Rating: 
Summary: This book didn't "wow" me.
Review: I read romance novels for their simplicity of plot and complexity of characters. In this case, I felt the plot was way overdone and the characters way underdone.Jacinda is described as rebellious, headstrong, spirited, and independent. But she displays none of those traits throughout the book. Other than her initial running away in the beginning, she is rather boring and sedate. She has no adventures and simply exists. Instead of the hero saving her from her mischievious misadventures, she saves his life twice. Billy...what can I say about Billy? He is supposed to be a rough guy, but come on! His fighting skills are so bad that he has to be saved by Jacinda twice. He lets the leader of the rival gang get away and gets caught in a burglarly that sends him to Newgate. He grovels to his abusive father. When he gets jealous, he growls, but never does anything about it. I mean, where's the passion in this guy?! Okay, so he trades a few barbs with the old guy that Jacinda is trying to hoodwink into marriage, but does that really qualify as being a stand up guy? I could go on and on... Call me old-fashioned or call me a traditionalist. But I want the woman to be saved physically and the man to be saved emotionally. Billy is so emotional that even the sex scenes were boring and painful to read. Jacinda is so sure she will end up like her mother (a known harlot) that she is half slut/half ninny. There is just no passion between these two. The characters seemed wooden and the storyline just ridiculously complex. I can't wholeheartedly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Really good romance!
Review: I really wanted to give this 5 stars - for some reason it fell a little short of the first 3 in the series but not by much. I normally do not like books that focus on the female rather than the male as the main character. Having seen Jacinda through her brothers books I expected her to be a free thinking hellion - I did not expect her to have such a reserve about her. I think she kept Billy (Lord Rackford) on the hook too long. I mean she practically gave in to him the first night - then it seemed the passion went - where?? He was just such a wonderful hero charming, handsome, tough and with a self doubt about himself that made him totally endearing!! You just had to fall for Billy Blade! And I think Jacinda did so why did it take so long for him to catch her? Billy has much to overcome in this book - Jacinda's resistence, conquering the leader of his old rival gang and most of all dealing with a brutal childhood of abuse from his father. This is really Billy's story and Jacinda is not nearly as interesting or as compelling as he is and that was a little disappointing! Good book - and should be read to complete this series until more are released.
Rating:
Summary: Billy's Book
Review: II loved Billy Blade. He was the best part of the story. His story, how he came to be in the slums of London, was really good. The problem, however, was Jacinda, who was just a silly, self centered, spoiled girl. At 18, she seemed much younger then that. Actually, Billy deserved better! But Billy's Dad, the mad Marquis, was an incredibly cruel man and the rush to finish the book really does a disservice to the issue of child abuse. One can tell from Billy's dialogue, that he does indeed have a warped perception of his self-worth. In addition, felt unworthy. However, Billy's Dad was over the to cruel. I thought Jacinda, who almost forced Billy's hand to go home after the wedding, was wrong. After all, she spent one evening at a dinner staring daggers at him. What he did to Billy was almost murder. The Mother too was a creep. It was unrealistic to expect him to go home because his Mother wrote his Dad was sick and dying. Then...silly little Jacinda seems to see though the ...., and calls his cruel taunts his attempt at friendship. Then she tells him to tell Billy he is loved. If I met someone as cruel at the Marquis, my skin would crawl and I would not be as accommodating as she was. Also - did they ever go on their honeymoon? Children?
Rating:
Summary: exciting Regency romance
Review: In 1816 teenager Lady Jacinda Knight, daughter of the infamous "Hawkscliff Harlot", refuses to marry Lord Griffith since he is not her soulmate. Instead, Jacinda chooses to flee to Paris. However, while waiting passage, an urchin steals her purse. Jacinda gives chase and ends up in hiding while a gang war occurs in a rundown part of London. Not long afterward, one of the gang leaders Billy Blade catches Jacinda. Billy finds himself attracted to the compassionate and unconventional beauty and she realizes the notorious chief of thieves is all she desires. As Billy decides to go straight and claim his aristocratic title as an earl to win her hand, he must contend with his rivals who now know his weakness is that of the heart. Gaelen Foley's latest Regency romance is an exciting tale starring two delightful incomparables. The story line is action-packed with two distinct settings that both bring out the key characteristics of the lead duo. Though the novel would have caused more of a refreshing stir as a star-crossed dilemma if Billy was just what he first seems, a reprobate, readers will find much positive about LADY OF DESIRE as is the case with all of Ms. Foley's historicals. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A masterful portrait of love and desire
Review: In her second and third installment to the Knight series, readers lament the lack of romance in Lord of Fire and the flawed conclusion in Lord of Ice. Her latest attempt marks her triumphant return in fixing the glitches, making Lady of Desire one of her most compelling novel after The Duke. Ms. Foley's artful narration is a vicarious thrill from start to finish as she dissects and defines the central protagonist Billy Blade as an intelligent cunning gang-leader in the rookery fighting for survival in the seedy underbelly of London 1816. We cringe at his memories of being a mud-larking beggar, his narrow escapes from malevolent arch-rival O'Dell and his encounter of the ferocious The Fire Hawks gang. The pivotal moment of his adventure turns out to be the one he is captured to Newgate in a burglary sabotaged by O'Dell. To escape hanging and to pardon the death of his captured friends, he has to seek help from his vitrolic father - marquess of Truro and agrees to reclaiming the title of Earl of Rackford. The spirited bohemian Jacinda Knight is his love-interest but one who refuses to marry because of the desire of independence. She is inspired by her mother Georgiana who dictates her own choices in lovers but her resolve is crumbled as she learns of passion with Rackford - and that this is a man who cares about her and is willing to change despite his bitterness from his abused past. With a tortured hero and a feisty heroine sparking off scorching chemistry and smoldering passion, Lady of Desire is gauranteed a top-notch romance with energy and adventure. Ms. Foley is relentless in bringing tension and dimensions to her tale as she interweaves loyalty and fraternity through the comrades of Billy's gang, forgiveness for a scorned father and unexpected poignancy in a tender romance that will have you rejoice with tears. There is no compromise in the materials as Ms. Foley's thorough research sculpts the acrid alleys of London's underground and the sweeping glittering balls of Regency-era and is attentive to the double standards between opposite sex during the times. Ms. Foley's complexed tale and superb narration paints a vibrant portrait of love, struggle and forbidden desires with strokes of light humour and a bold scope, making this one of the most compelling romance in 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Lady of Desire
Review: In this fourth installment of Gaelen Foley's Knight family series, Lady Jacinda Knight, youngest of the Knight family runs from home, only to find herself in the middle of a gang war in the seedy underbelly of 1816 London. When Jacinda finds herself rescued by none other than the criminal world's swarthy leader, Billy Blade, her world turns upside down. Running from a marriage she doesn't want, and the fear of becoming a "fallen" woman like her mother, Jacinda finds herself thrust back into the world she was running from. When the presumed dead Earl of Rackford shows up the ton, Jacinda is taken off guard to realize the most eligible gentleman in her upper class world, is none other than the rookery thief who leaves her slightly weak in the knees. Jacinda spends the novel turning Rackford into a gentleman, while Rackford turns Jacinda into a scandalous heroine. Though most series tend to decline after the first few titles, Foley packs a massive punch with this wonderful novel. Readers will sympathize with Jacinda, while falling head over heels for the thieving Earl. Nearly impossible to believe, with the impression Foley left on the romance world after Lord of Fire and Lord of Ice, this book is just as good, if not better than its predecessors. With the fifth book in the series due out in early 2004, one can only wonder what Foley has up her sleeve next.
Rating: 
Summary: (actually 3.5)
Review: It pains me to give any of Foley's works fewer than 5 stars since she's my very favorite romance novelist. However, after eagerly awaiting a book about Jacinda and Billy Blade, this novel fell a little flat. I loved the characters, but I think it's the plot that I had a problem with. Jacinda is technically an innocent (read: virgin), but she's her mother's daughter in that she has a sensual nature and is more than ready to do the deed with Billy. Billy's is the proverbial bad boy with a heart of gold. He has vulnerabilities caused by being an abused child. Thus, the characters were interesting. However, the plot dragged. As another reviewer pointed out, much of the novel was based on Billy's background and his relationship with is father. While I don't mind some of this, I read romance novels for romance. The romance between Billy and Jacinda seemed secondary or at the most equal in importance to Billy's relationship with his father. As most romance novel readers will agree, the romance should be the primary focus of a romance novel. So, this novel was not up to Foley's usual standards. However, even her worst effort is better than many others' best efforts, and I eagerly await the other sequels to this series (I think Lizzie's story is next. Because Foley notes that Alec and Lizzie will receive separate love stories, the implication is that they will not be a pair, something I had hoped for).
Rating:
Summary: UNPUTDOWNABLE,GRIPPING and FASCINATING
Review: It's definitely one of Mrs. Foley's best books, if not the best.The way the story develops between Rackford and Lady Jacinda is excellent. It is also unconventional to have a hero start as a 'gangster' in the beginning of the story and end up as an Earl. That's definitely a big difference from all her books. All I have to say is, the boook is GREAT, it's amazing...its FABULOUS...READ IT....press that ADD TO CART button and go for it...it's worth it.I LOVE ALL GAELENS BOOKS
Rating:
Summary: Foley does NOT disappoint -- EXCELLENT read!
Review: Jacinda Knight, sister to the infamous Knight brothers featured in books such as "The Duke", "Lord of Fire," and "Lord of Ice" is a headstrong, spirited girl who attempts to flee London instead of facing an arranged marriage to a very nice, but brotherly-type man. By pure accident, she meets Billy Blade, a gang leader, on the London streets at night. Billy is captivated by Jacinda's charm, wit, and beauty, and after a course of events, decides to pursue her.. as the Earl of Rackford, his birthright. This, I'd have to say, was one of Gaelen Foley's best works.. if not the VERY best. From page 66, I was in love with Billy.. sensitive, gorgeous, charming.. with a slight shy streak that is so arresting. This is more Billy's story than Jacinda's, in fact.. because even though you will love Jacinda as the heroine, you will see Billy mature from a street thief to an Earl. You will feel his embarassment, his longings.. An extremely touching read, and one that I'd highly recommend. Even if you haven't read the previous books in the series (I mentioned them above), you will not feel lost to the storyline. Another book that I highly recommend in this series is "Lord of Fire", which is also extraordinarily written, about the sensual Lucien Knight, and prudish Alice. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Foley does NOT disappoint -- EXCELLENT read!
Review: Jacinda Knight, sister to the infamous Knight brothers featured in books such as "The Duke", "Lord of Fire," and "Lord of Ice" is a headstrong, spirited girl who attempts to flee London instead of facing an arranged marriage to a very nice, but brotherly-type man. By pure accident, she meets Billy Blade, a gang leader, on the London streets at night. Billy is captivated by Jacinda's charm, wit, and beauty, and after a course of events, decides to pursue her.. as the Earl of Rackford, his birthright. This, I'd have to say, was one of Gaelen Foley's best works.. if not the VERY best. From page 66, I was in love with Billy.. sensitive, gorgeous, charming.. with a slight shy streak that is so arresting. This is more Billy's story than Jacinda's, in fact.. because even though you will love Jacinda as the heroine, you will see Billy mature from a street thief to an Earl. You will feel his embarassment, his longings.. An extremely touching read, and one that I'd highly recommend. Even if you haven't read the previous books in the series (I mentioned them above), you will not feel lost to the storyline. Another book that I highly recommend in this series is "Lord of Fire", which is also extraordinarily written, about the sensual Lucien Knight, and prudish Alice. Enjoy!
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