For the Earl's Pleasure
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Beneath every scornful smile...They were once cherished childhood companions, until a scandalous secret tore them apart. Now Valerian Rainewood and Abigail Smart are the fiercest of enemies. To Abigail, Rainewood is a notorious rake, hell-bent on mischief and not fit for polite society. So what if it seems as if he can seduce her with nothing but his eyes? She will not succumb. But when the earl is viciously attacked, Abigail's distress tells her that something still binds her to the wild Rainewood. Lies an unquenchable desire...Though the ton believes there is nothing between them, Rainewood knows the truth. Abigail tempts him the way no other woman has. Wanton lust overwhelms him whenever she is near. But keeping her too close may put her precious life in danger. He must destroy his enemies-so that with every touch he may prove to Abigail that though their past was filled with trouble, their future will be nothing but pleasure.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Earl of Rainewood has it all - looks, fortune, social influence and is heir to a dukedom. Or at least he was until a late night trip to a gaming hell leaves him out cold. Two days later he appears in the family town house, falling through walls and invisible to everyone... except her.
Abigail Smart can see ghosts. It's not a skill she is fond of, not least because it once lost her her best friend in all the world. For years she has skirted the edge of the ton, having secret, acidic encounters with Rainewood. Until Rainewood appears before her as a ghost, and proceeds to haunt her.
Except Rainewood is convinced he isn't dead, and it's up to Abigail to help him, regardless of what once happened between them. Or perhaps because of it.
Anne Mallory always tries to do something different with her books, and this is no exception. Abigail's abilities are described in fascinating detail, and her interactions with Rainewood are wonderfully done. The details of her past and her fears of discovery are a constant threat, cranking up the tension in combination with Rainewood's present troubles, and the desire that's between them.
My only problem was that the end was a bit too abrupt, as though everything had to be finished, without having the space to deal with it all sufficiently. And a couple of characters sunk without trace, when I would have liked (and even expected) to have seen more.
Another engaging, thoroughly enjoyable romance from Mallory, with an excellent touch of the paranormal within the Regency period.
Abigail Smart can see ghosts. It's not a skill she is fond of, not least because it once lost her her best friend in all the world. For years she has skirted the edge of the ton, having secret, acidic encounters with Rainewood. Until Rainewood appears before her as a ghost, and proceeds to haunt her.
Except Rainewood is convinced he isn't dead, and it's up to Abigail to help him, regardless of what once happened between them. Or perhaps because of it.
Anne Mallory always tries to do something different with her books, and this is no exception. Abigail's abilities are described in fascinating detail, and her interactions with Rainewood are wonderfully done. The details of her past and her fears of discovery are a constant threat, cranking up the tension in combination with Rainewood's present troubles, and the desire that's between them.
My only problem was that the end was a bit too abrupt, as though everything had to be finished, without having the space to deal with it all sufficiently. And a couple of characters sunk without trace, when I would have liked (and even expected) to have seen more.
Another engaging, thoroughly enjoyable romance from Mallory, with an excellent touch of the paranormal within the Regency period.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
19 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Bad Marketing, Not A Bad Book
14 July 2009
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I think this book is being judged on expectations more than merit. I was fortunate enough to know this book was a paranormal, which I generally avoid, but it was also by Anne Mallory, who I generally enjoy. I'd already purchased it, so rather than return it I decided to give it a try. This is not a five star read, there are elements of the plot which are rather heavy handed and melodramatic. Enough to knock it down to three stars if it wasn't for the relationship between the hero and heroine.
Using the paranormal aspect of the book as a stand in for the emotional upheavals of the early teen years, Anne Mallory places her hero and heroine at a pivotal moment in both their lives and then hands them the inability to deal with the adult roles thrust upon them. Trapped in the dynamic set in place then, they can neither stay away from each other nor trust again. When Rainewood appears to Abigail, she thinks he's dead. He thinks he's dreaming, and the sounds of her crying through the night only confuse him. Forced out of the roles they've been playing, they work through what drew them apart. The society in Regencyland often seems like a high school clique run amok, and that's taken to enjoyable extremes here. I think I would have liked this book much better if the criminal element were done away with - Rainewood could as easily have been trapped in a French prison or absent his memory in the countryside after a fall, but instead he's the victim of a plot conducted by rapists and thugs.
The center relationship was very strong to me. It's not a case of people being drawn together. For The Earl's Pleasure is more of a divorce book - a couple who have come to hate reach across the bitterness to remember why they were together in the first place, but with ghosts thrown into the mix. I think it could have been better, but it was certainly worth my time. I would pre-order her next book without hesitation.
Using the paranormal aspect of the book as a stand in for the emotional upheavals of the early teen years, Anne Mallory places her hero and heroine at a pivotal moment in both their lives and then hands them the inability to deal with the adult roles thrust upon them. Trapped in the dynamic set in place then, they can neither stay away from each other nor trust again. When Rainewood appears to Abigail, she thinks he's dead. He thinks he's dreaming, and the sounds of her crying through the night only confuse him. Forced out of the roles they've been playing, they work through what drew them apart. The society in Regencyland often seems like a high school clique run amok, and that's taken to enjoyable extremes here. I think I would have liked this book much better if the criminal element were done away with - Rainewood could as easily have been trapped in a French prison or absent his memory in the countryside after a fall, but instead he's the victim of a plot conducted by rapists and thugs.
The center relationship was very strong to me. It's not a case of people being drawn together. For The Earl's Pleasure is more of a divorce book - a couple who have come to hate reach across the bitterness to remember why they were together in the first place, but with ghosts thrown into the mix. I think it could have been better, but it was certainly worth my time. I would pre-order her next book without hesitation.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful historical romance with a touch of the paranormal!
2 Aug 2009
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I can not begin to tell everyone how much I enjoyed this book! I read the book to my husband and he enjoyed it as much as I did and agrees with me that it was a highly entertaining read. It is not only a historical romance but it has a bit of the paranormal in it as well, though the description on the back of the book leads you to believe it is just a normal historical romance. The confrontations between Abigail and Valerian are humorous and delightful. Once cherished friends, a scandalous secret tore them apart. Valerian delights in taunting Abigail through most of the book, feeling that she betrayed their friendship with what he sees as a lie. Abigail only wishes to find a husband and live a normal life but Valerian thwarts her efforts at every turn. Abigail has the ability to see ghosts and when Valerian, who has been missing for two days, appears at a ball walking right through people, she thinks he is dead. Valerian believes he is dreaming and refuses to believe that Abigail can actually see ghosts. There is a strong chemistry between the lead characters from the very beginning. You can feel the attraction between them even though their verbal confrontations say otherwise. The villain behind Valerian's disappearance is a mystery and I have to admit, I was surprised when he was revealed. Not often an author can get one over on me, lol and I love it when they do. A truly wonderful book for anyone who loves historical romance with a touch of the paranormal and little bit of humor combined.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Entertaining
3 Feb 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was an entertaining read. It's both a historical and paranormal romance.
Abigail sees ghosts. And when her old friend and nemesis, Valerian, goes missing, he starts to haunt Abigail in an effort to find out what happened to him. Their relationship is definitely contentious in the beginning! So contentious, I wasn't sure I could read a lot of their bickering before it would become annoying. But fortunately, it doesn't last long. Soon the relationship between the two becomes teasing and flirtatious as they discover more about each other and what really caused a rift between them. The storyline was definitely the main reason I read this book. It seemed like a very inventive premise. But at times I found the book way too predictable, and I ended up skimming chapters to get to the end of the book. That's the main reason I am only giving this book 3 stars. I've read other books by Anne Mallory and have really enjoyed them. I definitely will read more.
Abigail sees ghosts. And when her old friend and nemesis, Valerian, goes missing, he starts to haunt Abigail in an effort to find out what happened to him. Their relationship is definitely contentious in the beginning! So contentious, I wasn't sure I could read a lot of their bickering before it would become annoying. But fortunately, it doesn't last long. Soon the relationship between the two becomes teasing and flirtatious as they discover more about each other and what really caused a rift between them. The storyline was definitely the main reason I read this book. It seemed like a very inventive premise. But at times I found the book way too predictable, and I ended up skimming chapters to get to the end of the book. That's the main reason I am only giving this book 3 stars. I've read other books by Anne Mallory and have really enjoyed them. I definitely will read more.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Romance > Historical
- Books > Romance > Paranormal
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
