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!