PRIDE & PASSION by Charlotte FeatherstoneWhere To Find Charlotte: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Blog
FORMAT: eBook via Netgalley
GENRE: Historical
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK: 384 pages
PUBLISHER: HQN Books (November 15, 2011)
ISBN: 9780373776177
They each have their secrets. But what they share is Passion
Lucy Ashton had long ago given up her quest for true love. In the rarified society of Victorian England, Lucy plays the game--flirting, dancing and dabbling in the newly fashionable spiritualism. Even marrying when--and who--she's supposed to. If the stuffy Duke of Sussex cannot spark the passion she craves, he can at least give her a family, a home of her own,and a place to belong. But when her polite marriage reveals a caring and sensual man, Lucy begins to wonder if she can indeed have it all.
But Lord Sussex is not the man the London ton has come to admire. And Lucy has some ghosts of her own, as well. Thus, when a blackmail scheme turns to threats of danger, the newfound peace of the Sussex marriage is cast upon the rocks. Passion has a price, Lucy learns. And not all ghosts stay buried. (source)
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REVIEW:
OH.MY.GOD. I don't even know where to begin in reviewing this book. I've never been left speechless by a book before. Charlotte Featherstone had me floored. Utterly stunned. I read until 2AM. Just amazing. It's been a while since I've cried over a book and this one had me in tears. And don't even get me started on the ending. My jaw dropped, may have heard it pop it dropped so fast. Whyyyy? How am I going to survive until Temptation & Twilight?
To be honest, I picked up the book because of its cover. Yes. I'm a cover lover. And I'm not even a big fan of orange but this cover works. Gah!
PRIDE:
Lady Lucy Ashton is dabbling in the occult trying to find her lost lover. He has captured her heart and enthralled her, only to die in a fire, or so she thinks. The Duke of Sussex, the man she is to be engaged to, brings proof in the form of her handkerchief (which she gave to her lover) as proof that he is still alive. She is determined to find him by any means and has branded Sussex as her enemy.
Being a victim of her time and upbringing, Lucy was the only child born to her parents (no heir) so they ignored her. In turn, she learned to close herself off from others. As a child, she had a friend (the butcher's son) who she spent a lot of time with until her father sends him away. He gifts her with a handmade bed for her dolls, which she has kept as a reminder. Now, she cannot seem to get her childhood friend out of her head. There is something hauntingly familiar about the cold grey eyes she saw during her visit to the mystic.
Refusing to cave into her father's arrangement of marriage to Sussex, she does everything in her power to dissuade Sussex from marrying her. But as the heavy staring and sultry, thigh clenching words flow and seduce from Sussex's all too kissable mouth do a number to her whole being, Lucy must not allow herself be lured in by that simmering passion underneath the controlled visage of the all too proper duke.
She must find her lover and prove to Sussex that the man is not in league with Orpheus. She must also find out why her lover did not let her know he was still alive and she had to find out via her handkerchief that Sussex brought to her. But things take a dangerous and unexpected turn. She must decide whether to go back to her lover or allow Sussex's amorous attentions to grow into something more.
PASSION:
Lord Adrian York, Duke of Sussex is controlled, scandal-free and on the hunt for the man named Oprheus who has one of the relics that belong to the Brethren Guardians. Under all that control is a secret and a simmering passion for Lucy. He is determined to make Lucy his in every way but to do so, he must convince her that Thomas is the enemy, not him.
He's held a tendre for Lucy for quite some time now and he wants her. Badly. But he must keep his passions in check so as not to prove to the ton that he is his father's son. At every turn, Lucy tempts him more and more even though, true to her hair color, she's feisty and fights him every step of the way.
His sister and his father's mistress are the only family he's got left, not counting his fellow Brethren. Keeping them safe from Orpheus is at the top of his list after finding the man himself. Both know what Adrian is and they are willing to help him even if it is too dangerous and could pay with their life.
He's held a deep dark secret for so long, it could cost him everything and everyone he loves.
Pride & Passion:
As Lucy gets closer to finding Thomas, Adrian must keep her from harms way even if it means opening up to her about Brethren business and showing her how he really feels. Together they each must set aside their pride and let their passions rule. Only then, can the truth be revealed and releasing their respective emotional burdens.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "That telling sentence was far more intimate than his mouth against hers, his breath on her face, his palms on her skin." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)
OVERALL: Charlotte Featherstone has created a world of danger, intrigue, betrayal, forgiveness, anticipation, second chances, dark secrets and the occult. Just WOW. Confession: this book started a little slow for me but once the danger escalated, the reigned in passions exploded and jaw dropping secrets were revealed, I turned the pages faster and faster. When I thought I had it figured out, Ms. Featherstone threw a kink in my little dance party. This is a heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, heat pooling low in your belly, holy carp I didn't see that coming! read. You'll laugh, you'll sigh, you'll cry (okay, at least tear up for those of you who are only half human) and you'll curse out loud once it is finished. Or at least break out in a chorus of "whyyyy Charlotte Featherstone, whyyyyy?" At least that's what I did. I do recommend that you start off with the first book of this series: Seduction & Scandal. There's a mystery afoot and you don't want to miss out on anything.
***requested off Netgalley***
