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The Perils of Pleasure

(Pennyroyal Green #1)

by
3.72  ·  Rating details ·  6,781 ratings  ·  674 reviews
His life is in her hands...

She's willing to be fearless for a price...but what if the cost is her heart?

A rescued rogue...

Scandal has rocked the city of London. Colin Eversea, a handsome, reckless unapologetic rogue is sentenced to hang for murder and, inconveniently for him, the only witness to the crime disappears. Then again, throughout history, the Everseas have always
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Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published January 29th 2008 by Avon
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Average rating 3.72  · 
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 ·  6,781 ratings  ·  674 reviews


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♥ℳelody
DNF @ 20%


Soooo yeah.

I used to be one of those readers who would feel so freaking guilty over not finishing a book. Not anymore! Life is too short and I need my kicks where I can get them. My first Julie Anne Long book and not really what I was expecting. Unfortunately this was one of those ‘everybody and their mother loves this but I just don’t get it’ books for me. And I really didn’t get it. Literally. Like at all. Never mind the *meh* storyline and blah characters but the writing just...didn’
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UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish
This is a wonderful story! There's action, adventure, mystery, humor, and a beautiful, passionate, happily ever after. Stories like this are what made me fall in love with historical romance! ...more
Jilly
Feb 03, 2017 rated it it was amazing
E.T.A. - After looking at some other reviews, I remembered that it took me about 30 pages to get into this book. It started off a little choppy and strange. However, it gets good after that and I forgot that I wasn't too sure about it at first.


Colin, our hero, narrowly escapes being hanged for a murder he didn't commit in a daring rescue by Madeline - a woman he has never met. And, then someone turns around and tries to murder her for some reason. This begins our journey where these two are tryi
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Tammy Walton Grant
This book was AWESOME.

A historical mystery/adventure with a couple of really steamy love scenes and a deftly handled romance (that actually took a backseat to the story and I DIDN'T. EVEN. NOTICE.) The writing is crisp, the story is fast-paced, the romance is subtle, the tension palpable, the whodunnit surprising, the ending satisfying...what more can I say?

Read it, read it, READ IT. We should all read it.



I think I'm gonna read this again. Right now.

5 enthusiastic stars.
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Sam (AMNReader)
Really enjoyed my buddy read with T, Gaufre, and Joanna on this and a revisit resulted in observing much more richness & intimacy in these characters. I'm bumping this up, and can see revisiting it again.
Original Review:
I enjoyed both the humor and the adventure in this book. I thought the chemistry between Colin and Madeline was clear from the beginning and really well done. I was worried, though, that it would never feel like intimacy. By the 50% mark though, it definitely did.

I really loved
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Joanna Loves Reading
When I reread this last year, I intended to write a review and never did, so I am determined to write something more this time, though it may not be much.

This is a repeated reread for me because:
*JAL’s descriptive writing really shines here. You feel in the moment, like you are taking this journey and romp with them.
*the story gives glimpses of many different parts of London society, among different classes and occupations. It’s fascinating. I get bored with HR that pretends Regency was a fairy
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♡Karlyn P♡
I wont review the plot as so many have already, but I will add that I too thought this was a wonderful historical romance - one of the best in this great series. The hero and heroine make this story come alive, as both are filled with humor and passion that compliment each other so well. The writing is wonderful and it kept me enthralled while never taking unnecessary or unbelievable turns in the story. You can feel these two slowly fall in love, and when they finally come together it is a smoki ...more
Zeek
Apr 02, 2010 rated it liked it
Shelves: romance, hist-rom
A slightly different historical romance, I found Perils of Pleasure piqued my interest, but not enough to keep me fully engaged.

The hero of the book, Colin Eversea, is sentenced to death after being accused of murder. But thanks to our clever, eccentric heroine, Madeleine Greenway, he narrowly escapes his punishment. But it's out of the frying pan into the fire for Colin Eversea as the person who hired Madeleine to rescue Colin decides to tie up loose ends by having her killed.

Now on the run, Co
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Luana ☆
Mar 22, 2021 rated it liked it
3.5⭐
This is a difficult book to rate in my opinion. I loved the hero, he's very smart, interesting, full of humor and very optimistic. The heroine lost everything she's ever had to smallpox and is a very sad person due to it. So it was nice seeing the hero bringing the colors of life back to her.

The mystery side of the book was not so interesting... maybe I am reading too many books with a mystery to solve and I am tired of it, but it was meh.

Also there was the part where the hero kept saying
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Andrea
I'm not saying this is a bad book, I just personally didn't care for the story. That said, I am definitely going to read more of this series, as it was really well written and interesting, but I am really disappointed with the couple in this book.
The only problem I had with them was that I felt their relationship was just not well developed. I mean, she rescues him from being executed and they spend the rest of the novel trying to find out who really committed the murder Colin was accused of. Bu
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Searock
Oct 16, 2011 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
This book is difficult to review because it is so, so good and yet sooooo hard to love. First of all, I adore JAL's writing style and look forward to reading anything she writes- even something considered to be kind of a stinker (Since the Surrender?)- or the phone book for that matter. Seriously. I love her voice, her turns of phrase, her wry humor and her intelligence.

In this story, we come to know the lead characters, Colin and Madelaine, as they are thrust together in a mystery/adventure. T
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Missy
There was barely any romance. Therefore, I had no patience for the mystery the H/h were trying to solve and started skimming the book but what a twist to the mystery! Although the twist raised more questions. The mystery was a little convoluted, bringing in more characters than I care to read about, but props to the author for coming up with such a plot.

As for the lack of romance, sure, there was forced proximity while they try to solve the mystery but the hero, Colin, was in love with his chil
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Becca
Feb 20, 2015 rated it it was ok
This was not my cup of tea. I'm glad I read it since it's the first in a very popular series, but wow, I did not enjoy the journey. Some may consider this story an adventure, but I just looked at it as a grimy, convoluted mystery I couldn't wait to be done with.

I know this is harsh, and it's really a shame because I have loved some of JAL's books in the past, but this one just wasn't it. Colin (and like some tic was referred to as Colin Eversea through the entire novel) and Madeleine had a uniqu
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Jan
Mar 02, 2019 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: historical, regency
2.5 stars. I did not really enjoy this first book in the Pennyroyal Green series, and I kind of had to make myself finish it. I've read some of the other books in the series, and liked some of them better, actually.

When I read HR, I'm usually more intrigued by stories of the upper classes (although the 'duke' thing is getting pretty tired LOL). In this case, I wasn't terribly interested in the adventures in the back streets of London. The Resurrectionists. *shudders* A live person in a coffin. *
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Jultri
Jan 19, 2019 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: widow
3.5/5. A few years after reading the rest of the series out of order, I finally get to read the first book of this very worthy quintessential HR series. I left it this long, because I was worried it would be a disappointment compared to the other books. Well, I'm glad to say, it's no disappointment at all. The writing is great, the humour frequent, the quirky and richly drawn secondary characters - they're all there, all the usual trademarks of a JAL book. It definitely is not the worst book in ...more
Jessica
Dec 11, 2021 rated it liked it
I was excited to finally start this series, but this book was just okay to me. This one starts with the heroine helping the hero escape being hanged. But things change when someone tries killing her when she was hired to rescue the hero. This book takes place over a couple of days, which isn't my favorite, and it focused mostly on the mystery of who was trying to kill her and how wanted him dead as well. The romance felt very overshadowed and I didn't believe their falling for each other in such ...more
Chitra *CJ*
"The Perils of Pleasure" is the story of Madeline and Colin.

Our hero is a rake, who is wrongfully going to be hanged for a murder he did not commit.. until a mysterious figure rescues him. Turns out, the widowed heroine is our mercenary, who has been tasked to deliver him safe and sound. Things take a turn when she is attacked, and both embark on a cat and mouse game where passions ignite.

I loved how he made her laugh. The heroine was a kickass, strong woman who gave as good as she got. Instead
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Mimi Smith
Jun 23, 2013 rated it really liked it
4.25 stars

The Prisoner

Colin Eversea is a rogue and a charmer. A veritable daredevil. A complex, brilliant, unique man. At this moment though his to-do list is pretty basic:

1) Don't get hanged.
2) Find a way to prove his innocence (He wasn't a murderer. For Chrissake the man fell on his own knife!) as to secure 1)
3)Find enough patience not to kill the author of the lovely ballad:

Oh, if you thought ye’d never see
The death of Colin Eversea
Come along with me, lads, come along with me
For on a summ
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Lauren Reads Romance
Apr 28, 2021 rated it it was ok
This was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I started with book 5 in this series - What I Did For A Duke - and was blown away by it that I decided to come back and read the whole series in order. I do that most times because authors begin building characters bit by bit throughout a series and I want to understand background and context. Yes, I am that person who watches everything with subtitles and hits the rewind button in case I miss something.

Perils of Pleasure gets 2.5 stars because I sti
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Jennifer
3.5 stars. I love JAL, I really do, and this was a fun read, but the 'mystery' was strangely convoluted, and never really made sense to me. The romance was fantastic, of course, from defensive banter to falling in loooove, but it tread the line between angst/unrequited/iloveanother/iwillneverloveagain and madcap witty romance, which sort of served to keep the characters at arms length, especially the heroine. Also, this is petty but I really wish Long had contrived a bath for Colin - I just pict ...more
Inna
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Emilia Redington
Mar 23, 2021 rated it liked it
Almost 3 meh 🌟

The story is all over the place and the writing style of this one gave me a headache.

I also was stunned on how quick Colin fell out of love with his paramount and declared himself to Mad.😶
Christi (christireadsalot)
This was just not it for me. I recently read The Palace of Rogues series from this author (my first reads by JAL) and had the same issue with the first book in the series, it not being my fav. But as that series went on I had a great time and especially enjoyed books 3 & 4 (the latest books currently out). So after catching up on that series, multiple people recommended this series as the best JAL reads. I did hear ahead of time that this first book wasn’t the greatest as far as what the series ...more
Susan
Oct 22, 2012 rated it really liked it

Fun book. Colin has been convicted of a murder he didn't commit and is moments from hanging. But Everseas have the reputation of being able to cheat fate and Colin is rescued in a puff of smoke and disappears. Madeleine has been paid to rescue him and then hold him for the person who paid her. But when someone takes a shot at her, Colin saves her and they go on the run to discover who wants her dead and him alive.

Colin wants nothing more than to prove his innocence and make it back to Sussex in
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Chelsea Kumer
Dec 22, 2011 rated it it was ok
Perils of Pleasure is one of those rare books I picked up with no prior knowledge of the author, or even any inkling as to what it was about. That isn't something I do often. I like to research books ahead of time and make sure that it's at least being advertised as something that I would like. My experience with this book proves that this careful selection really does make a difference.

The book starts out with Colin Eversea about to hang for murder, rescued at the last possible second. His resc
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Maqluba
This story was so good... It had a little bit of everything- romance, murder, blackmail, humor!, and really neat twists and turns. This is one of very few books where I LOVE the heroine AND the hero- she's a total bada$$ and he's such a player and their interactions were so great! Its not one of those instant "you saved my life and I saved yours so lets stick together forever" stories-- these two actually go through the NORMAL process- from "I dont know you so I won't trust you even though you s ...more
PlotTrysts
Oct 06, 2019 rated it really liked it
Shelves: romance-novels
This is more of a 3.5 star rating from us. We appreciated the heroes but life on the run is hard for us to get into (when you haven't bathed in . . . a looooong time, Laine really has a problem imagining anything sexy happening). On the other hand, the characters were believable and the setup was pretty fun. Worth checking out!

8-Word Summaries:

Laine: Everyone’s secrets are revealed by other people. Hayloft.

Meg: Charming convict rescued by superlative planner! Adventure ensues.
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Jessica
Dec 01, 2020 rated it really liked it
Huh. This had a bunch of fantastic elements (a mad dash caper! A rollicking plot! A badass heroine! A TWIST!) but the romance was, in my humble opinion, one of the weaker story elements. Which, in a romance, can be a bit of a let down. I do love Julie Ann Long, and even my lesser favored works by her are still in the 4 star range, but this was not in my top books by her. That being said, it was still better than your average book!
Chloe Liese
Well this was such an engrossing, clever and sexy story. Just the right kind and amount of suspense, and a very swoony ending! In some parts the pace dragged for me, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.
T. Rosado

5 Stars!

First, I need to thank Sam for her encouragement in giving the Pennyroyal Green Series an honest chance. My first experience with Julie Anne Long was with her newest series (The Palace of Rogues) and while it's entertaining, it didn't stand out among the genre nor entice me to quickly pick up additional books by her. In contrast, when reading this first book in the PRG series, I was in continual awe over the character variety, foreshadowing, and ridiculously descriptive and detailed writ
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Other books in the series

Pennyroyal Green (1 - 10 of 11 books)
  • Like No Other Lover (Pennyroyal Green, #2)
  • Since the Surrender (Pennyroyal Green, #3)
  • I Kissed an Earl (Pennyroyal Green, #4)
  • What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal Green, #5)
  • How the Marquess Was Won (Pennyroyal Green, #6)
  • A Notorious Countess Confesses (Pennyroyal Green, #7)
  • It Happened One Midnight (Pennyroyal Green, #8)
  • Between the Devil and Ian Eversea (Pennyroyal Green, #9)
  • It Started With a Scandal (Pennyroyal Green, #10)
  • The Legend of Lyon Redmond (Pennyroyal Green, #11)

Articles featuring this book

  Author Julia Quinn, it’s safe to say, knows her way around the romance genre. As the author of the incredibly popular Bridgerton series, set...
136 likes · 57 comments
“He had one of those chins what…” One of the innkeeper’s hands went up to squeeze his chin into two little folds. “…a chin what looks like an arse.”
“A chin dimple? A cleft?”
“Not cleft so much as dented, Mr. Eversea. And blue eyes. Went nicely with his costume.”
Dumbstruck silence followed this observation.
The innkeeper sighed. “It’s me wife. If ye gets yerself a wife one day, Mr. Eversea, ye’ll come ou’ wi’ things like that, too, mark my words, mark my words. ‘This matches wi’ that or with this,’ and so on. They talk like that, women do. She makes me look a’ things and give opinions. She’ll turn me into a girl yet.”
This seemed unlikely, but all Colin said was, “Blue eyes and an arse chin. Thank you, that’s very helpful, Mr. Croker.”
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“Maybe we’re born with a full set of qualities, some fine, some not so fine, and none of us knows what will bring out everything that lives within us. And sometimes it’s the fine qualities that cause us trouble, and the not so fine that save us.” 3 likes
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