Stevie’s Duckies Do Series review of The Pleasure Wars Series by Jess Michaels
Historical Romance published by Samhain Publishing, Ltd. July 2013 – June 2014
Maybe it’s something to do with being a child of the ’70s and ’80s, but I have a certain soft spot for big overarching series plots about warring families. Throw in a healthy dose of history and the manners and conventions of another era and I’m likely to be hooked. So a Regency series about two powerful families with a mutual hatred so old that no one can quite remember what started it ought to be right up my street. Of course, that’s especially true in this case, where the women have very definite ideas about the silliness of this whole complex mess the men have got themselves into, thanks to their fathers’ and grandfathers’ refusals to give up or to teach their sons that making peace might just be a good idea in polite society.
Taken By the Duke, Book 1
02 Jul 13
Christian, the head of one of the warring families, is understandably pissed off after his sister dies while eloping with Liam, the head of the other family. So he decides to take matters a step further by kidnapping his enemy’s younger sister. Ava, meanwhile, is none too happy with the war between the families since she has been relegated to the role of wallflower and subject of gossip, rather than that of eligible young woman fending off handsome suitors. So when Christian kidnaps her, she figures that she might as well enjoy herself; no one seems to want to marry her anyway.
Ava is a fabulous character, and the house Christian takes her to could almost be a character in its own right as Ava explores its rooms and slowly discovers the truth behind the elopement and subsequent death of Christian’s sister. My one small niggle is the identity of the person who interfered in the relationships of both Christian’s sister with Ava’s brother and with Ava herself with Christian, but to explain why would be far too big a spoiler.
Grade: B
Summary:
An eye for an eye, a sin for a sin…
Amid all the lies and scandals that fuel Society’s gossip mill, one truth has stood out: House Rothcastle and House Windbury have always hated each other.
Lady Ava Windbury prays the feud will someday end, to no avail. One dreadful night, her brother accidentally causes the death of Christian Rothcastle’s sister, a tragedy that leaves both men maimed.
Consumed by grief, Christian makes a grim decision. He will kidnap Lady Ava so that her family will feel the pain of loss as keenly as he feels the loss of his own sister. But once he has Ava in his clutches, desire takes unexpected hold. Even more surprising, she willingly surrenders to his every sexual whim—after haggling over the terms of giving up her virginity.
Too late, he realizes she is using her body for peace, not war. But just as their affair of revenges turns into an affair of the heart, the past rears its ugly head to take matters into its own hands…
Warning: This book contains scenes of erotic seduction, sexual revenge and the healing power of love.
Read an excerpt.
Pleasuring the Lady, Book 2
19 Nov 13
Portia, Ava’s best friend, also worries that she’s doomed in the marriage stakes, this time because her mother is prone to bouts of madness and her brother is not only cruel and miserly towards the pair of them, but also seems destined to follow in their father’s footsteps and gamble away what remaining money was left to him after their father had lost much of the family wealth. So when Ava confides that her brother has been seen in a notorious gaming den and that she wants someone to make sure he’s all right following the rift caused by Ava’s marriage, Portia volunteers to go after him in disguise. She doesn’t find Liam, but she does run into another old friend, the rather notorious Miles, who is determined not to settle down until he’s ready.
Unfortunately, Portia’s brother catches them together, and Miles proposes to Portia to safeguard her reputation. Portia is more than impressed that he’s prepared to take her on, even after finding out that her mother is part of the deal, but convinced that he doesn’t really want her. So she goes out of her way to fulfil all of his desires no matter how scandalous they might be. The scenes with Portia’s mother are lovely, and Miles is wonderful in his acceptance of her, which helps wonderfully in calming her wilder episodes. This is definitely my favourite of the series.
Grade: A
Summary:
Once the game begins, there is no tearing your gaze away.
Her mother’s madness and her father’s and brother’s irresponsibility have relegated Lady Portia to the life of a wallflower. The only shining light in her life is her best friend, Ava, who is suffering a rift with her own brother.
Portia’s quest to help takes her to the notorious Donville Masquerade in the hells, where—behind the safety of a mask—she witnesses shocking public acts of sin. And succumbs to the touch of Marquis Miles Weatherfield.
Unfortunately, they’re discovered. And now, tainted by scandal, she and Miles are destined for a marriage neither of them want. But Portia makes a bargain that raises even Miles’s eyebrows.
In return for saving her mother from the asylum, Portia will do anything Miles wants in bed. Shocked by his driving desire for Portia, Miles agrees. As they explore every wicked desire, every forbidden act that pleases them, they discover something that goes far deeper than flesh. But the lies that brought them together could be the very wedge that drives them apart.
Warning: This book contains wicked encounters, erotic voyeurism, lies, a brief threesome, and unexpected kindnesses.
Read an excerpt.
Beauty and the Earl, Book 3
14 Apr 14
Still worried about her brother, Ava and Christian hire a courtesan to seek him out and report back on his true state of mind. Violet is happy to take the considerable sum of money they offer her for this task, because it will enable her to retire to the coast and be a proper mother to her son. So she and her best friend Olivia set off to Bath so that Violet can track Liam down and start an affair with him that will enable her to fulfil her mission. She knows Liam has a reputation as a lover and as a man who hasn’t kept a woman for himself since the accident, but she doesn’t expect to fall for him.
I feel that this book is the weakest of the series, as a lot happens behind the scenes and we’re told about the truth of the war rather than seeing the facts unearthed for ourselves, and while I like the friendship between Olivia and Violet, I don’t feel convinced that it is going to continue once they’d found their men.
Grade: C
Summary:
Desire as essential as breath…deception as fragile as sanity.
Liam, the Earl of Windbury, had everything when he held his secret lover in his arms. Until a feud between their families left her dead, his body broken, and his sister married to his bitterest enemy.
Wracked with guilt, simmering with rage, he’s spent a year in seclusion, seeing no one except a few servants as he does his best to forget the past and patently refuses to think about any kind of future.
When courtesan Violet Milford enters Liam’s lair, she’s on a secret mission to gather information for Liam’s desperate sister, who fears for his sanity, even his life. What she finds is a man scarred inside and out, whose dark, controlling sensuality hides the kind, wounded man within.
Violet awakens a sexual desire more powerful than Liam has ever known, and her stories weave a spell that begins to work its way past his defenses. But when the truth inevitably comes out, it could well destroy the love that is saving them both.
Warning: This book features a sexually experienced woman who will use every trick in her book to save a man from himself.
Read an excerpt.
A Beautiful Distraction, Book 4
24 Jun 14
A behind-the-scenes novella about what Olivia was doing while Violet and Liam were falling for each other. I actually prefer this story to the novel it accompanies, even though the conflict over whether Olivia’s humble background makes her an unsuitable wife for Malcolm feels rather glossed over. On the other hand, I love Malcolm’s uncompromising loyalty towards Liam and the way their friendship survives in spite of Liam’s bad behaviour in the aftermath of his accident and then following Ava’s wedding.
Grade: B
Summary:
Can true love begin with a lie?
It has been a particularly trying day for Olivia Cranfield. Despite her impeccable manners, stylish clothing and posh accent, another protector has detected her lowborn status and rejected her out of hand.
When fellow courtesan Violet invites her to come to Bath to help with the wicked seduction of the scarred, reclusive Earl of Windbury, Olivia jumps at the offer, eager for some excitement and a change of scenery.
The moment Malcolm Graham lays eyes on the delectable woman lurking in the bathhouse alley, he knows she’s a decoy to keep him busy while her friend seduces the earl inside. For a moment, he allows her to play her game…but one touch, and all he can think about is ending the two years of self-denial he’s endured in the name of friendship.
Instant attraction quickly turns into a decidedly erotic affair that makes Olivia question all she’s ever known about passion. But when the truth behind Violet’s assignment comes to light, betrayal threatens to bring everything they’ve built crashing down around Olivia’s broken heart.
Warning: This book overlaps with Beauty and the Earl, so some passages may seem familiar to readers of both. Contains a lady lying for a good cause, a gentleman as loyal to his friends as he is passionate in the bedchamber, and a steamy affair that will change them both forever.
Read an excerpt.
This is a fun series with some definite high points, especially in the second book. Each heroine has her own reasons for not expecting to find love, and each hero is able to look past those factors and see why the pair of them will succeed better together than apart. I love the friendships between various of the main characters and there’s a great villain in the form of Portia’s brother too. I’ll definitely be looking out for more series from this author.
Overall Grade: B
