Helpful Score: 8
For a historical romance, this read more like erotica, but not especially well written erotica at that. Emma Holly (for example) has written historical romances that were much more erotic than this one (Beyond Innocence; Beyond Seduction). Personally I didn't find the author's many references to Mark's 10.50 inches of dripping "purple"-headed love thang, battering Passion's "womb", or the soreness Passion describes afterwards, very enticing. The words the author chose to describe the "equipment" were all -- bleech. (Cods, quim, and the over-frequently-used c-words for his & hers, were very unfortunate choices.)
The setting is London, 1851 but it didn't seem at all like Victorian England. It could have been set in Anytime, Anywhere, for all this debut author brings in any understanding of the time period. The hero, Mark, encounters the heroine, Passion, at the Crystal Palace. They are screwing against a wall, behind a screen, by page 12. Passion (the heroine) is a receptacle for Mark; he's the conflicted tormented one who needs Passion's sympathy & love in order to get over the fact that his mother never loved him. Passion is made an unwakened widow with a dead-in-the-bed prior marriage to make her more mallable to Mark's sexual persuasion.
Unless you like your historical romances with extreme sex scenes stuck together with a fragile plot and cardboard one-dimensional characters, avoid PASSION like the plague.
The setting is London, 1851 but it didn't seem at all like Victorian England. It could have been set in Anytime, Anywhere, for all this debut author brings in any understanding of the time period. The hero, Mark, encounters the heroine, Passion, at the Crystal Palace. They are screwing against a wall, behind a screen, by page 12. Passion (the heroine) is a receptacle for Mark; he's the conflicted tormented one who needs Passion's sympathy & love in order to get over the fact that his mother never loved him. Passion is made an unwakened widow with a dead-in-the-bed prior marriage to make her more mallable to Mark's sexual persuasion.
Unless you like your historical romances with extreme sex scenes stuck together with a fragile plot and cardboard one-dimensional characters, avoid PASSION like the plague.
Helpful Score: 8
WOW! This book was fabulous! Not only was it smoking hot, but I really loved the story. The hero, Mark, is soooo delicious and the author does a nice job of contrasting his domineering side (yummy) with his sensitive and vulnerable side (sigh). And I am tired of prickly, fiesty heroines that are fighting the hero and/or their own passion/desires the entire book. This heroine (in spite of her ridiculous name) is warm and compassionate and a perfect counterbalance to Mark. I absolutely do not get emotional about books, but the author did such a great job depicting Mark's torment the last few chapters of the book (and its solution), that I was almost in tears! And did I mention that the sex in this book is HOT!! I actually didn't mind the liberal use of the 'c' word in this book, because Mark was soooo......uh, how should I put it....fanning myself.....well, you get the idea!
Helpful Score: 5
After all the hype on other reader boards about this book, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed and resorted to skimming parts because it was so predictable. I had a hard time believing that a woman who would have sex with a stranger in a public place would suddenly develop such strong moral convictions.
Be still my heart.
Wow. What a book. This book holds the number 78 slot on AAR's top 100 list. It deserves a ranking closer to the top 10! If I was a bettin' woman, next year when they repoll the top 100, I would bet this one will move up significantly. I know I can't do this review justice, but here's my attempt.
Okay, here we have a tortured hero and a sweet and kind heroine, who is very likable, and Ms. Valdez made this so much more than a bunch of romps, which, there are a bunch. While this book is steamy, and liberally uses the f word, it is a fantastic book. I was very emotionally involved, and I had to ask myself two questions about why. Was it 1- Because Passion (I'm not to keen on that name) lived for the moment and I lived that through her as something I would never ever do, or 2- that lust turned into love unexpectedly between two people that just wanted to satisfy their own needs, but whose souls belonged together, like a hunger each other could only ever satisfy. Maybe it's both, but I just loved this book.
Because they choose to keep their affair and identity (except for their first name) hidden, both are astonished when they learn who the other is and their connections. I wondered just how the author was going to make a HEA for them, but she did. There are some heartfelt moments as love is professed and put off limits. Some of the passages, you will want to read again and again. Lisa Valdez, even though she only has ONE book in print, she is an auto buy for me. And for any romance reader, this book is a MUST.
Passion's sister, Patience will have a book of her own with Mark's brother, Matt as the hero. The release date on Barnes and Noble and My Book Garden have it listed as January 6, 2009, I hope that is correct. There was a scene in the back of Passion that pulled you right into their story. You can bet I will be at Borders that week to get it!
Wow. What a book. This book holds the number 78 slot on AAR's top 100 list. It deserves a ranking closer to the top 10! If I was a bettin' woman, next year when they repoll the top 100, I would bet this one will move up significantly. I know I can't do this review justice, but here's my attempt.
Okay, here we have a tortured hero and a sweet and kind heroine, who is very likable, and Ms. Valdez made this so much more than a bunch of romps, which, there are a bunch. While this book is steamy, and liberally uses the f word, it is a fantastic book. I was very emotionally involved, and I had to ask myself two questions about why. Was it 1- Because Passion (I'm not to keen on that name) lived for the moment and I lived that through her as something I would never ever do, or 2- that lust turned into love unexpectedly between two people that just wanted to satisfy their own needs, but whose souls belonged together, like a hunger each other could only ever satisfy. Maybe it's both, but I just loved this book.
Because they choose to keep their affair and identity (except for their first name) hidden, both are astonished when they learn who the other is and their connections. I wondered just how the author was going to make a HEA for them, but she did. There are some heartfelt moments as love is professed and put off limits. Some of the passages, you will want to read again and again. Lisa Valdez, even though she only has ONE book in print, she is an auto buy for me. And for any romance reader, this book is a MUST.
Passion's sister, Patience will have a book of her own with Mark's brother, Matt as the hero. The release date on Barnes and Noble and My Book Garden have it listed as January 6, 2009, I hope that is correct. There was a scene in the back of Passion that pulled you right into their story. You can bet I will be at Borders that week to get it!
I enjoyed the book, although it may be too spicy for some.
