Lords Of Desire [Paperback]

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the search for an excellent historical romance read for the occasion has been released with novellas written by four talented authors in the Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian and Regency eras.

Virginia Henley's "Smuggler's Lair" is a Georgian/Victorian Time-Travel tale where the beautiful violet eyed Victoria Caswell meets the dark handsome new resident of Bodiam Castle, Sir Peregrine Palmer Fuller. Victoria is confused over her emotional draw to the Castle, while Sir Peregrine struggles with trying to understand his love at first site for the lovely Victoria. It is when the Caswell family is invited to dinner at the castle that Victoria suddenly disappears for a month, only to be drawn back in time, meeting one of Sir Peregrine's ancestors, the infamous smuggler Lord Falcon Hawkhurst. Victoria and Falcon fall deeply and sensuously in love. When Falcon is mortally wounded in a smuggler raid and dies, Victoria feels her life is over, only to return to the present and realize that Sir Peregrine is actually her lost Falcon. Will Sir Peregrine come to realize he is the reincarnated Falcon in time to be reunited with his true mate, Victoria?

Fans of Sally MacKenzie's "Naked Series" will love this new Regency short story "The Naked Lair." The decade long estranged Lord and Lady Kilgorn are accidentally placed in the same bedroom during a house party. Eleanor (Nell) and Ian married young and were madly in love, only to become estranged after a misunderstanding after the early loss of their first child. Even though ten years is a long time, can they reach across the decade and find their love again? Or better yet, can they come to realize, with a little help from some friends, that they have never stopped loving each other? This sad story will grip your heart, but also delight the reader, as only Sally MacKenzie with her talent can do. It is a great prequel to her next in the "Naked Series," "The Naked Baron."

In the straight-laced Victorian era is a wife supposed to enjoy and desire the full sensual pleasures of the marriage bed? Victoria Dahl entertainingly addresses the strong desire and passion of a newly wedded young couple in "Lessons in Pleasure." This delightful story shows the struggles of Sarah and James Hood as they discover their passionate natures during a time of sexual confusion and repression in the Victorian era. Sarah reads and worries too much that she may be a nymphomaniac and James wonders about his feelings and the possibility that his passionate acts are being forced too soon on his young wife. Will Sarah and James discover that intense desire and passion is not something to be denied, but rejoiced over when true love is the basis of this sensuality?

Kristi Astor contributes another highly entertaining Victorian era romance in "Swept Away." This story emphasizes the class differences during the Victorian era where the aristocracy is being invaded by the industrialist class. The handsome mill owner Mr. James Leydon has been attracted for years to the beautiful and highly born Christobel, sister of his cousin's wife. When Edith and Jasper conduct their yearly house party and Edith decides to play matchmaker, creating particular marriage matches of her own choosing, she is shocked and surprised when it is not the handsome Sir Edmond that the vivacious Christobel is drawn to, but rather the brooding and handsome Mr. Leydon. When a house party event of hide and seek turns into attraction, desire and passion for Christobel and James will they and their friends and family overlook the class difference to recognize that a true love match is worth more than status ever could be? This is another delightful addition to an anthology that will keep the reader glued to the pages and wishing for more.

"Lords of Desire" is a highly entertaining combination of romances and a keeper for those who just love to collect romance anthologies.

The Lords of Desire is composed of short stories from various period type romance authors. Virginia Henley choose to write about the restrictive Victorian life of Victoria Carswell and how a castle changes her entire life by suddenly dropping her into the decadent Georgian time! Tory is secretly rebellious of her mother's rule of her life and skinny dips in a lake instead of going to church. This illicit behavior is witnessed by the new owner of the castle, Peregrine. If you would like to read more of this review please visit [...]

The previous post gave a very good summary so I won't repeat here. I would recommend this anthology. Many of these stories made me cry, they hit on real themes and emotions I have not read in a romance story in a long while. The second story "The Naked Laird" especially hit close to my heart. It's about a married couple who became estranged after suffering the loss of a baby (miscarriage) and the rekindling of their love after forgiveness. Very touching, I cried very much. The first story "Smuggler's Lair" also hit me hard, so much love that can even conquer death...

Read this anthology with a box of tissues.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars