Rating: 
Summary: Uneven yet refreshing romantic suspense
Review: In the second installment of Deadly series by Brenda Joyce after her uneven DEADLY LOVE, Deadly Pleasures continues the sleuthing adventures of Francesca Cahill when she receives a rescue note from Georgette de Labouche to help her bury her rich businessman lover, Paul Randall who is murdered. He happens to be the father of Calder Hart, who arrives as her love-interest Police Commissioner Bragg's half-brother.While the focus of Deadly Pleasure was to solve the who-dun-it, the book is even more notable for the sub-plots and characters which are shamelessly dramatic and complex. Joyce continues her style of unraveling stunning secrets about the Cahill family and Bragg. There is the struggle of her sister Connie to grip with the disclosure of her husband Neil's infidelity; there is her brother Evan's dalliance with her mistress despite his engagement to a fiancee; there is the rivalry of Calder Hart and Bragg to pump our adrenaline in their feud. The romance between the central character Francesca and Bragg is left hanging with new obstacles. As such the mystery takes a backseat but nonetheless an interesting diversion to the drama at hand. The mystery is straightforward without any delicate intricacies or intrigue and Francesca amuses and annoys simultaneously with her naivete and cluelessness, even sometimes to plain stupidity. Her courage is nevertheless admirable in the confined New York conservative society and Joyce really is a master at reconstructing the glamorous socialite in 1902 with her observant eye. DEADLY PLEASURE can never seem to break the mold in scripting good suspense and romance combined. Both elements are unsatisfyingly developed given the length of the novel. It is entertaining though for the wonderful subplots and sub-characters in their own dilemmas. It remains uneven at its best but constantly readable though for Joyce's powerful narrative.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: The book is wonderful. The story was fast paced and at times funny. In addition my absolute favorite character in the series is introduced here. It is a must read book, however I urge readers to read this series in order.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: The book is wonderful. The story was fast paced and at times funny. In addition my absolute favorite character in the series is introduced here. It is a must read book, however I urge readers to read this series in order.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoying this Series
Review: This Book was better than the first one. I am hooked on this series.
Rating:
Summary: subplots and minor characters were more interesting
Review: This is a novel that works if you're a fan of Brenda Joyce's and the characters that she creates. If you liked the first book in this series, "Deadly Love," and the heroine, Francesca Cahill, and are incredibly curious as to what's going on in her family, and just how smoothly her romance with New York City's new police commissioner, Rick Bragg, is going than "Deadly Pleasure" will be an enjoyable and engrossing read. If however, you are a hard-core mystery fan, this novel may be a bit of a letdown, as this novel (unlike "Deadly Love") pays more attention to the characters and the various secondary subplots than it does to the murder mystery at hand. Subplots like that involving Francesca's elder sister, Connie, and the crisis that her marriage is currently facing; and the doomed from the start engagement involving Francesca's gambling addicted brother, Evan, and his plain but extremely talented fiance, Sarah; and subplots like that of Francesca's fraught with stumbling blocks romance with police commissioner Rick Bragg, and Bragg's difficult and acrimonious relationship with his half-brother, Calder Hart... The subplot dealing with who murdered retired businessman Paul Randall, and why was sometines in danger of being totally hijacked by the other 'non-mystery' subplots! I'll admit I was also disappointed by the manner in which Brenda Joyce depicted Francesca as a detective. Francesca not so much discovers clues and arrives at deductions, as falls from one embarrassing situation into another. And almost with every "cute" situation she found herself in, Bragg was at hand to discover her -- whether it was eavesdropping behind the door, or under a bed -- thus adding to the 'erotic' quota of the book, I suppose. Also, given that Francesca was presented as an intelligent and astute young woman (in "Deadly Love" at least), she seemed to have picked up the alarming habit of blurting out what ever was on her mind at the moment like a bubbleheaded little twit! Discretion seems to be a quality that she has decided to do without! I can only hope that with the next book in this series, Francesca grows and becomes again the young woman she was at the beginning of "Deadly Love.".
Rating: 
Summary: Great Follow Up To "Deadly Love"
Review: This is the second book in Brenda Joyce's Deadly series which features the herione, amateur sleuth Francesca Cahill and hero New York City Police Commisioner Rick Bragg (who is part of Brenda's infamous Bragg family) and began with "Deadly Love". Set in 1902 NYC, the story focuses on the murder of Paul Randall, and the twists and turns of the relationships between Francesca and Bragg as well as the lives of the various supporting characters. Get ready for an unexpected plot twist between F&B. While the mystery is solved, several loose ends are left that will entice you to read the upcoming sequel "Deadly Affairs." Bravo, Ms. Joyce on an entertaining read! Highly reccomended for fans of Brenda Joyce.
Rating: 
Summary: A 2nd dull book to the Cahill/Bragg series
Review: When Deadly Love first came out, I tried to excuse the book's dullness by telling myself and everyone that it was for development of the story plot and characters for the next three books. When I read Deadly Pleasure, I was disappointed once again because the ending was so predictable, the writing so bumpy and unfeeling unlike Brenda Joyce's old works, and the characters except Francesca, are just too vaguely mentioned, especially the relationship between Connie and her husband, Neil. Francesca is still as irritating with her never-dying quest and I still cannot comprehend why a matured, honorable and successful Bragg would fall in love with this naive, impulsive, stubborn and spoilt little girl. One good part to mention is the truth about Bragg that we later come across in the middle of the book. But penning of their relationship after the secret was revealed is still weak. Even though I have been disappointed twice over, I would still continue reading the last two books just to see if things would add up altogether at the last page of the last book.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Blend
Review: While I would agree that the books are uneven, and that the pacing has been somewhat slow in the sense that each of the books occur within days of the other, I do think this is an excellent series. I enjoy reading romances, and I enjoy a good mystery as well. This series satisfies both, in my opinion. Before picking up this book, I'd blown through several books in a row. You know the kind, you start it and then stop in discgust. This is especially easy to do in the romance genre, because it's so easy to go wrong. Joyce has created an interesting world, with characters who sizzle. I can easily overlook the slow plotting and uneven nature of the work, because the dynamic of the characters is so compelling. I am definitely curious as to what will happen next.
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