Rating: 
Summary: the most unromantic romance novel I've ever read!
Review: .... This book had NO plot to speak of and all the characters did was have sex. A porno flick has nothing on this book. There was no intimacy between the couple, only vulgar words and HARD CORE sex. She's [quite free with sexuality] and he has little esteem for women. ...dont buy it expecting a heart wrenching story of two people meant to be together.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book from a great author!
Review: After reading The Lover, this book is a very refreshing and welcoming cure. This book i think is very romantic. The sex scenes are great and the characters are so real and normal. Jack and Venus are so adorable.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed...again
Review: After To Please a Lady, I was hoping Ms. Johnson would somehow magically revert to her earlier writing style. I picked up her earlier books because they were well written, filled with historical information, and had very sensual scenes. Legendary Lover has none of the above attributes. The writing is sophomoric and crude. I don't mind plain speaking or using "dirty" words, a little spice sometimes is nice. But sprinkle it in, don't drown the reader in it. There is nothing historical going on in this book. We get a brief glimpse into the Crystal Palace and the fair in England in 1851 (which has some great historical ramifications), in the first 5 pages of the story and a quick trip to the Derby and that's it. Unlike her earlier books where the stories revolve around what is happening in the political and social arena of the time, this book is strictly about sex. I never got to like our lead characters. Venus, at least, has one redeeming quality: she opens hospitals for the less fortunate. I suppose when you are drowning in money you should do something to help the poor. Besides this superficial plot, there is nothing to our main characters (besides sex). I always enjoyed the little historical journeys Ms. Johnson's provides in the endnotes of her books. Unfortunately, after cramming 5 endnotes in the first 30 pages, we only see 2 or 3 more for the remainder of the book. The biggest disappointment to me is the sex and the way it was written. Where some of her previous stories have had some pretty explicit scenes, they where well written and I always thought they stayed in the realm of sensual. These scenes, which rolled from one paragraph to the next, (there was very little writing here except sex scenes), were boring. After the first time, we don't need any more since they are all the same and not very descriptive. (There is a fine line here, but...everything was graphic but not descriptive.) I would rather see one long scene where our characters are making love (say 30 pages) then them going for another romp every page and a half. Although I don't like to say this...don't bother reading Legendary Lover.
Rating: 
Summary: Same old, same old from Susan Johnson
Review: As a fan of Susan Johnson's books, this one presents me with a real dilemma. On the one hand, Legendary Lover is filled with Johnson's trademark sensuality and historical research. On the other hand, this book is virtually identical to the two other Johnson books I have read. Johnson has found a successful formula and sticks very closely to it. The hero and heroine meet, they immediately jump into bed for lots of intense sex, the hero virtually kidnaps the heroine and takes her to his private hermitage by a river where they spend a week or so running around naked and having lots more sex and then - 100 pages into the book - some sort of plot emerges. What is it with these river houses? If you've enjoyed the Johnson formula in the past, you'll probably like this one, too. I do have one major complaint about the book, though. I was really appalled by the fact that the hero repeatedly ignored the heroine's desire to use birth control. Not acceptable today, not acceptable then. No matter how urgent the circumstance.
Rating:
Summary: Same old, same old from Susan Johnson
Review: As a fan of Susan Johnson's books, this one presents me with a real dilemma. On the one hand, Legendary Lover is filled with Johnson's trademark sensuality and historical research. On the other hand, this book is virtually identical to the two other Johnson books I have read. Johnson has found a successful formula and sticks very closely to it. The hero and heroine meet, they immediately jump into bed for lots of intense sex, the hero virtually kidnaps the heroine and takes her to his private hermitage by a river where they spend a week or so running around naked and having lots more sex and then - 100 pages into the book - some sort of plot emerges. What is it with these river houses? If you've enjoyed the Johnson formula in the past, you'll probably like this one, too. I do have one major complaint about the book, though. I was really appalled by the fact that the hero repeatedly ignored the heroine's desire to use birth control. Not acceptable today, not acceptable then. No matter how urgent the circumstance.
Rating:
Summary: Legendary Lover
Review: At first I didn't think I'd liked the book. The sex scenes seemed too impossible and the language much too modern. However, I found myself thinking about the book and the characters quite a bit and even went back to re-read it!
Rating:
Summary: Typical Susan Johnson Fare
Review: C'mon, folks. ALL of Susan Johnson's books are steamy. Think of them as descriptions of sex with a little plot thrown in. Oh, and yeah, her characters happen to live in the 19th century. I normally enjoy a hot Susan Johnson romance, but this book is too much of a rehash of her others--a horny, rich, and bored hero encounters a gorgeous, voluptuous, and brainy heroine. Their love affair consists of trying every sexual position imaginable. To keep up the pretense that she is writing an historical romance, Susan throws in a few footnotes at the end. Don't you just love her cheek? Seriously, if you want to read a good plot that has tons of creative sex thrown in, pick up one of Susan's earlier books, like OUTLAW. LEGENDARY LOVER is ok, but it is tepid compared to Susan's first efforts. But, hey, what do I know? I also like Stephanie Laurens and Thea Devine.
Rating:
Summary: Romance or Pornography?
Review: Even realizing that authors are integrating explicit sexual scenes more and more in current romance novels, "The Legendary Lover" makes no effort at a storyline other than sexual exploits. Romance wasn't the theme....sex was. And to add insult to injury...the actions and language seem incongruous to the time depicted in the book. If there were ratings for books, this one would be rated XX. Since there aren't, I will not be relying on the back page in the future for an overview of a story. I don't want to waste good money again on a book such as this.
Rating: 
Summary: One long, hot, steamy orgy
Review: I agree with other reviewers that this book is lacking in plot, and historical data. However, the numerous sex scenes are great. Undoubtedly, Jack Fitz-James is a "legendary lover." Another deviations is that the female lead character is neither a virgin nor a widow, while the hero, typically, is a rake and a rogue. While many writers devote their entire plots to efforts by the hero to bed the girl, this book begins with the couple having sex the second time they meet. Jack arrives at midnight, and after a 10-minute waltz with Venus, he drags her to their hosts' library where they spend hours locked in a fantastic sexual encounter (after she makes him find and borrow some condoms). The use of condoms is something you don't usually find in historical romances either. In spite of the weak plot, this is one you can't put down.
Rating:
Summary: Not Johnson's Best
Review: I buy all of Susan Johnson's novels. Unfortunately, the last one that I actually felt had a good story and interesting characters was Brazen (which I'm re-reading now). Legendary Lover is not that great, but I got through reading this one as opposed to her last two novels in the Duras family saga. I would say, that if you're a fan of Ms. Johnson's previous novels you'll enjoy Legendary Lover, but it doesn't live up to her previous novels.
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