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All He Desires

by Anthea Lawson (Goodreads Author)

3.17 of 5 stars 3.17 · rating details · 41 ratings · 11 reviews

Far from home and her noble relatives, Miss Caroline Huntington has been injured in a fall from her horse. Called to her side, Alex Trentham knows he must assist her, though he has not practiced as a physician for a long while. Just to see so lovely a woman in a state of undress is a hard test of his self-control.

Caroline is all that is warm and feminine, beautiful and pu...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published November 1st 2009 by Zebra (first published October 24th 2009)

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Nov 19, 2009 Katie(babs) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Caroline Huntington, the niece of the Earl of Twickenham, has accompanied Maggie Farnsworth to the Mediterranean to help with Maggie’s orphanage project. They have come to the island of Crete for a week long holiday where they will enjoy the sun and local sites. Caroline is horseback riding and has an accident where she falls and dislocates her elbow and ends up with a concussion. Caroline is found by Maggie and Monsieur Legault, a Frenchman, who is involved with an archeological dig on the isla...more Caroline Huntington, the niece of the Earl of Twickenham, has accompanied Maggie Farnsworth to the Mediterranean to help with Maggie’s orphanage project. They have come to the island of Crete for a week long holiday where they will enjoy the sun and local sites. Caroline is horseback riding and has an accident where she falls and dislocates her elbow and ends up with a concussion. Caroline is found by Maggie and Monsieur Legault, a Frenchman, who is involved with an archeological dig on the island. The closest town where Caroline can receive medical care is too far away. They take her to Mr. Trentham, a physician, who doesn’t practice any longer but is the best shot they have. Alex Trentham is annoyed and very rude because he longs for his solitude. He doesn’t want Caroline or anyone else in his home. But after appealing to his better natures, he relents and allows Caroline to recover in one of his spare bedrooms until she is well enough to be moved.

Alex is still wracked with guilt over something he did while he practiced medicine when resided in England. All he longs for is peace, but with an English miss like Caroline running all over the island and getting into trouble, he has no choice but to keep an eye on her. As Caroline recovers, she finds Alex to be a very confusing and harsh speaking man. She doesn’t want to spend any more time in his company and can’t wait to leave so she and Maggie can continue on to Malta. But, Caroline is still not fit for travel. Alex won’t allow her to go and after he finds her another companion, a Miss Pen Briggs, to stay with her while Maggie ventures off the island, Caroline relents. Alex is very masterful in getting what he wants and when it comes to Caroline’s health, only he seems to know what’s in her best interests.

Alex decides to be Caroline’s guide; he’ll show her the sites and wonders of Crete. He takes Caroline swimming in the ocean, picnics at the seashore and to some ruins where they view some shocking frescoes that lead to an amazing kiss between Caroline and Alex. Caroline is falling for this mysterious Mr. Trentham even though he tells her they can’t have more than a few kisses with one another. Suddenly everything changes when there’s a cave in and he and Caroline are buried inside. Then Alex finds himself “buried” inside of Caroline. Looks like a cave in is the next best thing when deflowering a historical romance virgin like Caroline.

Alex and Caroline are rescued but with the way things are, Caroline returns back to England where her Uncle Denby wants to adopt her. That means she will have access to part of his fortune, and his son Reginald is enraged. No orphan cousin of his will take what is rightly his and because of his selfishness he places Caroline in danger. Caroline doesn’t really care about becoming an heiress because she is trying to heal her broken heart where she still longs for those days and nights on Crete with Alex, the only man she has ever loved and who made her a woman in every way.

Anthea Lawson’s All He Desires is a luscious and exotic historical romance with a very different and welcomed setting. Caroline Huntington, the heroine of fresco viewing and cave in deflowerment is the sister of James, the hero in Anthea’s debut release Passionate that came out last year. She’s a very passionate but level headed young woman who longs for the love of a good man. She feels that Alex Trentham may just be that man, but because he can’t let go of the past, everything they have together is destroyed. Alex is the reason Caroline is so confused about her feelings and what she longs for in life. And even though Alex is one of those brooding, tortured heroes who finds happiness in a woman’s arms, I wanted to shake him because he is so gloomy and laments about the past. Because of this constant internal punishment, he ruins everything.

What I really enjoyed was that Alex and Caroline don’t fall into each other’s arms right away. They communicate and from that build a warm relationship with one another. Some of the situations they find themselves in are a bit too unrealistic for the time period, such as a single man and single virginal woman bathing together in the ocean, as well as being stuck in a cave where Caroline enjoys her first taste of sex. But, this is fiction and these scenes are needed because they cement the growing feelings Alex and Caroline have for one another.

I was very happy to see Reggie, the devious cousin, who was first introduced in Passionate back in All He Desires. He’s so selfish, amoral and spoiled but again there is something about him where he could be redeemed and if Anthea feels like it, Reggie could be an incredible hero in his own story.

All He Desires has a great romantic adventure feel to it with nicely written love scenes between Caroline and Alex. The subplot where Caroline is placed in danger seems bit too much, but I give credit to Anthea for pulling things together in such a way where you really enjoy Alex and Caroline’s happily ever after. Alex annoyed me at certain parts because of this all consuming guilt he feels as and something he does later in the book that made me want to shake him yet again.
Anthea Lawson does have a great historical romance voice and along with her exotic settings. All He Desire was a solid read that had me yearning for the island of Crete where I could view some naughty frescoes.
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Dec 12, 2009 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The official description for this book from amazon is:

Far from home and her noble relatives, Miss Caroline Huntington has been injured in a fall from her horse. Called to her side, Alex Trentham knows he must assist her, though he has not practiced as a physician for a long while. Just to see so lovely a woman in a state of undress is a hard test of his self-control. Caroline is all that is warm and feminine, beautiful and pure. Brave to a fault, she does not flinch under his hands, and soon sh...more The official description for this book from amazon is:

Far from home and her noble relatives, Miss Caroline Huntington has been injured in a fall from her horse. Called to her side, Alex Trentham knows he must assist her, though he has not practiced as a physician for a long while. Just to see so lovely a woman in a state of undress is a hard test of his self-control. Caroline is all that is warm and feminine, beautiful and pure. Brave to a fault, she does not flinch under his hands, and soon she is on the mend. To hide his feelings becomes impossible and Alex cannot. Her radiant innocence is dangerous to a worldly man...and she seems achingly eager to experience all the pleasure he could show her...

To be honest, this wasn't the best book. I won this book from the author and was really excited to read it. Alex in this book left England to get away from a "grave and unforgivable act" he committed. Now living on the island of Crete he is a virtue hermit until one day in March 1848. That was the day when Caroline had fallen off of her horse and given herself a bad concussion and broken arm/shoulder. She was brought there by her friend and the French archaeologist working on the island. The banter and Caroline's whole recovery is rather witty and keeps you attached to the storyline. Then things start to get a bit corny. The whole emerging from the Cave of Zeus thing "new goddess and god" was a rather stupid comparison and one i could have done without. The most intriguing part of the story and one that kept you turning the pages was that someone wanted to kill Caroline and you known from the switching back and forth from England that it's her cousin. Her cousin wants her dead because his father, her uncle is making plans for formally adopt her and give her half of his fortune. This is problematic to her cousin since he already pledged the whole estate to what i'm guessing is a mod boss (it's never mentioned exactly what this guy is). Add a viscount (who addicted to opium) who wants to marry Caroline for said inheritance and you have the recipe for an interesting storyline. Unfortunately the authors burns the main course.

Now the story went rather well till Alex and Caroline left Crete. Then everything falls apart. The ending is moronic. You get this big huge build up. Caroline is kidnapped and Alex goes to save her. She is kidnapped by the man her cousin owes the money too. This guy is planning to kill her so she can't get the inheritance. There is this big fight and chase scene between Alex and the guy's cronies and Alex managed to save Caroline. Then the whole storyline is dropped. I kid you not. They go up to York. Alex's big tragedy was that he accidentally killed a girl because there was a mix up of labels on medicine bottles. He gets over it rather fast after he confesses to Caroline. Fast like *click i'm cured*. They go up to his house and they plan to marry. They do. The end. The whole "mob boss wanting to kill Caroline" is brushed into a conclusion of "she's not going to be adopted and he has no more reason to kill her". The end. No confrontation. No police going after the men. I mean geese, it was one of the most anti-climatic things i've ever read and essentially killed the story for me.

So all in all i give the book 3 (i wish i could do 2 1/2) stars since it was good at the beginning, but it sucked major crap at the end. (less)

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Nov 04, 2009 Mandi Schreiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Passionate, the debut novel of the husband and wife writing team of Anthea Lawson a few months ago and really enjoyed it. When browsing through their website recently, I noticed they were organizing a blog tour for their next book, All He Desires. I asked if I could participate and they kindly agreed and gave me an advanced copy of the book.

Although All He Desires features the sister of the hero from Passionate, and Reginald, evil cousin from the first book as well, it can be easily read...more I read Passionate, the debut novel of the husband and wife writing team of Anthea Lawson a few months ago and really enjoyed it. When browsing through their website recently, I noticed they were organizing a blog tour for their next book, All He Desires. I asked if I could participate and they kindly agreed and gave me an advanced copy of the book.

Although All He Desires features the sister of the hero from Passionate, and Reginald, evil cousin from the first book as well, it can be easily read as a stand alone.

Caroline Huntington is in Greece with her friend Maggie on a philanthropic mission. Out riding by herself one day, she falls from her horse and injures her head and elbow. Hours pass before she is found. Maggie and a local man from Greece take her to an Englishman in the village, Alex Trentham. Although he is not currently practicing medicine, he is a known doctor. When they arrive at his doorstep Alex wants nothing to do with them. They almost have to break down his door and plead with him to look at Caroline's arm. Finally, after Caroline faints, he admits them in.

Alex acts as if he is almost terrified to go near Caroline. He acts out defensively, probably the worst bedside manners in a practicing physician. While he lashes out and acts in a very cold manner, deep down you know there must be a fear that is ready to unleash itself.

Needing to heal, she stays in Alex's care for the next few days. During this time, Alex's ice begins to thaw and the stubborn Caroline does everything she can to accelerate her healing. Not well enough to travel on with Maggie to her next destination, Caroline stays in Greece, and with the help of Pen, her new companion, she settles in - not only to the village, but to the company of Alex. They sight see together and what starts out as a flirtatious romance turns into something even more. Although he still refuses to talk about his past and why he does not practice medicine, he is very amiable to talk about everything else and they enjoy each other's company.

Meanwhile, back in England, Caroline's cousin, Reginald, is plotting. Caroline is about to be formally adopted by her Uncle, meaning Reginald's inheritance will be lessened. He has extreme debts from poor investing and gambling, and cannot afford to have any less inheritance. Reginald puts a plan in motion to to secure his fair share of money. With Caroline due back in England any day, she doesn't realize the danger she will be facing - not only with her cousin in the shadows waiting, but the past Alex has tried so hard to erase.

I love that All He Desires has a bit more of an adventurous feel - partly due to the exotic location and partly due to the fact that there is always danger in the path of the hero and heroine. The ever lurking shadow or odd man who always shows up when trouble arises adds a fun element to the story and also gives something to the romance. Not only do Alex and Caroline need to learn about each other, but they also have the danger of the unknown that pull them closer.

Alex Trentham starts out as such a brooding, stern, cold character. Tortured and ruthless in his treatment of Caroline. I really enjoyed him that way! Just from his actions, you know he is a brilliant doctor, but something tragic in his past is cultivating his fears. Caroline is quick to bring him out of that mold, and turn him more into your everyday, happy go-lucky man. I wish his transition would have taken a bit longer, I would have liked to see him more temperamental and moody.

Caroline is an innocent when lust overcomes them and naughty things are done in a dark cave -oh yes, what else is there to do when you are stuck in a cave? Afterwards, I love that she not once regrets it or acts embarrassed. She can't wait for more! So many times after sex, heroines in historical romances immediately change their mind and act prudish and can't believe what they have just done. If it was up to Caroline, they wouldn't be leaving that cave. She is forward in her advances and I really enjoyed that about her.

The only time I was disappointed in Caroline's actions is when she eventually returns to England, I felt her emotions were not on par with where they should be. This very important event happens to her, and it is written as if she almost carelessly brushes it off. One could argue that she goes forward with a brave face, but I would have liked to see her longing for what she lost a little more.

That being said, All He Desires is a fun, adventurous, romantic read. I really enjoyed the characters and look forward to Anthea Lawson's next work.
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Mar 29, 2011 Tonileg rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, historical

The story starts out with an accident for an English young woman on vacation in Crete then there is some mystery about a future adoption happening in London while she is convelesing with a hot and sexy (but damaged) exiled English doctor.

Writing 3 stars
Characters 3 stars
Hot scenes 2 stars (great ancient Roman porn viewing scene!)
Mystery 1 star

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Mar 11, 2012 Chantilly White rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: writers-i-know-and-love

I LOVED this book! The hero and heroine caught me immediately, and I loved the lush and exotic locale. Anthea Lawson's lyrical prose created an atmosphere heady with romance, conflict, and the growth of an abiding love relationship. Beautiful!

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Jun 03, 2013 Mortalform rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 32-numbers-game, historical, popcorn

As they stood there, it was easy to imagine countless ages of worship - the uncomfortable powers of nature wrapped in the myths of generations. 144

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Jul 05, 2011 Highland-dreamer added it

Shelves: gave-up

My interest just wasn't captured by this book. And as I didn't actually finish reading it, I don't feel it is fair to give it a rating.

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Feb 23, 2010 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, did-not-finish

Having a hard time finishing the last few pages, otherwise an enjoyable read when I had time to kill.

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Mar 09, 2013 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: christine-s-50-in-2013

Meh.

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Jan 17, 2013 Fay Ann Hollcroft rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really & truly enjoyed the camaraderie between characters! Altogether this was a delightful book to read.

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May 21, 2013 Asya marked it as to-read

May 17, 2013 Sarah marked it as to-read-cora · review of another edition

May 17, 2013 Maria rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, doctor

Apr 30, 2013 Aditee marked it as to-read

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Mar 23, 2013 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mar 18, 2013 Rose marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Mar 16, 2013 Joy F marked it as to-read

Mar 18, 2013 SCARLETT marked it as romance

Mar 21, 2013 Yoli rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dec 02, 2012 Tinna marked it as to-read

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Shelves: pending

Sep 28, 2012 Hina marked it as to-read

Sep 18, 2012 Lindsey Pena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Sep 02, 2012 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars

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