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A review by lindsayreads3747
Lord of Pleasure by Erica Ridley
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.