Dangerous Desires

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely loved this, full of passion and intrigue!
Review: I enjoy all sorts of literature, romance being one of them. However, I have always liked my romance to be a little... rough. I don't like to read romantic novels in which the hero and heroine know they are right for each other from the start and have only eyes for one another and face an obstacle or two. As a cynic of sugarcoated love stories, I want my romance to have intrigue, real and raw emotions, and erotica. Historical settings are a plus, for I love to read about a different time period. And that is why I absolutely loved Julia Templeton's Dangerous Desires. This novel is full of the aforementioned reading requirements and a whole lot more. This pre-Regency story (1810) centers on one Arlie Whitman and her entrance to the Rochford Manor, where she meets and falls for Dominique Santrell, one of London's most infamous scoundrels. Her late father had wanted Dominique to be her new guardian, something that does not sit well with Dominique. Alas, he plans to train and educate the low-class beauty and introduce her to society and potential suitors. But Dominique hadn't anticipated the feelings of jealousy he experiences whenever a man approaches his beautiful, young ward. He wants her like he has never wanted a woman before, but Arlie wants a proper marriage, something that he cannot give her, for she is not of his social stature and he is unable to be faithful to one woman. He hopes that she'd be content with being his mistress. There are various twists throughout the novel.

Dangerous Desires is a roller coaster ride of lust and emotions. Arlie and Dominique touched me in a deep way. The feelings the main characters go through are so palpable they almost jumped out of the pages. I felt for Arlie. She is in love with Dominique and wants to be his wife, yet she is willing to settle for being his mistress. Dominique frustrated me at times. He lusted after Arlie and cared for her, yet he got his jollies from married women and other mistresses. Dominique had had his heart broken before and was afraid to love again, but his behavior was nevertheless infuriating most of the time. I wanted to go into the pages and strangle him whenever he thought the solution to his unrequited (or so he thought) lust and feelings for Arlie was to sleep with married duchess Veronica. He angered me a lot while I read the book. And that is precisely what I loved most about this novel. Templeton made me care about the characters. Arlie is brave, transparent, and determined. Dominique is as delicious as he is infuriating. I don't like boy-next-door types in romanticas. I like the heroes to be utter rogues -- dark, gorgeous, sensual miscreants with the sexual prowess of a bull. The male character in this book is more my cup of tea. The other characters are also great. I liked Langley and Dominique's grandmother a lot. As for the writing, the story is beautifully told and wonderfully executed. The sex scenes were very erotic. And I loved the historical references and the realistic portrayal of the caste systems and class differences. Titles and social statuses were imperative back then. I devoured this novel down in one sitting. What a great Ellora's Cave offering! Julia Templeton is on my to-read list and this novel goes to my reread pile. I cannot recommend Dangerous Desires (a reprint novel formerly titled To Honor and Desire) enough. I like my romance rough and my erotica sweet, and this novel is as good as it gets!

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars - perhaps not entirely plausible, but I liked it
Review: This is my first book by Julia Templeton and I was interested to read it as it is an erotic Regency and I wanted to see how she did with it. I think pretty well! Apparently, this is a reissue of her first book, originally titled TO LOVE AND HONOR, which came out in 1999. The setting is 1810 England (okay, the Regency period did not strictly begin until 1811!) and Arlie Whitman has traveled from her home in a small Welsh village to Rochford Manor just outside London. On the death of her father, seventeen year old Arlie will now be under the protection of Dominic Santrell, the earl of Rochford who has been named her guardian. Arlie is not so provincial that she has not heard of the scandalous Rochford and she truly does not know what to expect. She is a curious and lively girl who yearns to experience the diversions of London and city life and wonders what sort of experiences await her.

Dominic is, indeed, a rake and a rogue and he has no intention of ever marrying. For him, love (if one would even call it that!) lasts as long as an evening's pleasure. He is unhappy about his new status as guardian and plans to marry her off as soon as may be. And when he meets his lovely ward, the need to marry her off becomes imperative, for he cannot live long with such a beautiful creature under his roof, but off limits!

After lessons in deportment, etiquette, French, etc., she is ready to be launched into Society. Of course, she is a rousing success and soon Dominic must put up with dozens of suitors all eager for the hand of his lovely ward. Though he knows that marriage is the only option for her, for them both, he is increasingly jealous of the men competing for her hand. He wants her for himself, but he refuses to ever marry and she is too sweet and young to become his mistress. What a mess his life has become!

As for Arlie, she is a bit overwhelmed by her success and all the men she has attracted. Especially since she wants the attention of only one man - her handsome and sexy guardian. While attending a house party at the home of, what she eventually learns is Dominic's married mistress, Arlie is both hurt and disgusted by Dominic's behavior. She leaves the party on her own and returns home. Once he discovers she has gone, Dominic races after her and they share a very passionate encounter. Soon they have become lovers and, though she continues to see her suitors and contemplate marriage, both are torn. He's not so sure he can part with her and she only wants Dominic, but knows he will not marry her. And so, what to do? Will Arlie follow her heart and stay with Dominic knowing she will ruin herself? Or will Dominic let her go, let her marry and keep her respectability?

I really enjoyed this story. Arlie was a sweet, nice and passionate girl who only wanted to be with the man she loved. Dominic was a man who had loved once and lost, unwilling to give his heart a second time. I enjoyed their relationship, their passion and appreciated their difficulties, though most of them were of Dominic's making. There were some nice secondary characters as well, Dominic's friend Langley and Dominic's mother who finally forces her hand (and Dominic's) to resolved the situation. I really enjoyed this book and I think I will check out KIERAN THE BLACK next (though I'm not a huge fan of time travel stories, this looks like fun!). Another new author for me to discover!