Rating: 
Summary: Great addition to the Knight series-not as good as the rest
Review: Gaelen Foley is one author that is in my "must read" category. I will read whatever she writes. Not only is she one of my favorite authors, but also she consistently delivers great books with fun, substantial plots, sexy heroes, and some of the most likeable heroines I have ever read. I expected a lot of Lady of Desire. I, as had many others, had eagerly awaited her next book in the Knight series. Although there was a lot of the expected Foley charm in Lady of Desire, it did not quite live up to most of her other books. Possibly I had a problem with actually reading a grown-up Jacinda. More probable though is that Jacinda appeared as a spoiled and immature heroine with more antics than common sense by far.Lady Jacinda Knight has run away from home after her oldest brother, Robert from The Duke, has arranged a marriage for her. Robert realizes his sister is too mischievous for her own good and actually thinks he acting in her best interests. But Jacinda is not one to have her life planned by her brother or controlled by a husband she doesn't love. So lovely Jacinda runs from home and runs into a gang fight in one of London's less reputable neighborhoods. Dressed as a boy, Billy Blade rescues her and realizes she is not a he. He is quite taken with her, plans to become much closer to her, and then realizes something is not quite right. Not only is this boy actually a young lady, but Billy suddenly realizes she is probably a Lady as well. Soon he has figured out that she is the sister of Lucien Knight, a man he respects and works with occasionally as an informant. He contacts Lucien and delivers Jacinda safely home, much to her dismay. But at least she has taken care of her unwanted future husband. She settles back into her routine - ever acting outrageously spoiled and willful. Billy Blade is actually much more than the street king he appears to be. His father is a marquis and Billy wants nothing to do with him. But Billy gets caught in the middle of a robbery and he finds himself and his gang facing the hangman's noose. Soon, his long lost father and marquis comes to the rescue, reluctantly, forcing Billy to live the life that was he was born to in exchange for his beloved gang's lives. Billy is soon out and about as a member of the ton but he has not been raised to know all the little polite ways of this society. Furthermore, he can hardly believe the dishonesty he sees throughout the highly hypocritical upper crust of London. He embarrasses himself more than once and is even excluded because of his uncouth manner. Now it is a little difficult at this point to see how Foley will produce her signature cool hero out of this situation. But never fear, Foley is capable of such maneuvering. Soon, Jacinda believes she must teach Billy how to become a proper society gentleman. They develop a friendship that allows adequate time for romance to bloom. The new Billy Blade, now the Earl of Rackford, evolves into quite a sexy hero by the midpoint of Lady of Desire. It is his character that carries the book. There are many dark secrets from Billy's past that make his escape to the streets as a youth quite believable. His evolvement into the Earl of Rackford is very entertaining. Jacinda sees herself as his savior and reluctantly sees him in a romantic light. Their romance developed a little too slowly in my opinion. However, once Jacinda agrees with Billy about the status of their relationship, they are definitely burning up the pages. The sensual scenes are infrequent as far as Foley books go but rate 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). She navigates her leads through their stories without the usual misunderstandings and her writing is an absolute delight.
This is the fourth in the Knight series. The series includes, in order, The Duke, Lord of Fire, Lord of Ice, and Lady of Desire. My favorite of the series was The Duke but all had their great moments. I did not read these books in order but I believe I would have enjoyed them more had I read them in series order. However, they function very well as stand alone books. I have loved the characters from each book so much, that I have enjoyed reading about each set of leads continued lives as the series progresses. I have even reread Lord of Fire so I could see it more within the Knight family setting. Reading books a second time is unusual for me but this entire series definitely sits on my keeper shelf. There are still at least two more brothers (maybe three) that Foley intends to include in this series . Her next book in the Knight series is however about Jacinda's best friend, Lizzie. Foley's website currently estimates the release of Lizzie's book, Devil Takes a Bride, in May, 2004. I will anxiously purchase it immediately because this is one fantastic series.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read Author
Review: Gaelen Foley is one of the best historical authors around! She provides a perfect blend of romance and suspense with amazing historical detail and accuracy. Her heros are always to-die-for and her heroines are never stupid push-overs (which really really annoys me!). I only discovered her a short time ago and have already read all her books so far. I will be waiting impatiently for more and more outstanding work from Ms. Foley. In my opinion there are no flaws in any aspect of her writing. I recommend any and all of her books with 5+ stars! Visit her website for series order and also helpful history lessons.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Author
Review: Gaelen Foley is one of the best historical authors around! She provides a perfect blend of romance and suspense with amazing historical detail and accuracy. Her heros are always to-die-for and her heroines are never stupid push-overs (which really really annoys me!). I only discovered her a short time ago and have already read all her books so far. I will be waiting impatiently for more and more outstanding work from Ms. Foley. In my opinion there are no flaws in any aspect of her writing. I recommend any and all of her books with 5+ stars! Visit her website for series order and also helpful history lessons.
Rating:
Summary: staying excellent
Review: I accidentally came across "The Duke" and loved it. So naturally I read the following two books in the Knight series. Though "Lord of Ice" continues to be my favorite I was extremely pleased with this one too. What I really like about Damien was he was a real guy with real problems. And that's what I love about Billy too. So often the "romance" genre can be so superficial and the characters so vain. Billy is dealing with real issues from his past and the great writing by Foley keeps him true to his character. Billy's arrogance is limited to the world he controls and once he leaves that element he has to deal with all of the reasons he feels inadequate. Sometimes the details of the rookery became a little droll to me but I still clung to the excitement. And Billy was a nice mixture of good things and bad things. The speech his father gives at the end about how Billy could have chosen to use the people for his own gain but chose not to really says a lot about overcoming adversity. I am glad Foley used just enough bad things to make you aware of Billy's hardship but didn't overplay it to the point you pitied him. I think I will keep this one!
Rating:
Summary: Great Characters!!!
Review: I adored this book the plot is amazing as are the characters. They were amazing. I've never read about such an incredibly sensitive guy. Billy is amazing. He's had a rough childhood and desperately needs someone to love him and cherish him. I feel that Foley has done an outstanding job with Billy - His feelings are strong and true and you sympathise with him all the way through the book. I found it adorable the way he was afraid to love and be loved and Foley's writing brings out the best in this character. She's trully done wonders with him! Jacinda is just the right woman who will bring Billy out of the hole he's dug himself into. She's a breath-taking rebel who no longer wants to live with the ton breathing down her back. She longs to escape from th conventional society she's been trapped in for so long. And she does - straight into Billy's arms. THese two are delightful lovers and friends who you will just fall in love with!!! a MUST buy!
Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Novel...Not to be Missed
Review: I almost made a terrible mistake. I almost did not buy this book after reading the plot synopsis on the back cover...Lady Jacinda Knight runs away from an arranged marriage and meets and falls for the leader of a band of thieves, Billy Blade, on a dangerous London street...."Oh brother," I thought to myself, "another improbable story of a wealthy aristocratic girl and a hero from the gutter who surmount all of the obstacles of social class, background, and disparate fortunes to find true happiness together in the 19th century." Thank heavens that I decided to page through this book in the aisle of my local bookstore and read several pages at random, just to give it a "second chance." Fifteen minutes and a creased cover later, I was totally hooked and made the purchase. Needless to say, I am so very glad that I did. What might be an improbable plot in the hands of a lesser author magically blossoms under Gaelen Foley's pen into a wondrous, sincere, and believable story about the redemptive power of love. The sexual tension between the hero and heroine crackles from their first meeting, but Ms. Foley wisely allows their romance to develop slowly as they come to know and like each other. At the heart of the story are themes of child abuse and the healing nature of mature love between flawed and frail human beings. The dialogue is fresh and natural, and all of the characters--even the most minor ones and even the "villains"--are three dimensional and fully realized. The two protagonists, Jacinda Knight and Billy Blade, are fascinating, lovable characters who will find a permanent place in your heart. As I finished the last chapter of the book, the poignant ending to the tale literally brought a tear to my eye, and I just did not want it to end. Please, don't make the mistake I almost did and judge this book by its back cover. Don't miss out on one of the most memorable reads you are likely to enjoy all year.
Rating: 
Summary: Actually..3 1/2 stars.......
Review: I discovered Gaelen a few months back when I read her book "The Pirate Prince"...Since then I've devoured each book that she has written..I was soooo excited to read Jacinda's and Billy's story....Billy was soo romantic..so much more than I had imagined him to be..this book could have easily been a 5 star read,but Jacinda just seemed a bit too flat..not mature enough ..I felt that they werent adequately matched, but putting that niggle aside....this is definitely a must read for any fan of this series..I'm telling you Im dying due to anticipation ...I CANNOT wait for Alec's book!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Hardly a Lady
Review: I have been a fan of Gaelen Foley's since her very first book. So, it was with great anticipation I purchased Lady of Desire. Although Ms. Foley's ability to craft witty dialogue and an entralling world of characters is unchanged, Lady of Desire was not one of her finer offerings. I had a HUGE problem with Jacinda, the heroine. She was spoiled, stupid, and, well, frankly, .... I found it difficult to believe that a proper, well-raised Regency Miss would allow her ... to be digitally probed by a man after having only known him for ten minutes (and while covered in the most horrid stench). I felt this was a cheap and lazy ploy to make the hero appear more exciting and to intensify the relationship between two opposites. Normally Ms. Foley's novels are filled with interesting historical details. What happened here? She uses a few phrases that are so modern, or have such a modern ring, that it had my teeth aching. "I've got your back." Come on. I gave this three stars because the writing is still very good and Billy Blade was exciting and sympathetic, if not totally believable. Trust me, it pains me to write this as I really respect Ms. Foley's writing. Still, despite everything I have said, the lite reader would find this novel thoroughly satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Not as exciting as I expected but...
Review: I have been waiting for this book ever since that teasing glimpse of Billy in Lord of Ice so maybe my expectations were unreasonably high. However, I still consider this book a great read and its author a brilliant storyteller. Despite the book's title, Billy Blade is the shining star in this book. As a young man Billy runs away from his abusive tyrannical father and leaves behind a life of privilege for the tough, dirty streets of London's slums.There, with his intelligence and charm he becomes a kind of Robin Hood figure by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Moreover, he becomes the leader of the most powerful gang in London's underworld thereby gaining many enemies.
Lady Jacinda Knight, the daughter of a powerful duke is a beautiful, stubborn young woman who is determined to live her life on her own terms. She meets the mysterious Billy Blade while running away from an arranged marriage and is completely enthralled by his "bad-boy" image and his wild, untamed ways. Immediately Billy is taken with Jacinda's beauty and spirit and when he finds out her identity he is loath to return her to her family but his innate sense of responsibility demands that he do so. Afterwards, Billy is haunted by the memory of Jacinda but knows that a thug like him could never possess a woman like her...unless he puts his pride and his terrible memories of his childhood aside and returns to take his rightful place as the Earl of Rackford. Smitten, besotted and head over heels in love Billy leaves behind everything he has built to attain the one and only thing he wants in life, the love of the fair Jacinda. There were many things I love about this book including the chemistry between the main characters and the vivid descriptions of the unglamorous London slums. However, what I really loved about this book was Billy. He is a charming and cocky but he is also insecure,lonely and deeply scarred by his abusive childhood.
On the other hand, Jacinda is spoiled (without being unlikeable) and tender towards Billy but I thought that she took much too long to realize her feelings for Billy. There were a few things that kept this book from being a five star read for me. First, Billy's transformation from gang leader to peer of the realm provided many lighthearted and tender moments but for me the story truly shined only when Billy took on his "Blade" persona and went out to hunt some Jackals (the rival gang). The book lags a little in the middle because of Billy's arrival into the haute ton (not as entertaining as his life as gang leader) and Jacinda's refusal accept her feelings for him. Also, although there were many sweet and tender moments in the story, I felt that there were not enough of those heart-clutching moments that Foley's other books are so full of. All in all I really enjoyed this book and I do consider it a keeper but when I need an angsty hero and my heart turned to mush I will re-read Foley's The Pirate Prince, one of my all-time favorite books so full of those heart-clutching moments I love. Highly recommended :)
Rating:
Summary: Absolute great read, love the Knight series
Review: I loved this book. This was a touching story showing how Billy Blade overcame his tortured past. Jacinda showed herself to be a strong heroine. The character development really impressed me. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book.
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