Carolyn Jewel

I'll be honest, this book featured one of the most unique romance heroines I've read in a long time. Out spoken, honest to a fault, flirtatious and generous with her smiles, Lily is nothing like your typical 'historical romance' heroine. Though some of that I think resides with the fact she is so open about her sexuality. Its not that she gads about taking lover after lover, but she is confident in her looks and appeal to men. She understands how it affects them though doesn't necessarily use that against them.

Well except for Mountjoy (and it just occurred to me I don't think we ever learned his first name? Unless Mountjoy was it? Except I think that's his title...).

Though that same sexual awareness is what constantly jolted me out of the story. A healthy banter would erupt between Mountjoy and Lily, full of double entendres to be sure, but witty and amusing all the same. They knew how to verbally spar that's for sure. Except it would suddenly take a turn for the explicit! I don't think I've ever seen the f-bomb used quite so many times on the same page as when Mountjoy is internally debating how to convince Lily to stay. This is nothing to say of her particulars talents behind closed doors (talents I have to wonder at considering her inexperience).

This isn't to say I didn't like Lily. It was refreshing to have a heroine who was so self-assured, who didn't hide her intelligence, who cared so obviously for those she felt loyalty towards. I genuinely enjoyed her character, but I was not fond of explicitness Jewel used to convey the many times Lily found herself being intimate with Mountjoy. They are allowed their passions, but it felt cheap at times.

There is also the matter that the characters themselves felt a bit shallow. Oh we heard plenty about Lily's history, as well as Mountjoy's and Ginny's (even some of Fenrir's), but it never felt connected to the characters themselves. This is to say, how is it Lily managed to be the way she is despite her cold upbringing? Its mentioned several times Lily does not often leave her house, but with an annual income of 80,000 pounds (plus three large, well invested estates) how has she not been flooded with suitors?

Ginny mentions offhandedly some men who have fallen for her, and I think Lily mentioned fending off men who only wanted her money, but I'd have to think a woman of such fortune would be far more dogged then she acted.

As I said, I rejoiced at a refreshingly intelligent and confident woman in romance...I just wish that didn't also mean the rest of the novel had to be shallow.… (more)

I read this before, and I'm downgrading my stars a bit. It's still a good book, but there isn't much story. Instead, we get a lot of steamy sex scenes, which is fine, but I wanted a bit more conversation between the hero and heroine than dirty talk.
Lilly comes to visit her friend, a recent widow. She was in love once with a soldier and vowed never to love again. But her friend's brother, the Duke of Mountjoy, wants to have a short-term affair which is fine with Lilly. Mountjoy plans to marry a neighbor once he gets around to asking her, a woman who'll make a perfect duchess in his mind.
I like Ms. Jewel's books a lot, and this one is fine, but I wish there had been more of a storyline.… (more)

Homigod, she's writing the rest of the series! Squee!

ETA: Honestly, I have no idea why I love this book so much. Anne and Ruan get married because he rapes her in her sleep (having been injured, she is sleeping in his room, high on laudanum; he thinks she is a professional hired for him by his friend. She thinks she is having a sexy dream but he thinks she is responding positively. He doesn't know it's rape, but it's rape). I cannot explain why or how, but this story hits all my happy buttons.… (more)