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romancingrakes
, September 27, 2011
(view all comments by romancingrakes)
Well, the second read through of this book was more satisfying than the first. There were things I remembered and things I missed. Of course I knew who the crazy was but even on the second read through, I still cringed at the way she acted.
Charlotte "Charlie" Fallon has rushed to London, afraid that her baby sister has taken ill. Wrong. Her sister Deborah, the most sought after courtesan in all of London, has decided to run away with the third son of an earl, and intends to have Charlotte take her place as new mistress to one, Sir Michael Xavier Bayard. Of course Charlotte, ever the proper lady, decides to straighten everything out with Bay the morning after Deborah runs off.
Cue in the sinfully delicious Sir Michel Xavier Bayard. He arrives in the dead of night, after spending a month away being with his grandmother before she passes and making funeral arrangements. Bay can no longer wait to take Deborah so, upon his arrival at the Jane Street house, he crawls into bed with her. She's not what he expected. Well, duh! It's Charlotte, not Deb. But he doesn't know that.
Charlotte wakes up to Bay trying to make love to her and screams. Well, you would too if a stranger was sucking on your nipples and you're somewhat aroused by it. Charlotte tries to explain to Bay what happened and how she came to be in his bed. Turns out, Deborah stole a necklace that belonged to Bay's deceased grandmother. Until the necklace is returned, Charlotte must take Deborah's place as Bay's mistress. Eep!
And the story gets crazy. Charlotte is physically attracted to Bay. I mean, who wouldn't be? He's got magic fingers, lips, [insert body part here-- yes, even THAT body part]. They carry on a very steamy relationship while trying to deny their attraction. Pfft. We know how well that will turn out.
Bay has a man looking for Deborah, he's got a fantastic sexual relationship with Charlotte, then his crazy ex-wife blows into town and all hell breaks loose. She's a total looney. Apparently she was married to some other man who they thought dead, then he comes back so that makes her marriage to Bay null. Got that so far? Bay is still semi-head over heels in love with her which turns him into a drinking fool. Sheesh! Men! Now the ex-wife wants to get back together and have a baby with him. Then Charlotte and Bay fight, she turns into a watering pot, she destroys property (okay, those cherub figurines are pretty ugly and quite creepy), and in the middle of it all, Bay gets kidnapped.
I fell in love with both Charlotte and Bay the second time around. There were scenes I'd forgotten about and scenes forever imprinted in my memory. I must say that Ms. Robinson writes like her hero, Bay. It is pure poetry, meant to seduce, titillate, excite and ensnare the reader from the first chapter until the last. I'd forgotten how hot Maggie Robinson can be, just ask my Kindle. The creaking was audible as I gripped it tightly, my heart racing, my toes curling as I sighed from the sexual chemistry between Bay and Charlotte. It's almost like a soap opera, complete with mistaken identity, kidnapping, crazy ex-wife, expert lover hero, self conscious heroine, and a floozy of a sister who ends up being content with someone you didn't expect. Oh, and a few plot twists. Ms. Robinson, I'll be putting the rest of the series on The List.
***Kindle free reads on 10/31/2010***
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