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Where Passion Leads

(Berkeley-Falkner #1)

Lisa Kleypas (Goodreads Author)

3.52 · Rating details · 1,924 ratings · 130 reviews

"LOVE, BE STILL," HE WHISPERED, AND SLIPPED ONE ARM AROUND HER BACK AS HE WONDERINGLY STROKED HER YIELDING FLESH, AROUSING HER WITH THE SENSITIVE BRUSH OF HIS FINGERS. "YOU'RE PERFECT ..."

Beautiful young Rosalie Belleau was swept up into an aristocratic world of luxury, license and intricate intrigue when the most notorious and handsome rake in London, Lord Randall Berkele ...more

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Paperback, 405 pages

Published September 1st 1987 by Onyx (first published 1987)

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Start your review of Where Passion Leads (Berkley-Falkner, #1)

Mar 24, 2010 Jennefer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bodice-rippers, favorites

How lucky am I?!? I found this at a local library sale for $.50! And what a find it was! Not only because this is so hard to find (copies selling on ebay for $50) but because it is such a great romance!

Rosalie Belleau is a lady's companion and the daughter of a governess in the same household but not at all content with her lot in life. She dreams of passion and adventure and will find it in the most unexpected way!

After a fire in a theater Rosalie finds herself separated from her mother and c How lucky am I?!? I found this at a local library sale for $.50! And what a find it was! Not only because this is so hard to find (copies selling on ebay for $50) but because it is such a great romance!

Rosalie Belleau is a lady's companion and the daughter of a governess in the same household but not at all content with her lot in life. She dreams of passion and adventure and will find it in the most unexpected way!

After a fire in a theater Rosalie finds herself separated from her mother and chased by a strange man out to find his pleasure through the streets of London. Along comes Lord Randall Berkeley amused by the scene he encounters in a London ally and nearly moves along to give the 'lovers' their privacy until Rosalie falls right at his feet. Drawn to her beauty he decides to 'rescue' the young lady and take her for his own. When he discovers that Rosalie is a virgin he feels responsible to help her find a new job and get established in a new household. Unfortunately that must wait until after a necessary trip to France for family business, and Rosalie must come along for the ride.

During their time in France Rosalie comes in contact with information that causes her to doubt that her mother is her actual birth mother. Rand is forced to deal with his feelings about the abuse he suffered from his parents. Through it all they learn that they can help heal each other.

This is a really solid story! There is enough mystery and intrigue especially regarding Rosalie's family to keep the story moving and yet it never takes over completely and the romance is always center stage. They come to love each other slowly over time and you really get to see their relationship develop.

This was written in the 80's has some classic bodice ripper elements, namely that Rand rapes her in their first sexual encounter. And not forced seduction style 'no, no ,no, hmmm... that feels nice' type of thing, it's a real rape. She was angry, she fights him, she eventually just goes limp and waits for it to be over. She feels humiliated, broken and abused afterwards. It was a lot for this couple to overcome! You really see Rosalie struggle in learning to trust Rand.

We get to see Rand struggle as well. He struggles with dealing with everything his parents put him through, who they were and living with knowing that they are a part of him. He struggles to deal with all the horrible things he has done in his life and with feeling worthy of Rosalie's love.

They have several blow ups and fights, hurtful things are said and need to be forgiven for this couple to finally get together. But unlike many bodice ripper style stories, this couple does communicate. They struggle but they work everything out and have a firm understanding of each other and trust in each other when they eventually get together. As a reader you can understand why they forgive and why they love each other so much. By the end I really believed in the HEA and felt confident that they were a solid match and were going to make it!

Beyond the romance this is just really a solid book. It is firmly rooted in the historical setting it takes place in but the historical details don't take over. There was a lot going on and the story is well paced with enough attention given to both the romance and the other plot details. The cast is somewhat small but all the characters were well drawn and entertaining. I felt like everyone had their place but didn't take up to much time away from the main couple. Everything is wrapped up nicely with no lose ends. I was on the edge of my seat right to the very end and yet the ending did not feel rushed. <--- That takes some talent!

All in all this is just a really solid book! Maybe even the perfect book! I can't think of a single thing wrong with it! So I guess all I can say at this point is THANK YOU to whoever donated this book to my local library!!!! :)
...more

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Oct 18, 2013 Feminista marked it as never-to-read

Shelves: historical-romance

DNF

This was my first attempt at reading a Lisa Kleypas novel and I wasn't impressed at all.

The heroine gets raped by the hero. There is no way around it.

I have read novels where rape is present. I know that there is some truth to the idea that noblemen were almost expected to take 'advantage' of lowly house maids. But I need for the authors to address it. On the same side of the coin, the noblemen in those days hardly every married or fell in love with these maids. I felt it was highly contradi ...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Bekah rated it liked it

Shelves: read-own, 2011-reads

Rosalie is an innocent young girl living quite the sheltered life when she is kidnapped by the rogue Rand Berkley. Soon after he forcibly discovers that she is a virgin he whisks her off to France, and they begin a somewhat on again, off again relationship all the while discovering mysterious tidbits about Rosalie's past.

Lisa Kleypas is, in my opinion, known for three things in her books. 1. Her heroes, 2. The Steam Factor, and 3. The Romance or the Sigh Factor.

1. The Hero - Rand, our hero did n Rosalie is an innocent young girl living quite the sheltered life when she is kidnapped by the rogue Rand Berkley. Soon after he forcibly discovers that she is a virgin he whisks her off to France, and they begin a somewhat on again, off again relationship all the while discovering mysterious tidbits about Rosalie's past.

Lisa Kleypas is, in my opinion, known for three things in her books. 1. Her heroes, 2. The Steam Factor, and 3. The Romance or the Sigh Factor.

1. The Hero - Rand, our hero did not start off on a good foot at all. He was a selfish and brutish person in the beginning. He forced himself onto Rosalie and treated her quite badly. Once a 'hero' does something so vile as that, the question becomes Can he or does he redeem himself by the end of the book? I think that Rand did redeem himself suitably. His remorse and his change of attitude was almost instant upon his realization of what he had actually done. He was hyper aware of allowing her to have space, and time and control over their relationship, even to much discomfort and heartache to himself. He was also super cognizant of trying to eradicate the experience from her memory as much as would be possible, going so far as to insist nothing be even remotely similar to that experience. My problem with Rand was that he lacked the commanding presence that we see from her heroes in her later works. He didn’t really own a room when he walked into it and he didn’t give me tingles with his declarations of feelings or in his mannerism and behaviors. In the end, he gets a 3.5 on the Kleypas hero scale. :-)

2. The Steam Factor - For me, often times in a Kleypas book, the Steam Factor comes second to the romance. Only because the romance is so extremely sigh-worthy. This is not to say that her steam factor is not intense. Her love scenes are HOT. In this book, her first, the steam was mild. There of course was the first contact which was not consenual, and thus made for some issues to be dealt with before any more steam could be shared. I found that the subsequent scenes were yummy, but they didn't get me reach for my cold glass of ice water. Towards the last third of the book there was a sccene that made my eyes dilate in pleasure and recognition. There was the future Kleypas steam that I have come to know and love. So for this book I would give on a scale of 1-10 a four for the steam factor. Its there, but don't expect too much!

3. The Romance. I didn’t do a lot of sighing at Rosalie and Rand’s romance. It was sweet, it was tender, but it didn’t make me sigh. What is worthy to note though, is that Rand was extraordinarily conscientious of taking care of Rosalie, and protecting her. He recognized early on that she was someone he didn’t want to let go of and proceeded to act accordingly. For the sigh factor, it gets a 3 out of 10.

The Good & The Bad

What I noticed about this book right off the bat was that Kleypas really did her research. I did some research of my own, frankly because she made things read so interestingly that I wanted to find out more, and it all appears to be quite accurate. There were many fine and interesting details about ..well everything, and therein lies the bad for me. There was just too many details which made for a little bit longer book. I didn’t feel it was necessary to know about the shapes and colors of things, the architecture, the other members of the household who didn’t really have a bearing on the plot. I feel like its possible this book could have been at least 50-75 pages shorter. However, we know that she doesn’t continue in this trend and her later books are trimmed quite nicely. I recognize in myself that I don’t possess the great writer talent, but I certainly can recognize it when I’m holding it in my hand and reading it. Though this book didn’t enthrall me as some of her others do, I could see the talent and potential that was growing here. For Lisa Kleypas, she doesn’t have to try to write well, she just does. Even reading this first published piece didn’t feel like a struggle that you sometimes go through with authors. They’re trying so hard to make it good, and you’re right there struggling with them and it just becomes too much work. Its not that way with Kleypas' later books and its not that way with her first. Its just talent that pours onto the page. Its interesting to visit your favorite author’s first book, because though it didn’t make me cry, or sigh and clutch it to my chest, it did make me laugh out loud a few moments, and it kept me coming back for more. It was just good. And that’s all I need.
...more

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Jun 01, 2014 Monkeypantsuit rated it it was ok

Shelves: auto-buy-author, meandering-plot

Sometimes I have nostalgic thoughts about the rapey romances I read as a teenager. I wonder whether, if I read them now, their adherence to rigid gender roles would be catnip for me. You see, I have a questionable fascination with vulnerable heroines and rescuer alpha-males. Maybe, I've thought, just maybe, some shameful part of me yearns for the sexism I learned as a child. The hero that dismisses the silly woman's silly thoughts yet loves her for her childlike ability to find joy in looking at ...more

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Sep 02, 2008 Beth rated it it was ok

Shelves: vile-rapists, 2008, historical-romance

Despite the rape scene that occurs in the second chapter of the book, I can't quite bring myself to give this book the dreaded one-star review. I know, I know, I’m surprised too!

I seldom continue reading a romance novel that starts off with the “hero” raping the heroine, especially since most of the rape scenes I’ve encountered in these types of novels ultimately end with the woman unable to stop herself from giving in to the moment and being swept away on a cloud of passion. Um, no. That’s *so* Despite the rape scene that occurs in the second chapter of the book, I can't quite bring myself to give this book the dreaded one-star review. I know, I know, I’m surprised too!

I seldom continue reading a romance novel that starts off with the “hero” raping the heroine, especially since most of the rape scenes I’ve encountered in these types of novels ultimately end with the woman unable to stop herself from giving in to the moment and being swept away on a cloud of passion. Um, no. That’s *so* not okay and unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 years, I don’t even think I need to explain why.

However, the one thing that kept me reading this book after Rand raped the unwilling Rosalie in chapter two was the fact that from start to finish, she *didn’t* go along with it. From the first moment when he ignores her claim of virginity until the horrific end when he rolls away from her and realizes that he has indeed violently deflowered an unwilling partner, she is angry. And confused. And in pain. And Kleypas doesn’t mince words about that fact.

I kept reading because it was the first time I’d ever seen a “romantically inspired rape scene” written with so much grit and I was curious to see how on Earth the author would be able to dig that a$$hole of a hero from that deep hole she’d just dug him into.

But she did. Somehow. And by the end, I was cheering them on to their obnoxiously cheesy, HEA ending. Awww, bunnies and fuzzies galore!

I know I’ve read other novels Kleypas has written and I know I liked them. I don’t remember which ones they were and after having a recent conversation with another historical romance fan, I decided to look up a list of books she’d written and start working through them because she is one of the undisputed “goodies” in the lot of them.

This was the first novel she published in 1987. It’s not an easy book to come by as it’s out of print. I don’t know the facts and am merely speculating, but given Kleypas’s current popularity in the genre and the current “temperature” amongst modern romance fans being decidedly anti-rape, it doesn’t surprise me that the book is hard to find. Its resale list price on half.com is about $50, so next time you’re at the thrift store or find an estate sale of an old school romance reader, look for this title and you can probably resell it pretty quickly online, but if you’re sensitive to rape scenes, beware.
...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Thea rated it did not like it

I didn't like the 'rape' part as the foundation of their love story. Actually, let me edit that. I HATED the RAPE part. It ruined a possibly good romance story. It was written as if being raped is just a normal occurrence. It was taken so lightly I find it extremely offensive. ...more

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Apr 11, 2015 Gilgamesha rated it really liked it

So I read the reviews...and most of them pointed the scene in chapter 2...so I just skipped the first three chapters until they leave for France. I loved the story and the chemistry between the main pair. I can't wait for the second book. ...more

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Sep 18, 2018 Shyann rated it did not like it

Shelves: rakes-and-rogues, dnf, favorite-author, historical-romance, romance, lisa-kleypas, rapey

The hero strait up rapes the heroine in the first couple chapters. I get that this is a book from the 80s but this isn’t a case of mixed signals, being drunk or anything else that is typically used as an excuse. Nope he just rapes her and the only sliver of remorse he feels is because he realizes she was a virgin. Nope nope nope. I wanted to try to read all of LK books but this is going to be a DNF for me. So disappointing
I read a couple reviews that claim he redeems himself eventually but I hon The hero strait up rapes the heroine in the first couple chapters. I get that this is a book from the 80s but this isn’t a case of mixed signals, being drunk or anything else that is typically used as an excuse. Nope he just rapes her and the only sliver of remorse he feels is because he realizes she was a virgin. Nope nope nope. I wanted to try to read all of LK books but this is going to be a DNF for me. So disappointing
I read a couple reviews that claim he redeems himself eventually but I honestly don’t even care and I don’t think I would consider anything short of taking a bullet for her (preferably in the dick) enough for redemption.

“Don’t do this to me. You could have anyone,” Rosalie panted, trying to escape the heat of him between her legs. Rand responded by settling more deeply against her, hard and impatient for the softness of her body. The light feminine scent of her, the young warmth of her flesh caused a hunger inside him that he had not felt in a long time. It was unexpected, the strength of this desire for a reluctant maid. “Please . . . I’ve never been with a man,” she whispered, pulling out her last card, and he stilled. Hazel eyes met brilliant blue in a split second of challenge. Momentarily Rand allowed himself to wonder if what she claimed was true. But it couldn’t be. Someone in her position and with her looks would have lost her innocence years ago. Comely housemaids were readily accessible and very desirable targets for men of almost any means and station.
“I don’t believe you,” Rand replied flatly. “It’s true, damn you!”
Prompted by painful arousal and the inexplicable necessity to have her, Rand closed his mind to the possibility that she was not lying. It must be, he reasoned, that she was afraid he would not recompense her well for her favors, or perhaps she was merely playing the tease to heighten his desire for her. He was well used to that game.
“Then,” he drawled insouciantly, “it seems I’m called upon to find proof of your claim.” He transferred both of her wrists into one hand. Her fingernails curved into fragile, translucent claws. Desperately Rosalie fought, but even in her fury there was little she could do to stop him. He stripped her garments off easily, with an offhand attitude that was as much an indignity as a physical violation. Her na*ed body quivered in reaction to the cool air and the unfamiliar experience of being revealed completely in the daylight. Sickly Rosalie closed her eyes as Rand inhaled slowly. He placed a warm, gentle hand on her finely structured rib cage, his reverent touch drifting upward along the velvet skin to the fullness of her breast. As he took its weight in his palm, the expert caress of his thumb brought the tender softness of her nipple to complete arousal. At the same time he bent over her other breast and took it into his mouth, the heated flick of his tongue sweeping over her again and again. Her soft skin, her quivering flesh . . . was so sweet . . .
As Rosalie struggled against him she realized he was ten times stronger. His body was hard and invulnerable, built for aggression, so very different from her own. The hair on his chest brushed against her skin like rough silk, the abrasion feeling unutterably strange. I don’t believe it is happening, Rosalie thought, frozen with shame as she pictured the scene from above. Herself, pale-skinned in the morning light, stretched out on the rumpled luxury of the bed, the man devoting his attention to the most private parts of her body as if he owned them. His dark amber hair gleaming immaculately, his large hands cupped around her, one of his legs insinuated between her tense and parted knees. She could barely hear through the labored rushing of her breathing and the drumming of her heart.
“This is disgusting,” she choked, and he dragged his mouth up to the fragile line of her jaw, careful not to disarrange the silk kerchief around her neck.
“A wounding observation. Usually my services are more highly recommended,” Rand said, his mouth curving in a momentary touch of humor. She turned her face away from him, clenching every muscle in rejection of what was occurring. She merely succeeded in imprisoning his leg more securely between hers. Then her breath caught in her throat as his hand stroked over the lowest part of her abdomen. “If you would relax, I believe this would all be more . . . tolerable to you,” he suggested gently, and Rosalie thought she would die of shock as his fingertips drifted in an idle pattern through her soft, light curls. The world was spinning crazily, its humming whirl resonating in her head. The scents of bare masculine skin and sandalwood soap drifted seductively to her nostrils.
“Don’t!” she choked, yet still the strange undreamedof caress continued while she lay under him like a block of ice. It deepened, intensified until he was stroking the snug, shrinking tenderness of her virgin flesh, watching her stiff expression curiously. He continued until two wavering tears of humiliation wound their way down the sides of her face, yet still he did not appear satisfied with her response. “When are you going to stop?” The words fitfully issued from her lips, and Rand’s mouth thinned. He discarded all efforts to make the act more pleasurable for her.
“You would prefer a fast-paced finale? I’ll endeavor to oblige you,” he said, and before she could take another breath he thrust into her, hard and demanding, rending her feminine softness without restraint. Rosalie cried out in surprise and pain, her body arching sharply into his in immediate reaction. The disembodied feeling returned as she realized that he had penetrated inside of her, that he remained there and was suddenly still as he stared into her dazed face. Rand whispered something, a trace of some undefinable emotion in his tone. He remained unmoving as Rosalie endured the uncomfortable sensation of being filled, too much and too deep. He held her face between his hands, but she would not meet his eyes or accept the touch of his mouth. She had not wanted to be possessed by him, neither did she want his consolation. Patiently he let her adjust to the feel of his body, allowing the first shock to wear off before he began to ease in and out of her with exquisite care. ...more

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Oct 10, 2018 Glendalee rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, kindle-books

Ok brace yourselves.

The major issue that many (myself included) will have/had with this book is that the H rapes the h. There is no sugarcoating this scene and no way of justifying what he did. He rescues the h from a would be rapist, only to become the rapist.

With that being said...I still continued reading this book. I still enjoyed this book. WHY? BECAUSE I AM SICK THAT'S WHY...okay no but *shrugs*

It was difficult getting past that because I know that I like to love my hero's and he felt lik ...more

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May 09, 2008 BRNTerri rated it really liked it

Shelves: rape, i-own-this, historical-romance, expensive-hard-to-find

This is Lisa’s first published novel, published when she was only 24 in 1987. She dedicated the book to her mother Linda Kleypas. Book was published by Onyx in September 1987 and is 405 pages long. The book takes place in England and France in 1816.

The heroine is 20 year old Rosalie Belleau, born in 1796 in France. She’s got long dark hair and blue eyes. She’s an only child. Rosalie is personal maid to Lady Winthrop and companion to her daughter Elaine. The hero is 28 year old Randall Berkeley b ...more

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May 26, 2017 Chi rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, historical-fiction, historical-romance, rape

By my understanding, this was one of Lisa Kleypas's first books, and it shows. There's a lot more descriptions; a lot more "showing" rather than "doing". The dialogue between the characters is sparse, but where there are chunks of dialogue, some of her future wit and turn of phrase are evident.

Having said that, I was surprised to find myself really enjoying the book. The rape scene was particularly abhorrent, and while I don't necessarily approve of it being a plot device, it framed Rand's initi ...more

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Oct 18, 2008 Katie(babs) rated it did not like it

From the back:
Beautiful young Rosalie Belleau was swept into an aristocratic world of luxury, license and intricate intrigue when the most notorious and handsome rake in London, Lord Randall Berkeley, abducted her in the belief that she was any man's for the taking. Before he realized his mistake, he had branded her with his desire- and lost his heart to this girl...

I believe this was Kleypas's first book written and it shows how far she has come as a writer. There are many problems with this ...more

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Oct 08, 2009 C Joy rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, lisa-kleypas, ebooks

I noticed in her early works that there's a rape scene, not a brutal one but still the man forced himself on the woman and it was quite stupid that he didn't take her word that she's a virgin.

The story really focused on Rand and Rosalie falling in love, more character-driven, a lot of love scenes, a little danger and surrounding mystery. Lisa Kleypas really took time in developing their relationship and their characters. It was plausible because it was gradual. I liked how she didn't leave major ...more

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Oct 03, 2016 Claudine rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: did-not-finish

The heroine gets raped by the hero.

The "hero" of this story is an unapologetic rapist who only feels marginally guilty because the woman he raped turned out to have been a virgin.

Didn't bother reading the rest of the book, because I have no desire to read about a woman falling in love with the man who raped and kidnapped her. Absolutely disgusting. ...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Fil rated it it was amazing

One of Lisa Kleypas' best. A true historical romance. ...more

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Sep 30, 2018 Rose Maria rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, virgin-heroine, feisty-heroine, mistress

H28 h20
Heroine was a by blow of some French man...
Hero makes heroine his mistress by force then regrets finding her virgin....then fall in love....then comes mirelle and her brother anyway happy ending
I'm satisfied with the storyline.....much more nice story than I expected ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 Mia rated it did not like it

Bad.
Plain and simple.

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May 14, 2020 eevee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: angst, virgin-heroine, enemies-to-lovers, historical-romance

Rosalie has always been a fanciful girl with dreams above her station as a lady’s companion. One day as she is going out on the town, she becomes separated from her mother and is chased down by a thug. Her efforts at escape lead her to an uncaring group of dandies, one of whom helps her — but only later does she realize the price he means to have her pay. Randall has lived his life in studied aplomb and irreverence after a troubling childhood. When he rapes Rosalie, he believes her to be nothing Rosalie has always been a fanciful girl with dreams above her station as a lady’s companion. One day as she is going out on the town, she becomes separated from her mother and is chased down by a thug. Her efforts at escape lead her to an uncaring group of dandies, one of whom helps her — but only later does she realize the price he means to have her pay. Randall has lived his life in studied aplomb and irreverence after a troubling childhood. When he rapes Rosalie, he believes her to be nothing but an inconsequential housemaid. He is discomfited to find himself feeling guilty over her stolen virginity, so he persuades her to accompany him to France until he can secure her a respectable job. Along the way, they fall in love.

I surprisingly liked this. First, I would like to preface by saying that I tend to distinguish between forced seduction, dubious consent, or straight up non-consent. In this situation, it’s a hard non-consent scene; Rosalie does not find her body “betraying” her, she tries to run away from Rand and pleads with him not to do it, and she feels humiliated and degraded afterwards.

It’s hard to turn that into a romance. But somehow Kleypas did that. Rosalie and Rand don’t develop a cavalier attitude about it, but they kind of... let it go, if you can imagine that. I think it was a mixture of the historical time period (it wasn’t uncommon to sexually assault servants, to the extent that it wasn’t even considered an assault) + Rosalie’s naïvety and youth (did she just agree to go to a foreign country with her rapist...? Yes. It’s not that she’s stupid, just lost) + Rand’s lack of further callousness afterwards (he proceeds to see her differently, like an actual person).

Beyond that, the novel was good. It was very engaging and hard to put down — I even woke up at night like twice just wanting to continue reading. The romance was a bit gradual for obvious reasons but intense. The hero actually has some romantic things to say. Plus, there is an added element of suspense when someone tries to hurt Rosalie.

I would reread and keep on my shelf. All in all I think if a reader is able to move past the first scene of non-consent, they will like the rest of the book and learn to understand the characters. If that scene is too disturbing and triggering, then this book isn’t a great option. This author does not usually write these heavier themes (maybe because this book is older) so another Kleypas book may be more your style. ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Angela Gibson rated it did not like it

Shelves: romance, historical-romance

Lisa Kleypas is a go-to, favorite author. I had never read her first book. This first book is not that I would ever read again as I do with other Kleypas' books when I need a nourishing romance.

Others have mentioned that the hero, Rand, rapes his own true love in their first encounter, which I refuse to refer to as sex. The hero simply used the heroine as an empty vessel.

What turned this into a 1 star read for me was the depiction of women as vapid and useless. The following quote from the book ...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Karla rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011, 4-historical

Randall Berkley is next in line to be the Earl of Berkley. He is a closed man, that often wears a mask in front of others. Deeply scarred as a child, he does not believe anyone can ever love him.
Rosalie is a dreaming maid. Told by her mother time and time again not to dream to high or want things that were out of her reach. because that could only lead to extreme unhappiness.
A chance has brought Rand and Rose together and he's not about to refuse what fate has delivered him, but was it really hi ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 CI rated it did not like it

A better summary would be male protagonist (wealthy, member of the ton) is bored. Comes across a female being harassed on the back streets of London and takes her to his room, rapes her and then feels a very minor level of guilt that she was a virgin as she claims. Female protagonist (companion to a less-wealthy but still member of the ton family) suffers through the degrading and humiliating experience and then struggles to decide what her options are - she doesn't feel she can return to her ho ...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Lauren rated it did not like it

Shelves: romance, regency-1811-1820, kidnapped, companion

I find it hard to actually read a lot of the books by authors written in the '80s, they typically involve drug use or rape or the severe construct of male dominance. It is not usually easy for me to get past that and actually see a 'hero' in the male character that I would want to be with. It was decidedly that same for this book with a kidnapped Rosalie Belleau being raped by the supposed hero, Lord Randall Berkeley. Even though I begrudgingly finished the book, he never became the hero in my e ...more

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Jun 09, 2012 LuvBug (*Formerly Luvgirl) marked it as to-read

Shelves: forced-seduction, bodice-ripper, historical, kin-p, asap-4th-eventually-tbr, did-not-like-description-of-hero, out-of-print-paperback, want-to-read-but-major-peeve, gonna-try-to-get-over-pet-peeve

She would have considered him handsome if his features had not been so aggressively formed. His cheekbones,for example, were blunt and strong when they should have been more delicately drawn,and his mouth was too
wide.

Buzz kill!!

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Aug 07, 2015 phoebess rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviews

I found Where Passion Leads a little too long for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the relationship development between Rand and Rose but that was it. Nothing else held much interest for me. ...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Victoria rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1st-in-series, lisa-kleypas, historical

4 Stars

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Mar 10, 2019 Göksu Gürses rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just read a few pages and I feel sick than I saw some reviews and now I feel disgusted. I like to read historical romance novels but this book isn't a romance book. It is a horror book. It is about a young girl who was RAPED. I can't even say the male character is hero in this book. He rescue her than raped her because she is to beautiful to be a virgin! Yes like If someone isn't virgin you can force him/her for sex. She told him that she is virgin and he didn't believe it. She said no during ...more

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Apr 14, 2020 Amana Shahid Ullah rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 18, 2021 sadiereads_ rated it it was ok

Shelves: bonkers

TW: rape and suicide

Jeeeez, the first 2 chapters of this book were hard to get through.
In the first chapter the heroine, Rosalie, escapes a burning building and runs into a man that proceeds to chase her into an alleyway. When he tries to rape her she struggles so he punches her. After he punches her she falls out of the alleyway and at the feet of the hero, Rand. Rand and the group of men he is with laugh at her predicament and makes a bet on her well being.
In chapter two Rosalie wakes up in ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 Nayara rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf, historical-romance, assholes-heroes, problematic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 25, 2021 Samantha rated it it was ok

Of all the Lisa Kleypas novels I've read, this has to be my least favorite. It's still an okay read, relatively, but it lacks much of the finesse the author usually writes with. Unlike other reviewers, my issues don't lie primarily with the events in chapter 2, but rather with the plot once they reached France. I felt that the main leads just kept circling and circling around each other and the main points. It dragged a bit then blew up like a balloon but instead of popping just deflated. The ch ...more

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About Lisa Kleypas

Lisa Kleypas

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LISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.