Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: The Lover is one of the most beautifully written erotic historical romance novels that I have ever read. Michel/Michael is a male prostitute who has been without a patroness for five years, since a fire that disfigured him. Anne, is a 36 year old spinster who has spent her entire life subjugating her own desires in order to care for her aged parents. After her parents die, leaving Anne a huge inheritance, she decides that she wants to experience passion, so she hires Michel to be her lover for the price of 10,000 pounds, for thirty days. She had seen him at a ball at her disastrous come out and had wanted him ever since.What I really enjoyed about this story was that it actually had an interesting story line that fit in/explains Michel/Michael's overt sexuality. The story itself is not necessarily easy to follow, Schone actually assumes that her readers have a bit of intelligence so the plot line is not obvious from the very beginning. For instance we know from the very beginning that Michel is seeking revenge for some heinous crime that was committed upon him as a child. We also know that something happened to him as an adult but it is not until almost the very end of the book that what happened is revealed. It is then that the reason and logic behind Michel/Michael's actions and cryptic remarks make sense. This was a sensitive, beautiful, erotic story - with a compelling plot, adventurous sex and compelling main characters. If think that you would like to read historical erotic romances but have been turned off by Susan Johnson's all sex, no plot, throw away character stories then check out this and The Lady's Tutor. I must give a warning however, there are som ah grahic violent scenes in here, -- that fit into the story line but are disturbuing. (The scenes that I am referring to are not of a sexual nature)
Rating:
Summary: Loved it.
Review: All of Robin Schone's books, especially 'The Lover', are some of the hottest and sexiest books I have ever read. I could not put them down. Her books are not just about great sex scenes but are really great stories and interesting, unpredictable plots. Even if it did not contain the great erotica I would still devour her books as she is one of the greatest storytellers I have ever come across. She has a style of writing that completely captures you and draws you into the story. It takes a great talent to write in such a way that the story stays with you long after you finished reading the book. She has made me a more open-minded reader of romance novels. Her books have been very liberating and empowering to me and women in general. Her female characters are not your usual heroines, but rather everyday middle aged flawed (much like ourselves) women. I can not recommend her enough. I love and own several copies of each of her books and am waiting anxiously for her next release. In short, her books are money well spent. They are great especially if you want to escape from the modern world for a few hours.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: Anne Aimes was a woman I found compelling and sympathic. The plot kept me guessing, kept me interested, and I found myself very moved by what the characters go through. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I Expected
Review: I am an avid reader of Robin Schone's works, and I loved all of her former novels. Therefore, I was not quite prepared for the horror and abuse in this book. The research was flawless, the eroticism was excellent and the story line very familiar from her past two stories, i.e., a lonely plain spinster, an outcast male willing to teach the spinster about sex, and an overall sense of quiet desparation underlying the quest for love. What I was not prepared for in this book was the detailed descriptions of the truly horrible acts perpetrated upon our hero as a young man, and the degree of torture the "man" was capable of inflicting on nearly every character in the book, whether necessary or not. I agree with another reviewer that1 this book should be classified as horror rather than romance. It is definitely not for everyone. I can only hope that the next book from Ms. Schone will be more along the lines of her former works, with the gentle, anticipatory eroticism of "The Lady's Tutor" and "The Lady's Pleasure".
Rating:
Summary: ALMOST 5 STARS...
Review: I ENJOYED THIS BOOK BECAUSE THE LEADING CHARACTERS ARE FRESH. MICHAEL IS CONFIDENT AND LIKEABLE. HE IS NOT PERFECT AND I BELIEVE THIS MAKES FOR A GOOD READ B/C YOU CAN RELATE TO HIS TRIALS. MICHAEL WAS HOT! ANNE IS ALSO NOT PERFECT, IN BODY OR EMOTIONS. THIS IS UNUSUAL IN TODAYS ROMANCE WHERE THE FEMALE HAS A GREAT BODY. ANNE IS A LITTLE TOO FORWARD FOR THE TIMES THE STORY WAS SET IN. THIS IS THE REASON I GAVE IT ONLY 4 STARS BECAUSE THAT PART WAS NOT BELIEVABLE. ANNE WAS INNOCENT, SHE WAS TOO BOLD FOR SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN RAISED ALL HER LIFE TO NOT BE BOLD. BUT I STILL THINK THIS BOOK IS WORTH THE READ. I ENJOYED THE PASSION AND SUSPENSE IT HAD.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate in erotic romance.
Review: Robin Schone is currently the most interesting voice in romance novels. She not only creates wonderful three dimensional characters, but she is also subtly promoting a certain feminist philosophy. The central theme running through all of Schone's books is the idea that women's sexuality is just as important as men's and that women should have the same freedom to fulfill their sexual needs. "The Lover" is another variation on this theme. The heroine, Anne, is a 36 year old spinster who has spent her entire adulthood in Victorian England caring for her elderly parents and has never had an opportunity to have a romance. Now that her parents have died, she decides to use part of her inheritance to purchase a male prostitute to teach her about sex. The prostitute, Michael, has been in forced retirement since he was badly burned in an accident several years before. Michael sees his relationship with Anne as a chance for redemption from his mysterious past. As they begin to progress towards a relationship, they must both battle ghosts from Michael's past. As always, Schone has done a wonderful job creating well developed and sympathetic characters. Her love scenes are incredibly sensual and frequently very graphic. I am particularly impressed with Scone's historical research and her efforts to make her characters and their relationship true to the time period. I personally thought the mystery elements of the story were a bit overwrought - I particularly didn't like Michael's constant reference to "the man" - but those of you with a more gothic bent will appreciate them. All in all, "The Lover" is a very good, very powerful book.
Rating: 
Summary: BEWARE! This is not a romance novel.
Review: This book was a dissapointment. To think that i paid around $13.00 makes me mad. I want to know why this book was labeled as historical romance when it's more of a horror/suspense thriller. I've read The Lady's Tutor and I loved it but this book is nowhere near the quality of The Lady's tutor. The only reason somebody will rate this book 4-5 stars is because of the erotic scenes. There was no sexual tension at all, if there was any it was overshadowed by Michel's dark thoughts. HOW COULD THE HEROINE GET AROUSED BY LISTENING TO MICHAEL TELL HER WHAT HE ENDURED AS A CHILD, THAT HE WAS FORCED TO EAT WORMS AND MAGGOTS. HE TOLD HER ALL THIS WHILE THEY'RE HAVING SEX AND SOMEHOW THEY STILL MANAGED TO HAVE HOT SEX. If I were Anne, i'll be throwing up instead of having orgasms. It was really sick. I think Robin Schone is a very talented writer, i only wish she would start writing real romance novels where the characters really care for each other and none of the cryptic, gothic and homosexual topics. If she ever comes up with one, then i would be glad to pay $ 12.00 + tax for it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent erotic romance ...
Review: Well ... after reading the other reviews, I searched my own recommendation to see if I had overrated The Lover. I think it was great~ There was most definitely a plot--and the veiled threats kept me guessing until near the end of the book as to what Michel/Michael's past might hold. I also really liked the character of Anne Aimes -- she was nobody's fool and certainly not a simpering ninny. I loved her bold, yet shy attitude. I love the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton and I thought the character of Michel/Michael was a bit of a take-off on Asher in the Anita Blake novels -- he speaks french in bed (now there's something I'd like to experience in my lifetime) and Michel also has scars, though not as extreme as Asher's. I would certainly recommend this book. I checked it out from the library and bought it AND Gabriel's Woman (a sequel) on amazon.com the next day (if I'm willing to pay cold, hard cash it must be good ;+) Definitely a keeper for me...
Rating: 
Summary: Don't read this book for the plot.
Review: I don't know why this book has been rated so highly. While I agree that the book is somewhat titillating, the writing style is AWFUL!
The author keeps repeating lines over and over again for shock value or whatever reason but this starts to irritate.
There is just a sense of the whole story being written just for sex and if that is what the reader is looking for then just scan through the book for the sex parts. The plot is flimsy, the characters one-dimensional, the villain so evil that it's unrealistic and the dialogue silly. Buy a used copy instead (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better...( 3 1/2 stars)
Review: Robin Schone is fairly new to me. Ever since I picked up her book "The Ladys Tutor", I have been on a quest to read everything I can get my hands on that she has written. "The Lover" started out wonderfully. I was soooo curious to see where things were going to go. It had all of the elements Ive come to expect from Schones books...It had a tortured hero and mysterious happenings...it had wildly erotic lovescenes and was SO WELL WRITTEN. So...why not 5 stars? Well, the thing Ive come to REALLY LOVE about Robin Schones stories is that she is able to so beautifully balance the erotic with the romantic. Unfortunately, I felt that "the Lover" focused a bit too much on the characters sex life and not on their emotions. It is for this reason that I didnt rate the book higher. Would I recommend this? To a fan of Ms. Schones...absolutely. However, to anyone who hasnt yet read her, Id start them on something else of hers. All in all...a worthwhile read, but not a keeper.
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