Notorious Pleasures

I have no idea what took me so long to get this book? I loved it! It was every bit as good as the first in the series. Elizabeth Hoyt/Ashford MacNab delivered yet another great historical romance with just the right amount of mystery, sex and a HEA ending. If you liked the first book or enjoy this genre then I highly recommend this book. Just don\’t wait as long as I did to read it. This was another credit worthy listen for me.

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt (Audio Edition) Narrated by Ashford McNab Maiden Lane Series #2 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ I really liked Lady Hero when I met her in book one and I continued to like her throughout this book. She was giving, honest, and brave. I felt she was a great match for Griffin. He was the kinda guy that did what had to be done regardless of the consequences and I liked that about him. He was a good lead, both tender and protective when needed. I quite enjoyed this story and I am really looking forward to the next book. These characters are growing on me a lot and I can\’t wait to see what happens. Ms. Hoyt\’s writing is very easy to enjoy! The Narrator Ashford McNab did a wonderful job again.

Second in the Maiden Lane series, this one takes secondary character from the first and adds three more who are important to the tale and places the earlier players in secondary status. Except for a Makepiece sister whose story meanders in and out of this one. And we have come to note that there is a few paragraphs of a morality tale at the beginning of each chapter. We also learn more about gin distilling and the economic problems of the time than we thought we wanted to know. Well crafted. Ashford McNab does well enough as narrator.

This was a great story as a standalone book or as the next in the series. I really enjoy Elizabeth Hoyt\’s ability to create sexual tension – it\’s so deliciously drawn out and then spoon fed throughout the story. I also enjoy the weaving in of subsequent story lines. I know some people find them annoying but I enjoy a robust cast of developed characters. That is real life after all. Ashford MacNab does a wonderful job with her voices and her delivery. I wasn\’t crazy about one of her male voices – she made the hero\’s brother sound like a sniffling bore when he was really just a normal guy with all the flaws we love about all our romance novel men. Overall though, a very good story with very good narration.

This is one of those books that I misjudged before reading, and thankfully I was mistaken. Notorious Pleasures is about two unlikely lovers coming together despite all odds against them. I originally shunned the idea of reading a book centered on the love development between notorious rake Griffin Remmington (Lord Reading) and Lady Hero Batten (sister of Duke Wakefield), solely because Lady Hero was engaged to none other than the Marquis of Mandeville (Thomas), who is Griffin\’s brother!!! I actually started the series with book #3, followed by #4, and #5, then went down to #1 and finally #2. The reason I put this book off was because, first of all, how can you sympathize with such blatant cheaters?–Well, that was my original thought. Yet, Elizabeth Hoyt unravels a story that is not cut out of the same cookie-cutter. And, after understanding the characters you just have to throw away any previous misconceptions you formed, at least that was my experience. I found myself quickly rooting for the love between Griffin and Hero. There are many issues with Thomas\’s character. He is one of those political figures who overrides the desires and wants of his own heart to pursue what he believes will be better suited for his political and social life. That might sound self-sacrificing and noble, but when he couldn\’t keep his eyes off of his previous mistress Lady Tate (who he is still in love with), especially in the company of Lady Hero (his fiancé), I was like, \”OH NO YOU DIDN\’T!!\” lol. Worse yet, Thomas planned on continuing a relationship with Lady Tate once settled in his marriage. Thomas is a man who insists on imposing a world with a set of rules that only benefit him. And, I say that because even Lady Tate, an older widow, had the decency to reject Thomas\’s offer to be his kept woman after his marriage to Lady Hero. I thought that depicted Lady Tate in a positive light, despite the circumstances. Ultimately, it works out for Thomas and Lady Tate and he finally comes to his senses about his love match–social norms be dammed. I wanted to mention that there is a lot of exposure of the Duke of Wakefield, Lady Hero\’s brother who is the hero in Book #6. That man is wound up too tightly!!! He is such a stiff-neck & I\’m glad he is going to get humbled & melted in his book. It\’s inevitable for such a staunch & hard character. (Secretly, I hope he suffers a bit in love because he just needs some breaking…& then healing… 🙂 Another character I found really appealing was Griffin and Thomas\’s mother. She is such a perceptive, warm and caring woman. That was a nice change from some of the aristocratic mothers of her era. As for the love between Griffin and Hero, it\’s the best kind. There is repulsion before there is conflict, followed by anger, tender moments, and then the realization of love. I don\’t think you can have true passion without some anger, and the angst between these characters is suitable to their situations. Griffin is a great hero because underneath the facade of indifference, he is a hard-worker who sacrificed the completion of this education in order to resolve his family\’s financial predicament. His father\’s death left the family in dire, financial straights. So while Thomas maintains the appearance of the responsible man of his family, Griffin actually is the person who is good with finances and takes his family out of their economic crisis. Now about the heroine, Lady Hero, her name is suited for her character. In the 1st book, Wicked Intentions, Temperance had the burden of finding a sponsor or donor to maintain the orphanage (the name is too long). In this book, Lady Hero takes on that burden and makes sure that the displaced children in St. Giles have a home to live in and are taken care of. I felt compassion for Lady Hero because initially she was a victim of her time period. The Duke of Wakefield set up her marriage to Thomas and pushed Lady Hero until the very end to marry him (even after Thomas hit Lady Hero). Lady Hero is no dummy though, she was aware of the issues with Thomas (his eyeing Lady Tate & lack of interest in her, and empty incessant flattery etc.) and I\’m so glad her independent spirit pushed through to put her own desires before that of her brother and society. Just as in every Elizabeth Hoyt novel, there are many conflicts and dilemmas that require strong solutions. The proportion of the dilemmas correlate to the strong and almost traumatic resolutions. When you fall in love with your brother\’s fiancé, there is bound to be an explosive breaking away….and, that is just one of the problems among many that needed to be addressed in order for a blissful happiness to come to pass for the couple. E.H. very cunningly and entertainingly tied up all lose ends as is her craft. Great book!!!! P.S. — Narrator is fabulous as always!

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member