Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane, #3)

Nov 05, 2011 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of steamy historical romance & ruthless, ultimate bad boy heroes who steal your heart

Shelves: elizabeth-hoyt-julia-harper, historical-romance, historical-romance-georgian, series-maiden-lane, pirates-sailors-vikings, hero-addict-excon-lawtrouble-thief, hh-widow-or-widower, hero-cold-cruelbrute-dark-dangerous, favorite-romance-series, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, hero-cad-rake-rogue‎-scoundrel, mystery-intrigue-espionage-subplot, gothic-romance, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, kindle, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, hero-or-heroine-or-setting-irish, hero-im-gaga-over, hero-commoner-self-made, hero-daddy-warbucks-wealthy, hero-bad-boy-playboy, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-besotted-so-smitten-its-sexy, animals-matter, angsty-dark-heavy-lotsa-drama, steam-3-hot, steam-4-smokin, favorite-beautiful-lush-cool-covers, favorite-love-scenes, favorite-romance-couple-hh-pairings, favorites, best-top-favorites, best-faves-of-2011, hero-bad-guy-ruthless-villainous, 2011-reads, 5-stars-or-higher, a-all-time-fave-hero, action-adventure-treasure-hunting, best-wittiest-banter-dialogue, captive-kidnapped-hostage-slave, fairytaleesque-bb-cinderella-theme, hero-alpha‎, hero-antihero-gamma, hero-attractive-handsome-heartthrob, hero-authentic-uber-rake, hero-brooding, hero-redeems-himself-reformed, hero-stalk-me-baby-possessive, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, heroine-bad-reputation-fallen, heroine-badgirl-improper-scandalous, heroine-destitute-poor, heroine-i-adore, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, heroine-prim-proper-decorous, heroine-single-mom, heroine-chaperone-governess-teacher, heroine-naïve-virgin-like-a-virgin, hh-bad-communication-conflict-mgmt, hh-disfigured-injured-scarred-ill, hh-rags-to-riches, hh-servant-serving-working-class, hh-social-class-wealth-matters, hh-sweet-nice-paired-vs-gruff-cynic, i-read-own-faves-keepers, i-read-kindle, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, star-crossed-lovers, why-do-good-girls-like-bad-boys, yowza-hotness, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-expert-skilled-voracious-lover, dirty-talk-turns-me-on, a-all-time-best-of-best-fave-dik, hero-affable-lovable-rogue

5+ stars – Historical/Georgian Romance

Wow...just...WOW! A+mazing! Brava Ms. Hoyt, you have truly outdone yourself and exceeded expectations with this spectacular romance!

I wanted to write a full review, but life has been crazy and stressful this past week, leaving me with too little time and insufficient mental capacity. So I’ll just do a bit of gushing about this magnificent read instead.

I’m a huge Elizabeth Hoyt fan, and I’ve enjoyed every book in the Maiden Lane series thus far. So it’s no su...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elizabeth-hoyt, historicals, favorite-historicals, memorable-favorite-heroes

FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED

„That’s me girl.“ He brushed his lips over her forehead, breathing the words. “That’s me love.”

Ah, so much…tension. Banter. Vulnerability. Emotions. Tenderness. Sensuality. Love.

LONDON, April 1738
The most notorious river pirate, “Charming” Mickey O’Connor, has taken the widow, Silence Hollingbrook, and the little Mary Darling to his “palace” to protect them. He fears that the villain, Charly Grady, the Vicar of Whitechapel, could harm them. Mick O’Connor had lost any vestig...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Juliana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, 0-own-in-dead-tree-form, 4-half-stars, 4-to-5-stars, 2011-oct-reads, 2011-reads, 0-reviewed, part-of-a-romance-series, hr-class-difference, hr-have-a-past-together, hr-hero-abuse-trauma-rape, hr-hero-arrogant-autocratic, hr-hero-black-sheep-rebel-outcast, hr-hero-commoner, hr-hero-difficult-childhood, hr-hero-family-estranged, hr-hero-famous, hr-hero-has-children, hr-hero-pirate, hr-hero-poor-background, hr-hero-rake-rogue, hr-hero-without-family, hr-hero-working-man, hr-heroine-beautiful-attractive, hr-heroine-commoner, hr-heroine-good-girl, hr-heroine-poor-background, hr-heroine-scandal, hr-heroine-somewhat-wallflower, hr-heroine-widow, hr-heroine-works-or-has-profession, hr-kidnapping, hr-opposites-enemies-attract, hr-secret-love, best-romance-heroes-ever, all-time-best-romance-heroes-ever, fiction-vixen-posted-book-review

4.5 stars. Ever since my Elizabeth Hoyt obsession began this past summer I have been anxiously anticipating this book. Mickey's character is one of my favorite types of heroes and I loved his pairing with Silence. From the moment I learned of it, I was reminded of the Derek Craven-Sara Fielding matchup in Lisa Kleypas’ Dreaming of You , which is one of my favorite HRs.

Our Hero. Mickey is so lovable and definitely one of my favorite heroes. I think it's sometimes difficult to have villain-turned...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Katie(babs) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Hoyt has written the must read historical romance of the year. Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane #3) is beyond perfect from beginning to end. Scandalous Desire will most likely end up being counted as one of my all-time favorite romances because Elizabeth makes the relationship between the hero and heroine work so well when it shouldn’t. “Charming” Mickey O’Connor will become a much beloved hero, so much so that he’s on par with Derek Craven from Lisa Kleypas’s classic novel, Dreaming of...more Elizabeth Hoyt has written the must read historical romance of the year. Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane #3) is beyond perfect from beginning to end. Scandalous Desire will most likely end up being counted as one of my all-time favorite romances because Elizabeth makes the relationship between the hero and heroine work so well when it shouldn’t. “Charming” Mickey O’Connor will become a much beloved hero, so much so that he’s on par with Derek Craven from Lisa Kleypas’s classic novel, Dreaming of You. And do I dare to say perhaps Mickey even surpasses Derek, mainly because the reader is given a bit more insight on the way Mickey ticks and acts the way he does? Silence Hollingbrook is both a worthy advisory and soul mate for Mickey and watching them fall for one another is full of delicious goodness.

Silence lost her husband almost a year ago after he was lost at sea. Her brother Winter runs the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children in London’s poor and criminal ridden, St. Giles. She has become a foster mother to an infant girl she named Mary Darling after Mary was left on her doorstep as a newborn. Silence acts and lives a very Puritan life, still mourning the loss of her husband, Will, who she loved dearly. Will and her were barely on speaking terms after she saved him from going to prison by appealing to Mickey, the proclaim king of the St. Giles underbelly after Mickey stole items from the ship Will was in charge of keeping safe. Silence sacrificed herself to save Will and ended up spending the night with Mickey, although she swears nothing happened between them. Along with her reputation in tatters, her husband didn’t believe her and before Silence could make retributions, he went away to sea and died. (This is in Notorious Pleasures, book #2)

Mary Darling has been snatched by none other than Mickey, who happens to be her father. Silence wants Mary back and will do whatever she can to accomplish that. There’s a few reasons Mickey has “kidnapped” Mary. First, his mortal enemy Charlie Grady, the Vicar of Whitechapel has it in for him. He wants to make Mickey suffer and will hurt those he cares about and are dedicated to him. Mickey wants to protect Mary, or so he tells Silence. He also wants the self-righteous Silence back with him, and by keeping Mary, he knows Silence won’t leave without her. They make a bargain where she’ll stay because she's the only mother Mary has known. Mickey pats himself on the back because again, the spider has caught the fly in his web.

Silence is not used to the opulence Mickey surrounds himself with. She refuses to be bought with beautiful clothes and rich foods, going as far as to starve because she won’t take orders from Mickey. Mickey may have grown up in the gutter and had to lie, cheat and steal for the bounty he now owns, but he can’t figure out how to get through to Silence. He aches to possess her, but he has a fight on his hands when it comes to her because she blames him for the shakiness of her marriage which led indirectly to her husband’s death.

As Charlie Grady ups his threats, Mickey is forced to take action, some immoral, in order to protect not only Mary and Silence, but his faithful servants who would die for him. Soon Silence makes a truce with Mickey and slowly sees who the real Mickey is and what he hides from the outside world. It’s up to Silence to extend her hand and accept this pirate king who is close to stealing her heart.

Scandalous Desire packs quite the punch. We have two characters who are at total odds with one another. Mickey makes no excuses for what he had to do in order to get what he wanted in life. He takes what he wants and he does the same with Silence. The best scenes are when he and Silence banter back and forth, where Mickey is left speechless and more than annoyed because Silence is no wilting flower. Silence breaks down those walls Mickey has constructed, including a few insights on the man that will make readers sigh. Mickey loves books and once special book in his collect made me ohhh and ahhh because it’s so precious. Mickey turns out to be a lovable rogue, one you may want to smack now and again, much like Silence wants to do, but still very much untamed.

Elizabeth gives a great amount of depth within these pages. Charlie is a nasty piece of work, but he’s not one-dimensional. His rage and hate for Mickey is justified in his eyes. There’s some major twists in regards to their relationship and why they want to destroy one another. Also, the mystery of that forbidden night between Mickey and Silence is solved and explained amazing well why Mickey did what he did. It was a selfish move on his part, but helps move along his relationship with Silence.

The love scenes are smoldering, intense and borderline erotic. The first love scene between Silence and Mickey may be my favorite of the year. It’s tender, sweet and so open between two people who are afraid to trust and fall in love because of past regrets.

There’s a secondary story between Silence’s brother Winter and a do-gooder rich Baroness that segues nicely into the next book in this series featuring Winter as the star.

As for the masked man of mystery, the Ghost of St. Giles, I figured out who it was fairly quickly, but don’t be surprised if you’ll be guessing until the very end.

Babies. I want to have babies with Scandalous Desires. This is one of two books this year where I keep re-reading certain scenes because I can’t stop thinking about Mickey and Silence. I can’t tell you how thrilled this book met my expectations and then some.

Scandalous Desires is the best book Elizabeth Hoyt has written so far with endearing characters and an all-encompassing romance you’ll want to hold close and never let go. If there’s one must read book, especially for historical romance fans, it’s Scandalous Desires. It gets the, “I want to have babies, I bow down to the author” KB seal of approval.(less)

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Jun 16, 2012 Zurks rated it 1 of 5 stars

What the actual fuck?

I'm forcing myself to keep going with this. The 'hero' Mickey is anything but with an ego so big I'm surprised he can walk and chunks of the plot seem forced.

Edit: I'm at page 145, this is the first time I've disliked a book so much I felt the need to review. May the force be with me.
Edit2: p.161. Okay that was the strangest self-pleasuring scene I've ever read...and then she watched him? Am I reading the same book as everyone here?!
Edit3: predictable in that the pirate guy...more What the actual fuck?

I'm forcing myself to keep going with this. The 'hero' Mickey is anything but with an ego so big I'm surprised he can walk and chunks of the plot seem forced.

Edit: I'm at page 145, this is the first time I've disliked a book so much I felt the need to review. May the force be with me.
Edit2: p.161. Okay that was the strangest self-pleasuring scene I've ever read...and then she watched him? Am I reading the same book as everyone here?!
Edit3: predictable in that the pirate guy is somehow redeemed, yawns @ Silence, yawns @ Mickey - reinventing him as Michael isn't going to make him any less of an ass to me! I didn't like either of those two, the dog and other supporting characters interested me far more.
Edit4: Parts of the book in other points of view served no purpose to the story except to provide a backdrop for the next in the sequel - not complaining because I like the character who the next book will be about [Winter] but couldn't the author have made it relevant to this novel?
Edit4: Must add that I liked the "Clever John" bits at the beginning of each chapter.

Edit 5: because after writing the most negative review of my life I probably owe some kind of explanation: this was the first Hoyt book I read, it was recommended to me because I usually enjoy Julia Quinn.
Anyway, I could never see why Charming Mickey was a swoon-worthy character - yeah he had faults and kind of admitted to them but he was also a criminal, and ruined lives. His own backstory didn't touch me enough to write off his actions or make him likeable. I think the author thought hunky alpha male pirate plus sensible clever ladylike heroine equals chemistry and romance but it was a big miss for me. I couldn't relate to either character and didn't feel like they were fleshed out well.

Parts of it were dumb: Mickey denying Silence to be fed, his staff sneaking her food and her accepting then refusing because she fears for the safety of his staff should he find out, him practically admitting he knows, her continuing to refuse out of apparent sheer stupidity. TSTL. I have an issue with this too - at first she refused to dine with him because obviously they are all criminals and other unsavoury shades for the most part but after he has his whores leave his 'palace' she dines with him.
The marriage consummation scene was quite distasteful for reasons that should be obvious.

In all, for someone who was supposed to be sensible Silence really threw her reputation to the wind - and completely abandoned her brother Winter and the the orphans.

To conclude, I'd pay to have this book erased from my memory.(less)

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Zurks This was the first Hoyt book I read, I just finished the previous Hoyt one about Lady Hero yesterday (thank god for fast reading) and I dislike that o...more
Jun 16, 2012 01:01pm

Azucena Rodriguez Ah... you should have started with the Prince Trilogy xD Lady Hero's was a bit better IMO because of Griffin. I disliked Hero and I don't think she de...more Ah... you should have started with the Prince Trilogy xD Lady Hero's was a bit better IMO because of Griffin. I disliked Hero and I don't think she deserved someone as good as Griffin.

I understand why maybe Hoyt wrote about Silence in the first book, being that she was Temperance's sister and she ended up living at the orphanage because of Mickey; it was a set-up for her own book. I didn't like it, but I understood because that's quite common in most series. I just didn't think it was necessary to keep at it in the second book. Why didn't she just write their story after the first one? I just thought it was irrelevant in regards to the main couple that was Hero and Griffin. The only connection between them was the orphanage and I felt like that setting was thrown in there just for that purpose.

I completely deleted from my Kindle Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception and Divergent. Both these books just pissed me off. The main girls were just so moronic. The first was TSTL, going against what EVERYONE told her and her KNOWING she should not do what she did. I could not stand it, the book made NO SENSE, so I deleted it and have not looked back. The second could have been a good book, the protagonist was the downfall. She was so unlikable, I didn't find her nice at all and I can't root for someone who IMO is ugly in the inside. I actually got up to 60% done with that one before I gave up.

Right now I have on hold Because You're Mine by Lisa Kleypas but I don't think I'll ever finish it. It hurts me to let go because I really do enjoy her books and I've made myself finish the ones I've somewhat disliked. I understand that this is one of her earlier books and she used to write differently but boy I did not expect to be enfuriated so much, lol. After recently finishing another I truly despised (also one of her earlier ones), I told myself I should not make myself suffer again, thus why I still have BYM unfinished and undecided on what to do with it.

The other few books I've abandoned don't even get a mention because I dumped them before getting to the 3rd chapter lol!

Oh yes, I've been smitten by Winter since the 1st book. I don't know why...maybe because he seemed mysterious, at least to me. To me, it always seemed that he kept a secret and held back. He was always lurking in the dark during the books and the same goes with Asa. Asa doesn't come out as much as Winter due to his "occupation" but he's lurking there just out of the corner of my eye. What's not appealing about a brother who no one knows much about but always says that he's ok and his work is not bad? There is something there and darn it, it has me salivating for more! I'm so pathetic, every time either one was mentioned or made an appearance in the books, I got happy. I think the only reason why I finished this book was because I made Winter's scenes my short-term goals LMAO!

Something always told me that Winter was the Ghost so that made me love him even more, although a huge spoiler came out about a month ago regarding the Ghost which has me SO DARN HAPPY because I also had my thoughts on THAT.

Replying to your question about his sleeping habits, maybe he hibernates during the WINTER xD Ok, that was bad, I'm sorry.(less)
Jun 16, 2012 11:04pm

Nov 16, 2011 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of The Serpent Prince

Shelves: georgian-romance, keeper

Elizabeth Hoyt books are my version of potato chips, I can't get or have enough of them! Hoyt lives up to her great storytelling and the hype with Scandalous Desires.

When we're first introduced to Silence Hollingbrook and "Charming" Mickey O'Connor in the first of the Maiden Lane series, you know there's going to be sparks flying and do they ever between these two.

Mickey is no exception of the great heroes Hoyt has peened down before, he shows that monsters are not born, but are made, and i...more
Elizabeth Hoyt books are my version of potato chips, I can't get or have enough of them! Hoyt lives up to her great storytelling and the hype with Scandalous Desires.

When we're first introduced to Silence Hollingbrook and "Charming" Mickey O'Connor in the first of the Maiden Lane series, you know there's going to be sparks flying and do they ever between these two.

Mickey is no exception of the great heroes Hoyt has peened down before, he shows that monsters are not born, but are made, and it doesn't mean their not without a heart. Mickey is frozen clean through, with his charming smile to hide behind. His past has made him hard and the pain he faced as a child made him cold to emotions on the pleasure he takes from stealing, causing hell and the woman(or women) that warm his bed. Mickey goes through some major changes that start off very small at first, but the steps lead to uncover the heart he thought he left behind in the grave that was his childhood.
Mickey is beautiful in the way his story was told. Everything is given front and center while not taking away from the rest of the story, in other books your only given clues or glimpse into the hero's tragic past and most don't really cut it in the way they turned out. Compare to Mickey their babies to what he went through and still goes through with his enemy whose part of his past, the Vicar of Whitechapel, whose always in the shadows and out to kill Mickey the first chance he gets.
There was something sensual and deeply sexual about the way Mickey tempted Silence, but it was when he truly opened his soul to her, did he reach that other step that made him divine as a character. Seeing his hidden heart healed by the love of Silence and Mary Darling was precious, as it shows the distance he's come from the cold man to the warm blooded man who will protect and risk everything for those he loves.

As I read (devoured) Scandalous Desires , I couldn't help but compare it to another of Hoyt's books The Serpent Prince. In both books you have the outstanding hero in Mickey and Simon, but what it lacked was a strong heroine. Which I felt both Lucy and Silence were. Silence held alot of promise to be a very strong lead character and one to match wits with someone like Mickey. Sadly for me she ended up just being the path to redemption for Mickey, which I felt was a shame as she held such a bright spark when we first meet her and in the beginning of the book. I wish she carried throughout the book instead of showing up in bursts that quickly dimmed. She does have her own growth from the naive woman to a woman. Her kindness and love is what leads Mickey out of the darkness he trapped himself in.
Silence fit to much into a mold that’s been done before, but perhaps the bright light that was Mickey just couldn’t hold a place for two?

We’re given a huge clue to who the Ghost of St.Giles is and if you’ve been reading this series, you pretty much know who it is, but still comes a great surprise and anticipation to find out about his own story and his lady love.

Hoyt just keeps on writing some amazing books to the Maiden Lane series and Scandalous Desires lives up to the hype that surrounded this couple. Now I gleefuly await in next book in this series! I need my potato chip fix...

"Charming" Mickey O'Connor

(less)

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Oct 08, 2011 Laurie (Bitten by Paranormal Romance) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, books-i-own-to-read

Freaking awesome and the best book yet. I couldn’t believe the depth that Hoyt dug into in writing Mickey’s past, it was sad but yet you couldn’t help but admire how he came through it. You get an in-depth story, action, emotions and secrets. The thing you’ll have to wait on is the sex action because Silence is a strong in not obeying Mickey ever again but when it happens you get hit with a Bam! LOL.

Please don’t miss this book because you have to find out who the Ghost of St. Giles is. Oh yeah,...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-favorites

4+/4.5 stars. This was a reeeeeally strong story for me with great development and lots of juicy anticipation since they waited quite a while (for Hoyt's standards) to get on with the sexytimes. However, something was lacking to make it that full 5 stars. Note: On reflection, I think that "something" was for the heroine to be a strong enough counterpart to the enthralling pirate hero. Regardless, this one is the best of the series thus far, and I'm absolutely thrilled to have had TWO super duper...more

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Jul 22, 2012 BamaGal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

Good story, and I really liked the leads in this one. This can be read as a standalone, but I really don't recommend it. There is a good deal of back-story on Mick, and especially on Silence that enhances the story for the reader.

Silence had once gone to the river pirate Mickey O'Connor to save her husbands cargo from his ship. After ruining her reputation by inference, and her husband later dies at sea, Silence settles back into her life running the orphanage with her brother Winter. One of the...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, historical, review, covers-i-adore, romance, read-2011

Recommended Read, Best of 2011 pick

My review cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/recom...

“Charming” Mickey O’Connor has fought and thieved his way to the top, making himself the most feared river pirate in St. Giles. He lives in a fortress of silks and gold, but there’s one thing Mick wants that money can’t buy: Silence Hollingbrook.

Once, Mick made a bargain with Silence that saved her husband’s life and ruined the woman’s reputation, even though Mick never laid...more Recommended Read, Best of 2011 pick

My review cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/recom...

“Charming” Mickey O’Connor has fought and thieved his way to the top, making himself the most feared river pirate in St. Giles. He lives in a fortress of silks and gold, but there’s one thing Mick wants that money can’t buy: Silence Hollingbrook.

Once, Mick made a bargain with Silence that saved her husband’s life and ruined the woman’s reputation, even though Mick never laid a hand on her. Since then, Silence has become a widow and has moved to St. Giles to help run her family’s foundling home, but she still remains out of Mick’s reach. Mick’s determined to have Silence in his castle, so he leaves his child on her doorstep, knowing Silence will fall in love with the babe. Then a merciless villain out to destroy Mick sets his sights on Silence and Mick will do anything to protect her. However, having Silence in his home brings about unexpected complications. She’s unlike any woman Mick has ever known and she challenges him, troubles him in ways he never expected. It’s not long before Mick finds himself ensnared by emotions he never wanted, ones he fear could destroy him. Yet, in opening his heart, Mick discovers that the love he thinks will weaken him just might be what saves him.

The master of unique historical romances has done it again! Elizabeth Hoyt has delivered another amazing book with Scandalous Desires. I was so delighted by Mickey and Silence’s story that I was almost left without the words to write this review.

I suppose I should disclose the fact that, before starting Scandalous Desires I was unsure if I would love Mickey and Silence. True, Mick had interested me in the first two Maiden Lane books (Wicked Intentions and Notorious Pleasures), and I had a lot of respect for Silence, but I wasn’t sure if they could hold my interest as main characters.

I shouldn’t have doubted Ms. Hoyt.

Silence comes into her own in Scandalous Desires. After being put in an untenable position by Mick in Wicked Intentions, her perfect life fell to pieces. Strangely (or perhaps not), when forced into the company of the man she blames for ruining her life, Silence finds her own inner strength. She doesn’t back down from Mick and she doesn’t silence herself. For the first time, she sees both her past and present life for what it truly was, and as her illusions fade, she finds the courage to go after what she wants. And what she finds herself wanting, is Mick. Who could blame her? Mick might be a cad, but in Scandalous Desires the real Mick comes through, and that changed everything for me. He’s done bad things, and he’ll be the first one to admit to them. He’s fought his way to become the most feared man in St. Giles, and that’s impossible to do by keeping your hands clean. My heart broke through some of the things he suffered, but what really won me over is how he treats Silence. While at first there’s a “Beauty and the Beast” element to their relationship, it quickly develops into something more. I practically swooned over Mick. He treats Silence as something precious, but not something that’s breakable. He sees her. He talks to her. He believes in her. And, most importantly, he listens to her, when even those who claim to love her best merely hear her. The combination of cleverness, ruthlessness, tenderness, and that indefinable spark Ms. Hoyt gives him puts Mick on my personal list of Greatest Heroes of All Time.

I’ve long held Ms. Hoyt’s writing in high regard, but she’s reached new heights in entertainment with her Maiden Lane series. Scandalous Desires has everything I love in a great romance: memorable, unique characters, love, desire, longing, character growth, intrigue, danger, excitement, and even a few surprises. Scandalous Desires even managed to bump Wicked Intentions from its top spot on my list of favorite books by Ms. Hoyt, and I didn’t think any book could do that.

Scandalous Desires is the third book in Ms. Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series, but it can be read as a standalone. However, I wouldn’t recommend it, as part of my joy in reading this story stems from the fact that I’ve been following Silence and Mickey’s storyline from the beginning of the series. Also, anyone who’s read the series knows that the mysterious Ghost of St. Giles is a major plotline; one that Ms. Hoyt takes for a turn in Scandalous Desires. The Ghost’s subplot is something that also delivers more of an impact if you’ve read Wicked Intentions and Notorious Pleasures.

I can’t say enough how much I loved Silence and Mick’s book. Scandalous Desires was everything I wanted and, at the same time, more than I could have dreamed of, and I loved it. Mick alone would be enough to make me Joyfully Recommend Scandalous Desires, but with Silence at his side, I can say that Scandalous Desires is one of the best books I’ve read this year!(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hr-georgian-regency, hr-pirate-nautical, favorites, dangerous-or-bad-boy, own, kiss-me-i-m-irish, my-5-star-romances

The third in the Maiden Lane series and another winner by Ms Hoyt. The characters were introduced in previous books. Charming Mickey O'Connor is a river pirate and quite the scroundrel. Silence is a widow who works with her brother, Winter, at the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children. After losing her husband, Silence has been diligent in caring for Mary Darling, a young foundling. When Mary Darling is kidnapped, Silence goes to "rescue" her, discovering that Charming Mickey has t...more

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Mar 22, 2013 BarkLessWagMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, romance, armchair-audies

I didn’t realize Scandalous Desires was the third book in a series until I was nearly finished with it. With that said, I thought it stood alone quite well and I never felt lost or smothered by an info dump. I may have had a deeper understanding of certain events had I read the previous two books but I wouldn’t say it was necessary to read them in order to enjoy Scandalous Desire.

Mickey O’ Connor is the most feared pirate in all the land. He steals, he ruins the lives of greedy men (and sometime...more I didn’t realize Scandalous Desires was the third book in a series until I was nearly finished with it. With that said, I thought it stood alone quite well and I never felt lost or smothered by an info dump. I may have had a deeper understanding of certain events had I read the previous two books but I wouldn’t say it was necessary to read them in order to enjoy Scandalous Desire.

Mickey O’ Connor is the most feared pirate in all the land. He steals, he ruins the lives of greedy men (and sometimes decent men too), he kills when he must and he enjoys the heck out of his stolen riches and his harem of whores. Mickey is a very, very Bad Boy who has no shame. Silence is a kind widow who, unbeknownst to her, has been caring for Mickey’s baby daughter for the last few months after she was abandoned at the orphanage run by Silence and her brother Winter. She loves little Mary Darling as her own and is devastated when she discovers the child has been taken by the same notorious pirate she feels ruined her marriage. In order to get Mary Darling back she must move in with Mickey. He claims Mary Darling is in danger and he intends to keep her safe until he takes care of the villain.

Silence drops everything and moves in with Mickey and his crew. I know, kind of crazy, right? You just have to go with it. Mickey locks Silence and Mary Darling in a room and when Silence refuses to eat with him decides to starve her until she comes to her senses. But instead she wins over his servants and quietly and calmly goes about her life as a captive, slyly doing things that get under his skin. Somewhere along the way they (surprise!) fall in love but it’s not an easy kind of love. Not at all. There is strife, drama and plenty of villainous action.

Mickey is thoroughly charming, especially with his Irish lilt, and I can easily see why Silence falls under his spell even though he seems to be so wrong for her, locking her up and starving her and all. But there’s just something about him . . .

"Ye were—are—the purest thing I've ever seen, me sweet."

We learn a lot about Mickey as the story moves along which made me like him even more. His past is heart-breaking and I understood why he became so attached to his treasure and detached from emotional entanglements. He did what was necessary to survive and his morals ended up twisted and skewed. I’d like to think that Silence’s love will be enough to keep him happy but I was unable to buy into it wholeheartedly. I’m unable to shut off that voice in my head that keeps whispering “he’s going to get bored”. I don’t know if the love of a good woman is enough to change a guy like this but maybe that’s just me.

Now before I start with my usual crabbery I just want to state that I enjoyed listening to this book. I was never bored and thought it was sensual, funny, tender and all that good stuff but it’s nowhere near a five star read for me. And it’s mostly because of Silence.

Oh Silence. I understand your love and protective feelings for baby Mary Darling, really I do. I’m not that cold. But what about all of the other children you so easily abandoned at the home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children with nary a second thought to their welfare? Not to mention leaving Winter high and dry and withholding your whereabouts from family who LOVED you. Winter had to shoulder all of the worry and fear for the future of the children in his care, while you were having a grand time at the opera and feasting on Charming Mickey’s, eh, charms. This bothered me and came across as a bit thoughtless and selfish. Those aren’t good traits, me sweet. Those folks you left behind? Well, they better make you grovel when you finally remember they exist.

Narration Notes: Ashford McNab reads the dialogue with a lovely accent that immediately took me out of my world and plunked me down in historical London. She voiced Mickey with all the decadent, arrogant and irresistible charm worthy of such a devilish hero. She also did a fabulous job with Silence. I felt the desperation in her voice early on and her defiantly quiet manner came across with just the right tone that was pleasantly strong and never grating. The other characters were very distinctive especially the vicar. Shudder. His voice made my skin crawl as it should. My only minor complaint was that the narrative bits often verge on being too somber for my personal taste.

I’m thinking this may not be my top pick for The Armchair Audies but I have four more to go so we shall see . . .
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Oct 24, 2011 Kelly22 rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of a merciless severe ultimate anti-hero falling very hard & bending to his knees by love!

Shelves: 1st-marriage-or-lover-was-disaster, alpha-hero, bad-boy-rake-rogue-casanova, beloved-favorites, intense-powerful-storyline, brazen-unrepentant-rakes, brooding-dangerous-hero, commoner-hero, commoner-heroine, enemy-to-lover, favorite-couple, favorite-hero, favorite-heroine, favorite-story, gamma-anti-hero, hero-makes-good-girls-go-bad, gorgeous-handsome-attractive-hero, heartbreaking-powerful-romance, hero-accomplished-lover, hero-arrogant-autocratic, hh-criminal-con, historical-romance, hottest-love-scenes-ever, kidnapped-captured-by-hero, notorious-playboy-commitment-phobic, opposites-attract, overtly-possessive-jealous-hero, powerful-endings-epilogues, prim-proper-prudish-heroine, reformed-rake-player, sadistic-villain, silver-tongued-sweet-talker-hero, tortured-hero, traumatized-abused-heroine, hero-merchnt-indstrialist-uber-rich, virgin-like-herione, widow-widower-divorcee, 5-stars, 5-stars-and-higher, family-moments, cheating-elements, hero-i-am-crazy-abt, hh-iconic-celeb-bigshot, hero-gods-gift-to-woman, hero-flirt-playful-skilled-charmer, hero-mischief-maker-prankstar, banter-all-the-way, favorite-series, archetypical-byronic-hero, elizabeth-hoyt, pirate-sea-navigator-sailor-captain

5.00+ Stars - Georgian/Historical Romance!

Charming Mickey O’Connor is the ultimate blackguard who is the most notorious river pirate of London. Two years ago, now widowed Silence Hollingbrook, visited him in need of a solemn favor. The results left Silence thoroughly ruined and loose her honor from everything and everyone who was ever valuable to her. Now she lives as a widow in confinement, spending her time in taking care of the children of the orphanage alongside her brother. The only happine...more 5.00+ Stars - Georgian/Historical Romance!

Charming Mickey O’Connor is the ultimate blackguard who is the most notorious river pirate of London. Two years ago, now widowed Silence Hollingbrook, visited him in need of a solemn favor. The results left Silence thoroughly ruined and loose her honor from everything and everyone who was ever valuable to her. Now she lives as a widow in confinement, spending her time in taking care of the children of the orphanage alongside her brother. The only happiness that she is left with is one abandoned baby, Mary Darling, who was dropped off her doorstep two years ago. She has accepted her life full of loneliness and detention and wishes to focus on her work and Mary Darling alone.

But Mickey O’Connor has completely other plans in his mind. Two years ago, he watched Silence walk away from him, utterly ruined by him by his choice. He had absolutely no remorse for his actions and is contented in thinking that whatever he did to ruin her life was because of his amusement. But still he feels the scored haven’t been settled yet. Something was amiss. He decides to acquire her and held her in his ‘palace’ with her consent. He knows it was possible only if he used her soft heart against her. So he set for a trap.

Mary Darling is his illegitimate daughter and he intentionally dropped her off to Silence because he knew she would fall in love with her and will follow her anywhere she goes. So he picks Mary Darling up at this planned hour and finds his plan working when Silence once again faces him in his ‘palace’. He tells her he won’t let her take away his daughter from his protection, because one of his all-time enemy is at large and he fears of her safety. As predicted, Silence gives in and agrees to stay with him and Mary Darling in his ‘palace’...and hence begins the story!

This book was a delicious treat! I sooo loved it! There was no dull or gloom moment to point at. Charming Mickey stole the show with his super presence. He was devastatingly handsome, sinfully charming & outrageously rich and powerful. The book showed what happens, when a man like him, sets his eyes for someone. He trapped her, he seduced her, and he stole her heart with ease, confidence, and ‘grace’. He was really effortless in his journey of conquering a woman’s heart, who despised him for ruining her life in past. He was a pirate, and he was here to take. And he took everything.

The transition of Silence’s unforgiving hatred to unconditional love and worship towards Mickey was portrayed beautifully. There was no room left for second thoughts, confusions and mystifications.
Silence was one of those quiet, proper, sweet heroines who were shy yet strong in a lovable way. She is a person full of love and adoration for everyone and always decides to see the better in them. She is young and naïve and everything opposite to Mickey.

Mickey is one of those heroes whom every other historical ‘gamma-rake-heroes’ tries to portray. But Mickey was the real deal. He was a true gamma hero with all the whoring and murdering and pirating around his life. Love didn’t mean anything to him. He had a heart made of ice. He is used to having new woman/threesomes every other night. He kills people without any compassion. He robs ships without a shame. He is brutal and dangerous and prefers to be this way. But with the progress of the book, we see the real man hiding behind a ruthless pirate.

He had a gruesome childhood and he had his justifiable reasons for becoming the man he is today. His effortless charm and chaotic excuse of a childhood made Silence fall for him hard. But at the end of the day he was a devoted pirate swore to a life of violence and brutality where there was simply no room or intention for love and affection. Lust he could do, but love was out of question. His black-heart was under oath to death for not ever feel an ounce of love for anyone ever again. At that, he knows he could lose Silence forever, which he wasn't quite ready for. But as a child he learned a bitter lesson of living in a life of poverty previously. He never wishes to get back to that life. He doesn't even know whether he can love somebody other than himself. So the decision he needs to make is age old. What will it be? For love or for money?

After reading this masterpiece book I am sad. I feel no hero will be enough anymore now that I know the charismatic and frivolous Charming Mickey!

This book is definitely a keeper and is very highly recommended to all.

PS: I was right about the identity of the Ghost of St.Giles!!:P
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Jan 15, 2012 Carol *Young at Heart Oldie* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: stellar-5-star-books

This book far exceeded my expectations!! Great story and the Charming Mickey/Silence love scenes are so HOT!!! The identity of the Ghost of St Giles is revealed as well. (My guess was way out). Altogether, this will probably be the best book of the year for me.

My Charming Mickey

My Silence

FULL REVIEW

When I discovered that the publishing date for SCANDALOUS DESIRES, the third book in Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, had been brought forward to October 18, I was jumping with joy, so eager was I...more

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Oct 30, 2011 .þµŋψà. [Punya Reviews...] rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elizabeth-hoyt, brilliant-cover, oh-honey-shag-me-silly, i-wanna-have-your-babies, no-no-no-noooo, favorites, sexiest-dirty-talker, whoa-pirates, kiss-me-i-m-irish

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

Finally, after 7 months of waiting I get to read the most anticipated release for me of this year. So, did I find everything I was hoping for? The answer is, yes, I did... almost. The story was fantastic, the writing excellent. Mickey was absolutely mind blowing, heart warming, hawt and sweet. Silence was adorable, the kind of heroine I want in my Romance, no wishy-washy whiner! I loved ALL the love scene of thi...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Yaseena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I can't wait for this one! I loved Silence and Charming Mickey and couldn't wait to find out how they spent that fateful night together.

So much intrigue - hope it lives up to the first in the series which I thought was fabulous!

Come on Nov. 2011

Review
4.5 Stars
Fabulous! I've been waiting FOREVER it seems to read Charming Mickey and Silence's story, every since their first encounter in book 1 of the Maiden Lane series. I was not disappointed by the passion, the danger, the intrigue or the lov...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Cynthia (aka Artemis) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, own, river-pirate

A good book, but one I had a bit of a time getting through. It really didn't hold my interest and didn't start to get exciting until I was 3/4 of the way through the book. It was disappointing because I expected more from "Charming" Mickey O'Connor. Yes, he was powerful, alpha, yada, yada, yada; yet something was lacking. Silence was just plain dull; doormat comes to mind.

I'm hoping THIEF OF SHADOWS will put this series back on track. Although, I never pictured Winter Makepeace as the hero type...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Mandi Schreiner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, favorite-2011

I have fallen in love with a pirate.

We have seen glimpses of "Charming" Mickey O'Connor throughout the first two books of Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series. And we have, of course, witnessed Silence Hollingbrook sacrifice herself to Mickey for one night to save her husband from charges he stole cargo from one of Mickey's ships. On that fateful night, Mickey didn't touch Silence, but when she returned home to her husband, all trust was lost, and he soon died.

Now Silence, who with her brother Wi...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Dee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Dee by: Baba

Shelves: historical-romance, author-recommended, author-elizabeth-hoyt

Mickey was a pirate, a man who was feared by many. He had little regard for how he affected other peoples lives and he stole and killed to get what he wanted. We met Mickey in the first book of the series when Silence marched into his home and demanded that he return the cargo that he stole from her husband's ship, he agreed but on one condition and that was that Silence had to do as he wished. Trying to save her husband from being arrested and eventually hanged for stealing the cargo himself sh...more Mickey was a pirate, a man who was feared by many. He had little regard for how he affected other peoples lives and he stole and killed to get what he wanted. We met Mickey in the first book of the series when Silence marched into his home and demanded that he return the cargo that he stole from her husband's ship, he agreed but on one condition and that was that Silence had to do as he wished. Trying to save her husband from being arrested and eventually hanged for stealing the cargo himself she agreed. On a whim Mickey demanded that she spend the night in his bedroom, he did not touch her but in the morning he made her leave his house and walk down the road with her hair tussled and flowing and her dress half open giving the appearance of a fallen woman. He told her that if her husband loved her he would believe that nothing had happened between them. We do see him fleetingly in the next book but don’t meet him again until the start of this book when Silence marches into his home and demands that he return the baby that he had kidnapped. Silence had already realised that the baby that had been left outside her door several months ago was Mickey's child and when she had gone missing it was reasonable to assume that he had kidnapped her.

I knew that if allowed Silence had the potential to be a fab character. Previous books had given a conflicted picture of Silence, in that she appeared to be a mild and meek woman who wouldn't have said boo to a goose, but on the other hand we had a woman who would do anything to save the man she loved. It was just a shame that her 'fabulous' William didn't realise her devotion and be thankful for the wonderful woman he was married to instead of refusing to believe her and treating her like dirt on his shoe. Although I believe that William didn’t deserve her, I was sorry for Silence when he died at sea as it was obvious that she was in pain as she withdrew more and more into herself. In this book we finally got to see Silence's full character, underneath she was a woman who was sassy and feisty, a strong woman who fought for 'her' child and refused to give in to Mickey, a woman who I liked and admired.

Mickey was also like two different people. Yes he lived the life of a criminal and appeared not to care about anything other than money and the luxury it would give him but bit by bit his layers were peeled away and we saw a different character underneath. He was a man who had no choice but to become a criminal at a very young age in order to survive and was determined that he would never live the life of a poor man again. He was raised by his mother and had loved her deeply, but had hated his father because of how he had forced her to live. He valued and looked after his men; he paid them well and ensured that they and their families were well fed. He had met and admired Silence a year before and was sorry that he had disgraced her and damaged her marriage. He had nothing but admiration for her and when he was presented with a new-born baby by its dying mother he instinctively knew that Silence was the person to look after, love and raise that child. He had looked over them for the past few months to ensure they were safe but circumstances had now changed, the child was in danger because Mickey's enemy had learnt of her existence and he wanted her under his roof so that he could protect her. He also knew that it was a way to finally get what he wanted, and that was Silence. He had loved her from afar and wanted her, and knew she would refuse to leave the child and would also end up staying.

Silence was the best thing that could have ever happened to Mickey, she was the one who would delve deeper and find who he really was, would love and make him realise that she was worth giving up the pirate lifestyle for, and in doing so she would get the man that she deserved, a man who would love, cherish and look after her come what may!

This turned out to be a very beautiful love story, extremely well written and for me it was by far the best book of the series and worthy of a 5 star rating!
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Nov 01, 2011 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: HR lovers who enjoy an original and intricate storyline.

Shelves: own-ebook, historical, delicious-hero, perfect-heroine, favourites, hot-hot-hot, gorgeous, best-h-h-ever, 5-stars

5 stars.

Captivating and enthralling. I've been a bit leery with my ratings lately and have been quite hard on the books I've read; but I think this one deserves 5 stars.

What can I say...? This series is incredibly well written and the characters/background/story arcs are so intricately interwoven, it really makes you appreciate authors like Elizabeth Hoyt that take their writing to the next level. Another thing I've loved about this series is the fact that it's setting is not your usual HR setti...more 5 stars.

Captivating and enthralling. I've been a bit leery with my ratings lately and have been quite hard on the books I've read; but I think this one deserves 5 stars.

What can I say...? This series is incredibly well written and the characters/background/story arcs are so intricately interwoven, it really makes you appreciate authors like Elizabeth Hoyt that take their writing to the next level. Another thing I've loved about this series is the fact that it's setting is not your usual HR setting. It's set in the mid to late 1730s with not each and every character being part of the aristocracy. This makes for a much more fascinating and less predictable read.

After seeing some reviews from readers that were really looking forward to Silence and Mickey's story and found it underwhelming; I decided to go into this book with an extremely open mind because I didn't want to be disappointed. It worked. For me, this was well-paced, believable and exciting. Silence and Mickey's journey from frustrated enemies to mutually respected friends to fierce lovers was absolutely enchanting.

When we first met Mickey in Wicked Intentions, I totally had him pictured as Russell Brand in my head - all olive skin, dark long hair, cheeky cockney accent, shirt unbuttoned to reveal his glorious chest. Sigh. And the sparks that flew between him and Silence totally made me want to drop everything and start reading this book (which I pretty much did anyway). Mickey was just as cheeky and gorgeous in this book as he was in the first. And I loved Silence as a heroine - strong and smart but still very feminine. She totally had Mickey hook, line and sinker and didn't even know it. I also loved the fact that even with all of her unfortunate circumstances, she wasn't a whinger.

I loved the big reveal of the Ghost of St Giles! Wowsers, how exciting! I had my suspicions of who it was throughout Wicked Intentions and had actually guessed correctly at one point but certain events made me change my mind. All I can say is that I can't WAIT until the next book is released next year!

I'd also like to mention how I love the way that Hoyt incorporates a fairytale into her stories by having a segment at the beginning of each chapter. It's a lovely companion to the main story and seems to have a similar theme to what's happening in the book's plotline.

This was an awesome read, I guarantee that all my HR peeps on here will love it. :)(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Lisa Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-romance-historical, animal-dog-in-story, buddy-read, theme-baby-in-story, season-winter, reviewed-by-me, authors-e, authors-h, all-time-favorites, challenge-disney-princess-reading

★★★★★ & a Wow! Loved every word of it. It is so neat when a book lives up to my hopes and desires. Charming Mickey and Silence have had an unusual history in the Maiden Lane series, with plenty of aching hurt ー the kind that goes bone-deep ー and it is so neat to see the fabulous Ms. Hoyt pull this one off. The pacing is spot-on, the mystery palpable, and their HEA believable. Amazing secondary characters too! I really don’t like it when an author uses the epilogue to set up the next volume;...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series, romance, historical, bad-childhood, brawler, excellent, england, pirate, prior-villain, rake-bad-boy, read-2011, scottish-irish-celtic

*4.5 Stars*

I really loved Mickey. Silence was enjoyable too, but at times I felt like you could insert any naive, innocent romance heroine in her place and still have the same story. Mickey was the driving force of the book and, truth be told,Silence's most important role was drawing him out of himself. I still enjoyed it, but it kept me from absolutely loving it.

I liked how intensely it focused on their interactions together. I really loved watching Mickey open himself up to her. He was a fabu...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, historical-fiction-romance, favorites

Superb!

Mickey O'Connor is a charming, sexy, bad boy, swoon worthy alpha male, that makes my heart beat out of my chest. Underneath that exterior he has a big heart, which makes him endearing and adorable. Silence Hollingbrook on the other hand is strong willed, and she alone holds the key to his heart. The perfect H/h.

This is a great series, it's engaging, humorous, and beautifully written. 5 HUGE stars from moi!

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Oct 17, 2011 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, arc-review-held, pirate, favorite-heroes, favorite-heroines, favorite-series, favorites, widow, historical, georgian, child-or-children-play-a-big-part, major-character-death, major-illness-or-injury, betrayal, secret-identity, family-issues, on-the-run, series-better-read-in-order

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: October 18, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Imprint: Forever
Author’s Website: http://elizabethhoyt.com/
My Source for This Book: ARC Gift from the Publisher
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 3, Maiden Lane series
Series Best Read In Order: Yes
Steam Level: Steamy

*SPOILER WARNING* Official Blurb and Review both contain spoilers for previous novels in the series.

Silence Hollingbrook is a...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Jill Dunlop rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, rt-award-winner, ebook

Oh how I loved Silence's story!!! I have been waiting a while now and finally Hoyt delivers. It met all my expectations, I am happy to say! Elizabeth Hoyt is a delight. I can't wait for her next book!

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Nov 17, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tortured-heroes, 5-stars, favorites, romance, historical, georgian-era, favorite-series, autobuy-authors

Let me begin by saying that I am a huge Elizabeth Hoyt fangirl! I read her debut, The Raven Prince, a couple days after it came out and have savored every single book since then. What I enjoy most about her writing is the unique characters and settings. She takes normal romance novel cliches and gives them a complete makeover. Due to my love of Ms. Hoyt, it is no wonder that I could not wait to read the third book in her fascinating Maiden Lane series and I was not disappointed.

This book is why...more Let me begin by saying that I am a huge Elizabeth Hoyt fangirl! I read her debut, The Raven Prince, a couple days after it came out and have savored every single book since then. What I enjoy most about her writing is the unique characters and settings. She takes normal romance novel cliches and gives them a complete makeover. Due to my love of Ms. Hoyt, it is no wonder that I could not wait to read the third book in her fascinating Maiden Lane series and I was not disappointed.

This book is why I love historical romance. There are well-drawn characters, lush settings, vivid historical details, and of course plenty of sexy goodness that Ms. Hoyt specializes in. To give a quick recap, the Maiden Lane series focuses on a children's home in St. Giles during the Georgian era in England. This home is run by the Makepeace family who have such lovely English names as Temperance, Silence, and Winter. Much of the series deals with the difficulties that residents of St. Giles face on a daily basis during this time period.

The heroine of Scandalous Desires is Silence Hollingbrook who is instrumental in keeping the children's home run along with her brother Winter. Silence is an impoverished widow whose husband recently perished while at sea. The hero is Mickey O'Connor, a wealthy pirate who has control over almost all the sea traffic in London.

These two people seemed to be living very different lives until they collided in the previous books of the series. In an effort to save her husband's life and position, Silence made a deal with Mickey that ultimately ruined her reputation and her marriage and now looks upon Mickey as the very devil. But, when one of Silence's wards, Mary Darling, at the home is discovered to be the daughter of Mickey and is simultaneously taken to reside in his house to hide her from his enemies, Silence chooses to go with the baby and must interact with the pirate on a daily basis.

I really liked both of these characters. Silence had seemed like a wimp earlier in the series, but she definitely grew a spine through all her hardships. She has a strong will and is determined to do whatever she needs to in order to protect Mary Darling. But, Silence has a soft side that figures out the inner workings of Mickey's personality and strives to understand them. On the other hand, Mickey is a product of St. Giles who has always relied on himself in order to survive and never gotten the love he deserves. I found him to be fairly reminiscient of Lisa Kleypas's famous hero Derek Craven from Dreaming of You.

Together Silence and Mickey had a lot of sexual tension in everything from their dialogue to their physical interactions. As a reader, it just oozed off the page. The sex scenes were pretty hot and coincided with the tension nicely. Both of the characters had to learn to trust and rely on the other person so there was a realistic buildup to the confession scenes. By the end, I could see how they would last in the long term which is hard to do in romance novels.

Another part of SD that I loved was seeing the introduction of Winter's future heroine and the buildup of their relationship. Isabel is a donor for the children's home and she clashes with Winter from the very beginning. Winter is a unique character that seems to have many layers to his personality which, I believe, we have only just begun to see. I love opposites attract stories so I can't wait for more about Winter and Isabel in next year's Thief of Shadows.

A few other key points about this book and why I enjoyed it so much. We did get to see the previous books' couples appear in realistic situations beyond the token "look how happy we are" moments that can happen in series reunions. The mysterious Ghost of St. Giles, who had been reeking havoc throughout the earlier books, was finally revealed so it will be fun to see what happens with that plotline next. And finally, the historical setting is full of rich details and obviously well-researched without becoming a textbook full of needless descriptions. This book had everything I love about historical romance so I recommend it to anyone looking for a good story with realistic characters and steamy romance.

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Jan 21, 2012 Lelyana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Hoyt, for her stories mostly made me wept, made no mistakes why I love her so much.

Charming Mickey O'Connor, a river pirates paling berbahaya seantero Inggris,paling berkuasa dan paling kejam, menculik Mary Darling, bayi asuhan Silence Hollingbroke (anak haram Mick dengan perempuan entah siapa) demi mendapatkan perempuan yang sudah menghantui mimpi2 nya selama setahun belakangan ini semenjak...well, semenjak Mick mempermalukan Silence dulu, saat meminta bayaran "sema...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Kati rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicals, 2011-reads, books-i-own, own-hardcopy, favorite-books, books-with-reviews, 2011-reviews

***original review posted at Romancing Rakes***

Um, where can I get my own river pirate? Elizabeth Hoyt has done it once again, keeping me guessing and on my toes at each and every turn. I might have looked like a crazy person to anyone looking in the window: laughing maniacally, gasping loudly, clutching my chest, crying, squeaking and yelling. And finally having that AHA! moment while jumping up and down as to what I have been trying to figure out for the past 2 books. Yeah, I sometimes immerse...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Lazy Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read, historical

He was a rake, a criminal and a villain… with the soul of a poet, heart of a lion and courage of a… “some-other-predator”. She was a paragon of a woman, a perfect wife and an ideal stepmother, a decent, proper lady… with the soul of a wanton, heart of a “femme fatale” and courage of a brawler.

I really liked the book! The characters’ changings didn’t feel artificial. The heroes were getting used to each other quit naturally. I enjoyed the secondary personages – the members of Mickey’s gang. They...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 AnneOK rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads

The absolute best historical I've read! So worth the wait and one I'm going to reread again tomorrow! I would rate it 10 stars if I could! I love this pirate's story!
A full review will follow soon.

8 likes · like · see review

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Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane #3)

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