The Pleasure of Your Kiss (Burke Brothers, #1) by Teresa Medeiros

Jan 18, 2012 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-book, arcs-read, historical-romance, blog-tour, adult, arc-via-publisher-or-author

Update 1/18/2012: Pocket Books contacted me thanking me for my review and participating in their blog tour of this novel. hahahaha So now I know why the book showed up on my doorstep.

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!

I read this a few weeks back but I decided to take some time to sort my thoughts so that this may actually make some sense rather than having me come across as some ~~crazed~~ silly ~~lunatic~~ fan-girl.

The Storyline
Clarinda and Ashton were childhood friends but as the years p...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Ronyell rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teresa Medeiros Fans!!

Shelves: action-adventure, adult-books, best-books-of-2012, books-i-want-to-own, british-hero-or-heroine, drama, favorites, historical-romance, humor-satire, my-blog-reviews, read-in-2012, reviewed-books, sexy-good-girl-heroine, sexy-bad-boy-hero, strong-hero, strong-heroine, teresa-medeiros, morocco-books

After hearing that Teresa Medeiros has a new romance novel being released, being the big romance novel fan that I am, I just had to pick up this book! Well, Teresa Medeiros’ newest book “The Pleasure of Your Kiss” really took me on a wild and sensual ride that I had never been on when reading other romance novels and has now gotten me looking forward to other new romance novels from Teresa Medeiros!

Clarinda Cardew was on her way to England to marry the rich and powerful duke Maximillian Burke, b...more After hearing that Teresa Medeiros has a new romance novel being released, being the big romance novel fan that I am, I just had to pick up this book! Well, Teresa Medeiros’ newest book “The Pleasure of Your Kiss” really took me on a wild and sensual ride that I had never been on when reading other romance novels and has now gotten me looking forward to other new romance novels from Teresa Medeiros!

Clarinda Cardew was on her way to England to marry the rich and powerful duke Maximillian Burke, but then she and her friend Penelope Montmorency (Poppy) are ambushed by pirates and she ends up in the arms of a rich and powerful sultan of Morocco called Zin al-Farouk (Farouk) who happens to own a luminous harem! At the same time, legendary adventurer Ashton Burke is summoned by his brother Maximillian Burke to go and retrieve Clarinda from the sultan’s clutches. Unfortunately, Ashton Burke used to have a blossoming romance with Clarinda Cardew years ago until he broke her heart by leaving her for unknown reasons and when he actually goes on the quest to retrieve Clarinda from the sultan, he will soon realize that his romance with Clarinda will soon blossomed again in a shocking way that could change their world forever!

Again, after I had heard that Teresa Medeiros was making another romance novel, my inner fan-girl soul was kicked up into high gear and I just had to get this book! Well, after reading this book, I was impressed that Teresa Medeiros’ writing is better than ever as this romance novel was clearly more unusual than the usual romance novels I usually pick up! For one thing, this romance novel takes place in a harem, which I did find a bit unusual to put into a romance novel since the story would usually focus on the two romantic interests in the story. However, I felt that having the story take place in a harem added a nice touch to the story and provided so much uniqueness from the standard romance novel. I just loved almost all of the characters involved in this novel as Teresa Medeiros made each character truly stand out from each other. Clarinda Cardew was a truly inspiring heroine as she is shown to be a strong willed woman who refuses to let anyone run her life. Also, just hearing about how she was struggling in trying to move on with her life when Ashton Burke left her years ago was a truly heartbreaking aspect of her character that made me really feel sorry for her and I usually wished her the best during this story. Ashton Burke was a truly unique type of hero as he is known as an adventurer and I loved the way that he can outsmart any enemy he comes across and gets what he wants. I also loved his devil-may-care attitude that he has become so famous for and it was interesting in seeing how he wanted to rekindled the love that he and Clarinda had lost when he left her years ago. But the relationship I was more invested in was between Farouk and Poppy since Ashton and Clarinda were spending the majority of the book trying to rekindle their relationship. Farouk and Poppy’s relationship with each other was more interesting because it was set up more like the two of them gaining interest in each other rather than regain their lost love and it was interesting in seeing how Poppy is able to break down Farouk’s serious nature by offering him sweets most of the time.

For anyone who does not like sex scenes, there are a couple of explicit sex scenes in this book, so it would be best to skim over these scenes. Also, just a brief nitpick, but I wanted to see more romance scenes between Clarinda and Ashton since the majority of the book is spent on Ashton trying to rescue Clarinda from the sultan. Now, I did not mind too much about the part where Ashton is trying to rescue Clarinda, but I wanted to hear more “sexy” talk between the two characters so I could actually melt away in ecstasy whenever I hear these two characters flirting with each other.

Overall, even though I wanted more romance between Clarinda and Ashton, “The Pleasure of Your Kiss” is a truly unique and brilliant book that romance novels fans will eat up for many years to come!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Rane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: keeper, victorian-romance

Rane: Reviewing The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros with friend, and fellow sleep-deprived reader Erika!

Erika: It's Rane's fault. Seriously. She picked the book.

R:*takes a bow* This was our recent buddy read we both ended up really loving. TPOYK was my second book I’ve read by TM and while the first book I read by her: Yours Until Dawn had a not so great character development ending, not so in the case in TPOYK. This was a fast paced, romantic adventure with lots of sexy fun, plus if i...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/01/...

When Clarinda Cardew is kidnapped off a ship by the Corsairs, she’s sure that she and her best friend and companion, Poppy, will be sold as slaves into a fate worse than death. However, they are rescued (after a fashion) by the handsome sultan Farouk, and whisked off to his palace in the desert. Keep in mind, it’s 1834, and women aren’t treated quite the way they are today. Farouk is enchanted by his new English Rose, and...more You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/01/...

When Clarinda Cardew is kidnapped off a ship by the Corsairs, she’s sure that she and her best friend and companion, Poppy, will be sold as slaves into a fate worse than death. However, they are rescued (after a fashion) by the handsome sultan Farouk, and whisked off to his palace in the desert. Keep in mind, it’s 1834, and women aren’t treated quite the way they are today. Farouk is enchanted by his new English Rose, and affords her all the luxury that his wealth has to offer, but she is essentially his prisoner, even if he calls her his guest. Clarinda is no shrinking violet though, and she realizes that she’ll have to get with the program in order to eventually orchestrate her escape, even if that means being taught the art of sensual delight in service to the sultan. Luckily, her first love, Ashton Burke, is coming to her rescue. If only it weren’t for that pesky engagement to his brother, Max…

The Pleasure of Your Kiss is my very first Regency romance, and in the spirit of trying new things in the new year, especially with books, I was happy to dive in. I’m so glad I did! The author is a pro at sexual tension, and Clarinda and Ash’s back story isn’t as black and white as you’re led to think in the beginning, and this is played to the utmost effect. When Ash’s brother, Max (yeahhh, about that…) hires him to find Clarinda and rescue her from the sultan, Ash doesn’t feel like he can refuse, but he’s terrified to see the girl that broke his heart almost 10 years earlier. Clarinda feels the exact same way about Ash though, and it’s this tension that really keeps you glued to the pages. Well, that’s not the only thing. The Moroccan locale is rich and exotic, and created the perfect backdrop for Clarinda and Ash’s drama. I also really appreciated that Farouk wasn’t made out to be terrible villain that you usually see in these kinds of scenarios. He’s a product of his upbringing (and the pressures of his station), and he genuinely has feelings for Clarinda. However, Clarinda’s best friend Poppy only has eyes for Farouk, and this storyline was great fun for me since I couldn’t help but fall in love with the charming, underappreciated, and romantic Poppy. The Pleasure of Your Kiss also made me laugh, frequently, and that’s always a plus for me. Ms. Medeiros is a pro, and it certainly shows in her writing. Yes, I love my dark fantasy and grey characters, but I’m a romantic at heart, and sometimes I like my happy endings. I found myself grinning like a fool at the end of The Pleasure of Your Kiss, and most of the pleasure is in getting there. This story reminded me a bit of an Indiana Jones movie crossed with Romancing the Stone (with some naughty thrown into the mix-I mean, come on, it takes place in a harem), and I enjoyed it immensely. Confident writing, exotic locations, and characters you can fall in love with mark this as a must read for romance, and adventure fans alike. I’m so happy I gave this one a try!(less)

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Jan 26, 2012 Mina De Caro rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros.
This was my first Teresa Medeiros novel and I had great expectations, considering her fame and the excellent reviews. But something about the first part of this book made it really difficult for me to get into it. Over the first one hundred pages I have been tempted so many times to put it aside momentarily and get back to it later on. I couldn't warm up to it and to the main characters, Clarinda and Ashton. But I decided not to give up and I am glad...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-in-series, challenge-2013, hr-victorian-edwardian, humor, kidnapped-captured-stolen, harems

The first book in Teresa Medeiros Burke Brothers series. Clarinda Cardew, along with her good friend, Poppy, is on a ship that is attacked by pirates and she ends up in a sultan's harem. Her fiance hires his brother, Ashton Burke to rescue her. When Ashton gets there and he's not certain if she even wants to be rescued. Anyway, Ashton gets busy trying to figure out how he is going to rescue her and ends up saving the sultan's life a few times.

Fun, silly, and witty but didn't really work for me....more

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Mar 02, 2013 Melody rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, angst-forlorn-couples, cpls-who-should-have-their-own-book, headstrong-h-hr, historical-romance, kidnap-captured, lovers-reunion, one-and-only-love, purple-themed-cover, side-love-stories, teresa-medeiros, help-me-i-have-a-dirty-secrete, reviewed-by-me

Beautiful setting! Loved the Moroccan backdrop, Teresa did an exceptional job painting the Middle Eastern desert, the sights, sounds and the character interactions and culture there. Everything felt so vivid and very real, I loved all the attention paid to every finite detail in the Moroccan culture. The palace, the harem, the desert weather, the hammam, the concubines and dancing girls. Fun and so enchanting! Really loved the Sultan, Farouk and the surprise side love story between him and Clari...more Beautiful setting! Loved the Moroccan backdrop, Teresa did an exceptional job painting the Middle Eastern desert, the sights, sounds and the character interactions and culture there. Everything felt so vivid and very real, I loved all the attention paid to every finite detail in the Moroccan culture. The palace, the harem, the desert weather, the hammam, the concubines and dancing girls. Fun and so enchanting! Really loved the Sultan, Farouk and the surprise side love story between him and Clarinda's best friend the bespectacled cheerful Poppy. So so charming and adorable! Those two honestly stole the show for me in this as far as couples. I kept wanting to skim pages in hopes of catching another scene between them. I kept wishing we got more page time with them and their HEA near the end was a little bit rushed. The overall ending of the story was dragged out a *little* too long and I did struggle to feel the connection between Ash and Clarinda for some reason. I don't know why, there was a whole lot of tension and sexual chemistry between the two but I just struggled to feel that oomph, something for them, Clarinda in particular. I think part of it was the whole 'we loved each other when we were kids' lovers reunion that I'm personally not a fan of. I struggled to believe the idea of these two longing and dreaming about each other for 9 years straight especially over their one brief awkward tumble in the meadows when they were teens. And I wasn't crazy about the whole reasoning/misunderstanding behind why Ash left all those years ago. Meh.

I have to say the reason I'm giving this a 3 star is because of the last 2/3rds of the book. I was for sure going to give this a 4 star until I came to the end of the book. After Ash and Clarinda make an escape, the sultan catching up with them, Farouk's quick decision regarding Poppy, etc...I didn't feel satisfied enough, I felt a little bit underwhelmed to be honest. First, like I said earlier I really wanted more page time with Farouk actually courting Poppy and falling for her, most of it seemed to happen off the page and his feelings for her were never really voiced until the very end where he's kind of cajoled in to asking her to stay (I didn't like that, I was hoping for more) in front of an audience no less. The second reason, once Ash and Clarinda are free to go, the whole drama with Ash's brother Alex just seemed to drag on tirelessly and took a while to come to a conclusion. The confrontation at the very end for me wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be (given all the build up) especially with the surprise secrete revealed by Clarinda, which by the way felt too contrived for me. Like these two didn't have enough misunderstandings and secretes to deal with, this had to be thrown in there too? Yikes. Too much. And then you have 3 characters spilling everything in literally the last 3 pages of the book. It just became silly and exhausting. The ending just wasn't as satisfying as I was expecting it to be given how engaging the rest of the story was up until that point. But still, it was a very wonderful book. These were my own personal gripes, the rest of the story was very fun and enjoyable with tons of adventure and laughs. The banter in this was wonderful! The quick wit and humor was very charming and very Medeiros. Ash and his sidekick Luca cracked me up. :)(less)

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Nov 30, 2011 Bookaholics rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros
Historical Romance – Dec. 27th, 2011
4 stars

This is an easy to read and fast paced romance that will please fans of Teresa Medeiros and make you wish for a follow up book.

Clarinda Cardew is beautiful, rich and secretly broken hearted. When she was young, she fell in love with her neighbor's younger son, Ashton Burke. He left, claiming that he would come back when he had made his fortune. Although Clarinda has never forgotten Ashton, it seems he has quic...more The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros
Historical Romance – Dec. 27th, 2011
4 stars

This is an easy to read and fast paced romance that will please fans of Teresa Medeiros and make you wish for a follow up book.

Clarinda Cardew is beautiful, rich and secretly broken hearted. When she was young, she fell in love with her neighbor's younger son, Ashton Burke. He left, claiming that he would come back when he had made his fortune. Although Clarinda has never forgotten Ashton, it seems he has quickly forgotten her! She hears of his outrageous exploits, especially as a lady's man. But luckily, Ashton's elder brother, Max has consoled her. Now Max and Clarinda are betrothed and Clarinda is on her way to meet him when her ship is attacked and she and her companion are abducted! Taken to a harem, Clarinda schemes for her freedom and is shocked when the man who she thought she had left behind arrives. But is he there to rescue her and where is her fiancée?

Ashton Burke knew his actions might someday kill him, only he hoped it wouldn't be quite so soon. When he is miraculously saved by his distant brother Max, he is surprised and grateful. That is until he hears that Max wants him to find a rescue his fiancée, Clarinda Cardew. Ashton still dreams of the beautiful Clarinda but when he returned for her, he discovered the faithless woman had engaged herself to another man! Bitterly, he reluctantly agrees (with the proper monetary incentive) to find Clarinda. But old flames die hard and secrets long held may change his heart.

This was an amusing and easy read story that fans of Teresa Medeiros will definitely enjoy. The heroine is a clever, charming minx who keeps the dashing Ashton on his toes. I really liked that they had a past and how they both got on each others nerves. It made for a fun read! I also liked how I could feel how they still cared for each other and fought against that attraction due to past misunderstandings. The relationship between them is very believable. I only wish Ash had not taken quite so long to claim Clarinda for his own. The only thing is I felt bad for poor Max. He is a honorable hardworking man, and I hope he gets his own romance! This book also includes some other amusing side characters like the oddly endearing Poppy that will keep readers smiling.

Lighthearted and fun, this entertaining, quick read is the perfect book to relax with. I loved the engaging characters, especially the likeable heroine. Fans of Medeiros will not be disappointed.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
(less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Carol *Young at Heart Oldie* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star-books

I loved everything about this book! The sensual exotic setting, the daring adventure, the unforgettable characters, the emotional moments, the laugh-out-loud moments, the sexy moments and the sharp, witty dialogue.

My favourite quote:

"I've seen creatures in the Indian rain forest so wondrous and rare they haven't had names since the Garden of Eden. I've ridden an elephant across the African veldt with nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. I've watched the sun rise and set over the ancien...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Rebecca (everyday reader) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Ashton and Clarinda have a long history between them, so when he is hired to rescue her from the clutches of a sultan in Morocco it is not surprising when sparks fly between them. She is engaged to his brother after almost a decade of trying to get over him and move on with her life. It takes more time to get out of the Sultans home than anticipated, and during his stay he realizes he never should have let her go. The love she has fought so hard to bury comes back with one glance, and she knows...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Mari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romanceseries

I loved the exotic setting and the elements a lot! The banter between the mains had so much zing. Oh the chemistry! I just love good dialogue, this just grabs you and makes you feel them. I'm a sucker for childhood sweethearts and this was just another one that had an interesting twist to it. I really enjoyed the premise of it all, it was well put together. The adventure was fun and the scenes with the sheik was fun and entertaining. There were very sweet Ash and Clarinda once they got past the...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I checked this book out from the library. I have mixed feelings about this book. First, the dialogue is spectacular. It is some of the best dialogue that I have read in a long time. The set-up is great. I loved the setting. This book really delves into the fantasy of being in a harem and all that it entails, while pointing out that it is just another cage that we humans tend to make for ourselves. I really love the hero, Ash. He may be my newest book-boyfriend. I loved his devil may care attitud...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Tania rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Me leí este libro recomendado por una amiga con quién comparto sugerencia de películas y libros. Me lo leí a la vez que leía Dance with Dragons de George R R Martin que se me estaba haciendo un poco largo y tedioso después de casi 5000 páginas de lo mismo por lo que decidí leer una historia romántica y light. Los personajes y la historia no están bien desarrollados y no son creíbles y el desenlace no podría ser más superficial o para salir del paso. Las escenas de romance son no existentes, pero...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Lisarenee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Clarinda Cardew was on the way to her wedding when tragedy struck. The ship she was sailing on was attacked by pirates. The Cosairs were notorious for raiding ships in the Mediterranean and selling the women they captured at the slave markets of North Africa and Arabia--if they were lucky. As fate would have it Clarinda and her best friend, Poppy, were the lucky ones...

"Once we arrived in Algiers," she continued, "they dragged us to the underground slave market in chains. They stripped us of o...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Molly by: PocketBooks Publisher

Shelves: book-review

After reading Goodnight Tweetheart by Ms. Medeiros, I knew I had to read MORE of her work. So, I jumped at the chance to read this book. This is one AWESOME read! Ms. Medeiros blends amazingly complex yet fun loving characters into a humorous, mysterious plot line and adds it to a historical romance story that will leave the reader in awe of not only her work, but her ability to transport the reader to the center of the Regency era and make them feel at home among the characters' lives.

Set in a...more After reading Goodnight Tweetheart by Ms. Medeiros, I knew I had to read MORE of her work. So, I jumped at the chance to read this book. This is one AWESOME read! Ms. Medeiros blends amazingly complex yet fun loving characters into a humorous, mysterious plot line and adds it to a historical romance story that will leave the reader in awe of not only her work, but her ability to transport the reader to the center of the Regency era and make them feel at home among the characters' lives.

Set in a harlem, this story incorporates all the elements: kidnapping, romance, humor, mystery, happiness, sadness, anger and irresistible kisses from a hunk of a man. I loved the way this story played out. With laughs and love, and fighting for lives, this story hooked me instantly. Reading Clarinda and Ash's story was so much fun.

Clarinda. I loved her character. She was a sweet, charming girl but she held a bit of a grudge against the handsome, dashing Ashton. He left her standing alone as he walked out of her life. But, she couldn't wait around for the unknown, so she moved on. Now engaged to his brother, she's been kidnapped and Max, Ashton's brother, is forced to do the one thing he shouldn't have to do. Enlist his brother Ash's help in retrieving his fiance.

Ash's character was awesome. I felt the conflicting emotions he felt when he was indecisive over rescuing the only woman he's ever loved only to turn her over to his brother. I wanted to stand beside him and tell him that it would be okay, give him a big old hug and tell him to be merry. But, instead, I sat back and watched the events unfold as he tricked, and tried, and tested everyone until he found his way to the sweet, beautiful woman he would have to return to this brother.

Both of these characters were awesome, and with some amazing secondary characters, like Poppy...bless her soul....Ms. Meideros keeps the reader on their toes with this wonderful romance novel. I definitely will be putting this 5 Book worthy novel on the shelf as a keeper and will go back to read it again, again, and again. I can't wait to read Max's story in the second installment of regency romance from this amazing, witty author! Great job, Ms. Medeiros!

This review originated from Reviews By Molly in part with a blog tour. (less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Sanalith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance, 2012, regency

Read my book reviews and join in literary discussions over at my blog, A Crystal Moon!

I absolutely adore Teresa Medeiros. She’s absolutely everything a romance author should be. Her plots, while uncomplicated, still make the reader feel as though she’s getting more out of the novel than a smut-fest, her characters are wonderful, and I never leave her books without feeling like love truly does conquer all. This is the 10th book I’ve read by her, and I think only one really failed to meet my expec...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical/Regency Romance Lovers

Shelves: historical-romance, regency-romance, teresa-medeiros

I soooo love Teresa Medeiros and her enthralling romances! The Pleasure of Your Kiss is just another of her hits. The setting of most of the story takes place in Morocco and adds an exotic spiciness to the romance of the story. I can only describe this romance as a tragic love story that ends in a HEA for the hero and heroine. Two people who grew up together, knowing each others' every idiosyncrasy, every dream and desire, except for the most important one of all. Is there such a thing as knowin...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, from-publisher-author

MY THOUGHTS

LOVED IT

Clarinda fell in love with the rogue next door and Ashton broke her heart when he promised to return to her once he had made his fortune. He never returned but his exploits found their way back to her ears. When his reckless way almost kill him, he must reach out to his estranged brother, Max who has comforted Clarinda previously and they become engaged even though she has never forgot about Ashton. Clarinda is on her way to Max when the ship is attacked and she captured, the...more

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Apr 19, 2013 May Mostly Romance rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

คาดหวังกับเรื่องนี้ไว้เล็ก ๆ นะคะ เพราะเป็นฝีมือการเขียนของเทเรซา เมดิรอสซึ่งถือว่าเป็นหนึ่งในนักเขียนที่เราชอบมากคนนึง และถ้าว่ากันตามจริงเรื่องนี้ก็ถือว่าสนุกใช้ได้ค่ะ ปัญหาเดียวก็คือ มันไม่อาจเทียบกับงานเขียนเก่าก่อนของนักเขียนคนนี้ได้

หลังจากรอคอยการกลับมาของแอชตัน เบิร์ค หนุ่มข้างบ้านที่เธอแอบรักเป็นเวลาหลายปี ในที่สุดคลารินดาก็ตัดใจได้ว่า เขาคงไม่ใยดีเธออีกต่อไปแล้ว หญิงสาวจึงตัดสินใจแต่งงานกับเพื่อนสนิท พี่ชายของแอชนั่นเอง แต่ระหว่างการเดินทางไปหาคู่หมั้นที่ทำงานให้กับบริษัทอีสต์อินเดียที...more คาดหวังกับเรื่องนี้ไว้เล็ก ๆ นะคะ เพราะเป็นฝีมือการเขียนของเทเรซา เมดิรอสซึ่งถือว่าเป็นหนึ่งในนักเขียนที่เราชอบมากคนนึง และถ้าว่ากันตามจริงเรื่องนี้ก็ถือว่าสนุกใช้ได้ค่ะ ปัญหาเดียวก็คือ มันไม่อาจเทียบกับงานเขียนเก่าก่อนของนักเขียนคนนี้ได้

หลังจากรอคอยการกลับมาของแอชตัน เบิร์ค หนุ่มข้างบ้านที่เธอแอบรักเป็นเวลาหลายปี ในที่สุดคลารินดาก็ตัดใจได้ว่า เขาคงไม่ใยดีเธออีกต่อไปแล้ว หญิงสาวจึงตัดสินใจแต่งงานกับเพื่อนสนิท พี่ชายของแอชนั่นเอง แต่ระหว่างการเดินทางไปหาคู่หมั้นที่ทำงานให้กับบริษัทอีสต์อินเดียที่พม่า เรือที่คลารินดาและเพื่อนสาวที่ร่วมเดินทางไปด้วยอีกคนนึงถูกลอบโจมตีโดยโจรสลัด คลารินดาและเพื่อนถูกส่งไปขาย และถูกซื้อตัวเข้าไปอยู่ในฮาเรม

แอชซึ่งทำใจมาตลอดว่า ได้สูญเสียหญิงสาวที่เขารักที่สุดไปแล้ว ใช้ชีวิตที่เหลือต่อมาทำในสิ่งที่ชายหนุ่มหลายคนได้แต่ฝัน เขาผจญภัยเดินทางไปทั่วโลก ค้นหาสมบัติ วัตถุโบราณ และใช้ชีวิตอย่างคุ้มค่า แต่ไม่มีอะไรทำให้เขาลืมสาวน้อยข้างบ้านที่เขารักยิ่งกว่าดวงใจไปได้ แต่เมื่อเขาได้รับการแจ้งจากพี่ชายให้ช่วยตามหาคู่หมั้นที่ถูกจับตัวไป แอชก็เผชิญกับความจริงว่า หญิงสาวที่เขารักกำลังจะมาเป็นพี่สะใภ้ของเขาเอง

เริ่มต้นเรื่องได้สนุกนะคะ โดยเฉพาะอารมณ์ของตัวละครที่สร้างความอึดอัด (ในแง่ที่ดี) ให้กับเราตอนที่อ่านมาก เราสัมผัสถึงความรู้สึกที่แอชและคลารินดามีให้ต่อกัน พอเข้าใจว่า บางอย่างเกิดขึ้นและแยกพวกเขาออกจากกัน อารมณ์ในส่วนนี้เราคิดว่าทำได้ดี

สิ่งที่ทำให้ความสนุกของเรื่องนี้น้อยลงไป ก็คือเรื่องที่ค่อนข้างย่ำอยู่กับที่ เราคาดหวังจะได้อ่านเรื่องราวการเดินทาง ผจญภัย เพราะดูคาแร็คเตอร์ของพระเอกที่เป็นนักล่าสมบัติ เหตุการณ์ที่เกิดในตะวันออกกลาง แต่พอเอาเข้าจริง เรื่องรวมศูนย์อยู่ที่ฮาเรมที่คลาลินดาถูกจับตัวอยู่ วนเวียนอยู่ในนั้นจนเกือบจะจบเรื่อง แถมหนังสือก็หนาสี่ร้อยกว่าหน้า อ่านไปก็นิ่งไปเรื่อย ๆ เริ่มคิดว่าเรื่องขาดความน่าสนใจ เพราะไม่มีอะไรเกิดขึ้นเลย ประเด็นที่บีบหัวใจ (การที่แอชและคลารินดารักกันมากขนาดนี้ แต่กลับพลัดพลาดจากกัน) ก็ไม่ได้ถูกเอามาใช้มากนัก

เรื่องโอเคนะคะ ได้โชว์ความฉลาดของนางเอกที่เอาตัวรอดจากการเป็นเมียสุลต่าน โชว์ความกล้าหาญของพระเอก แต่เราคาดหวังอะไรที่มากกว่านี้จากนักเขียนคนนี้ค่ะ

ประเด็นที่ได้ผลสำหรับเราก็คือ ความรู้สึกที่พี่ชายของแอชมีต่อคลารินดา เมื่อความจริงเปิดเผยออกว่าเกิดอะไรขึ้นกันแน่ในอดีต และเห็นได้ชัดว่า แม็กซ์พี่ชายของแอชนั้นแอบรักคลาลินดามาตั้งแต่แอชไม่รู้สึกอะไรต่อเธอเลยด้วยซ้ำ เราอ่านถึงจุดนี้แล้วรู้ตัวในทันทีว่า ต้องหยิบเล่มของพี่ชายมาอ่าน เราชอบอ่านเรื่องของคนอกหักค่ะ อยากรู้ว่า คนแต่งจะหาทางออกยังไง จะทำให้เราเชื่อได้ยังไงว่าเขาหมดรักคลารินดาแล้ว (รักนางเอกของตัวเอง)

คะแนนที่ 60(less)

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Jan 06, 2012 SOS Aloha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Readers have called out for different locales in historical romances. Teresa Medeiros answers that call with THE PLEASURE OF YOUR KISS. The local – a harem! The characters – a carefree adventurer, not so demure English rose, her trusted companion, and a sexy sultan from Eton – all contribute to a wild ride with pirates and assassins to boot.

Medeiros also ventures into more sensuality but how could she not with the harem? Her lush details envelopes the reader into the silks and satins of the Moro...more

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Jan 04, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance-regency-england, harlem-setting

4.5)THE PLEASURE OF YOUR KISS by Teresa Medeiros is an exciting historical romance set in Regency England. It is a story full of exotic intrigues,set in a harlem in a sultan’s court,kidnapping,love,romance,sensuality,passion,a rescue,past mistakes,misunderstandings,secrets,healing,and forgiveness. It is the story of Ashton Burke,an adventurer,and second son of a Duke and Clarinda Cardew,kidnapped by a sultan,the fiancee of Ashton,but who loves Ashton since their childhood. A fast paced story wit...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Erika by: Rane

Shelves: buddy-reads, historical, romance, favorites, ladies-of-quality

Rane: Reviewing The Pleasure of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros with friend, and fellow sleep-deprived reader Erika!

Erika: It's Rane's fault. Seriously. She picked the book.

R:*takes a bow* This was our recent buddy read we both ended up really loving. TPOYK was my second book I've read by TM and while the first book I read by her: Yours Until Dawn had a not so great character development ending, not so in the case in TPOYK.

This was a fast paced, romantic adventure with lots of sexy fun, plus if i...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, for-review, good-romance

Ahhh yet another great historical romance novel :) I was really excited to be able to get this book for review because I don't read nearly enough historical romances. Reading this one made me realize how much I missed them! Since the first page of this book, I was hooked. I loved Clarinda's character and how she had actually had her heart broken by the infamous, adventurous Ashton Burke. And even though a majority of the time Clarinda was seen as the damsel in distress, she could really hold her...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

My review from Nightowlreviews.com:

Clarinda Carew and her best friend, Poppy Montmorency, were traveling by ship to meet Clarinda’s fiancé, Maximillian, when the unthinkable happens. Their ship is attacked by notorious pirates known as the Corsairs and they are abducted with the intent to be sold into slavery. Three months later, Maximillian discovers that Clarinda and Poppy were sold to a powerful sultan and are now residing in the region of El Jadida. To rescue his fiancée, he enlists his brot...more My review from Nightowlreviews.com:

Clarinda Carew and her best friend, Poppy Montmorency, were traveling by ship to meet Clarinda’s fiancé, Maximillian, when the unthinkable happens. Their ship is attacked by notorious pirates known as the Corsairs and they are abducted with the intent to be sold into slavery. Three months later, Maximillian discovers that Clarinda and Poppy were sold to a powerful sultan and are now residing in the region of El Jadida. To rescue his fiancée, he enlists his brother, Ash, a military hero, to navigate the desert and retrieve Clarinda from the unthinkable horrors that she must be experiencing. Captain Ashton Burke agrees to help his brother but he also accepts this assignment because Clarinda was Ash’s first love . He has never stopped thinking about her since he left her as a teenager, ten years ago, to find success in the military.

When Ash arrives to El Jadida he finds that Clarinda was sold to Zin-Al Farouk, who just happens to be an old school mate of Maximillian‘s. He also discovers that Clarinda is safe and living carefree in the lap of luxury as Farouk’s personal guest. Farouk reveals to Ash that he has plans to make Clarinda his wife in a special ceremony and celebrate that he will be the man to take her virginity. Ash finds this humorous because he knows for a fact that Clarinda isn’t a virgin and isn’t as young as everyone thinks.

Clarinda is surprised that Ash came to rescue her because she hasn’t seen him for years when he left her brokenhearted. She has been secretly waiting for him to return and him resurfacing in El Jadida has brought back hopes of them rekindling their romance. Ash, on the other hand, has to get Clarinda away from Farouk before he discovers that Clarinda isn’t so innocent as she pretends and kills them both. Ash and Clarinda find that they have a second chance at love but only if they can both escape Farouk’s palace in one piece.

I am new to Teresa Medeiros’ novels but she has now become one of my absolute favorites. This novel had everything for me. An exotic locale, well-developed characters, and a steamy romantic love story. I enjoyed all the secondary characters as well, especially the scenes between Poppy and Farouk. I would love to see an update on these characters in a future installment.

When Ash and Clarinda were reunited after all their years apart, it was entertaining to see their interaction with one another. They were both trying to kill each other with their words, but in reality, were hiding their true feelings for one another. There is one scene in this novel where a deep personal secret is revealed to Ash by Clarinda that almost had me in tears. These two people were destined to be together and circumstance as well as secrets had kept them apart for too long. The ending scene was wonderfully romantic and I still think about it to this day. This a great novel and one of my favorites for 2011. (less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Patrícia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: foreign-literature, historical-romance, borrowed, leituras-2013

http://girlinchaiselongue.blogspot.pt...

Finalista do Prémio Rita por oito vezes, vencedora do Waldenbooks Award for Bestselling Fiction duas vezes e do Romantic Times Award for Best Historical Love and Laughter, Teresa Medeiros é um nome que está constantemente na lista de bestsellers do New York Times, USA Today e Publishers Weekly, sendo das poucas autoras que consta da Lista de Honra das Romance Writers of America. Publicado em 2011, The Pleasure of Your Kiss, o mais recente trabalho de Teres...more http://girlinchaiselongue.blogspot.pt...

Finalista do Prémio Rita por oito vezes, vencedora do Waldenbooks Award for Bestselling Fiction duas vezes e do Romantic Times Award for Best Historical Love and Laughter, Teresa Medeiros é um nome que está constantemente na lista de bestsellers do New York Times, USA Today e Publishers Weekly, sendo das poucas autoras que consta da Lista de Honra das Romance Writers of America. Publicado em 2011, The Pleasure of Your Kiss, o mais recente trabalho de Teresa é o início de uma nova série cuja continuação será publicada no próximo mês.
Escritora desde os 21 anos, Teresa já escreveu vinte e três livros de sucesso e deixou há muito a vida de enfermeira para trás para se puder dedicar à escrita dos seus romances. Já vendeu mais de dez milhões de cópias e os seus livros encontram-se traduzidos em dezassete línguas. Uma das autoras mais queridas do género, Teresa tem somado sucessos e prémios ao longo da sua carreira. Actualmente vive no Kentucky com o marido e dois gatos.
Longe da clausura de uma sociedade fechada, cheia de regras e etiquetas, existe um outro mundo, um mundo exótico com outras regras, outra forma de pensar, um mundo que parece ter parado no tempo e que traz ao de cima os desejos mais fundos da tua alma, que te mostra que longe de corpetes, conversas de circunstância e controlo das emoções, podes ser tu mesma e que nesta parte do mundo não há limitações sobre a pessoa que amas e perdeste e que, contra tudo o que podias prever, reencontrarás num ambiente de sedução e misticismo, onde poderás esquecer o passado e reescrever o futuro.
Nove anos separam-na da menina que foi e daquele que partiu, nove anos depois dirige-se a um mundo pelo qual o seu amor ansiou e onde ela agora poderá recuperar o coração que ele partiu mas neste lado do globo existem aventuras que ela nunca pensou viver, perigos perdidos no tempo e uma vida que ela apenas leu nos livros mas essa vida é diferente, mais perigosa, mais sedutora. Quase uma década depois, ele ainda anseia por ela e o vasto mundo que viu não chegou para se perdoar nem para esquecer os olhos verdes que ainda o perseguem de noite e, nem os mil pecados e lascívia deste local escondido, o conseguem fazer amar outra vez. Amigos de infância, primeiros amores, Clarinda e Ashton partilharam mais do que as picardias da amizade um dia. Partilharam beijos e sonhos mas segredos e ambições separaram-nos e a tragédia e o desgosto perseguiu-os até os seus olhares se reencontrarem mais uma vez no mais improvável dos lugares. Mais do que o típico casal deste tipo de livros, Clarinda e Ashton são uma lufada de ar fresco. Donos de uma personalidade forte, incapazes de ceder à vontade do outro mas nunca indiferentes ao que sentem, eles acabam por ser uma conjugação equilibrada que nos proporciona uma história de amor magnífica que nos fará devorar este livro até a última página.
Personagens complexas, cheias de humor e sensibilidade, são o que encontrarão neste livro de Medeiros. Tão diferentes como os mundos ou as regras da casa onde foram criados, as suas personagens estão longe de ser estereotipadas, são antes irreverentes, misteriosas e tão belas quanto apaixonadas, cada uma à sua maneira. Numa história cheia de intrigas e seduções, onde o ambiente das Mil e Uma Noites é a chave para uma narrativa de sucesso, mais do que uma história de amor, este livro é um livro de aventuras onde as emoções estão sempre ao rubor e nem sempre têm a ver com desejo. Com desenvolvimentos inesperados que acabam por apimentar e dar força à história, Teresa consegue criar um livro único num género repetitivo. Através de uma escrita deliciosa, cheia de humor mordaz e tentação, a autora leva-nos a outro lugar através das suas descrições quentes e exóticas que nos farão lembrar mistério e liberdade.
Quanto à parte romântica da história, nenhuma romântica poderá desiludir-se com o amor de Clarinda e Ashton. Ela é a representante certa do sexo feminino, cheia de poder e garra e ele é o inebriante aventureiro, cheio de carisma que nunca deixou de estar louco por ela. Entre discussões acesas e momentos de puro desejo, eles irão arrepiar-nos e emocionar-nos, fazendo-nos torcer por eles do início ao fim. Gostava de ter visto mais do outro par romântico mas ainda guardo esperança que seja para outro livro.
Quando o amor é a palavra de ordem mas já se sente farta de ler sobre o mesmo, pegue neste livro e volte a apaixonar-se, volte a sonhar e leia até não puder mais. Um livro que merecia ser traduzido para a nossa língua e que penso iria agradar todas as leitoras e não só.(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Wow," I said through my tears at the end of the book. My father and my son looked at me strangely.

This book could have been so very, very hokey, and it was so very not. The key, I think, is the characters; Ms. Madeiros is particularly gifted with her people. They are well rounded, complex, and very believable.

For example, the "lustful sultan" in this book was an absolute sweetie who had to hide his need for spectacles and his appetite for fear he wouldn't seem menacing enough. Despite the fact...more

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May 14, 2013 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 22, 2012 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Pleasure of Your Kiss is one of the most enjoyable romances that I have read in a long time. Ashton Burke, a famous adventurer/bachelor, is asked by his estranged brother to rescue his brother's fiancee from a harem where she is being held captive. Ashton agrees but when he arrives at the stronghold where she is being kept he comes to realize that it is his secret childhood love Clarinda Cardew that he has been sent to rescue. Of course, old feelings between Ashton and Clarinda bubble to the...more The Pleasure of Your Kiss is one of the most enjoyable romances that I have read in a long time. Ashton Burke, a famous adventurer/bachelor, is asked by his estranged brother to rescue his brother's fiancee from a harem where she is being held captive. Ashton agrees but when he arrives at the stronghold where she is being kept he comes to realize that it is his secret childhood love Clarinda Cardew that he has been sent to rescue. Of course, old feelings between Ashton and Clarinda bubble to the surface while they try to figure out a way to escape.

Whew! That may sound like the most convoluted summary ever but the author actually does quite well with it. I found myself instantly immersed in the story and I didn't want to put the book down. What I really liked about this book was how daring the author was with the storyline choices that she made. I never knew what was going to happen next or how there could ever possibly be a happy ending for the two main characters. I mean, Clarinda the main character, was being kept in a sultan's harem for crying out loud. It helped to keep me on my toes which I really enjoyed. The romance and chemistry between Ashton and Clarinda was super steamy....especially the scene where they were locked in a tower together for the night. The ending of the book went a little bit faster than I would have liked but it was a solid ending in my opinion. I was just left wanting more but it looks like there is going to be another book in the future featuring Ashton's brother. I'm going to be looking forward to getting my hands on that one when it comes out!

All in all, this was a really great romance read! This was my first time reading this author but I'm going to be reading more by her for sure. In fact, I think I'm off to look at her back list of books right now :) Highly recommended especially to fans of historical romance!

Bottom Line: A steamy romance that was completely unpredictable. I loved it!

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher for a blog tour. I'm behind as always so my thoughts on this one are a bit late :)(less)

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May 27, 2012 Michelle Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read, historical

I was all over the place with this book. The book wasn't all over the place, I just mean my feelings towards it.
http://anotherlookbookreviews.blogspo...

My feelings are all over the place with The Pleasure of Your Kiss. There were times in the story I thought it was spectacular and then there were other times I was skimming the pages to get past them.

As always with Teresa Medeiros, the writing is top notch. I am a big fan of her style. I also really loved that The Pleasure of Your Kiss was a his...more I was all over the place with this book. The book wasn't all over the place, I just mean my feelings towards it.
http://anotherlookbookreviews.blogspo...

My feelings are all over the place with The Pleasure of Your Kiss. There were times in the story I thought it was spectacular and then there were other times I was skimming the pages to get past them.

As always with Teresa Medeiros, the writing is top notch. I am a big fan of her style. I also really loved that The Pleasure of Your Kiss was a historical romance where the setting is primarily centered in a far off distant land full of camels, silks and Sultans. What a pleasure to read something different. I got all caught up with the scents of oils, the silk textures of the lounging pillows and the fresh breeze wafting up from the ocean. Simply excellent.

Ash and Clarinda have a past relationship that dated back to when they were just children. I adore these types of stories with rich backgrounds. I can really get into couples with histories. Although Ash and Clarinda seemed to have been destined to be together and totally in love, I am not all that sure I bought into the reasons behind Ash's decision to leave her and England behind. Regardless, their young love impressed so deeply on Ash that every woman he met along his adventures, he always compared back to Clarinda. Clarinda however was extremely bitter.

Ten years float by and Clarinda along with her socially inept best friend, Poppy find themselves kidnapped and held hostage at the mercy of the Sultan, Farouk. I really liked Farouk. Teresa Medeiros did a wonderful job setting up this character. I think he was my favourite character in the whole story. Which I think is one of my problems. Shouldn't my favourites be either Clarinda or Ash? I wanted to read more about Farouk and his friendship with Poppy. These secondary character relationships just caught my interest more.

Clarinda quickly bored me with her attitude. Yes I understand her young heart was broken in peices by Ash but I wished she was funny or sarcastic or something other than what was given. She did a lot of thinking to herself and hiding. I don't think she should have rolled over and simply forgiven him and I know that she was in a precarious situation being stuck at the palace with Farouk. This part is where the skimming happened. I just wanted to move forward and get over her bitterness and see what was going to happen.

Teasers: mistaken identity massage, cucumber practice, hammam pool surprise, opium aphrodisiac elixir, (less)

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Feb 15, 2012 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Afive stars must read! I went on a quest Friday night to treat myself to the very last copy of The Pleasure of Your Kiss waiting for me at Barnes and Noble. (Yes, I am still one of those who needs the feel and smell of a newbook, plus I like all the sexy covers.) All the tweets intrigued me to no end, I wanted to know what I was missing out on-- I was starting tofeel a little left out. Well it turned out I was missing out on another best romance yet by Teresa Medeiros.

I still can't get over how...more

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