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City of Flames #2
The Abducted Heiress
Lady Desire Godwin's gentle existence is rudely interrupted when a handsome brigand crosses the parapet of her rooftop garden. She watches, dismayed, as the impudent stranger is carried off to jail.
As the Great Fire rages across London, Jakob Balston uses the confusion to escape. He fully expects that Desire will have already fled town. Only, she is still there, at the mercy of the flames and--alone.
Is his intention rescue or abduction as he rows them both to safety upstream? He must surely be after her wealth, because no man could possibly want a woman as scarred as she...
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 26, 2014
This book is amazing to me personally. I did notice a lot of grammar errors, but that doesn't bother me the least. I fell in love with Lady Desire and Jakob, the sexual relationship between the two is astonishing. Their characters are definitely a personal favorite of mine.
January 31, 2022
Welp, I’m finally all caught up on the Cynster-connected world of Steph Laurens, and as that’s all I’ve read lately, I was feeling a bit at a loss as to what to read next. I knew I had to pick something! Then, I remembered that ol’ stack on the shelf. Books that 4-5 years ago were next up before I went on reading hiatus. So, I’m going to be getting it done! Starting with this one.
Honestly since it’s been so long since I read the first book in this trilogy, I’m like going in fresh. I don’t remember anything about it, though according to my review of that one, I liked the character who is the hero of this one. So we’ll see if that opinion holds now as I meet him again. I’m also down with the changing-up of time period from the Regencies and Victorians I’ve been immersed in to this 1660s period. So, here I go!
Done. I’ll admit, the heroine took a minute to warm up to. As I prefaced in the beginning of this review, I literally have read zero books of any kind in the last 4 or so years that were not a Stephanie Laurens book. So, I guess I’m kinda used to, accustomed to, heroines who are strong, smart, world-wise, capable, self-assured, no-nonsense, ‘I’ve got a plan and I don’t need you, but I want you, so we’ll be equal partners’, type. Whereas Desire (and I admit her name itself took a bit of adjustment, as my brain kept calling her Desirée instead, lol) was, well, definitely not a SL type heroine. At first I was like, geez this chick is a flibbertigibbet. Like, a bit of an air-head. Seriously wondered about her mind. But, as I got to know her a bit better, came to understand her reasonings and reactions, I was more like, hmm, this chick is kinda like me! Yes, she was, in her own way, perfectly capable of running and managing her household, and her other estates. She knew how to make things, grow things, command servants. She stood up for herself for the most part when it came to Jakob. But, boy, did she need a self-esteem boost! Constantly, she was assuming the worst of Jakob, his actions, his words, heck, even if he didn’t do anything. There were many times where she’d go cold, freeze up or huff off, because she thought that he thought something that he didn’t, though of course it wasn’t like he was being totally transparent at all times either. So, like, I was like, ok, I can feel ya. Plenty, plenty of times I have been thinking everyone was staring at me, thinking bad things about me, just waiting for the chance to point and laugh at me. So I could understand where she was coming from there, no doubt. So I gained some respect for her, some empathy, could totally relate. She was still a little ’soft’, a little flighty for what I’ve grown used to, but I came to like her quite well anyway. Jakob never really made me mad-mad, he was pretty good, though a bit obtuse, a lil stubborn, hard-headed, but really, can I expect much more from a mid-1600s era, independent, former-soldier kinda dude? Of course he’s not gonna be all Mr. Sensitive, ‘I can read your feelings with barely a glance’. He’s a bit primitive, he protec, he attac. But he does feel the feels too, never you fear. Where as contrast, Desire’s a bit dreamy, definitely not much used to people in general, let alone any kind of high-society, game-playing interaction type stuff. She’s basically been a hermit with some servants for like the last half-decade-ish. So half the time she doesn’t know what to believe about everything going on. Of course, it all works out in the end though! How else could it be?
Setting-wise, I liked it. I could easily imagine her big, rambling old house by the river in old London, with its additions over the centuries, rooftop garden, and surprise secret passages. I could fall for a place like that. I do sort of wish there had been a bit more detailed scenes in and around the big London fire going on, but the excitement towards the end of the villainous miscreant trying and of course, failing, to ruin our lovebirds’ lives, made up for it.
I suppose it was nice to see/meet again the couple from the previous book in this trilogy. I didn’t remember them much, but I liked them quite well here. Athena was caring and kind, Halross was strong and honourable, and both were great support to our main pair. So they were cool with me. I can say freely though that I am newly intrigued (re-intrigued?) by Kilverdale. Dark fancy French-raised Duke of perhaps nefarious deeds? Yea, tell me more. And so to his book I eagerly go!
Honestly since it’s been so long since I read the first book in this trilogy, I’m like going in fresh. I don’t remember anything about it, though according to my review of that one, I liked the character who is the hero of this one. So we’ll see if that opinion holds now as I meet him again. I’m also down with the changing-up of time period from the Regencies and Victorians I’ve been immersed in to this 1660s period. So, here I go!
Done. I’ll admit, the heroine took a minute to warm up to. As I prefaced in the beginning of this review, I literally have read zero books of any kind in the last 4 or so years that were not a Stephanie Laurens book. So, I guess I’m kinda used to, accustomed to, heroines who are strong, smart, world-wise, capable, self-assured, no-nonsense, ‘I’ve got a plan and I don’t need you, but I want you, so we’ll be equal partners’, type. Whereas Desire (and I admit her name itself took a bit of adjustment, as my brain kept calling her Desirée instead, lol) was, well, definitely not a SL type heroine. At first I was like, geez this chick is a flibbertigibbet. Like, a bit of an air-head. Seriously wondered about her mind. But, as I got to know her a bit better, came to understand her reasonings and reactions, I was more like, hmm, this chick is kinda like me! Yes, she was, in her own way, perfectly capable of running and managing her household, and her other estates. She knew how to make things, grow things, command servants. She stood up for herself for the most part when it came to Jakob. But, boy, did she need a self-esteem boost! Constantly, she was assuming the worst of Jakob, his actions, his words, heck, even if he didn’t do anything. There were many times where she’d go cold, freeze up or huff off, because she thought that he thought something that he didn’t, though of course it wasn’t like he was being totally transparent at all times either. So, like, I was like, ok, I can feel ya. Plenty, plenty of times I have been thinking everyone was staring at me, thinking bad things about me, just waiting for the chance to point and laugh at me. So I could understand where she was coming from there, no doubt. So I gained some respect for her, some empathy, could totally relate. She was still a little ’soft’, a little flighty for what I’ve grown used to, but I came to like her quite well anyway. Jakob never really made me mad-mad, he was pretty good, though a bit obtuse, a lil stubborn, hard-headed, but really, can I expect much more from a mid-1600s era, independent, former-soldier kinda dude? Of course he’s not gonna be all Mr. Sensitive, ‘I can read your feelings with barely a glance’. He’s a bit primitive, he protec, he attac. But he does feel the feels too, never you fear. Where as contrast, Desire’s a bit dreamy, definitely not much used to people in general, let alone any kind of high-society, game-playing interaction type stuff. She’s basically been a hermit with some servants for like the last half-decade-ish. So half the time she doesn’t know what to believe about everything going on. Of course, it all works out in the end though! How else could it be?
Setting-wise, I liked it. I could easily imagine her big, rambling old house by the river in old London, with its additions over the centuries, rooftop garden, and surprise secret passages. I could fall for a place like that. I do sort of wish there had been a bit more detailed scenes in and around the big London fire going on, but the excitement towards the end of the villainous miscreant trying and of course, failing, to ruin our lovebirds’ lives, made up for it.
I suppose it was nice to see/meet again the couple from the previous book in this trilogy. I didn’t remember them much, but I liked them quite well here. Athena was caring and kind, Halross was strong and honourable, and both were great support to our main pair. So they were cool with me. I can say freely though that I am newly intrigued (re-intrigued?) by Kilverdale. Dark fancy French-raised Duke of perhaps nefarious deeds? Yea, tell me more. And so to his book I eagerly go!
July 22, 2023
i liked this book more then the last one. i like the hero alot more
i got a little bored with it near the end but otherwise it was fine.
i am looking forward to the duke story sounds like trouble
i got a little bored with it near the end but otherwise it was fine.
i am looking forward to the duke story sounds like trouble
Read
December 13, 2021i did not like this one. it was too... trite? i mean, it's romance, so the premise is trite. but this was more so, and i skimmed the second half.
Did Not Finish
August 2, 2017Diciamo che la trama è moscia e la protagonista femminile pure. Lui è un gran pezzo di ragazzo piuttosto interessante, con un modo di fare accattivante e fascinoso. Purtroppo tiene la sua compare sulle spine senza rivelare le sue intenzioni se non poco alla volta e questo mi fa davvero arrabbiare. Un chiarimento veloce ed esaustivo subito, no? C’è bisogno di questa piccola, misera suspence per intrattenere il lettore? Mmm… ho i miei dubbi. Quindi abbandono, ormai a un terzo della lettura, e me li tengo.
July 22, 2012
3.5 stars - A lot of grammar/spelling errors in the ebook kept taking me out of the story, but otherwise, an enjoyable read.
July 16, 2013
It was a good story, but I just didn't enjoy it that much.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews