3.75 ( )

3.75 ( )

RIPE FOR PLEASURE by Isobel Carr is an exciting historical romance set in 1783 London. It is the first in the "The League of Second Sons". It is well with depth and details. The plot and characters are engaging and will capture your heart. The League of Second Sons is a secret society of younger sons who have sworn to aid each other,no matter the scandal or cost. Their brothers and fathers are Dukes and such,where as they have no dukom or possible income.So they formed this secret society.This story is about Viola Whedon, a widow, former courtesan,and writing her memoirs and Leonidas Vaughan,the second son of a Duke,searching for hidden treasure,and plans to seduce Viola to gain entrance to her house,where the treasure is supposed to be hidden.Leonidas believes Viola holds the fortune his family was given by the King of Fance years prior.So Leonidas,sexy,handsome,determined sets out to seduce his way into Viola's bed.Leonidas needs this fortune to keep his inheiritance from his grandfather.In the meantime,Leonidas' c ousin also wants the treasure and will do anything to gain it,including killing Viola if he has to and destroy the family who took him in as a child.This story has everything you would want in a historical romance.It has romance,sweet sensuality,attempted murder,kidnapping,love,betrayal,passion,and family. This is a must read.This book was received from Net Galley and the publisher for the purpose of review.Details can be found at Forever,an imprint of Grand Central Publishing and My Book Addiction Reviews. ( )

When a relative of Lord Leonidas Vaughn and his cousin Charles MacDonald dies, he leaves behind a series of letters speaking of a hidden treasure. The last known location of said treasure is somewhere within the residence of Viola Whedon. Because neither man is going to come into much inheritance, both men are willing to take exceptional risks to obtain it. Late one night, Charles sends men to Mrs. Whedon's home to search for it. She flees the intruders and finds herself in the arms of Leo, perfect for Leo's plan to seduce the location of the treasure from Viola. But it isn't long before Leo finds himself under Mrs. Whedon's spell. Together they fight the mutual attraction while Leo struggles to hide the truth that could tear them apart, for Viola knows nothing of the treasure and certainly nothing of Leo's inital intentions.

The book was easy enough to get into in the beginning but slowed down toward the middle since there wasn't much going on without Charles to stir up some trouble. I liked the idea of the whole "second sons society" but although we get to meet the members, we really don't get to hear a whole lot about the society itself. I liked Leo. I thought he was charming and liked how once he realized that he loved Viola, he went with it instead of denying it. I also thoroughly enjoyed his sister, Beau, and the rest of his crazy family. I wouldn't pass up any oppurtunity to attend a Vaughn family reunion, that's for sure - risk of abduction aside! Viola on the other hand...eh she had her moments. I wasn't too crazy for her at first but I began to warm up to her throughout the book. We are told she gets mad at Leo for this or for that but when the two interact, she doesn't show it. Her answer for alot of things seemed to be sex so naturally there are quite a few sex scenes in the book. Most are quick and almost pointless but if a distraction is what Viola was looking for then that is what she got. It felt at times like Leo treated her more like a prostitute than a woman he was falling for. The author wrapped up the book nice and neatly and I was almost sorry to see it come to a close. But there are two more books in the series to look forward to! ( )

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

RIPE FOR PLEASURE is the first book in the series The League of Second Sons. I found the series' premise to be weak, so I knew from the start that I was going to suspend more than just my belief—I needed to let my imagination soar.

Nothing could have prepared me for this story, and, try as I might, I just could not get into it. Everything in it left me wanting more. I wanted my hero to be more heroic, and my heroine more loving. I wanted more real emotion and action, more tension and passion between ANYONE, not just hero and heroine, as well as more focus on either a plot or the characters. But both were underdeveloped, and I felt adrift.

The plot and Leo’s `treasure' hunt bored me to tears, and the sex scenes left me cold. As for their love story or the romance of it, it was rushed and made me feel like I’ve missed a chapter or two where all this began.

Even the League of Second Sons wasn’t developed quite properly and left me wanting to know more about them, not just allowing a peek at the men. At the end, I lost interest in the plot, romance, and my own focus on this very poorly written story.

It goes without saying: I do not recommend RIPE FOR PLEASURE and will not read the rest of the series.

Melanie ( )