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The Price of Temptation

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 267 ratings · 40 reviews

A homoerotic love triangle lands Stephen Clair, Jamie Riley and Julian Jeffries in a situation in which everyone want something and the only way to get it is to scheme and find out how to play one against the other. One tries to avoid financial ruin, one is avoiding his past and one is determined to continue the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed. Fast paced and i...more

Paperback, 208 pages

Published September 1st 2005 by Seventh Window Publications

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The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee

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Jul 27, 2011 DarienMoya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-m-m-lovin, 2010-reads, fave-books-of-2010, historical-m-m, butt-virgins

^^HMMMM JUST CHECK OUT THAT COVER^^

More of my reviews and thoughts on my blog PANTS OFF REVIEWS

THE COVER- I know what you all are thinking, “what the hell is in his pants”? Well truthfully, I have no idea, but I really do love the cover. I love his stance and the other guy kneeling at his feet. I find it to be very sexy, and makes me wanna say, such cheesy lines like “Is that a flashlight in your pants or are you just happy to see me”, or “Is this a stick up and are you here to take my clothes”...more ^^HMMMM JUST CHECK OUT THAT COVER^^

More of my reviews and thoughts on my blog PANTS OFF REVIEWS

THE COVER- I know what you all are thinking, “what the hell is in his pants”? Well truthfully, I have no idea, but I really do love the cover. I love his stance and the other guy kneeling at his feet. I find it to be very sexy, and makes me wanna say, such cheesy lines like “Is that a flashlight in your pants or are you just happy to see me”, or “Is this a stick up and are you here to take my clothes”. The possibilities are endless and his breeches are nice and snug, another squeeze my balls a leggo my ankle pants.

What I really loved about this book is that it reads like a true historical romance. It was sweet, sexy, and had a certain innocence, which increased the sexiness like by 36%. It offers the handsome and sexy rake, the innocent but tough virgin, and the vile villain. I love historical m/f romance and it no surprise that I loved this one.

Stephen is gay and has always been gay, he does not hide who he is and also has an expensive kept man, in other words a mistress man. He is struggling to make ends meet, but you gotta keep up appearances for the infamous “ton”. His household is barely getting by but he has a few loyal servants who won’t leave his side. Until Jamie arrives looking for a job and then all hell breaks loose.

Jamie has arrived from the country to the city, promised a job by an earl he thinks he has it made. Until he meets Stephen the man he is to serve, and the on who tempts him so much. Jamie’s job is to get Stephen out of the financial dumps and help him bring money in. Jamie can’t help falling in love, and will succumbing to Stephen mean that he will become a kept man?

Let me tell you about this book, it pissed me off. Stephen is such a man; he sees his mistakes but he just does not pay attention to them. He wants Jamie but still keeps his whore of a man, and he is one whore of a man. He is a bad little gay slut. Though there are faults with Stephen character, he is likable and very caring to Jamie. I enjoyed Jamie; he was tough, yet gentle, innocent but not stupid. He wanted more than sex and was willing to leave the man he loved, because he would not just settle.

Real Talk- I read a lot of m/m books, and there is always something about size and precum. Like the slippery trail of precum, and the leaking tip and precum everywhere. On someone’s chest, a puddle on the floor, in someone’s eye etc…… This book has none of that, and if it did; it would have entirely changed the tone of the story. Did I miss the precum? Mmmm not really, it was a welcomed break.

I was really happy with this book, I loved the fact that everyone knew of Stephens preference for men, and label it folly of the youth, but god forbid he falls in love, then he is depraved and disgusting. What can I say people are ridiculi. I give it 5 stars for the authenticity of the historical genre, and his nice package in those breeches. I wonder how the ride on a horse would be, something to ponder.

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Oct 21, 2009 karen marked it as romance-covers-i-have-loved

the price of temptation appears to be elephantiasis of the testicles.

29 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2007 Kati rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, in-english, gay, historical, romance

"The Price of Temptation" is M. J. Pearson's first published gay historical romance. It's set around 1815 and tells the story of Stephen Clair, Earl of St. Joseph, and his secretary Jamie Riley.

Jamie Riley becomes the secretary of Earl of St. Joseph. Stephen is a good-hearted man who collects misfits but at the same time, he can't keep two coins together. And so, Jamie helps his new Master sort his accounts... and falls in love with him. Stephen is determined to seduce Jamie because he grew tire...more "The Price of Temptation" is M. J. Pearson's first published gay historical romance. It's set around 1815 and tells the story of Stephen Clair, Earl of St. Joseph, and his secretary Jamie Riley.

Jamie Riley becomes the secretary of Earl of St. Joseph. Stephen is a good-hearted man who collects misfits but at the same time, he can't keep two coins together. And so, Jamie helps his new Master sort his accounts... and falls in love with him. Stephen is determined to seduce Jamie because he grew tired of his current lover Julian, who is the flirtatious, experienced but dumb and greedy sort of a man. But Jamie's mother was a kept woman and it destroyed her life and so Jamie is determined never to be someone's play toy. One night, Stephen makes love to Jamie but in the morning, thanks to a terrible misunderstanding, Jamie runs away and finds himself coin-less on the streets of London...

This is a very cute story similar to various het historical romances set around the same time - mostly it reminds me of the het stories of Julia Garwood: there is plot, intrigue but a good dash of humor too. The funniest thing is probably the ensemble of Stephen's house that ranges from a gay valet to a cook that can't cook and a female coachman. And it's also very touching how the household learns to like Jamie quickly and they do whatever they can to get him and Stephen together. Another thing that's quite cute is the nickname Stephen chooses for his little secretary: Mouse. A little grey Mouse :)

Pearson's strong points are the cute beginning and the strong middle of the story. Until Jamie runs away from Stephen, the story is very engaging and really holds the reader's interest. But then, Jamie's life on the streets and Julian's revenge, the dungeons under Madam Novotny's brothel... It feels dragged-out and rushed at the same time. It's really strange. And especially the ending is rather abrupt. Stephen saves Jamie from the dungeon and wham, two pages later it's The End. Suddenly, the whole thing feels emotionally underdeveloped. Jamie escapes rape and torture but it has almost no effect at all on him :(

Should I compare this book to "Discreet Young Gentleman", another book by M. J. Pearson, I would say I liked the second one better. But this one is still very good and offers a nice gay historical romance - there is not enough of them out there (at least of the ones that have a happy ending). I would give it four stars out of five.(less)

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Jun 17, 2009 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

Not quite as good as Discreet Young Gentleman, but still a lot of fun to read. And look at.

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 27, 2012 Charly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Strong start, but I found the second half a little disappointing

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- The relationship unfolds slowly in a way that I found endearing and realistic. It isn’t love at first sight for either man; it’s more that they spend some time together and after a while, each starts to realize that the other has more attractive qualities than he seemed to have before.
- I really liked the majority of the secondary characters....more Strong start, but I found the second half a little disappointing

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- The relationship unfolds slowly in a way that I found endearing and realistic. It isn’t love at first sight for either man; it’s more that they spend some time together and after a while, each starts to realize that the other has more attractive qualities than he seemed to have before.
- I really liked the majority of the secondary characters. In most Regency m/m books, the people who are close to the main characters know about their sexuality but refrain from speaking of it, whereas in this story, the other characters not only support Stephen and Jamie’s relationship but encourage it.
- Pearson’s descriptions of a variety of different settings seem spot-on and combine to create a three-dimensional look at London during the nineteenth century.
- The dialogue is sharp and snappy, and some of it is really funny, even from the characters I didn’t particularly like. Stephen’s butler, although unpleasant much of the time, was actually one of my favorite characters, if only because many of his comments were so dry and scathing.

CONS:
- The book is 208 pages, and the two guys are apart for 70 of them. During that time, they’re both pretty miserable, but one of them goes halfway to hell before they get back together. And then once they DO get back together, we get only 2 1/2 pages of happiness before the book ends.
- Jamie is well-spoken and has lovely manners, which is nice most of the time, but I did find his use of Stephen’s title just a little grating after a while. It wasn’t that I found Jamie a simpering character or I thought his adherence to formality was annoying; it was just that I got a little tired of hearing the phrase “my lord” QUITE so often. Sometimes he even says it twice in one sentence: “There are other rooms up top where I am, my lord, but they’re being used for storage, my lord.”

Overall comments: This one’s not for you if you’re looking for explicit sex; there’s a lot of buildup to their encounters, but there are only 2 actual sex scenes, and they’re pretty understated. The book is certainly well written; I just felt a little disappointed because I liked the first half much more than the second, so it seemed to go downhill for me. During the first, the characters are all safe and (fairly) happy and the romance is developing slowly but surely. During much of the second, they’re quarreling, and then comes the period of separation and despondency. (less)

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Sep 25, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it

I’m deeply regretting to have not read this book before, this is exactly like one of those historical romances I eagerly read when I was a teenager and so loved. There is the dashing scoundrel, and as often it happens he has a wise old aunt who is holding the purse strings; she deeply love her rake of a nephew but she wants for him to settle down for the good of the title but above all for his own happiness. There is of course a vain lover, more interested to that purse than to the gentleman, an...more I’m deeply regretting to have not read this book before, this is exactly like one of those historical romances I eagerly read when I was a teenager and so loved. There is the dashing scoundrel, and as often it happens he has a wise old aunt who is holding the purse strings; she deeply love her rake of a nephew but she wants for him to settle down for the good of the title but above all for his own happiness. There is of course a vain lover, more interested to that purse than to the gentleman, and there is of course the innocent soul who happens to step into the mouse’s trap totally unaware. And in this case mouse is the appropriate definition since this is like Stephen, the Earl of St. Joseph, nicknamed Jamie, the shy historian who was supposed to be his nephews’ tutor before the tragedy of losing them and their parents to a shipwreck. Jamie insinuates not only in Stephen’s house and in the life of all the household, but with his good heart and innocent behaviour, also in the heart of the handsome earl, even if the man has a lover, Julian, the Golden One, that is way prettier than the little country mouse Jamie.

As often it happens, there is also a secret in Jamie’s past that makes him probably more suitable to Stephen than Julian, and if this wasn’t an homosexual affair, it would have probably ended in Stephen marrying Jamie, but as it’s, what we can expect is for them to live happily, and scandalously, ever after in sin. How that is possible in England at the end of the XVIII century? (the date you can guess from a reference to the madness of King George and the taking of the throne of the Regent) the answer is simple: wealth and nobless. Not only Stephen has a title, his aunt is also one of the wealthiest women of England and manage the purse strings of more family other than Stephen’s; when the ton tries to ostracize his nephew, she is ready to emulate Jesus Christ and his “who sinned cast the first stone” speech, letting the people be aware she knows secrets and she is ready to spread them.

Once you overcome the homosexuality is illegal issue, what remains to the author is two men and their love story, mostly played inside the walls of Stephen’s house, and so in a safe environment. It’s true that Jamie entered that environment unaware of Stephen’s particular bed choices, but the author is also ready to let the reader know he is not so against the idea; now don’t get me wrong, Jamie is completely, totally innocent, and he wouldn’t dare to face Stephen with his sexual preferences, but upon witnessing Stephen’s encounter with his lover, Jamie remembers how he had feelings for a young seminarist, feelings that were quite similar to what he should have felt instead for a young girl. With such realization slowly comes also another epiphany, he can easily fall in love for mylord, if only that was not an impossible dream: Jamie doesn’t want to end being the plaything of a lord, and if he loves a man there is no other chance.

I really enjoy Jamie’s character but also Stephen; he was not your usual scoundrel, he didn’t redeem only for the sake, of the chance to fall into bed with Jamie, Stephen was already a good man, enough to look at his strange household, made up from castoff of other noble families or worst, from the streets. Jamie fits well among them since he basically assumes the role of the lady of the house, a role he fulfil perfectly in each aspect if not the one of sharing the bed of the lord of the house. Role even Stephen starts to wonder why it’s not covered by the lad, so that he starts a slow, but steady work of breaking down the young man’s defences.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0971708932/?...(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 22, 2010 Erastes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-historical

I won’t say I didn’t enjoy this, because I did. It was possible to unhinge my research head and treat it as a “romance novel” with all that that genre implies. Brooding hero, delicate (but rather stubborn) hero who isn’t going to let said BH get into his pants unless it’s true love – not if he can help it! (all whilst being swept along by his own desires)

So yes, it’s an enjoyable romance read. I liked the characters in the main. The BH (Stephen) was suitably brooding and sufficiently dissolute t...more

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Oct 17, 2009 Jenre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, historicals, romance

I have a confession to make here: I love Regency historicals. In fact before I discovered m/m, I read almost exclusively m/f historicals. When I began reading m/m, I looked at The Price of Temptation several times as I was interested to see how an m/m book would work in a Regency setting. However, because the book was only available as a paperback, I hesitated to buy, mainly because I was highly embarrassed at *that cover* being seen by anyone whilst I was reading it. Now, however, the book is a...more I have a confession to make here: I love Regency historicals. In fact before I discovered m/m, I read almost exclusively m/f historicals. When I began reading m/m, I looked at The Price of Temptation several times as I was interested to see how an m/m book would work in a Regency setting. However, because the book was only available as a paperback, I hesitated to buy, mainly because I was highly embarrassed at *that cover* being seen by anyone whilst I was reading it. Now, however, the book is about to be released as an ebook (and with a new cover) so the time is ripe for a review for those, like me, who couldn’t risk being seen with it before!

The book opens with ~~heroine~~ hero Jamie who arrives at a grand house in London ready to take up a new position as tutor to the three sons of the Earl of St Joseph. This arrangement had been made some months before, just as the Earl was taking his family on a trip through Europe. It had been decided then that Jamie would start his post in the spring after the return of the Earl. However, when Jamie arrives he discovered that the Earl and his family have died tragically and the new Earl is Stephen, a general wastrel. Stephen takes pity on Jamie and offers him the post of secretary. Jamie soon settles in and is loved by all, except Stephen’s ‘mistress’ Julian, who is jealous of the close bond Stephen and Jamie have, and so fearful that Stephen will not renew his contract with Julian, he plots Jamie’s downfall.

If you like Harlequin/Mills and Boon Regency historicals, then you will love this book. It contains all the recognisable plot devices in spades. Jamie, the almost too good to be true hero/heroine figure; Stephen the wastrel rake; disapproving servants who are won round by the sweetness of Jamie; a cartoon villain in the form of Julian; a big misunderstanding; lustful looks and ‘oh no we can’t’ kisses (and more) between the heroes. Marvellous.

I have to admit that the characters are a little two dimensional. Jamie is good, he’s efficient, in the short time he is Stephen’s house everyone loves him, he nursed his sick mother through her illness and saves Stephen through the power of his virginal love. However, by the end of the book, the only impression I am left with about Jamie is that he is ‘a nice person’ as that seemed to be all there was of his character. Stephen too is the epitome of a Regency Rake. He spends money (that he doesn’t have) like water. He keeps the male equivalent of a mistress, he gambles, he visits houses of ill repute. Alongside this are the ‘hidden’ depths that all romance rakes seem to have: his servants are either retainers, kept on past retirement or because of sentimental reasons, or waifs and strays ‘rescued’ from other less worthy noblemen’s houses. Plus his rakish ways are brought on by grief over the death of a much loved brother and his family. By the end of the book, Jamie’s goodness had turned Stephen into that second Regency historical character – the Reformed Rake. This use of well worn Regency stereotypes didn’t bother me too much as I was having far too much fun seeing them applied to an m/m romance. However, those of you who are looking for originality may need to look elsewhere than The Price of Temptation.

One part that I really liked about this Regency historical is that the reader gets taken to all the places not often seen in a Regency, ie. the brothels and gambling dens that the heroines of m/f don’t go into (or not often anyway). It was interesting to see this from a male perspective, especially in Stephen’s reactions to the other noblemen. The more female aspects of Regency society are represented by Stephen’s tough, battle-axe aunt, who completely steals the novel from under the heroes’ noses. I liked her very much and the scene where she ‘tells it like it is’ to various members of noble society after they wish to shun Stephen was just wonderful.

It was in the scenes with society that I felt the novel was on more shaky ground. Nearly all society members accept that Stephen is gay and even that he brings Julian, his ‘mistress’ to society events. This just didn’t ring true for me, even though it is explained that society will accept most things as long as it’s not shoved in their faces. I could accept that Stephen would still be invited to society events – his noble status guarantees that – but to bring Julian along would, I feel, have been a step too far for the society of the time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this light romantic read. Those of you who are complete sticklers for historical accuracy may gnash your teeth at some of the liberties taken in it, but it didn’t bother me. The setting on the whole, seemed accurate enough and I liked that at one point in the book the setting is taken away from the privileged life that Stephen inhabits to the poorer, seedier side of living in Regency London. I’d recommend The Price of Temptation to those who like historicals, especially set in the Regency period and those looking for a quick story of temptation, jealousy and the redeeming power of love.(less)

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May 04, 2012 Zaa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fav-heroes, mm-historical

First impressions are everything. This is especially important with book covers. I know, don’t judge a book by its cover. Name me an avid reader that doesn’t and I’ll start eating pages from my copy of this book. We all do it because aside from the blurb, it’s the first thing that where a reader can get an idea on what the book is about. So when I see this book cover my reaction is “AWW HELL!”. Seriously, I swear my glasses fogged up there for a moment. So what about the story? It was good...more

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Oct 29, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt-fiction

An incredibly charming, funny and irreverent read, The Price of Temptation is one ebook I’d love in print. Following reasonably traditional historical romance lines, minus a heroine, this was very entertaining and I cannot wait to read Discreet Young Gentleman.

Stephen is such a likable rogue, one cannot help but want someone to take him in hand. He’s rather flighty and not remotely interested in anyone other than himself. Or so he’d like you to think. Underneath this raffish exterior he has odd...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Brie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

M.J. Pearson. Why you no write more? -.- I really really really liked this story especially the progression of the love between the characters. Stephen not even looking twice at jamie to noticing he is a gem, then Stephen sneaking kisses and touches while Jamie is sleeping, to FINALLY realizing he(they) is(are) in love. I didn't like the part where Jamie left for a week and some change to live in terrible places and get his stuff stolen. And I wish their coming together and reconciling had been...more

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May 01, 2008 Ryes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jamie's nothing special when it comes to looks. His face and build are plain, but he does have killer blue eyes, hair with stunning highlights, and a more than passable backside. All that's left of his mother, his last living relative, is a small portrait. He ends up working for Stephen Clair, first as a secretary to track Stephen's schedule, but quickly proves his usefulness with numbers and managing money. Stephen's staff loves him and Stephen himself falls for him. Jamie's character is intell...more Jamie's nothing special when it comes to looks. His face and build are plain, but he does have killer blue eyes, hair with stunning highlights, and a more than passable backside. All that's left of his mother, his last living relative, is a small portrait. He ends up working for Stephen Clair, first as a secretary to track Stephen's schedule, but quickly proves his usefulness with numbers and managing money. Stephen's staff loves him and Stephen himself falls for him. Jamie's character is intelligent and nice and almost too good to be true.

Stephen is the tall, dark and handsome man in the relationship, and probably the polar opposite of Jamie. His character's flaws are much more evident. He's too easily led by his insatiable sexual appetite. Because of that, he's bankrupt. Because of his position and his rich aunt, he'll never be in want of partners, but the drawback is that he can't distinguish between love that's genuine and love that's not. It's hard not to love his character. He's confident in his own skin and comfortable with his sexuality. That's almost unrealistic, considering the time period.

Julian is the prostitute/actor that Stephen pays for. He's aware of his charms and uses them to keep Stephen by his side. But keeping Julian drains Stephen financially and emotionally. When Julian suspects that Stephen's attention is wandering, he plots to get rid of Jamie. Julian is motivated by spite but at times I found myself feeling bad for his character, which kept him from becoming just another stereotypical villain to me.

This is very light reading and not meant to make readers think too much. The narrative is smooth and while it's categorized as historical, the characters appear to converse in modern English, with modern curse words. This will be enjoyable to fans of every genre and it's worth checking out.

The book is not nearly as shameless as the cover suggests. I've seen its cover frequently being criticized on other sites, but I couldn't agree with their opinions. It's not something I would whip out to read in public, but it did bring a smile to my face. According to M.J. Pearson's website, it was meant to be "a campy gay version of the Fabio-type romance covers." It certainly did its job well and it's very amusing. M.J. has written about the cover and the models used at her blog.

The Price of Temptation is a very fun read. Highly recommended!

PURCHASE LINK (less)

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May 26, 2011 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meh. Just okay. Not horrible. Not fantastic. This one was uncannily close to The Desire for Dearborne, exact same basic plot. Hunky lonely aristocrat who has no problem paying for his companionship until some green innocent (yet educated) little country boy enters the scene. Aristocrat's jealous boytoy tries to off the "country mouse" (to protect his own position) and needs to be saved. The love scenes were pleasantly steamy though, and I enjoyed the historical context and setting.

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Jan 17, 2012 Edina Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Regency MM romance.
It is romantic, funny and quite light in spite of some angst near the end.
Typical regency plot, the Rake and the Innocent. Great secondary characters:
- The Rake's lover, greedy & diabolical but beautiful like a fallen angel.
- The Rake's best friend, his only real friend.
- The Rake's old, rich and eccentric auntie
- The sarcastic butler,
And a few others.
The Innocent is, of course, all alone in the big bad world!

This book is a delight

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Jan 15, 2011 miss_chams rated it 3 of 5 stars

I actually really liked this book. I mean I love fomulaic cinderella type trashy romances... my only complaint is that Jamie (the protagonist) reads like a woman, and if I wanted to read a book with a female protagonist I would've read one. That aside it was surprisingly entertaining. So much so I think the author is trying to kill me: as a result of staying up until 3am reading this I nearly severed a finger at work...

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Jul 06, 2011 ♥♥ Amaranth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, favorites, historical, m-m

I absolutely loved this story! I loved the deliciously cheesy cover and the nostalgic romance elements of the m/f historical novels that I used to devour and this is perhaps one of my favorite books of all time now. I adored Jamie and the 'seduction scene' was unbearably erotic. I would highly recommend it. I hope more m/m romance authors emerge who write these types of books. They're escapism at it's finest!

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May 18, 2013 Plainbrownwrapper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm

I enjoy Pearson's fond homages to classic bodice-rippers and historical mf romances, but, unfortunately, I didn't think this one was as good as either Discreet Young Gentleman or Helpless. Especially egregious were both of the MCs -- MC Stephen was much too weak and vacillating to get much sympathy from me, while MC Jamie was too much of a Mary Sue to grab my interest.

I believe that this was Pearson's first novel, which would explain why it is not as good as the others I've read. Read the other...more

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Oct 08, 2008 Jeremy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-of-2008

Books like this keep forcing my further and further out of the Romantic Closet. I'd prefer to be known as a grump, thank you very much, but this story makes me melt. For one thing, it does not apologize for having two male leads, nor does it have to - it's all so matter-of-fact, so natural in this world that it makes one almost believe that this IS the way it was back in the Regency era, and society has deteriorated since then. Stephen's household full of loving misfits speaks right to my heart,...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Myristica Myristica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderfully written, but the separation between the two main characters near the end is rather long, at least a 1/4 of the book. Still, it was an incredible read and very, very heartwarming and charming (with some laughter thrown in for good measure.) ;) The cover though, is a bit (cough, cough) well, shall we say 'too much of a good thing'? :)

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Aug 06, 2012 Michi Rosa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, favorites

First of all I wouldn't call this a "love triangle", cause Stephen is not really in a relationship with Jamie while he's fucking Julien ('cause if he was I wouldn't have read this 'till the end).

And second, the real reason a read this book: THAT COVER.
Almost brought me to my knees (literally) ;).

I loved this book, couldn't put it down 'till the last page; I'll definitely re-read this.

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Jun 17, 2012 M rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-buff, queer-sorting-hat, britishismms

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Not as much as Discreet Young Gentleman, but still, it was well written. It's a bit clichéd, you know; young ingenue improves the life of worldly older man and then falls in love with him, but it's a cliché we know and love. I never really connected with any of the characters, but I did love Aunt Matilda; that woman was awesome. My one major sticking point with this book is that the entire plot relies on a series of misunderstandings and coincidences and I'm none...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Arthur rated it 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

There have been too many reviews on this. A good book, but with uneven pace. As if the author ran out of energy to write when he realized that the page quota has been reached and no time to edit out the second part. Pity.

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Apr 06, 2010 Wren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cats-pajamas, historical-fiction, m-m

I loved this one! So delightfully Victorian, over the top romance with the gorgeous wastrel Earl and the poor mouse secretary, a big misunderstanding, near death, wise rich aunt and a houseful of servants scurrying to save their friend.

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May 11, 2011 Minh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mm

I'm sorry I had to change editions because that other cover was whole worlds of oh my god LOL. An adorable couple even if you have to resist the urge to bash Stephen and and Jamie over the head a few times!

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May 28, 2011 Byakko74 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-romance

Non fatevi ingannare dalla copertina, pare quasi un libro pesantemente gay ma... è una squisita commedia romantica slash, delicata, ben scritta, ottima edizione.

Consigliato.

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Apr 03, 2012 Fehu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-historical, challenge-bookshelf, challenge-book, outside-the-us, nobility, angsty, good-sexual-tension-mm

An interesting historical novel, I liked that it didn't deal with the whole angst of the society finding out or needing a wife, which is often used in such stories. I'm not sure it was really possible to live like that at the time but hey it's fiction!

Jamie is a very loveable character, which I cannot say about Stephen or Julian. Stephens going to Julian time after time annoyed me a great deal. He knew that actor was shallow and only after his money and that Stephen himself was deeply in depth,...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Bebe Burnside rated it 4 of 5 stars

Such an enjoyable story, I read it one sitting. My favorite quote: "If hot chocolate could talk it would be in tones like that." Don't you just love that? Pure YUM!

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Oct 31, 2010 Calen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the other MJ Pearson novel I totally love. I've read it at least three times and keep coming back to it when I want Regency romance. It's original, engaging and honestly, quite believable. Too often you read these romance novels and after the first two chapters you're over it because it's so unbelievable. Pearson knows how to write a story that flows from chapter to chapter and she never once makes you think you're reading something that couldn't happen. It's really the perfect example o...more

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Nov 30, 2008 Writerlibrarian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay_fiction, february-pile, romance, read2008

More like 1 1/2 stars.
This is the first gay romance novel from this writer. Her second book, Discreet Young Gentleman, is much better. This one is like a gay Barbara Cartland romance. Every single cliché is there up to the young, innocent love interest chained up in a dungeon at the mercy of a very dark villain. I was laughing and not because it was funny. The book cover is so bad and as predictable as the plot of this story. Better only read her second book.

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Mar 20, 2012 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kathleen by: Lily

Shelves: historical, first-time, cool-cover

I loved this book! I haven't read a good historical, well any historical, lately and I didn't even know I was missing it. I enjoyed the twist the story took near the end and the unexpected actions of the bad guy. I also liked that Jamie made Stephen work for it and didn't just roll over and give in. This book also had a fantastic and deep cast of side characters that were wonderful and three dimensional. 5 stars!

ETA: I just bought this book with the new cover (borrowed it upon first reading) and...more

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About M.J. Pearson

M. J. Pearson’s meandering career path has included stints dispatching taxis in Vermont, making pizza in Santa Fe, digging Roman ruins in Israel and studying nationalism in Scotland. Currently residing in Indianapolis, M. J. is hard at work on a new romance novel.

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