LORDS OF PASSION by Virginia Henley, Kate Pearce, Maggie Robinson

Publisher: Brava
Date published: November 2010
ISBN: 978-0758251077
Historical romance
Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by author


This very entertaining anthology starts with Virginia Henley’s Beauty and the Brute.

Charles and Sarah are married when they are young teens. Charles’ father had arranged the marriage so as to be able to pay off his gambling debts. They are then separated for three years. Both grow and learn and when they are reunited, Charles realizes he has a real jewel and now needs to court his own wife and earn her love.

This is a sensual story, a little predictable but nevertheless a fun story. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the banter between them and I certainly enjoyed seeing Charles having to woo and court his wife. This was a sweet, sensual read and a nice story to start this anthology with.

Next up is Kate Pearce with How To Seduce A Wife. Louise is married to Nicolas. He is very kind, respectful and boring in bed. She wants to feel passion but is disappointed. Nicolas doesn’t want to be like his father who paraded his mistresses and bastards before his mother. He wants to be faithful to his wife. After a year of marriage, Louise confesses her desires. Nicolas is at first a bit put off, but he is determined to give his wife satisfaction.

This is a very sensual story. Nicolas does his very best to give his wife what she needs. This story had me squirming and wanting to take my own husband into the bedroom. It is certainly more sexually entertaining than the story before. I only had one little thing about this story. We are told that Nicolas was quite a wild young man and many women would love to be in his bed, so why is he having troubles with his wife? Apart from this question, I really did enjoy this story.

Lastly, Maggie Robinson offers us Not Quite A Courtesan. A young heiress is swept away and married into a family of swindlers. When the young man’s brother, Darius returns from his travels he meets the young heiress' cousin, Pru. He needs to unpack his treasures and sell them, she wants to help her cousin. They both end up getting not only what they want, but what they need.

Oh, this is another very sensual story. I loved it. I loved the characters, the plot. The banter between Darius and Pru was delightful. The secondary characters were entertaining and I just didn’t want this story to end.

I know that lovers of historical romance, who don’t mind a bit of spice in their stories will love this anthology. Three, very talented authors have penned some very clever tales that will keep you captivated and entertained for some very pleasant hours.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of the book.