lindsayreads3747's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal story telling and romance by Erica Ridley!
I am an avid romance reader and yet I somehow had never read a book by Ms. Ridley. I'm so happy I have! She has certainly garnered another much deserved fan. Her writing is sophisticated, detailed and well constructed.
Our heroine Camellia, is considered a spinster at six and twenty and has resigned herself to an arranged marriage with perfectly mature and suitable, Mr. Bost, a man she has never met and lives a several weeks travel away in Northumberland. A consummate wall flower, and bound by duty to uphold her reputation to protect her younger sisters prospects, Camellia is used to following the status quo and above all being a dutiful daughter. She abides her mother's arranged marriage, just as every year, like a music box, she performs at her family's musicale all the while, little of Mayfair know the real her. Camellia's young and vivacious sister, Bryony, offers to gift her an invitation she received to an exclusive masquerade ball, where the ton can let loose and not feel obligated by 19th century decorum.
With refined manners and a devastatingly handsome appearance, Michael Rutland, the Earl of Wainwright, has always been willing to press the seams of the confines of societal expectations in private and is ever the gentleman in public. The combination causes him to be dubbed the Lord of Pleasure in the caricatures of the daily papers. Eligible ladies at the seasons balls, swoon in his presence, leaving him misunderstood publicly, and his history of affairs with widows and unhappy wives leave him with a bad reputation. The gossip mill is in overdrive, and the lines become blurred with his real dalliances and the fodder created by the papers. Lord Wainwright is desperate for balance, between his public persona of being the perfect wealthy, handsome and charming bachelor and the debauched rake the caricatures make him out to be. With his friends, he makes a bet to stay out of the papers for 40 days and to campaign to refine his public image once and for all.
Lord Wainwright’s remaining vice is the weekly masquerade balls, where he can truly be himself unhindered by propriety. Camellia reluctantly attends hoping to finally feel free of the confines of being the oldest sister, held to a standard higher than her siblings, to ensure the character of her family is not tarnished. When Camellia is propositioned by a reveler moments into entering the ball, Lord Wainwright steps in and ushers her to safety. Camellia, shocked he expects nothing in return, and Lord Wainwright further surprised she is in no need of ravishing. They simply talk and get to know one another, promising to meet weekly at the Masquerade for the next four weeks before the bans are raised for Camellia's impending marriage to the perfectly acceptable Ms. Bost.
I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. I typically do not like heros who are promiscuous and have a bad reputation, the whole a man needs to be tamed scenario doesn't always do it for me. Lord Wainwright is simply misunderstood and one who wishes to not feel confined by the exceptions of the peerage every waking hour.
The story from start to finish was gripping, I couldn't put it down and read it in about 2 days. The story arc was marvelous, believable and as a modern day reader, it was refreshing to connect to. I was simply stunned to finish the book and realize, in the entirety of it, there was only one sex scene, and I actually was not disappointed by that. Above all Ms. Ridley knows how to convey intimacy, and boy did she, the mental and physical intimacy shared between Camellia and Lord Wainwright is electric.
My only qualm about the book, and it is minor, is the ending did feel a bit rushed. I simply wanted more!
Beyond wanting a slightly tidier ending. I really enjoyed this book. I often find I have to relax and let go that in some romances and expect a few jumps in plot lines and believability. This was wholly believable...it was REAL. It was sensation, exciting and nuanced. I loved the characters, even supporting ones. I highly recommend this book!
I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I am an avid romance reader and yet I somehow had never read a book by Ms. Ridley. I'm so happy I have! She has certainly garnered another much deserved fan. Her writing is sophisticated, detailed and well constructed.
Our heroine Camellia, is considered a spinster at six and twenty and has resigned herself to an arranged marriage with perfectly mature and suitable, Mr. Bost, a man she has never met and lives a several weeks travel away in Northumberland. A consummate wall flower, and bound by duty to uphold her reputation to protect her younger sisters prospects, Camellia is used to following the status quo and above all being a dutiful daughter. She abides her mother's arranged marriage, just as every year, like a music box, she performs at her family's musicale all the while, little of Mayfair know the real her. Camellia's young and vivacious sister, Bryony, offers to gift her an invitation she received to an exclusive masquerade ball, where the ton can let loose and not feel obligated by 19th century decorum.
With refined manners and a devastatingly handsome appearance, Michael Rutland, the Earl of Wainwright, has always been willing to press the seams of the confines of societal expectations in private and is ever the gentleman in public. The combination causes him to be dubbed the Lord of Pleasure in the caricatures of the daily papers. Eligible ladies at the seasons balls, swoon in his presence, leaving him misunderstood publicly, and his history of affairs with widows and unhappy wives leave him with a bad reputation. The gossip mill is in overdrive, and the lines become blurred with his real dalliances and the fodder created by the papers. Lord Wainwright is desperate for balance, between his public persona of being the perfect wealthy, handsome and charming bachelor and the debauched rake the caricatures make him out to be. With his friends, he makes a bet to stay out of the papers for 40 days and to campaign to refine his public image once and for all.
Lord Wainwright’s remaining vice is the weekly masquerade balls, where he can truly be himself unhindered by propriety. Camellia reluctantly attends hoping to finally feel free of the confines of being the oldest sister, held to a standard higher than her siblings, to ensure the character of her family is not tarnished. When Camellia is propositioned by a reveler moments into entering the ball, Lord Wainwright steps in and ushers her to safety. Camellia, shocked he expects nothing in return, and Lord Wainwright further surprised she is in no need of ravishing. They simply talk and get to know one another, promising to meet weekly at the Masquerade for the next four weeks before the bans are raised for Camellia's impending marriage to the perfectly acceptable Ms. Bost.
I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. I typically do not like heros who are promiscuous and have a bad reputation, the whole a man needs to be tamed scenario doesn't always do it for me. Lord Wainwright is simply misunderstood and one who wishes to not feel confined by the exceptions of the peerage every waking hour.
The story from start to finish was gripping, I couldn't put it down and read it in about 2 days. The story arc was marvelous, believable and as a modern day reader, it was refreshing to connect to. I was simply stunned to finish the book and realize, in the entirety of it, there was only one sex scene, and I actually was not disappointed by that. Above all Ms. Ridley knows how to convey intimacy, and boy did she, the mental and physical intimacy shared between Camellia and Lord Wainwright is electric.
My only qualm about the book, and it is minor, is the ending did feel a bit rushed. I simply wanted more!
Spoiler
I wanted more time after they finally were official together. I would have loved a bit about their wedding and honeymoon. There is a proposal, and bam, next chapter, day after the wedding. They were happy, the end. There is really no explanation of resolution with her public persona, family and other issues. They anticipate what will occur based on their decisions and we are left to assume, this is what happened. Grated there is an epilogue two years later to testify to this.Beyond wanting a slightly tidier ending. I really enjoyed this book. I often find I have to relax and let go that in some romances and expect a few jumps in plot lines and believability. This was wholly believable...it was REAL. It was sensation, exciting and nuanced. I loved the characters, even supporting ones. I highly recommend this book!
I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Lord of Pleasure was a delightful read with masquerade balls, a scandalous rakish Earl and a mousy, but respectable lady. I had such fun reading this story, and can't wait for more in this well done series
Lord of Pleasure was a delicious treat to the senses! The masquerade balls were such a perfect opportunity for both Lord Wainwright and Miss Camellia to actually be themselves, not the person society had forced them into by labelling them. Wainwright showed up in the scandal sheets' caricatures more often than he liked, and Camellia was starting to think that being the good sister wasn't working so well for her. Not when her parents had decided to marry her off to a man she didn't know, and who lived close to the Scottish border. All for being the good girl, so they could pay closer attention to her wilder younger sisters.
Lord of Pleasure is all about hiding in plain sight, but also about how different men and women were seen during these times - and that is still the case now. Camellia was sometimes called the mouse of the family - because she never really did anything to make others notice her. When she was Lady X at the masquerade ball, though, she let her own wants out, and had a fantastic evening with Lord X, watching the stars and talking about a variety of subjects. Wainwright felt free with his mask too, for once, a young woman didn't swoon when he talked to her. She talked with him and shared interesting opinions. While participating in the masquerade balls, Camellia was also hiding from her impending marriage to an older gentleman she had never met.
There were a lot of humorous moments with Camellia and her sisters, especially because Wainwright had inadvertently made some investing ladies withhold their money from the youngest sister's school for young women. However, the characters also showed that they had it in them to forgive - which is definitely important in many situations. Written in third person point of view, past tense, and following Camellia and Wainwright closely, I felt like I got to know the characters well, and enjoyed their journey towards pleasure... and possibly ruin as well.
"I, too, had despaired of you ever finding a match. Mr. Bost is not only a - "
"Mature?" Dahlia asked.
"Respectable?" Bryony added innocently.
Camellia covered her face with her hands. "- gentleman," Mother continued, "he will be able to keep you in a great deal of comfort. You shall not want for a thing from the very moment the wedding concludes until your dying day."
And of course, the masquerades. Everyone who presented themselves at the door was taking arisk. That was a key component of the allure. Yet the true reason Michael had always attended wasn't in order to put a mask on, but rather to take his off. The earl mask, the rake mask, the caricatures of himself.
Lord of Pleasure was a delightful read with masquerade balls, a scandalous rakish Earl and a mousy, but respectable lady. I had such fun reading this story, and can't wait for more in this well done series
Lord of Pleasure was a delicious treat to the senses! The masquerade balls were such a perfect opportunity for both Lord Wainwright and Miss Camellia to actually be themselves, not the person society had forced them into by labelling them. Wainwright showed up in the scandal sheets' caricatures more often than he liked, and Camellia was starting to think that being the good sister wasn't working so well for her. Not when her parents had decided to marry her off to a man she didn't know, and who lived close to the Scottish border. All for being the good girl, so they could pay closer attention to her wilder younger sisters.
Lord of Pleasure is all about hiding in plain sight, but also about how different men and women were seen during these times - and that is still the case now. Camellia was sometimes called the mouse of the family - because she never really did anything to make others notice her. When she was Lady X at the masquerade ball, though, she let her own wants out, and had a fantastic evening with Lord X, watching the stars and talking about a variety of subjects. Wainwright felt free with his mask too, for once, a young woman didn't swoon when he talked to her. She talked with him and shared interesting opinions. While participating in the masquerade balls, Camellia was also hiding from her impending marriage to an older gentleman she had never met.
There were a lot of humorous moments with Camellia and her sisters, especially because Wainwright had inadvertently made some investing ladies withhold their money from the youngest sister's school for young women. However, the characters also showed that they had it in them to forgive - which is definitely important in many situations. Written in third person point of view, past tense, and following Camellia and Wainwright closely, I felt like I got to know the characters well, and enjoyed their journey towards pleasure... and possibly ruin as well.
"I, too, had despaired of you ever finding a match. Mr. Bost is not only a - "
"Mature?" Dahlia asked.
"Respectable?" Bryony added innocently.
Camellia covered her face with her hands. "- gentleman," Mother continued, "he will be able to keep you in a great deal of comfort. You shall not want for a thing from the very moment the wedding concludes until your dying day."
And of course, the masquerades. Everyone who presented themselves at the door was taking arisk. That was a key component of the allure. Yet the true reason Michael had always attended wasn't in order to put a mask on, but rather to take his off. The earl mask, the rake mask, the caricatures of himself.
joanav's review against another edition
4.0
I've received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review in Portuguese:http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/livro-lord-of-pleasure-de-erica-ridley.html
Lord of Pleasure was much better than Lord of Chance.
From the start, I felt a much bigger empathy with the characters, both Camellia and Michael.
Camellia is a friendly and protective sister and she feels like she has to compensate her family for her sisters’ behaviour – making her the “good girl”. Michael on the other hand, is seen as a rake/rogue/playboy, someone that walks into a room and makes all the ladies swoon – which he doesn’t particularly appreciates. Why? Because how people see him makes them change and twist his words, and he hates that.
Each of them felt stuck to a roll and it’s interesting to see how real masks allow for emotional and fake personality masks to fall and disappear. I liked the evolution of their relationship but, to be honest, I don’t know if it would last long, because they only know each other like the person behind the masks and, in truth, they are a bit of both – the ones behind the mask and that they show each other, and the ones they show the world.
Still, it was a fun and fast paced read that I quite enjoyed. I was always eager to know more about the characters. In truth, I think the “problem” didn’t really exist and something better could have been used to twist the story a bit but, for the kind of plot, this simple ruse and scheme worked fine.
It was a book that was hard to put down and gave me quite a lot pleasure to read, but, as I started to write this review, I concentrated a bit more on the problems that I was seeing, and that’s why the rating isn’t as high as I thought it would be (4*).
Review in Portuguese:http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/livro-lord-of-pleasure-de-erica-ridley.html
Lord of Pleasure was much better than Lord of Chance.
From the start, I felt a much bigger empathy with the characters, both Camellia and Michael.
Camellia is a friendly and protective sister and she feels like she has to compensate her family for her sisters’ behaviour – making her the “good girl”. Michael on the other hand, is seen as a rake/rogue/playboy, someone that walks into a room and makes all the ladies swoon – which he doesn’t particularly appreciates. Why? Because how people see him makes them change and twist his words, and he hates that.
Each of them felt stuck to a roll and it’s interesting to see how real masks allow for emotional and fake personality masks to fall and disappear. I liked the evolution of their relationship but, to be honest, I don’t know if it would last long, because they only know each other like the person behind the masks and, in truth, they are a bit of both – the ones behind the mask and that they show each other, and the ones they show the world.
Still, it was a fun and fast paced read that I quite enjoyed. I was always eager to know more about the characters. In truth, I think the “problem” didn’t really exist and something better could have been used to twist the story a bit but, for the kind of plot, this simple ruse and scheme worked fine.
It was a book that was hard to put down and gave me quite a lot pleasure to read, but, as I started to write this review, I concentrated a bit more on the problems that I was seeing, and that’s why the rating isn’t as high as I thought it would be (4*).
spirit_animal_margaret_hale's review against another edition
5.0
I loved Lord Wainwright (adorable misunderstood romantic-at-heart puppy) and I loved Cam and her sisters! Great fun and makes me want to go back and give book 1 another try!
freemajo's review against another edition
5.0
I've read two Erica Ridley books previously (because they were free) and was unimpressed. Apparently third time's the charm holds true because I loved "Lord of Pleasure." Ridley sidesteps the uncomfortable aspects of enemies-to-lovers with a masquerade and two characters who are both believable and right in their own ways. No trope-y stubborn heroine here with arrogant overbearing love interest. There's a lovely slow burn romance between the two that puts a different spin on lust-at-first sight and gives an emotional pay-off lacking in most romance novels, especially of this length.
hm08's review against another edition
5.0
This was so terribly sweet. A midnight picnic under the stars? The unceasing pining? A secret meeting place? Yes yes yes!
kayo32's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
princesspumpkinhead10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
bananatricky's review against another edition
4.0
Michael Rutland, Earl of Wainwright is universally known as the Lord of Pleasure, real and imaginary caricatures of his conquests fill the daily scandal sheets fuelled by his wayward past and his shocking good looks. No matter what he does (or doesn't) do, he is portrayed as a debaucher of women, a cuckolder and a philanderer. In desperation he enters into a bet with some of the fellow members of his club, that he can last for 40 days without scandal.
Miss Camellia Grenville is the oldest of four siblings. Whilst her brother and two sisters act in various scandalous ways, Camellia is the most obedient, dutiful and, frankly, dull sibling. And what does it get her? Left on the shelf aged 26 and informed of an engagement to a total stranger, several decades her senior who intends to take her to live in Northumberland. Encouraged by her sisters to at least experience a little life before being banished to the North of England, Camellia attends the Duke of Lambley's masquerade in place of her younger sister Bryony. If you read the first book in this series, [b:Lord of Chance|31279946|Lord of Chance (Rogues to Riches, #1)|Erica Ridley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469655809s/31279946.jpg|51936898], you will know that anything goes at these masquerades.
Of course Camellia and Michael meet at the masquerade. Strangely, they each feel that the masks allow them to be more truly themselves that they can be out in society. And so it begins, a weekly anonymous rendezvous in which the two share their fears, hopes and desires. Yet, an unfortunate series of coincidences means that the Earl of Wainwright is loathed by the three Grenville sisters, so that's not going to end well!
This sort of reminds me of the film Forty Days and Forty Nights starring Josh Hartnett, mixed in with a Cinderella-type theme.
Overall, this was light and frothy and utterly delicious like an expensive chocolate. I loved it!
I received a free copy of this book from the author via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Miss Camellia Grenville is the oldest of four siblings. Whilst her brother and two sisters act in various scandalous ways, Camellia is the most obedient, dutiful and, frankly, dull sibling. And what does it get her? Left on the shelf aged 26 and informed of an engagement to a total stranger, several decades her senior who intends to take her to live in Northumberland. Encouraged by her sisters to at least experience a little life before being banished to the North of England, Camellia attends the Duke of Lambley's masquerade in place of her younger sister Bryony. If you read the first book in this series, [b:Lord of Chance|31279946|Lord of Chance (Rogues to Riches, #1)|Erica Ridley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469655809s/31279946.jpg|51936898], you will know that anything goes at these masquerades.
Of course Camellia and Michael meet at the masquerade. Strangely, they each feel that the masks allow them to be more truly themselves that they can be out in society. And so it begins, a weekly anonymous rendezvous in which the two share their fears, hopes and desires. Yet, an unfortunate series of coincidences means that the Earl of Wainwright is loathed by the three Grenville sisters, so that's not going to end well!
This sort of reminds me of the film Forty Days and Forty Nights starring Josh Hartnett, mixed in with a Cinderella-type theme.
Overall, this was light and frothy and utterly delicious like an expensive chocolate. I loved it!
I received a free copy of this book from the author via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
the_willow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0