to read book number 3... I may complain but I can't resist getting them and I especially want the big brother's story!

Grade: B

[Ne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não resisto. Tenho que começar esta opinião com o meu desagrado com a ASA. Por que raio é que não publicaram pela ordem correcta? Não percebo e sinceramente não gostei, mas pode ser que tenha um lado bom: o facto de assim ter mais uma razão para reler tudo pela ordem e voltar a pegar na história de Hayden e Alexia!!
Em relação ao romance aqui em relevo devo dizer que a minha opinião se assemelha muito à que tenho do livro Os Pecados de Lord Easterbrook. Penso que é o facto das cenas saírem um pouco do habitual, isto é, os cenários serem externos aos dos dois primeiros volumes, que faz com que toda a história seja um pouco "estranha" e diferente destes. A própria história entre Elliot e Phaedra não conseguiu criar aquela química e ligação entre os dois personagens, nem sequer no fim. Fim este que me pareceu muito incompleto.
Este livro acabou apenas por saciar um pouco as saudades da escrita de Madeline Hunter e sublinhar a minha preferência pelo As Regras de Sedução e Jogos de Sedução, nenhum volume posterior a estes dois os conseguiu ultrapassar em termos de história, personagens, romance e sensualidade.
Como sempre, gosto bastante das referências e até aparições de personagens anteriores, nomeadamente os irmãos Easterbrook e Alexia.
Em relação às personagens, este volume alterou em muito a minha opinião de Phaedra Blair. Tinha a como uma senhora excêntrica apenas nos actos e vestuário e não nos pensamentos. Esperava outro tipo de histórica romântica e penso que alimentei demais esta ideia, visto que quando se percebeu que se iria passar tudo no estrangeiro e que Elliot se transformou naqueles machos arrogantes que tão pouco gosto, tudo se foi juntando e tornando nesta história que apesar de ter gostado está repleta de aspectos quase insignificativos mas que acabam por tornar a minha opinião um pouco menos positiva.
Concluindo e talvez fechando a bibliografia de Madeline, por enquanto, aqui fica a minha lista descendente: As Regras de Sedução, Jogos de Sedução, Casamento de Conveniência, O Protector, Os Pecados de Lord Easterbrook/Lições de Desejo.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually I like Hunter's books, but I did not enjoy this one. It's plodding and kinda boring, and I didn't feel much chemistry between the main characters. Actually, I didn't like them all that much individually either. The hero was an ass for the first half or so (and then magically transforms into husband material overnight apparently), and the heroine is supposed to be a free-thinking strong feminist, but repeatedly she waltzes into trouble and has to be rescued by the hero (one time it's from an honest to goodness *tower*, it's hard to find a more cliched damsel location) and even her strongly held beliefs largely come down to just what she'd been taught as a child, so it didn't end up feeling very 'free-thinking' either. There's kind of a 'battle of the sexes' aspect, but of course the hero ends up holding most of the cards, and he's really kind of creepily determined to make her submit to him. But no worries, because apparently this strong feminist has just been waiting all along for some random guy to come subjugate her... Ick. And not just in a 'they're both actually equals but are choosing to play some power games for fun in the bedroom' kinda way. Repeatedly she has strong oppositional feelings toward him but then he kisses her and she just melts into a puddle. =/ Like I mentioned, the hero gets a lot better the second half, but then it's just the heroine standing in the way of her own happiness for several more chapters. So overall quite unimpressive. Road trip, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers tropes.

[Liz B · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took a break and eventually realized I had no desire to pick it up again.

[Gamze · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hayalkırıklığı

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was something nasty about this book like the whole purpose was to break down the FMC

[Joana Pelicano · Rating 4 out of 5]

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