This has to be one of the most sensual books I’ve ever read, both in terms of erotic tension and gastronomically. Verity Durant, a woman with a HistorThis has to be one of the most sensual books I’ve ever read, both in terms of erotic tension and gastronomically. Verity Durant, a woman with a History, is a private chef with unmatched culinary talents. Yet she may also have noble blood and has been the mistress of not one but two of the Somerset brothers.
There’s a lot to love here, but I spent much of the first third absolutely confused due to some questionable structural decisions. And in true ST style, the ending felt rushed. Another deep edit would have turned this into a masterpiece. ...more
How did Anne Stuart manage to write a book that is so high camp but also super dark? I don't know, but I am obsessed with it and am unable to criticizHow did Anne Stuart manage to write a book that is so high camp but also super dark? I don't know, but I am obsessed with it and am unable to criticize it even a little bit.
It just hit the sweet spot for me: First, it is set in 1770s England, and I do love a Georgian romance. Second, Killoran, our Irish lord MMC, is as close to a vampire as you can get without being an actual vampire, with his pale skin and black hair and flamboyant black-and-silver clothing and general stunning beauty. (His arch laconic delivery puts me in mind of Jason from Layton's The Duke's Wager and Justin from Heyer's These Old Shades.)
There is our FMC, Emma, who we meet shortly after she has killed her lecherous uncle after he tried to assault her in an inn. His daughter, Miriam, is an ultra-religious loon who, we soon discover, does not care WWJD. She is deliciously evil.
There is a moment at 15% where I laughed with delight at the sheer bananas-pants of it all.
There is Nathaniel, a brilliantly upright and honorable relative of Killoran's who has been sent to Killoran to acquire "town bronze," whose relationship with Killoran is somehow tender and hilarious at once.
There is another villain, Darnley, who is absolutely hideous and provides much of the truly dark material Stuart gives us later in the book.
There is a very hot sex scene at 72%.
There are plenty of content warnings, including r*pe (threatened and actual, off page) and child SA (also off page).
It's an odd book, because it starts off full of dark humor, with Killoran doing his level best to convince Emma, and us, that he is a Very Bad Man. He might as well do an evil laugh and sweep his cape around as he exits a room. (But Daddy, I love him!) Later, though, the story gets truly dark, albeit with high camp elements throughout.
To Love a Dark Loed won't be for everyone. But if you're in the mood, and if you want to go for a RIDE, and you love gothic melodrama, it can't be beat. I had an absolute blast reading it....more
Brilliant fun as always. Veronica continues to delight me with her matter-of-fact horniness (the image of Stoker emerging from the plunge pool will stBrilliant fun as always. Veronica continues to delight me with her matter-of-fact horniness (the image of Stoker emerging from the plunge pool will stay with me for some time), and it's turned up to 11 here. She flirts with virtually every male character, including the one who looks like Mark Twain.
Given that this story revolves around British hobby-archaeologists removing ancient artifacts from Egypt in true colonialist style, I think Raybourn handled it well: Stoker in particular rails against a mummified Egyptian princess being displayed like a trophy, but it feels appropriate to the time frame and not too much like Raybourn was trying to shoehorn in modern sensibilities.
This was a well-plotted, -characterized and -written book, as always, so I'll leave you with a few choice quotes:
Literally the opening line:
"I assure you, I am perfectly capable of identifying a phallus when I see one," Stoker informed me, clipping the words sharply."
"Boys!" I said sharply. "There will be no brawling with your shirts on. Kindly remove your upper garments and give them into my keeping."
It is seldom that a gentleman raises the subject of sewage so early in a conversation, I reflected.
And the ending was SUCH A TEASE.
End note: The American millionaire Mr. Stihl was introduced as Horace but then called Horus from time to time. A mistake? An inside joke? Curious....more
I met this guy. He’s incredibly hot and intelligent, with a dry wit to die for. He’s so thoughtful and romantic, too: After he found out I Dear Diary,
I met this guy. He’s incredibly hot and intelligent, with a dry wit to die for. He’s so thoughtful and romantic, too: After he found out I love carnations, he bought a bajillion of them and arranged them outside my house IN THE SHAPE OF A GIANT CARNATION. Swoooooooon! Even Mom and Grandma like him, I think. Well, Grandma thinks he’s hot, anyway.
The one bummer is that he really enjoys killing people and he no remorse about it. Like, zero. He’s also got this crazy-ass power that means he could level Houston if he wanted to. Which he might at, like, any moment. So that’s not great.
But… I just really want to bang him so goddamn much. And I think he likes me too. I KNOW he wants to bang me at least, because he told me he did.
Not sure what I’m going to do. I’ll keep you posted.
Phallic vegetables, a sexy unicorn, a gorgeous blond son of a b*tch, lovable pirates, an alligator, a spirited and whimsical 18-year-old who never croPhallic vegetables, a sexy unicorn, a gorgeous blond son of a b*tch, lovable pirates, an alligator, a spirited and whimsical 18-year-old who never crosses the line into McNaught-style irritant… The team behind the Laura London pen name (wife and husband Sharon and Tom Curtis) must have had an absolute blast writing this classic 1984 romance.
It is set in 1813, during the second American revolution, and centers Merry Wilding, the aforementioned teenager, who lives with her Aunt April in Virginia. Merry’s brother and cousins are involved in the American cause and recruit her to sketch some men they believe are working for the British. This is the first time we (and she) meet Captain Rand Morgan, Devon Crandall and Cat (MY BELOVED). Merry and Devon have a run-in and he forces a kiss on her before they go their separate ways. Events transpire, and Merry finds herself held captive on a boat crewed by (you guessed it) the very same pirates. And her adventure begins.
This book is a RIDE. I will say right now that there is a lot of halfhearted threatening of r*pe and other mentions of sexual assault, so maybe skip this one if that is triggering for you. But it never truly felt threatening to me; while there was one scene that made me a little uncomfortable, it’s not like a bodice ripper by, say, Johanna Lindsey, where there’s on-page, disturbingly graphic SA. Just know that it gets play throughout the book, and Devon needs to learn something about consent, too.
As far as the characters: I have little time for manic pixie dream girls or TSTL young heroines (I still harbor a fierce loathing of Jenny in A Kingdom of Dreams), and despite her age and inexperience, Merry is not that. She’s an actual weirdo and I love her.
Counter to traditional expectations, the hero (Devon) is not the most interesting of the male characters. That honor goes to Machiavellian captain Morgan, lovely Raven, and Cat, the young blond pirate with the tragic past who will always have my heart. His and Merry’s relationship is possibly the most beautiful aspect of this book, and I’m sad we’ll never get his full story.
The writing is absolutely unique. This is my first book by the Curtises, and it took me a minute to calibrate to their style, which is by turns odd, beautiful and occasionally … not purple, but magenta. At times it felt like I was in a Lisa Frank fever dream, which is no bad thing, let me tell you.
Interestingly, there is lots of implied queerness throughout, with no judgment (apart from one gross moment at the end), and it was a pleasant surprise given the fact that this was a mainstream romance novel written in the mid-80s. It makes me want to dig into the history of pirates and queerness; was taking to the seas something queer men might have done to escape societal expectations, much as queer folks might have taken refuge in monasteries and convents?
Anyway, I loved it and felt sad when I had to say goodbye to these characters....more
Reading one of the few books by your favorite author that you haven't read before is a bittersweet experience. Like, it was so good! But also, I will Reading one of the few books by your favorite author that you haven't read before is a bittersweet experience. Like, it was so good! But also, I will no longer be able to read it for the first time! And now I have one less Loretta Chase book to read (until she writes more)!
But oh, how I loved this book. The CHARACTERS. Olivia and Lisle were perfect grownup versions of their childhood selves in Lord Perfect (which I highly recommend you read before this one, but it's not *strictly* necessary). Some might class this as a Grumpy/Sunshine romance, but really it's Order/Chaos, which is much more up my alley. Olivia is a force of nature that Lisle is powerless to withstand. When he sees her for the first time since she hit puberty, he is literally struck dumb.
If someone, centuries hence, happens to dig up my corpse and anatomize my brain, he will find, etched there in unmistakable characters: Olivia. Suddenly. Unexpectedly.
and
"I was bored senseless," she went on," but the look on your face when you discovered my bosoms was priceless. It was all I could do to keep a straight face."
The supporting cast of characters is also so brilliant. The wonderful Dowager Countess of Hargate only makes a brief appearance, but two of her Harpies accompany Olivia to Scotland as her chaperones, and they are the most amazing comic relief.
"Nichols [Lisle's valet] will introduce you to the staff and take you about the castle later," Olivia told Herrick [the new butler]. "Ladies Cooper and Withcote won't be up and about until noon at the earliest." They would ogle him and make improper remarks, but he would simply have to get used to it.
And Nichols. Nichols! Here starts the campaign to give him his own book. So competent! Surprisingly strong! And apparently the women of Egypt talk admiringly of his *stamina*. There is a brief, perfectly written scene in chapter 15 with him and Olivia's lady's maid Bailey that made me laugh with joy.
Olivia and Lisle were so very delightful (and horny) together—and Loretta Chase is so good in that she really makes you wonder how on earth these two are going to get their HEA. Their approaches to life are so different, not to mention that Lisle is yearning to get back to Egypt. But (spoiler alert) she manages it, and I believe it will truly be a HEA.
And the last line: Perfection. Absolute perfection. Queen Loretta strikes again....more
I can’t even remember how this book ended up in my KU library, but I was in the mood for a traditional Regency. This was my first Edith Layton, and woI can’t even remember how this book ended up in my KU library, but I was in the mood for a traditional Regency. This was my first Edith Layton, and wow - I went into it blind and am so glad I did.
Her writing is incredible and her plotting ingenious. I honestly wasn’t sure who the heroine, Regina, would choose until maybe 85%, although I had my suspicions. That was so refreshing.
This was quite a dark, twisted tale, featuring a smart but naive young woman and two morally gray rakes who have bad reputations—in one case, seriously bad.
We get third-person POVs from all three, which helps build on the feeling that it could be anyone’s game—or no one’s.
This kind of reminded me of Heyer’s Justin Alastair in These Old Shades. Not in plot, but in the slightly sinister hero(es) and the mannered, dark language.
guiltless pleasures
>
Books:
sassy-old-ladies
(9)
Loading...
