Author: Anne Mallory
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Secrets, #2
Publisher: Avon
~ Blurb ~
Powerful, ruthless, seductive -- the lord of London's underworld -- Roman Merrick gets anything he wants...and he burns for Charlotte Chatsworth, a polished jewel in the glittering ton. So he engages her debt-ridden gambler father in a game of chance, wagering ten thousand pounds against one night with the man's exquisite daughter. And Roman Merrick never loses.
Charlotte is devastated to learn that her reprobate father has lost her in a card game to the most dangerous man she's ever met. With the threat of ruin behind every corner, Charlotte embarks upon a perilous path with the man she cannot forget. But in truth, it's Roman who has everything to lose -- for a game undertaken for pleasure alone soon has him gambling his heart. And love and passion unleashed could bring his great, dark empire tumbling down...
Charlotte is devastated to learn that her reprobate father has lost her in a card game to the most dangerous man she's ever met. With the threat of ruin behind every corner, Charlotte embarks upon a perilous path with the man she cannot forget. But in truth, it's Roman who has everything to lose -- for a game undertaken for pleasure alone soon has him gambling his heart. And love and passion unleashed could bring his great, dark empire tumbling down...
Don't let the seen before sub-plot of virgin-being-won-by-the-sexy-rogue-during-a-card-game sway you. Anne Mallory delivers a world where character driven readers will enjoy the building of a relationship between two societal opposites, each captives of different gilded cages, and their torrid affair that is the key to unlocking each others confinements. What starts as desire and lust soon turns in to passion and possession that would make any romantic affair worthy of the associated risks.
The author gives us a delightful, passionate tale that will appeal to character-driven readers. The focus lies on the protagonists who seem real for that moment in time where society rules all and some people are nothing more than pawns on a chess board. However, the hero and heroine risk much more than just their hearts to be with one another; They risk everything!
Heroine Charlotte Chatsworth, has been placed on the almighty pedestal; For she's perfect. Perfect in looks. Perfect in stature, grace, and elegance. She masters the societal scene of the ton. She's desired by all, but sought after by few through intimidation by her perfection and her father's quest to secure the perfect husband to give him the perfect title and position. She's the golden ticket in which her family bets its future. Her every action, thought, and desire has been crafted for her. She can be anything and everything if only the cards are played right. Everything but free. For Charlotte Chatsworth is caged, miserable, and stuck. And she loathes the word perfect.
What makes matters worse is that due to her unmatched perfection, she also garners countless looks of suspicion, resentment, and envy from other female members of the ton; Vultures circling the pedestal waiting for the opportune moment for Charlotte to fall off. And Charlotte wants nothing more than to escape. She doesn't want people to look at her that way, yet her father's ruthless and good-for-nothing attitude has encouraged her isolation, the name of 'ice queen', and rumors due to her being still unwed and in her third season!
But, a chance for unthinkable, yet highly desired freedom may be just within her grasp due to an outrageous and disgraceful opportunity. Drunk and even more obtuse than normal, her father, Bennett Chatsworth, has upped the ante in a card game by throwing in his perfect daughter Charlotte into the pot.
Roman Merrick is just the man to grant her the freedom she's dared to dream of for so long. Every move, every thought, every desire has been centered around securing a place and a future for her family for so long, that Charlotte has completely resigned herself to a life lacking of love, passion, and personal desires.
However, Roman comes with his own baggage and misgivings.
Roman Merrick is the ruler of the ton in a completely different dangerous context. Being the co-owner of several notorious gambling houses provides Merrick with extreme amounts of wealth and some of the most valuable information and markers on societies elite. So when Merrick wins the hand for a night with Charlotte, her father can do little more than grumble. Especially since Bennett Merrick loves to gamble and is in some serious debt.
Merrick senses there is something more, something hidden and secretive about Charlotte Chatsworth, which draws him to her even before the hand that was literally dealt him. Normally, she would be just another pretty face that he may pass by in the streets, but something calls to him as if he knows what shes going through.
What started out as a night of smoothly influencing Charlotte to relinquish some of her hidden secrets to Merrick, soon turns into more... much, much more. A game of cat-and-mouse, of building desire, a slow breakdown of barriers, and a passionate torrid affair. An affair filled with sexual tension and steamy embraces without the graphic language.
The characters were my favorite aspect of this book! Dynamic with a strong sense of truthfulness as each learns to discover a passion never dreamed off. This is surely to captivate the hearts of romance lovers.
There's very little in the sense of wishy-washy feelings with the hero and heroine -- which I appreciated. Once they knew what they were feeling for the other, they at first tried to push it away, but soon just accepted it and went with it. Anne Mallory did a great job at portraying the growth of the characters and their myriad of emotions as they sift through new found feelings and desires and what they risk to fully embrace them.
I absolutely loved Roman Merrick! He's smooth, calculating, sexy, dangerous, mysterious, observant, and comes with a harsh, broken past. Yes, he's the bad-boy of society. But what makes him unique is the clout he has over the ton's elite despite him not carrying a title. It makes him very wealthy and very dangerous. If I was living at the same time and in the same town as Charlotte, her and I would have been fighting for him! :) I adored the way he treated Charlotte -- both in pursuing her and possessing her. What started as a very calculated game turned into something very deep and passionate with him -- and it shows!
I had just as much appreciation for the heroine as well. She's an object and used as a pawn in a horrible way. She has very little true love from her family, with the exception of her sister in which she endures the hardships for. What makes her an exceptional heroine is her ability to maintain a sense of strength, determination, and fire despite her family -- and societies -- ridicule and manipulations. She finds an opportunity for a little reprieve through Merrick which she embraces, allowing her true character to shine through and develop further. This leads her to ultimately deciding her own fate at the end!
The secondary characters were just as compelling. In fact, I am anxiously waiting for the story of Roman's brother Andreas. It will take one hell of a heroine to whip him into shape and out of his angry and judgmental disposition. I wonder if we'll see Charlotte's sister, Emily, pop back up? And for those wondering if you had to have read the book prior to this one in order to understand what was going on, I'll happily say no, because I hadn't either and did just fine!
I would definitely categorize this Georgian time period story as one of embracing ones desires and needs despite what others may think or want. It's definitely romantic and sexy, and I couldn't help but think of the ending scene in Pretty Woman when he asks what she does after he rescues her and she responds with, "She rescues him right back!"
The author gives us a delightful, passionate tale that will appeal to character-driven readers. The focus lies on the protagonists who seem real for that moment in time where society rules all and some people are nothing more than pawns on a chess board. However, the hero and heroine risk much more than just their hearts to be with one another; They risk everything!
Heroine Charlotte Chatsworth, has been placed on the almighty pedestal; For she's perfect. Perfect in looks. Perfect in stature, grace, and elegance. She masters the societal scene of the ton. She's desired by all, but sought after by few through intimidation by her perfection and her father's quest to secure the perfect husband to give him the perfect title and position. She's the golden ticket in which her family bets its future. Her every action, thought, and desire has been crafted for her. She can be anything and everything if only the cards are played right. Everything but free. For Charlotte Chatsworth is caged, miserable, and stuck. And she loathes the word perfect.
What makes matters worse is that due to her unmatched perfection, she also garners countless looks of suspicion, resentment, and envy from other female members of the ton; Vultures circling the pedestal waiting for the opportune moment for Charlotte to fall off. And Charlotte wants nothing more than to escape. She doesn't want people to look at her that way, yet her father's ruthless and good-for-nothing attitude has encouraged her isolation, the name of 'ice queen', and rumors due to her being still unwed and in her third season!
But, a chance for unthinkable, yet highly desired freedom may be just within her grasp due to an outrageous and disgraceful opportunity. Drunk and even more obtuse than normal, her father, Bennett Chatsworth, has upped the ante in a card game by throwing in his perfect daughter Charlotte into the pot.
Roman Merrick is just the man to grant her the freedom she's dared to dream of for so long. Every move, every thought, every desire has been centered around securing a place and a future for her family for so long, that Charlotte has completely resigned herself to a life lacking of love, passion, and personal desires.
However, Roman comes with his own baggage and misgivings.
Roman Merrick is the ruler of the ton in a completely different dangerous context. Being the co-owner of several notorious gambling houses provides Merrick with extreme amounts of wealth and some of the most valuable information and markers on societies elite. So when Merrick wins the hand for a night with Charlotte, her father can do little more than grumble. Especially since Bennett Merrick loves to gamble and is in some serious debt.
Merrick senses there is something more, something hidden and secretive about Charlotte Chatsworth, which draws him to her even before the hand that was literally dealt him. Normally, she would be just another pretty face that he may pass by in the streets, but something calls to him as if he knows what shes going through.
What started out as a night of smoothly influencing Charlotte to relinquish some of her hidden secrets to Merrick, soon turns into more... much, much more. A game of cat-and-mouse, of building desire, a slow breakdown of barriers, and a passionate torrid affair. An affair filled with sexual tension and steamy embraces without the graphic language.
The characters were my favorite aspect of this book! Dynamic with a strong sense of truthfulness as each learns to discover a passion never dreamed off. This is surely to captivate the hearts of romance lovers.
There's very little in the sense of wishy-washy feelings with the hero and heroine -- which I appreciated. Once they knew what they were feeling for the other, they at first tried to push it away, but soon just accepted it and went with it. Anne Mallory did a great job at portraying the growth of the characters and their myriad of emotions as they sift through new found feelings and desires and what they risk to fully embrace them.
I absolutely loved Roman Merrick! He's smooth, calculating, sexy, dangerous, mysterious, observant, and comes with a harsh, broken past. Yes, he's the bad-boy of society. But what makes him unique is the clout he has over the ton's elite despite him not carrying a title. It makes him very wealthy and very dangerous. If I was living at the same time and in the same town as Charlotte, her and I would have been fighting for him! :) I adored the way he treated Charlotte -- both in pursuing her and possessing her. What started as a very calculated game turned into something very deep and passionate with him -- and it shows!
I had just as much appreciation for the heroine as well. She's an object and used as a pawn in a horrible way. She has very little true love from her family, with the exception of her sister in which she endures the hardships for. What makes her an exceptional heroine is her ability to maintain a sense of strength, determination, and fire despite her family -- and societies -- ridicule and manipulations. She finds an opportunity for a little reprieve through Merrick which she embraces, allowing her true character to shine through and develop further. This leads her to ultimately deciding her own fate at the end!
The secondary characters were just as compelling. In fact, I am anxiously waiting for the story of Roman's brother Andreas. It will take one hell of a heroine to whip him into shape and out of his angry and judgmental disposition. I wonder if we'll see Charlotte's sister, Emily, pop back up? And for those wondering if you had to have read the book prior to this one in order to understand what was going on, I'll happily say no, because I hadn't either and did just fine!
I would definitely categorize this Georgian time period story as one of embracing ones desires and needs despite what others may think or want. It's definitely romantic and sexy, and I couldn't help but think of the ending scene in Pretty Woman when he asks what she does after he rescues her and she responds with, "She rescues him right back!"
1 comments:
Great review Tanya! I really got a sense that you enjoyed these characters. This is the first positive review I've read for this book and I appreciated the different view. Thanks for the recommendation!
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