Category Archives: Aphrodisia

Review: Tempting a Sinner by Kate Pearce

tempting a sinnerTitle: Tempting a Sinner by Kate Pearce
The Sinner’s Club Book Two
Publisher: Kensington Books
Imprint: Aphrodisia
Genre: Historical, Erotic, Romance, Mystery/Suspense, M/M, M/F, F/F, M/M/F, F/F/M
Length: 337 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Known only to a select few, these inscrutable men are bound by dangerous desires and enigmatic pasts. They are the Sinners Club. . .

Cold Calculation

Within the circles of British intelligence, Benedict, Lord Keyes, is known for his cold brilliance and strict military demeanor. Yet this icy exterior masks a man of smoldering passion and scorching sexuality who will do anything to keep his past a secret. . .

Sultry Satisfaction

Miss Malinda Keyes refuses to be intimidated by Lord Keyes. In fact, she enjoys a good battle, especially one of erotic wiles and carnal cunning. Determined to expose his lordship’s past, she will use every wanton weapon in her arsenal to tease and tempt this sinner into the ultimate sensual surrender. . .

The Review:

Tempting a Sinner, the second installment in Kate Pearce’s highly erotic historical series, The Sinner’s Club, is the highly anticipated and long awaited romance starring Lord Benedict Keyes. It is another scorching hot novel that finally provides answers for the intriguing questions about Keyes and his mysterious past.

Benedict’s eighteen year separation from his wife, Malinda, comes to a very unexpected conclusion when Malinda returns to England following the death of her mother. Their reunion is very unorthodox and although a bit rocky in the beginning, Malinda and Keyes are soon in the midst of a very perplexing mystery surrounding the death of Malinda’s father years earlier. With both Malinda and Benedict keeping secrets from one another, will they uncover the truth before it is too late?

Although Benedict has been featured in previous novels, he continues to be a rather mystifying figure. He has an impeccable reputation and he is quite honorable and well respected by his peers. In his private life, Benedict keeps things simple and he is unencumbered by emotional entanglements. But when he is reunited with Malinda, his hard won control is threatened and she definitely shakes up his well-ordered, quiet life.

Malinda is a mature woman, who is feisty and not afraid to do whatever it takes to untangle the web of deception surrounding her father’s death. She is not exactly forthcoming with information, so she and Benedict stumble around a bit in their investigation until she divulges most of the secrets she has been keeping. Their relationship suffers a bit from the lack of honesty between them, but their emotions and feelings always feel genuine.

Benedict and Malinda’s relationship is complicated by lies and betrayals from their long ago past, but nothing can diminish the fiery passion that burns between them.  Outside of the bedroom, secrets continually come between them, but in the bedroom, these two are definitely on the same page. Sexually adventurous, Benedict and Malinda indulge in a ménage or two (with both another woman and another man). Malinda experiments with a little girl on girl action while Benedict continues his occasional encounters with Adam Fisher, a longtime friend and fellow Sinner’s Club member. Their sexual repertoire also includes voyeurism, bondage, light spankings and a little backdoor action.

A deliciously sensual novel that has no shortage of incredibly passionate encounters, Tempting a Sinner is a beautiful blend of mystery and romance. Kate Pearce keeps The Sinner’s Club series fresh with introduction of new characters and innovative, intriguing storylines. Once again, I am very much looking forward to the next installment in this delightfully provocative and alluring series.

Read my reviews of the other books in the series HERE.

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Filed under Aphrodisia, Erotic, F/F, F/F/M, Historical, Kate Pearce, Kensington Books, M/F, M/M, M/M/F, Tempting a Sinner, The Sinner's Club Series

Review: The Sinner’s Club by Kate Pearce

Title: The Sinner’s Club by Kate Pearce
The Sinner’s Club Book One
Publisher: Kensington
Imprint: Aphrodisia
Genre: Historical, Erotic, Romance, Light BDSM, M/M, M/M/F, M/F
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

It’s known as the Sinners Club. . .a private gentlemen’s club whose members have mysterious pasts and secret fantasies too hot to reveal. . .

Total Pleasure

Unsure of his reception, Jack Lennox adopts the guise of his own secretary upon returning to his ancestral home to claim his father’s earldom. When he arrives, he’s stunned to discover the previous earl’s lovely young widow, a woman of beguiling curves and sensual smiles, warming the bed. . .

Absolute Surrender

Mary Lennox is determined to remain in Pinchbeck Hall and a mere secretary isn’t going to tell her otherwise. But Jack Smith is a man of many talents and soon she’s succumbing to his erotic games of pleasure. Only Mary may have underestimated the intensity of her wanton longings and the depths of Jack’s dark desires. . .

The Review:

Kate Pearce’s spin off series, The Sinner’s Club, is off to a scorching hot beginning with Jack Lennox’s story, The Sinner’s Club. Intriguing glimpses of Jack in the last book of the House of Pleasure series left me eagerly awaiting his novel and I am thrilled to say that it was well worth the wait!

Jack Lennox is next in line to inherit the family estate and title but a few questions about the previous Earl finds him going undercover to unearth the truth. He is also asked to look into Lord Keyes disappearance (an unresolved storyline from the House of Pleasure series) and coincidentally, Keyes’ trail leads to the same vicinity. Jack visits his ancestral home in disguise and he is shocked to discover his elderly uncle was married to a beautiful young woman, Mary. Jack quickly learns that Mary is prepared to go to any lengths necessary to secure her inheritance and keep a roof over not only her head, but her brother Simon’s as well.

As a child, Jack and his impoverished father led a vagabond life. Growing up, Jack learned to use any means necessary to make enough money to survive. Working as a government agent, he utilized the same tactics in order to obtain information from his enemies. This includes trading sexual favors and when he first arrives at the family estate, Jack is more than happy to continue this practice with both Simon and Mary. When his dream of finally putting down roots remains elusive, Jack returns to London where he continues searching for answers about Mary and Simon’s past.

Mary and Simon share a very complicated history and there is much more to their relationship than meets the eye. They are carrying as much emotional baggage from their pasts as Jack and they are fiercely loyal and protective of one another. Mary and Simon are likable characters but they are difficult to get to know because their secrets are not fully divulged until the very end of the novel.

The overall story is enjoyable but it felt a little disjointed in the beginning and I kept feeling like I was missing something. About a quarter of the way in, the writing is much more cohesive and the information I thought I had originally missed about Mary and Simon is finally revealed. The second half of the novel flows more smoothly and is much easier to follow.

The sex scenes in The Sinner’s Club are explicit, exquisitely detailed and plentiful. Jack and Simon share several steamy romps and while there is not an emotional bond between them, the encounters are quite meaningful for Simon. Jack also has an intense desire for Mary and their sex scenes are passionate and extremely erotic. Jack, Mary and Simon also indulge in steamy ménages that are so sizzling hot I am surprised my eReader did not melt.

The main storyline with Jack and Mary unfolds at a leisurely pace and is fully wrapped up by the novel’s end. The secondary story arc with Lord Keyes remains tantalizingly unresolved (again!). I am also left wondering what the future might just bring for Simon as well.

The Sinner’s Club is a must read for anyone who enjoys erotic historical romances. It is a steaming hot love story that is sure to be a hit with old and new fans of Kate Pearce. This first installment of the The Sinner’s Club series is absolutely brilliant and I am eagerly anticipating the next novel.

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Filed under Aphrodisia, Erotic, Historical, Kate Pearce, Kensington, M/F, M/M, M/M/F, Rated B, Review, Romance, The Sinner's Club, The Sinner's Club Series

Review: Simply Scandalous by Kate Pearce

Title: Simply Scandalous by Kate Pearce
House of Pleasure Book 9
Publisher: Kensington
Imprint: Aphrodisia
Genre: Historical, Erotic, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Known only to a select clientele, Madame Helene’s Pleasure House is an exclusive brothel in Regency England where every illicit fantasy that you could imagine is indulged. . .

Sinful Desire

After years of fighting on the continent, Richard Ross has finally returned to London to make peace with his father. And the erotic delights of his stepmother’s Pleasure House provide a welcome distraction for his war-weary heart. But he is shocked to encounter someone there whose resemblance to his lost love leaves him both tempted and tormented. . .

Dangerous Seduction

As a former spy, Violet LeNy has mastered the art of deception. But there is no disguising the heated passion that still burns between her and Richard, the man she once betrayed but who now is her only hope of survival. Soon she plans a scandalous game of seduction where sensual surrender is the ultimate pleasure…

The Review:

Simply Scandalous is the deliciously sexy final installment of Kate Pearce’s House of Pleasure series. An intriguing mystery and a secondary romance make this novel a little different from the other books in the series. The sex scenes are still smoking hot and longtime fans of the series will be delighted with the wrap up of all the various storylines.

Unbeknownst to his family and friends, Richard Ross spent his years in France working as a spy for England. Now retired and back in England, he is still mourning the death of his lover, Violet. When a former colleague of his draws Richard back into the spy game, he comes face to face with a ghost from his past.

Violet LeNy is a former spy who broke Richard’s heart when she was forced to fake her own death. Fleeing from France, she and her twin brother Jack are working to reclaim their estates and begin a new life in England. Desperate to save herself and her brother, Violet will go to any lengths to regain Richard’s trust and unmask the double agent who is threatening their lives.

Richard reluctantly teams up with Violet to investigate who is behind the plot to kill her and Jack. There is very little trust between them in the beginning and it takes a while for Violet to reveal all the pertinent details to Richard. Complicating matters between them is the intense sexual attraction they still have for one another.

I have to admit that while I liked Richard and Violet’s romance, the relationship that I found must fascinating is between Richard’s sister Emily and half-brother Christian’s close friend Ambrose. Not only is there a class difference between them, there is also the fact that Ambrose is a freed slave. Emily is sheltered by her wealthy and over-protective family, but she knows what she wants and she is not afraid to go after it. Both she and Ambrose must overcome some obstacles in their pasts before they can make plans for their future.

Equally compelling is the story arc that wraps up some of the loose ends surrounding Emily and Richard’s parents’ marriage. Hints about the unhappy marriage have appeared in previous novels in the series, and while readers knew their marriage was quite miserable, there were few details about why. In Simply Scandalous, all of the unsavory specifics are finally revealed.

Simply Scandalous is a well-written novel that has a fast moving plot and engaging protagonists. The characters are multi-faceted and well-developed. The mystery aspect of the storyline is quite interesting and I was genuinely surprised at the revelation of the villain’s identity. The sex scenes are very risqué, exquisitely detailed and quite plentiful.

While I am sorry to see the House of Pleasures series come to an end, I am looking forward to Kate Pearce’s upcoming series, The Sinners Club, which debuts next year. I am crossing my fingers we get Jack’s story first!

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Filed under Aphrodisia, Erotic, Historical, House of Pleasure Series, Kensington, Rated B, Review, Romance, Simply Scandalous