When picking up this book, I was worried about being sucked into an emotionally draining plot with an almost blind hero and a penniless heroine. My reservations fell away within the first couple of chapters to be replaced with warm fuzzies by the end of this well-written Victorian romance.

Josiah Hastings is an artist needing inspiration to capture one last masterpiece before his eyesight fails him completely. He finds his muse in Eleanor Beckett as she is being forced into a man’s carriage on a More...

I'm always a little leery of historical romance series with an intrigue plot that runs through the entire series... obviously, no book but the last is going to have a satisfying conclusion to the ongoing mystery. The problem is, I've been reading this series far enough apart that I can't really *remember* the twists and turns of this particular intrigue from one book to the next. Although the author does give you a general idea of what's going on, it's not been enough to really get me back into More...

*2.5 Stars*

This book took forever to read. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t precisely like it, either. I thought it was perfectly pleasant (until it got silly at the end) but I felt distant from it. I picked up the book expecting something more than I was given. I read on the back cover that the hero, an artist, was losing his eyesight after his imprisonment in a dungeon in India. That led me to expect some depth and intensity to his storyline. I didn’t precisely want angst, but I wanted more fe More...

Reviewed for TwoLips Reviews
5 Kisses, 1 1/2 Peppers (M/F, oral sex, wax play)


Eleanor Beckett's parents are dead and she's barely making ends meet as a seamstress at Madame Claremont's dress shop. Her treatment there is deplorable, but she has little choice. She has nowhere else to go, and her survival depends on making a respectable living.

Josiah Hastings is an artist and a member of a group of men known as the Jaded. They were imprisoned and barely managed to escape with their lives and a handf More...

There aren't many romance authors that I still follow and read, but Renee Bernard is one of them. Passions Wears Pearls is the fourth book in the Jaded series about a motley crew of men who have returned from an agonizing imprisonment in India. This unlikely group has forged bonds that are deeper than blood, and they are being hunted by an enemy for something that they possess that he wants.

Josiah Hastings is a painter. He's the third son of a lord and was penniless before he went to India. He More...

This was very good. Better than the last book by far. I always wondered about Josiah and the descriptions of his painting/of Elanor in the red dress were wonderful. The writing invoked the images well. There were a few moments of really--you have got to be kidding me--going around on her own to the meeting being one of those. Nice to meet Michael. Definitely will keep reading The Jaded.

Skimmed - not in the mood. Well written, very engaging characters. Keeping this author in mind for when I want a lighter historical suspense with just the right amount of steam.
*spoiler*
Also, kudos for not pulling an implausible medical miracle.

Renee Bernard's Jaded series continues to improve with each installment. The stories are lovely, but each set of characters are finely drawn and I love a good story that driven by character and not plot.

Very good historical. The descriptions of the heroes gradually worsening condition were heart wrenching and the heroines reactions were spot on. I am going to go back and read Bernard's prior books.

Review to cine

Renne Bernard hits another one out of the park! Passion Wears Pearls was another amazing read in the Jaded Gentleman Series. Josiah and Eleanor are matched wonderfully. It was a splendid read. I'm only sorry that the next book in the series won't be out until December, but I suppose great writing takes time to make! It's worth the wait.