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Pure Folly

by Madelynne Ellis (Goodreads Author)

3.23 of 5 stars 3.23 · rating details · 40 ratings · 5 reviews

When Alastair Romilly de Vere accepts a dare to spend a night in a haunted folly, it's not the prospect of a ghostly presence that he finds daunting. Alastair is desperately in love with his cousin's fiance, Jude, the man who is to be his companion for the night; an attraction that he dare not confess. When a spirit trapped within the folly takes possession of Jude seeking...more

ebook, 64 pages

Published May 25th 2009 by Total-E- Bound

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Jun 06, 2009 LVLMLeah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, gay, paranormal

"Pure Folly" is pure hot m/m lurving with a ghostly gothic twist to it.

Poor Alastair has been pining over Jude for a long time but sees no hope of ever fulfilling his desire as Jude is engaged to his cousin and it’s, well, a love that’s punishable by society and law. Unfortunately for him, his cousin has made a bet that he and Jude cannot spend the whole night together in the very haunted Folly on his family’s property.

Alistair has already had a run in with the spirit haunting the folly when h...more "Pure Folly" is pure hot m/m lurving with a ghostly gothic twist to it.

Poor Alastair has been pining over Jude for a long time but sees no hope of ever fulfilling his desire as Jude is engaged to his cousin and it’s, well, a love that’s punishable by society and law. Unfortunately for him, his cousin has made a bet that he and Jude cannot spend the whole night together in the very haunted Folly on his family’s property.

Alistair has already had a run in with the spirit haunting the folly when he was a child and is not too happy about this, but fears he will be called a coward by his cousin and Jude if he reneges. Along with this fear though, is his bigger fear that he will not be able to control his sexual desire being in such close proximity to Jude all night.

Jude doesn’t believe that there is anything haunting the folly and makes light it, actually pushing Alistair’s fear. He has some plans of his own for Alistair though. Jude has been aware of Alistair’s attraction and wants him back, but needs to find a way to initiate sex. When they find a secret room full of drawings of naked men in all kinds of sexual acts together, the door opens for them to get it on.

I’ve read just about everything that Madelynne Ellis has published and while not as dark and intense as her usual, this story was unique and hot none the less. Jude and Alistair burn together as they finally unleash their lust for each other. Both have secretly wanted each other for so long and it’s a juicy first time sexual encounter. Although Jude has had some experience with men before, Alistair is a virgin on that level but figures things out quickly in his excitement.

I love ghost stories and that element in this story was a unique and trippy take on it. The ghost is the spirit of a man was in love with Alistair’s ancestor and since Alistair looks just like him, the ghost takes over Jude’s body to finally fulfill his eternal desire to have sex with him, which was denied him when they were alive. While this could have gotten hokey, it doesn’t, but makes things even more passionate between Jude and Alistair.

This being a historical set in an old, decrepit folly, plus: a haunting, secret rooms, pent up forbidden love, juicy sex, and an HEA, all made "Pure Folly" a delicious read.
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Feb 04, 2010 Leslie Nicoll rated it 3 of 5 stars

When Alastair Romilly de Vere accepts a dare to spend a night in a haunted folly, it's not the prospect of a ghostly presence that he finds daunting. Alastair is desperately in love with his cousin's fiancé, Jude, the man who is to be his companion for the night; an attraction that he dare not confess.

When a spirit trapped within the folly takes possession of Jude seeking to end a century of torment, can Alastair face his fears, in order to save the man he loves? For only by surrendering his bod...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Elisa Ramblings added it

Pure Fully is an historical romance with a bit of gothic and eroticism thrown in the middle to spice the things. Alastair is the second son of a noble and wealthy family and even if it's not exactly said in the book, I have the feeling that he both regrets than enjoys the freedom he has from being a second son; no one is expecting something from him, his mother is not pressuring him to marry, his father is not insisting he does something worthy in his life, he probably has an allowance that let...more Pure Fully is an historical romance with a bit of gothic and eroticism thrown in the middle to spice the things. Alastair is the second son of a noble and wealthy family and even if it's not exactly said in the book, I have the feeling that he both regrets than enjoys the freedom he has from being a second son; no one is expecting something from him, his mother is not pressuring him to marry, his father is not insisting he does something worthy in his life, he probably has an allowance that let him live in a comfortable way, he can do whatever he likes inside the boundaries of good society, and he doesn't know what to do! Better something he knows, he is in love with Jude, the soon-to-be fiance of his cousin Charlotte, but loving Jude is not something he is allowed to do, neither if he is a second son and so it's not asked from him to produce an heir.

Truth be told, Alastair doesn't exactly know what loving a man means; he has sexual fantasies on Jude, but for him it's a first experience, and he is deeply convinced that it's a sin, and so he tries to shun the idea from his mind and body. Probably due to his tentative denial, Alastair doesn't realize that the attraction is mutual and that Jude is not at all the unaware object of his desire. Jude knows and actually he is waiting for Alastair to loose his battle with his conscience. But when that battle lasts too long, Jude looses his patience and forces a bit the hand; when a bet with Charlotte and Viola (Alastair's sister) dare both men to spend a night in a gothic temple in the garden (a pure folly of the time, both the temple than the bet), Jude plans to seduce Alastair if the man will not willingly surrender to his inner desires.

Most of the story is a pure historical romance, without any paranormal event; but almost to the end, a secret in the closet of Alastair's family comes out in the most unexpected way, a ghost who claims his toll after years of denial, and Alastair is the man who has to fulfill that request. I like that the paranormal event arrives so late in the story, since this novel is a very good historical novel and I prefer for it to be defined more from the historical genre than the paranormal one. Alastair's struggle with his inner demons, the fear for something unknown that prevents him to see that the interest his mutual, is dealt with a good hand for a novella; probably Alastair would never allow to his desire to become clear, not realizing that what he felt was not some sinful deviation of his mind, but something that could be common among his peers: Alastair has never had the chance to be in contact with that reality.

On the other hand, Jude had time to digest and analyze the matter; when he was still young he was "molested" by an older man, but even if he didn't particularly like the man, he liked the act. He had then another chance to "taste", and this only reinforce his belief that he actually prefers men over women. But unlike Alistair, Jude has to marry and produce an heir, and so he is planning to do it as soon as possible to then spend the rest of his life as he prefers. Here probably is the big difference between Alastair and Jude, in the way they "feel", Alastair so strong and impulsive, Jude more daring but at the same time more calculator; they are both probably an example of how a man in that period would face the matter, someone like Alastair would flight abroad or live in denial for all his life, someone like Jude would build a safe nest around him, far from society, but maintaining the privileges from being a member of it. The author chooses to not tell us who is wrong or who is right, probably since there is nor wrong or right, and so both men, Alastair and Jude, come out as likable characters (even if, if I'm to be true, I prefer the impulsive Alastair, who, in a way, would have preferred to not compromise for their love) and the final solution is a real and possible one.

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May 19, 2012 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical fiction lovers, gothic fans

Shelves: paranormal, historical

I enjoyed this gothic paranormal historical novella.
The characters and settings seemed authentic enough to me. The folly the men spend the night locked into is spooky and wonderfully portrayed, a great setting for the story.
Ms. Ellis makes the difficulty of being homosexual in the 18th-19th century (not quite sure which) appropriately dangerous, so kudos there.
The paranormal part was very well done, I felt the other-worldly presence quite strongly.
The sex I found a little too intrusive, which i...more

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Oct 27, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt-fiction, historical

Pure Folly by Madelynne Ellis has me with my fingers crossed that this author writes more m/m romance. Two men stuck in a tower, secretly wanting to jump each others bones with some spectral smex thrown in for good measure. This was such a naughty, grubby little book and I loved it. Not sure if it was the authors voice, which felt very British at times, or the confined space that the book was set. Whatever it was made my glasses need de fogging. Excellent historical romance, more please!
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Apr 19, 2013 Shannon marked it as maybe

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Shelves: tbr

Apr 08, 2013 Vio marked it as to-read

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Feb 22, 2013 Misty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm, gothic

Jan 06, 2013 Petra added it

Shelves: historical, mm

Jan 01, 2013 Helle marked it as to-read

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Dec 11, 2012 Liza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: racy

Dec 07, 2012 Shelly marked it as to-read

Nov 07, 2012 Nanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Oct 28, 2012 BlackTulip rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: gothic, mm, regency, paranormal

Sep 12, 2012 Tracey marked it as to-read

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Shelves: w-fictionwise

Aug 13, 2012 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-historical-romance

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Shelves: total-e-bound

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About Madelynne Ellis

I'm Madelynne Ellis, a British author of erotica and erotic romance. I started writing after a friend picked up the Black Lace book I was reading and suggested that I should have a go. The rest is history. My first novel, A Gentleman's Wager, appeared in 2003, published by Black Lace. I've continued to put out titles from that point, branching out into contemporary and urban fantasy in addition to...more

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A Gentleman's Wager (Georgian Rakehells, #1)

Her Husband's Lover (Georgian Rakehells, #5)

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