This story has everything I love in a romance novel : a very dark hero, a razor sharp tough as nails heroine, virtually no eye-crossing filler, the scThis story has everything I love in a romance novel : a very dark hero, a razor sharp tough as nails heroine, virtually no eye-crossing filler, the screeching emotional roller coaster and all that told within the framework of some brilliant writing. Anna Campbell is a genius with her eerie yet refreshing prose. Suzanne Enoch and Lisa Kleypas can rip your heart to bits with those nasty rakes of theirs but Campbell, she tears away at you slowly until you think you just can’t take it anymore and you’re almost shying away from the novel when the hero does something that just makes you go “isssh”, “aie”, “oo” (squint your eyes and purse your lips) that’s a low blow”.
The story is about Olivia Raines, London’s most infamous courtesan, who chooses her lovers and insits that they follow her rules if they want her to be their mistress otherwise they can just hitch a ride on the high road. Olivia reminded me of Lisa Kleypas’ Lily in Then Came You. She leads her life on her terms garnering as much financial wealth along the way to make her as independent as possible. She’s a smart cookie. She plays the role of the worldly courtesan brilliantly but underneath it all she’s frozen solid. I’m not a fan of the courtesan story but this one is very well-done.
Then there’s Julian Southwood, the Earl of Erith(nice to see a more original title name), who is Mr Do It And Do It Now Because I Said So. Oh you don't cross this guy unscathed! What a true sonofabitch he is but when Olivia plays cold fish to his charms he sets out to show her what a “real man” can do for her not one who just kowtows to her every whim and believes her charades. Now Olivia doesn’t really give a crap about Julian and just wants the liaison to be over with and this really, really really bugs ol’ Jules because he realizes that he’s starting to care for her and with time she cares for him.
As the chapters pass by most of the h/h’s time is spent in bed but it doesn’t ever feel like one of those sex for sex let’s skimp on the story kind of books. The story is always changing and the emotional turmoil that the two face heightens as the novel progresses. There’s no frill here so if you’re looking for a pretty Julia Quinn novel you might as well not even bother with this book. Campbell is the anti-Quinn. But like Quinn, Kleypas and Enoch when the h/h do find common ground the love story is believable and more than emotionally fulfilling. Her writing is not a “seen it all before” kind of writing. She has this way of putting words together that makes the darkness of the novel seep right into you so you shudder when the hero is absolutely heinous to the heroine and you wonder how in the world he can be redeemed with her not losing face and surprisingly she never does. She remains the woman who doesn’t settle for second best but is not an uncompromising harpy, while he isn't just a smack him one upside the head kind of rake either. Campbell’s descriptions and writing style are not the everyday kind. She writes with uncommon language and impressive precision in her sentences that is never stale.
As for the ending, it's "interesting", "different". I wasn’t sure if I felt like I wanted more or if it was just another unique aspect of her writing, but when 98% of a novel is actually centred around the h/h without substories and waste-my-time extra characters just to take up page space I can let that go. If you liked Claiming the Courtesan this one is equally good but not as “rough” ---well maybe the Duke of Kylemore is in a bit of a class all by himself too ;-). Campbell is definitely the Anne Stuart of historical romance –now that’s my kind of read :D ...more
Can you give 10 stars because this book is worth 10 big fat gold stars hands down! A phe-no-men-al read. Not only is it beautifully written (we’re talCan you give 10 stars because this book is worth 10 big fat gold stars hands down! A phe-no-men-al read. Not only is it beautifully written (we’re talking as good if not better than Lisa Kleypas) it will have you up until 2am squirming out a “geeze, just one more page!” and you’ll find yourself still reading at 6am when the alarm goes off to go to work —yes it is that good! Campbell has a way of segueing from one chapter to the next that you can’t help but turn that page and read on.
The story is really about a hunt at the beginning and then being saved by the most incredible kind of love imaginable. The Duke of Kylemore is a man to be reckoned with and nothing will stop this guy from getting (at first) revenge on the woman who has left him hanging high and dry –Soraya aka Verity, a mere courtesan. He is so deeply scarred emotionally that you can actually excuse what he does by the end of the book once you understand him. He's a tornado ripping a wasteland of hell through Verity's life because he wants her and she can’t leave him and even if she wanted to, well, that’s just too freakin’ bad sister (!). You don’t find this in today’s regencies. It reminded me of McNaught’s “Whitney, My Love” in some ways with that insane obsession that the hero has for the heroine and she wants nothing to do with him, or so she initially thinks. He’s similar in style to Anne Stuart’s gamma heroes from her Ice series for how cold he can be. Picture the total opposite of Julia’s Quinn’s happy go lucky Bridgertons and here you have an idea of how dark and foreboding this story is which is what makes it so fantastic.
As for the steam, well there’s sex right from the start and it’s everywhere as the novel progresses but that’s not necessarily what you really want to get to. It’s the raw emotional roller coaster with every sex act that tears you apart. You’d think that with sex from the onset it’d eventually start to get boring but you couldn’t be further from the truth. The frightening relationship between the h/h is what you want to see. Kylemore is psycho! He treats Verity like crap time and again and she keeps trying to escape. It’s not a love/hate story with arguing and fighting, it’s a captor/captive story where neither can be together nor apart but concessions are made and then …don’t want to give any spoilers now ;-)
I cried buckets and buckets of tears at the end because it just hit me like a cement wall. Keep the Kleenex on hand because come that last line you can’t help but fall apart.
I was practically dumbstruck, we’re talking mouth hanging open and saying OMG! OMG!, when I finished this book and it’s one of the very few that I wished wouldn’t end. Read this book if you want to feel some serious hate, love, sadness and finally, exquisite joy :)...more