PATIENCE by Lisa Valdez

PUBLISHER: Berkley, April 2010
SETTING: England, June 1851
HEROINE: Passion Dare, 22
HERO: Matthew Hawkemore, 26
VIRGIN HEROINE? Yes
PART OF SERIES? Yes, book 2 of 3
GRADE: A for sex, C for plot

SYNOPSIS: A woman called Patience.
A desire that would put her name -- and love -- to the test...

Known for her exceptional beauty, Patience Emmalina Dare has been pursued by admirers ever since coming of age. But as suitor after suitor fails to inspire her love, or her desire, she is certain she will never find a man who touches her deeply. Until a passionate kiss with an enigmatic man awakens a powerful need in her. But can she reconcile her desire for him with her desire for a life that's her own? And what will she do when he shows her a part of herself she never knew existed?

When the secret of his illegitimate birth pushes Matthew Morgan Hawkmore from his place in society, the darkly handsome half brother of the Earl of Langley plots his resurrection and his revenge. Betrayed and abandoned by the women he believed loved him, he swears never again to be controlled by love. But despite his vow, he is unable to resist Patience, whose strength and self-reliance mask a need that he is perfectly suited to fulfill...

The heroine is red haired, green eyed Patience Dare. She's 22 years old.
The hero is 26 year old Matthew Hawkemore.

The story begins in England on the same day as Patience's older sister, Passion, June 30, 1851. Patience and Matt were already aquainted with each other, having met because their siblings were engaged to each other. The story spans about six months.

Like the authors previous novel, this one too is centered around much sex. Hardcore sex, to be exact. They begin a dominant/submissive sexual relationship from the start of the story. Sex dominates the story and there isn't a whole lot going on plotwise.

Matt, in the previous novel, found out he was a 'bastard' and that his real father was a gardener and his brother Mark is really his half brother. Because of that, his fiancee Rosalind Benchley calls off their marriage right at the beginning of the novel. Her father is now out to ruin Matt financially. Matt was told by a teenage boy he knows that there is some sort of secret about Rosalind being a 'bastard' too. So Matt has the boy snoop around the Benchley household to try and find evidence of it. So, honestly, that's all that really goes on here, that and sex. Passion, Mark and Patience's aunt Matty make quite a few appearances throughout.

Near the end of the story, Rosalind's father is responsible for causing an explosion at the coal mine that Matt owns. Matt sells it to someone else and discovers that Rosalind is not the one who is the bastard...it's her father that is. Matt plans to make that knowledge public in an attempt to ruin Benchley in all ways but Patience talks him out of it. Patience accepts Matt's proposal and Matt really wants a Christmas time wedding.

We find out through a letter some lady writes to her friend that Matt and Patience did get married.

I give the sex scenes in this book an A+ because they're so graphic. I couldn't have been more. I give the plot line, with Matt trying to find out if Benchley really is a 'bastard' and the coal mine explosion a C. That whole plot seems to have fallen by the wayside. The author has a problem writing anything that isn't sexual, in my opinion. She should have and could have done so much more with the Matt-trying-to-ruin-Benchley thing but she just didn't know how or just didn't want to. Regardless, the graphic sex more than made up for the rest. Not every book needs to be a great masterpiece. Some are really nothing more than one sex scene after another and I see nothing wrong with that.

I'm assuming the next book will feature Patience's younger sister Primrose as the heroine. If the sex in this one, book 2, was much more graphic than the previous one, Passion, I can't imagine how she'll top it with book 3. Overall, I have to say that yes, I did enjoy this novel.

ANY WICKED THING by Margaret Rowe

PUBLISHER: Berkley, May 201
SETTING: England, 1818
HEROINE: Fredericka Wells, 28
HERO: Sebastian Goddard, 31
VIRGIN HEROINE? Yes
PURCHASE: link
GRADE: B

FROM PUBLISHER: Ten years ago Sebastian Goddard, heir to the duke of Roxbury, had a night of reckless passion and was betrayed by his oldest friend Fredericka Wells. Devastated, he embarked on a new life of debauchery that earned him the nickname Lord of Sin.

Now Sebastian has returned to find his estate in ruins, and Freddie more seductive than ever. He’s determined to pay her back in spades. But Freddie makes him an offer…she’ll be his mistress for a month if he’ll consent to sell her Goddard Castle.

Sebastian plans to scandalize Freddie-to tease her every desire and leave her wanting. But his fiery-willed lover soon teaches him the past may not be what it seemed.

MY THOUGHTS: This is another spicy historical. I liked that the hero and heroine grew up together, though as adults didn’t seem to get along too well. The hero was once imprisoned for eight months and had developed an opium addiction and, fortunately for him, overcame it. He wasn’t the nicest hero. He was always a bit rude toward the heroine and I didn’t feel any emotion for her coming from him. He only lusted after her.

Freddie was her own woman, not a wimpy heroine in any way. She was content to be single and didn’t want to marry. She had her own money, which her father left her when he died. She fancied herself in love with Sebastian for most of her life but I never felt it.

The two made a deal to have sex with each other for a month and boy, did they have fun and so did I reading it! There was plenty of graphic sex and if you’re reading it for that reason alone, you shouldn’t be disappointed. They were childhood friends, and housemates, that happened to fall in lust but I, as the reader, was left feeling disappointed by their lack of affection for each other.

I must say I LOVE the cover. It’s very pretty!

Margaret Rowe also writes under the name Maggie Robinson.

I received this from the publisher or author in 2011 in exchange for an honest review.

PASSION by Lisa Valdez

PUBLISHER: Berkley, July 2005
SETTING: England, 1851
HEROINE: Passion Dare
HERO: Mark Hawkemore
PART OF SERIES? Yes, book one of three
GRADE: A

SYNOPSIS: A woman called Passion. A man who would make her true to her name. In her second year of mourning, lovely young widow Passion Elizabeth Dare never dreamed she would be with a man again–and certainly not a complete stranger. But amidst the crowds of London’s Crystal Palace, Passion finds herself discreetly, yet insistently, pursued by a sensual gentleman who awakens her long-supressed desires. After a loveless marriage of restrained propriety, Passion abandons herself to true bliss for the first time.

Intoxicated by his encounter with the beautiful stranger, Mark Randolph Hawkmore, Earl of Langley, cannot wait to see her again. As a series of rapturous rendezvous follows, he and his mystery lover find something rare and wonderful blossoming between them. But a blackmail scheme against the Earl threatens to destroy everything. As a scandal brews, each will have to choose between duty and desire…their love for their families–and their love for each other.

MY THOUGHTS: Based on the extremely graphic sex, I'd give this book five stars. I liked the blackmail plot too so for that, I'd give it four stars. I liked all the main characters, including Mark's cold mother and Charlotte's scheming mother Abigail.

Passion was supposed to be so in love with Mark but I never once felt it. Even when she was crying her eyes out to him, I never once felt it was believable. An example of why I don't think she was that into him is when she'd told him that after her two months of visiting her aunt were up and she had to go back home, their affair had to end. He was upset at hearing that and like me, didn't understand why it had to end. They could have continued to see each other discreetly. That right there told me she wasn't too into him. Matt was clearly obsessed with Passion, right from the start. I really liked his intensity when it came to Passion. She didn't seem to feel the same way about him to me. But they had their happily-ever-after, so I guess she did love him.

Though this wasn't the greatest book ever written, it held my interest and had likeable characters. I never once got bored with it.