Ava Archer Payne „The Wedding Bed“ (The Sun Never Sets #1) – 4****

This one was an Amazon freebee and it sucked me in from the very beginning. It had something, something completely different. First of all it isn’t Regency but Victorian area. Does it make a difference? I am not really sure. I have the feeling women were allowed more already but it is simply a very foggy impression.

Anway, “The Wedding Bed” belongs the series “The Sun Never Sets” and is book one. When you see the cover you get the impression that the heroine will be a busty and curvy woman. But well …

The story isn’t very complicated and most of it takes time within a couple of days, a very short period. It all takes place in London.

A soiree. A monkey dressed in a Hindi uniform. A very tall man, not wearing Hindi style but with a darker skin, lots of influence and money – Derek Arindam Jeffords, Lord Keating. The Dark Lord. He is unmarried and people respect him even being mixed raced. His mom being native Indian and his dad a Britt.

Because of the provocation he undresses the poor animal, feeds him some fruits and before he leaves. Before he is able to leave for good, two women appear. A white one and an Indian. They want to speak to him.

He doesn’t remember the face. But when she tells him her name – Miss Calla Lily Staunton – is announced he starts to remember his childhood in India. She was the wild one. The troublemaker. When he sees the scar, he remembers her rescuing a tiger puppy. She had a couple of sisters, all named after flowers. Their families had been close.

And now she is in London, telling him that they were betrothed because his mother had offered bride money to her mother. Bride money. Something so very Indian. In London everything is about a big dowry, in Indian the family of the groom was giving money to the bride’s family. Two different cultures and tradition.

Nevertheless there is something in her eyes, the way she walks and dresses. Something that pulls him towards her. He doesn’t think about not giving into this arranged marriage, nonetheless she travelled for weeks to arrive in London from India.

He tells her that he will never fall in love with her and she knows that this isn’t a love match, this is an arranged marriage like so many others in the world. She does it to save her family, to give her younger sisters the possibility to marry someone they love.

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The book sucked me into the storyline immediately. It was so easy to feel with Calla and to see the Duke’s point because it seemed real. They knew each other from being kids and she doesn’t fit into the London society because she dresses differently, prefers another kind of food – because she’s white but Indian. She’s different. She doesn’t care for luxury, exclusive dresses. But she’s adventurous as she has always been, the wild one, the troublemaker and that’s what Derek likes about her.

Ava Archer Payne tells the story of two people who knew each other being kids but reestablish their relationship years later. Calla’s habit is to say what she thinks but she is intelligent and has a lot of wit. So she lets Derek know from the beginning why she does all of it.

From the very beginning I knew that it wouldn’t take them long to fall in love because of the way he looks at her and vice versa.

And then there are the highly erotical scenes. Steamy. I especially liked their wedding night. But also sending Calla to the dressmaker the first time …. Loved it!

To get a conclusion … Ava did a very good job on this story BUT it is too short. Towards the end the story seems rushed. The book only has about 190 pages and I think the story and developments in their relationship (and the 2^nd storyline about the Indian boy, the murder etc) should have been stretched to 250-300 pages to be more real – but that’s my personal impression.

The cover is lovely but it doesn’t fit the book in my opinion because the heroine does not have the big bust or the luscious curves. Something more colourful, with a touch of Indian would have fitted better.

4**** stars

Kate Pearce „Educating Elizabeth“ – 4****

I read the first pages on my kindle without reading who the book was by because I got some over netgalley lately but after a couple of them I realized that I know the style – it simply had to be …. Kate Pearce.

The story is pretty easy and lovely and cute and … addictive!

Miss Elizabeth Waterstone meets the Duke Diable Delamare (Gervase)  under the most horrible circumstances.  Her stepfather lost a huge amount of money on the gaming tables and offers the duke Elizabeth. He trades the “services” of his stepdaughter for his debt. The Duke, a rake, thinks of course that the girl knows what he is talking about is about to ravish her when he finds out that she has no experiences that she’s a virgin in every way. Up from this night she lives in his huge house because nobody in her family wants to see or speak with her because she is ruined, nevertheless she spent the night at the duke’s.

Because everybody probably thinks that she is ruined now she decides that she wants the duke to teach her everything about being a courtesan. In the beginning Gervase is unsure, he thinks that she isn’t sure what she is about to do but Elizabeth is intelligent and strong minded, stubborn nonetheless. She knows several languages and already is suspicious about the duke’s secretary. One day she finds a code in his study, but for her it wasn’t a game but a puzzle. Without knowing what she does, she plays with it and solves it …

Through all those days spent at Gervase’s house, she is turned – to fit the story – into a faraway relative, Mrs. Waterstone – a widow. Everybody belives in the story because Elizabeth has never been introduced into society probably because her family never had the money.

So they live under the same roof. He teaches her things. She solves his codes but the probably slowly starts to become huge … what they feel for each other.

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Well the story may be a little predictable but in contrary to Pearce’s other novels they do not sleep with each other within the first 10 pages/percent – it takes it’s time and that’s what I loved about the book. It’s a slow story with a plot. It’s not all about the flames of love, the passion and so on. It’s also about a second storyline – about spies, secrets, assassins and all those things.

Pearce has a hand for details if it comes to wallpaper, cloths, corsages and all those things. I love that about her style. But also the way she develops characters. I felt so bad for Elizabeth several times that she had me at the brick of tears. It rarely happens with novels lately. Sometimes I am about to cry because they are so badly written or characters so horribly developed but to feel with a main character doesn’t happen to me on a regular base.

I think the book could have had an epilogue and show us the happy end 10 months later or so on. I think it ended rather abruptly.

Rating: 4**** stars

Mia Marlowe „Once Upon a Plaid“ (Spirits of the Highlands #2) – 4****

Usually I read Regency Romance and little Highland stuff but I found this one on netgally and just head to read it.

First of all a little about the storyline. It’s part 2 in the “Spirit of the Highlands” saga by Mia Marlowe. I have no clue about book one and I didn’t feel like you have to know it when you read book 2 which is what I prefer.

It’s the touching story of Katherine “Kat” Douglas and her family. But not only about her family in general, much more about her husband William – a handsome looking- laird and her and their problem: she isn’t able to bear him an heir.

It’s winter and she is visiting her Glengarry Castle, where her father lives and her brother’s wife and sons. Her sister in law is in her last days before giving birth again and Kat wants to be there for her but also goes through all the pain of giving birth to a dead baby a couple of years ago again.

Kat thinks about writing to the Pope to ask for an annulment because she wants William to have an heir, to give his title and everything in the bloodline to somebody. Not a cousin, nephew or other relative. But he won’t let her slip away. He does everything in the days around Christmas to make her see that a heir isn’t everything to him – but she is.

But there is also the lovely storyline of Nab, the fool. It’s adorable.

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Well the book took me longer to read because I am not native English and those Scottish/ Highland dialect speeches weren’t easy to understand in the beginning and many words weren’t known by my Kindle dictionary (Pons) nevertheless I made it through the book and really enjoyed reading it.

In the last 1/3 I grew a little board about the planning of the attack of Glengarry castle and the attack itself but that’s because I am not much into those things.

There was a scene, when Kat told William about how she felt when she gave birth to the death baby, Stephan, I grew all sentimental and had to cry with her. It was so emotionally. It happens to me from time to time reading but this scene was so “horrible” that I really had to give myself some time to recollect myself again and finish the book. And this scene is so very, very important to them.

Also the scene between William and Nab at the chapel – amazingly written. Very well done.

I’d give the book 4 of 5 stars.

Thanks to netgalley to give me the option to read this book!

also: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20257102-once-upon-a-plaid

Kate Pearce „House of Pleasure-Series“ – „Eden’s Pleasure“ (#0.5), „Simply Sexual“ (#1), „Antonia’s Bargain“ (#1.5), „Simply Sinful“ (#2), „Simply Shameful“ (#3)

After reading my first Kate Pearce book I was pretty boared by her style and really asked myself if there always has to be some menage a trois in it, even wrote that on Goodreads because I don’t see the need in a Regency romance book. Anyway, I decided to give another a chance and was pleasently surprised to like „The First Sinners“ 

Kate Pearce is an US writer but born and raised in England. I read about her on Goodreads because people seemed to love her books and after going through most of Jess Michael’s and several others I longed for something new … well I didnt think that there is another Sylvia Day style writer if it comes to Regency erotica.

 

„House of Pleasure“ Series 

The whole series is about 11 books long and I just finished #3 but I read them book by book even with the two novellas #0.5 and #1.5.

 

Eden’s Pleasure #0.5  – 2**

It’s the prequel to „Simply Sexual“, kind of at least. It’s Eden’s story. She was forced to marry byher dad to marry because she was caught in a compromising situation with Gervase and Gideon, the Harcourt twins. 

Now at the age of 26 she is a widow and Gideon’s was is crossing her’s. Truely she always loved Gervase but her pleasureless marriage makes her go for Gideon who would pleasure her in this novella but does not take anything from her, doesnt sleep with her.

They introduce her to Lady Desiree’s House of Pleasure where every erotic dream and fantasy may come true. There Eden explores her draems and understands that she still is in love with Gervase. 

– So far so good. The idea that Gervas
e doesnt take the woman his twinbrother loved his whole life is okay but the menage a trois scenes were so useless. I mean why did we need them? I could only make myself to give it 2 stars because it was simply too blunt for more.

Simply Sexual #1 – 4****

Part one is the story of Sara Harrison and Lord Valentin Sokorvsky. It’s much darker than any Regency romance I ever read before mostly of because of Valentin’s history.

For most of his youth Valentin had to serve as a sex slave in an oriental brothel to men and women in Turkey. Now he has to get married and get a heir. But his history is dark and it keeps him from finding satisfaction in normal sex. 

Sara lives the life of a spinster and already knows that she probably will die alone but doesnt care anymore. Her father wants to get one of his daughters married to him in exchange for financial help. Originally he should marry one of the younger girls but in the end it’s Sara he choses. 

They get married early in the book but it’s all about Sara’s sexual education and her appetite to see and learn more. She’s open minded. 

This book conta
ins all kinds of sex but there is nothing vanilla about it. It’s dark and there are MMf scene in it (which I am fan of) BUT the way our heroine grows up, grows stronger and stronger is really really well done. Nex to that I also enjoyed the way Val grows more tender, trusts her more and more with everything.

 

Antonia’s Bargain #1.5 – 3***

This is a standalone sequal to „Eden’s Pleasure“. It’s completely different from what I read before … I liked it, most of it.

Antonia knows that she has to get married soon but has no clue about sex, so she makes her cousin take her to The House of Pleasure“ with her but she’s dressed as a man. Of course very soon somebody finds out but finds interest in this mascarade. 

Gideon, the other Harcourt twin, is a widower for not too long after is wife killed herself very dramatically and looks for release in the etablisment. He let Antonia be Anthony and shows him „the dark side“ of London and pleasure. He let’s the woman see that men see London differently so he gives her exactly what she was looking for from the very beginning. 

It’s not as dark as #1 and its very different because it really shows the way men eventually saw London while women were at home doing their needlework, raising or at least carrying children and just be perfect.

But on the other side it was kind fo boring, because of all the menage a trois scenes. Nevertheless I liked the concept.

 

Simply Sinful #2 – 4****

Truely this is the 2nd part and connects to book #1. I bought #1 and #2 in the US as paperbacks, all the others so far I read on my kindle. Sometimes it’s so nice to have a good old paperback in your hand. 😉

It’s the story of Peter Howard who was the second slave and best friend of Valentin. Both have been in the same brothel, been on the same ship before they were sold. But Peter is darker in his tastes because he likes men a lot, sexually. But it’s not that easy because he loved to be the 3rd wheel in the Val-Sara-triangle. Now that Sara is pregnant Val tells him that he doesnt want him anymore in his bed. 

Peter takes it personally. But at the House of Pleasure he meets a man, James Beecham, who asks him to help him rebuilt the relationship to his wife, the sexual relationship. His wife Abigail is tired and sick of her sexless marriage and reads about carnal pleasures. She wants that too. She was forced to marry young and her husband isn’t able to satisfy her, so she is ready to find somebody who will. James knows that he needs a heir but he isnt able to satisfy Abigail that’s why he hopes that Peter may help them. James longs for men. He more or less asks Peter to help them to get pregnant. 

Everything starts quite simple … 

Very soon I noticed that there were more feelings involved than planned because Peter nor Abigail were able to seperate sex and love from each other. I think that this story has very honest but also some dark parts in it.

I still do not think that dildos, cockrings etc. were established in London in the 19th century already. I know that there alread have been dildos before Christ but nevertheless it seems so easy to get on in this book. I didnt like that aspect.

 

Simply Shameless #3 – 4****

Oh I absolutely loved this one, well most of it. So far it is my favorite of the series because it’s about Helene Delornay, the owner of the House of Pleasure.

When she was just 18, Helene was already a hero but didnt see it. She gave birth at 15, gave her child in a nonnery and didnt abandon it, got the mistress of an old French lord. At 18 she travelled to London in a travel coach with a young man – Philip Ross, who just came back from India. He is entitled to marry because his brother just died. During the days of travelling they spent a weekend of pleasure with each other. Philip offers to marry Helene but after she tells him that she is a whore he leaves. 

More than 18 years later she owns the House of Pleasure in London and has to deal with the fact that her 1st born daughter just got married and left the nonnery and her 18 year old twins stand in front of her because they simply left the nonnery after they recieved a letter which said that their mother would be a whore and gave them her correct address. Helen is stressed.

Next to all that Philip comes with a friend after 18 years, just turned a widower, to her etablisment. In the beginning she thinks he doesnt remember her but very soon things turn more and more complicated … 

I could really feel with Helen. Pearce described the House of Pleasure so well taht I could really see it in front of me while reading – room by room, the floors, the furniture and even Helen’s chance in dresses, e.g. to be a maid, so she wouldnt be seen by her guests. Perfectly well done. And the story even has some real romance in it 😉

 

Conclusio: Time to read more of the series! 

„The First Sinners“ (The Sinners Club #0,5) by Kate Pearce – 4****

I think this is my first Kate Pearce novel that really has a plot! I am so thrilled.

I don’t mind reading PWP stories but after two or three in a row I asked myself if Pearce writes more than PWP. Honestly!

Joke aside! After reading „Eden’s Pleasure“(House of Pleasure #0,5) and „The Ties that Bind“ I was absolutely thrilled to find out that she writes more than porn (lovely porn but anyway). Sometimes it is good to give a writer a chance, or in her case more than one. And it’s my first Pearce novel that has no menage a trois in it. I was thrilled that it also works otherwise.

Actually the storyline of the book was rather nice, a spy-thingie between England and France set after the French Revolution. I liked the main character Faith because she’s such a bluestocking. Some parts reminded me of Jess Michaels new series „Book of Pleasure“ (the library scene for example).

But Faith is more. She is the historian and librarian of the family estate and her family is very short on money that’s why they hope to get their younger daughter married to one of the gentlemen they invited, especially the Earl of Westbrook, Ian. He is such a rake who flirts, not with the younger sister but with Faith and finally finds her in the library kind of pleasuring herself while looking through an Indian book (I assume the Kamasutra?) Anyway he is absolutely fascinated by her and cares about her reputation. But Ian is only there to find out who sends information from Faith’s dad (so from the Crown) to the French. One night they find the hidden tunnel from the cellar of the house to the beach …

I think I will even read the whole series and give the whole series a try 😉

To mention in the end – this isn’t romance anymore this is erotica, sometimes it even feels like literary porn but I mean who cares. If you read Pearce you know what you’ll get if it comes to sex scenes.

 

Sara Ramsey: Scotsmen Prefer Blondes (Muses of Mayfair #2) – 4****

Nachdem ich das erste Buch „Heiress without a cause“ so rasch gelesen hatte, machte ich mich über Teil zwei her und es dauerte nicht viel länger. Zwei Tage vielleicht?

Bei Amazon kostete das Buch $ 4,15, also knapp 3 €.

Zum Buch: 

Amelia und Prudence reisen mit ihren Müttern nach Schottland, um Malcolm McCabe, den Earl of Carnac kennenzulernen, den Prudence Mutter als ihren Ehemann auserwählt hat. Das Problem ist allerdings, dass Prudence keinerlei Interesse an der Ehe und noch weniger an ihm hat. 

Sara Ramsey: Heiress Without a Cause – 4*

Bei Amazon bin ich über die Gratis-Ebooks gestolpert und habe mir einige kostenlose hinuntergeladen. Dieses gehörte dazu. Es ist der erste Band einer Serie (2. „Scotsmen Prefer Blonds, 3. The Marquess Who Loved Me“ und 4. The Earl Who Played with Fire“) die sich „Muses of Mayfair“ nennt.

Zum Buch:

Der Hauptcharakter ist Lady Madeleine Vaillant, eine junge Frau Ende 20, die immer noch unverheiratet ist und mit ihrer Jungfernmütze, die im 19. Jahrhundert das Haar der unverheirateten Frauen verbergen sollte, auf all die Veranstaltungen der Londoner Saison gehen muss. Im Grunde wäre sie am liebsten jeden einzelnen Abend im Theater auf der Bühne, wo sie im Geheimen ihrer Leidenschaft als Schauspierlin nachgeht – den Hamlet, in Shakespeares gleichnamigen Werk, mimt. Die Zuschauer lieben sie, wissen aber nciht, dass es Lady Vaillant ist, da es sich für eine Dame nicht schickt, solch einer Berfung nachzugehen.