Notorious Pleasures [Mass Market Paperback]

Lady Hero Batten comes across two people involved in an act that should shock her seeing as she's the proper daughter of a duke. Instead, Hero is more annoyed and peeved if anything. She actually saves the married lady and her lusty lover from being found by the unknowing husband. The man in question happily pleasuring the lady is the rakish Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading. Instead of Griffin being embarrassed, he unabashedly flirts with Hero, until she walks away in a huff. Both will be in for surprise since Hero is engaged to Griffin's brother, Thomas, the Marquess of Mandeville.

Griffin has quite the scandalous reputation, especially since it's believed he seduced his brother's first wife. Because of this, Griffin and Thomas are barely on speaking terms, although Griffin has done a great deal to keep the Mandeville fortune intact with his business ventures. One such venture Griffin is involved in is being one of the biggest gin distillers in the dark world of St. Giles. Griffin is surprised to find that Hero has interests in St. Giles as well, as the patroness for the Home of Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children run by the Mrs. Silence Hollingbrook and her brother, Winter.

Soon Griffin is concerned for Hero's safety as she enters the dark streets of St. Giles. He refuses to allow her to be unaccompanied and becomes her bodyguard of sorts. Griffin and Hero's relationship changes into friendship that comes to ahead when their passions explode for one another. They begin to sneak away to act on their passion (the first love scene between them is incredibly erotic and seductive) knowing they are betraying Thomas, who in turn can't forget his mistress, the loud and vibrant older widowed Mrs. Lavinia Tate, who he longs to be with desperately.

Guilt eats away at Hero while Griffin tries to make Hero see that they are perfect for one another. He'll do whatever he can to keep Hero, even if it means betraying Thomas in truth.

Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane series, Book 2) by Elizabeth Hoyt is beyond steamy and romantic. Griffin will be on the lips of many readers for this supposed bad boy is really not want he seems, even from his initial meeting with his Lady Perfect as he nicknames her. Hero is not some naïve, simpering miss, but a strong, outright woman who feels she must live up to her duty, and that is to marry well. Griffin puts a major wrench in her plans and their secret affair not only makes for great reading, but is emotional and very poignant. Griffin wants to be a better man for Hero and although they're walking a fine line with one another because of acting on their attraction for one another, there will be no doubt in anyone's mind that these two belong together.

Ms. Hoyt is very skilled at combining three stories in one. We see Thomas's angst over letting go of his mistress because of his future marriage to Hero. Then there is Silence, who made quite an impression in Wicked Intentions, the first book in the Maiden Lane series. This is a woman who feels hopeless because of a major sacrifice she made on her part to help her husband. Their marriage is strained because of it, and they only way she gets through the day is taking care of her newly adopted daughter, Mary Darling, who was left on her doorstep. Mary has an angel watching over her, as well as Silence, which the mystery as to who this possible suitor is shouldn't be a big surprise for those who know what occurred with Silence in Notorious Pleasure. Let's just say that Silence will have even more drama and heartache in her life because of this shadowy protector in Scandalous Desires, the third book in this series that will be released later this year.

The only thing that irked me while reading Notorious Pleasures was the constant reminders that Griffin is too naughty for his own good and how virginal and pure Hero is. This was more telling than everything, and actually the total opposite of what these two characters are from their actions and deeds. Also, the ending maybe a bit too pat for some and there's one thing left unresolved that I wish was tied up.

Overall, I really enjoyed Notorious Pleasures a great deal since I found Wicked Intentions lacking. This is a great historical romance that I recommend anyone read. Hero and Griffin are a great couple who end up bring out the best in one another.

Katiebabs

Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane)

Elizabeth Hoyt has definitely brought in a breath of fresh air to the monotony of Regency England romances with her Maiden Lane series. This book is the second in the series and it actually achieves the rare reality of being as good as the first book.

In the second book, EHoyt brings readers out of St. Giles for a romp through the homes of the rich and titled, as one of the patronesses of the St. Giles foundling home, Hero, is faced with the task of all noble ladies: getting married to a wealthy, titled gentleman. In her case, Hero's brother, a duke, has already arranged for the ideal match with his good friend, a marquess. He's everything she could want in a husband: he's respectful, has a title, has money; he's safe, and Hero likes being safe. Enter her fiance's brother, the disreputable rake, who shakes up Hero's life. Of course at this point you could say it's just another rake gets reformed by lady story, which is true, except it's how EHoyt does it that is rare and unique to the genre. EHoyt let's you into the life of the characters outside of the pretentiousness of balls, parties and clandestine meetings. You develop a sense for who the characters are as people - they aren't shaped merely by literary power, but rather by the circumstances surrounding them. In also a twist on the expected, the titled older brother of the hero comes out as the least heroic of the the characters, due not to what he does but what he doesn't do for a man in his position. The heroine is a character that reminds me much of Jane Austen's heroines - she deftly towes the line between socially acceptable behavior and the desire to just say "to heck with it all". She's not a contender for bad girls club, yet neither is she waving the feminist movement flag before its time.

EHoyt does give viewers glimpses into the foundling home, the Makepeace family, and the dangers faced by the poor of London although not to the extent that was shown in Book 1. You reconnect with Silence, Winter, Charming Mickey, and the Ghost of St. Giles. Of course all of this is done in anticipation of Book 3 which will return readers back to St. Giles and the foundling home as the backdrops for the romance.

Normally I would include a synopsis of the book in my reviews, but I feel there are too many details and spoilers that I'd have to reveal in order for the synopsis to make any sense. So I'll simply say the hero and heroine do have a happily ever after, even if they start off engaged to, or in the hero's case engaged with, other people. And for those who are wondering, the love scenes are on the level of Lisa Kleypas steaminess, hotter than Mary Balogh, but nowhere as scorching as Lora Leigh.

I just finished the second installment of the 'Maiden Lane' series, and was thoroughly let down. I rate this book 2.5 stars because the gin distillery story line (didn't know what a gin still was till now!) was actually pretty interesting. I don't think I have ever read a romance that heavily highlighted the slums like this. I'm not just talking about having the 'cockney bruiser with a heart of gold' tertiary character, or Cinderella-esque slums to riches romance, but where major action and settings are in St. Giles.

With THAT said, I was really disappointed with the overall romance story. Funny enough, I didn't really have an issue with Hero or Griffin for the first half or so of the book. I am willing suspend belief that a Duke's daughter/sister didn't have a man of business to conduct her affairs, and actually had no qualms visiting St. Giles. And I couldn't be bothered with Griffin's way of making money.

What fell apart for me, was Hero's schtick: 'Lord Shameless is so bad, but he's soooo hot! I will bed him (again and again) but not wed him! I'm sad that my future husband slapped me in anger, but I will marry him any way because it was my fault and brother dearest knows best. ' Like seriously, by the second half of the book I couldn't figure this chick out.

Now the sleeping together doesn't really bother me, as much as the fact that *when Griffin offered marraige she said no BECAUSE she thought it was insincere since he was doing it out of duty.* Huh?! You say you love him , you have sex with him while engaged to his brother, but you don't want to MARRY him because it's not the 'right thing' to do?!! But you're marrying his titled elder brother because THAT's the right thing to do?!!

Now I thought this part would have been the main conflict of the novel, but then we see that when Saint Hero comes to her senses, breaks it off with Thomas, she decides again that marrying him would be the right thing to do. WHY you say?! Because he slaps her full across the face, and her brother then decides the best course of action would be for her to marry him anyways. Because OF COURSE when someone tells you they're sorry for slapping you in anger, and they won't do it again, they're telling the truth.

Let me go off on a parallel point here, I think that Thomas' and Wakefield's characters got shafted to make the story move along. It's like Hoyt needed to find something intolerable to Thomas to do, to make the reader want Hero to get back with Griffin (I guess love wasn't enough huh Ms. Hoyt?) while simultaneously needing a reason why Hero HAD to marry him (hence the brother that at the beginning asked if she was happy with the relationship, is now steamrolling her to the altar.) I'm not even going to touch the sub story of Mrs. Tate and Thomas. When Thomas proposed marraige to Mrs. Tate , while Hero was still heroically thinking she would be marrying him, it was as if the character of the fiesty Mrs Tate was just put in and back written to give Thomas an excuse for not marrying Hero.

So that's my 2 cents on this book. Sorry I don't have a glowing 5 star review!!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 53 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars