Author: Elizabeth Shore
Genre/Age: Romance, Erotica
Series: None
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Format: ebook via Netgalley
Rating: ✺✺✺.5
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: An arranged marriage to a wealthy and titled landowner should have been a dream for Lucy Kirkby but ends in a nightmare that could leave her falsely accused of murder. She flees to the safety of a family friend and like a phoenix rising from ashes, sheds her innocence. Emerging as savvy and sophisticated Catherine Sheffield, she is a woman who keeps her liaisons purely physical and her heart closely guarded.
Lord Miles Hawkins once knew love...and it nearly killed him. Yet he's enthralled with the beautiful stranger he encounters at a ball, and a tour of the balcony turns into a heated promise to meet again. Passion ignites an affair with the sultry Catherine, one he's confident will serve his physical needs while keeping his emotions at bay.
When an urgent summons threatens her identity, Catherine must choose between saving a life and sharing her secret with Miles, possibly losing him forever. It shouldn't matter...except desire rising has resulted in matters of the heart.
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**
Here are my thoughts, anyway...
The story is mainly shown from the perspective of Catherine, aka Lucy (in her former life). We get good insight into her thoughts and feelings, as well as the pain from her past that she is still struggling to overcome, having closed off her heart. The author does a good job, I think, of helping us to get to know Catherine.
Then, there is Miles. While we do get a few short glances into Miles' head, I would have liked to see more of him, in that regards. Since we are lead to root for him and feel curiosity and sorrow about his mysterious and painful past, it was harder for me to connect with him. It seems we really only understand his thoughts during the intimate scenes.
Speaking of intimate scenes...
I could tell that the author put a lot of thought into those moments. I mean a LOT of thought. Perhaps, too much thought. Paragraph after paragraph of mere descriptive kissing before moving on to something else. Sensual acts were described in nearly every way possible. Lots of description in this book.
A bit too much for my taste, however. I have found that passion is sometimes best expressed with quick phrasing. I mean, if you are lustfully attacking each other, I doubt anyone is sitting there over-analyzing the insanely descriptive way that someone's lips feel. And when you're dizzy in the moment, it is hard to concentrate on every little detail. Like when those lips move down to the neck, then the collarbone, then the breast, then back up to the neck, then to the lips, again.
Do you see what I mean? It took me so long to read some of the scenes, that my own enjoyment began to wane before we even reached the peak (haha, pun intended!). I, unfortunately, began to skim the love scenes. This saddens me because I usually look forward to those moments the most. But I found that I enjoyed it better by shortening it.
Personally, I would have been happier to see less of the intimacy and more of the daily interactions between Catherine and Miles. We do get a nice scene with them feeding one another, but of course, that only leads to more sex. Maybe more romance and less sex would have made more sense to me. But, alas, it was not my story to tell!
In closing...
It could have been my mood that caused me to enjoy this story less than I might have under different circumstances. And my issues were minor compared to what I have endured with other stories. To me, a three sun (stars) is a good read. I did like this a bit more than that. So I am giving it a good read + a bit more. 3.5 suns!
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