Pleasure Me [Paperback]

Forty-One year old Lady Ruth has been a courtesan most of her life and a very successful one at that. However, her latest lover has cast her aside for someone younger. Ruth isn't quite sure how to feel about this. She knows this lifestyle will not last forever, but she is sad to see her younger years have passed her by. Determined not to let her former lover get the better of her, she decides to make an appearance at a ball that night. Word of her split has already made the rounds though and to start the ball she is the center of viscous gossip.

Baron Garrick Stratfield can't stand to see a woman hurt, and when he hears Ruth being cut down, he intervenes on her behalf. Ruth thinks he is only being nice because he pities her and they part ways. They soon find each other again when they both want to purchase the same house. Unknown to the other, they both have interests in two separate orphanages and they both need to expand. The more they run into each other, the more their attraction builds. But this attraction has many barriers.

Garrick is only 29. Ruth knows he is younger, and assumes if they entered into a relationship, he would eventually cast her aside as well. Garrick on the other hand is a virgin (obviously a tightly kept secret). He has had a mistress in the past, but never entered into a physical relationship with her. He has a physical impairment, that causes him much shame, and can't bare to be naked with a woman. Garrick can't get sex out of his mind when he is around Ruth, but his shame outweighs his desires - at least at first.

Pleasure Me is one of the most sultry and sensual historical romance books I have read. Garrick has this intense vibe about him, but he is also a virgin and carries around such shame about his impairment. This vulnerability is such a contrast with his outward persona. It makes him out to be such a fun hero to read about. He is sexual, and he is a seducer, he just can't complete the deed due to his shame. He is alpha in everything in his life, except when a woman wants to have sex.

Ruth and Garrick have such amazing chemistry, yet both are so reluctant to make that step forward to a physical relationship. Monica Burns builds the tension ever so slowly. They truly become friends first, even though that step is even hard for them. Ruth is so obsessed with her age and how society will judge her if she is seen with a younger man. Garrick is so obsessed with his physical impairment and how a woman will judge him if he unclothes himself. There is no easy road for them. They fight, they don't communicate - but there is this magnetic force pulling them back together. They have much in common - both involved in orphanages and both had traumatic childhoods which have sculpted them into the adults they are today. Best of all, as we go through the steps of their friendship, the sexual tension Monica Burns gives us is off the chart.

The author blurb on the front of the cover states, "I have never anticipated a love scene with such fervor before," and I can't agree more. I literally couldn't put this book down. I NEEDED to get to the eventual love scene between the virgin and the very experienced courtesan. Best of all - the scene plays out beautifully. It is not rushed, spanning a couple of chapters. I don't want to give anything away - but it is done with such an erotic twist. Not only is the build-up amazing, the actual love scenes really, really pay off.

The first 95% of the book I loved every word. Right at the end, I think it veers off course just a little. A betrayal comes into play that seemed a bit forced to me. Otherwise, this book is fantastic. Pleasure Me made my smexy heart beat in all its glory. I love this book.

Rating: A-

Pleasure Me by Monica Burns
Historical Romance -March 1st, 2011
4 ½ stars

Lady Ruth Attwood had just lost her latest patron to a much younger competitor. At the age of forty-one, she was verging on retirement, but she can not afford it. Unknown to anyone, Ruth is the sponsor of St. Agnes, an orphanage that desperately needs more space. Ruth is seeking to purchase Crawley Hall, but the expense will drain her finances badly. With her self-esteem shaken, she is taken aback and suspicious when Baron Garrick Strafield shows an interest in her.

Garrick has a reputation for being a ladies man, but that was just an act to disguise his deepest secret. At the age of twenty-nine, he was still a virgin due to a physical defect. Determined to keep his secret intact, he searched for a new mistress to replace his previous one. Instead, he meets the alluring and irresistible Ruth. Can he trust her with his innermost secret? Will Ruth let him into her bed and her heart?

Tender and romantic, Pleasure Me is an unexpected surprise. When I saw that it was an erotic romance novel, I was prepared for a poorly written plot with an overabundance of steamy love scenes. Instead, I discovered a book that was more romance than erotica. The careful and fragile bond between Ruth and Garrick was so well-written, so heartwarming that the sex, when it happens, feels natural and touching. This book is a pleasure to read as Ruth discards doubts about herself. And Garrick comes to terms with his physical defect. For this book to be categorized as an erotic historical romance is a bit misleading. The love scenes, though steamy, are about the same level with Lisa Kleypas's novels, which aren't that explicit in my opinion.

Moving and emotional, this is a recommended read for romance lovers. Don't be put off by the erotic label and sexy cover as Burns is a talented writer who manages to create a wonderful and poignant love story.

Reviewed by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Club

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Lady Ruth Attwood is forty-one, and Baron Garrick Stratfield is twenty-nine. Ruth knows he's younger, just not that much younger. She's a courtesan that has been let go by her current lover, Marston, who's getting ready to marry a younger woman. Ruth is aware that the years are passing her by, and she has decided to get out of the `biz' altogether while she still has her beauty. She also is a benefactress of an orphanage, and is planning to buy a very nice home for all her `children' and is actually looking forward to retirement.

Baron Garrick Stratfield is a ladies' man with a couple of secrets that only his uncle is privy to, or so he thinks. He's one of those heroes that is wise beyond his years and will always come to the rescue of anyone that's in distress. He also is a benefactor to an orphanage. His mistress decides to get married, and Garrick fears that his secrets will come out, unless he can find another to fill her place.

These two have an awesome chemistry, and we watch the story unfold as they become friends first, and lovers later. Ruth's obsession with her age is not surprising, yet we're made to feel her emotions deeply. Garrick, on the other hand, is terrified of anyone finding out his secret, but when those are revealed to us, we just want to cuddle the man and tell him, "It's all cool, Dude!"

I was anxious to read this book for only one reason: a huge gap in the ages of main characters. There aren't many stories told of women being so much older than men, and I was curious as to how this would play out in a romance. To be honest, I was expecting this book to be a basic 'porn' on paper. Well, color me happy! PLEASURE ME was such a pleasant surprise. The age difference was handled with such grace, such aplomb, that I loved every page I read. I would have never thought to classify this book as an erotic read.

Ruth and Garrick's story was tender, heartwarming, and full of sexual tension. It was an emotional read, and it hit the right notes in my heart. It felt personal as well. I identified with Ruth on so many levels as I'm married to a man twelve years my junior, and I could see her point-of-view so clearly. She saw herself as old compared to him, while all he could see is a woman that came into her own, a woman worthy of his affection.

I don't usually read erotic novels, but let me assure you, PLEASURE ME is one sensual, sultry, and heartwarming story you won't be able to put down.

Melanie