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Worth Any Price

Worth Any Price

List Price: $7.50
Your Price: $6.75
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Terrific End to A Trilogy
Review: Unlike Stephanie Laurens and Julia Quinn (with their "Cynster" and "Bridgerton" series), Lisa Kleypas knows when her interconnected books start to run out of steam. Not a lot happens in this novel, action-wise (unlike the two previous "Bow Street" books), but she neatly interconnects all the characters from all three, so that there's a satisfying conclusion. Actually, there are a lot of "satisfying conclusions" in this novel - it's also the sexiest of the three, in keeping with its featuring the most decadent character, Nick Gentry.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A bit disappointed
Review: Being a tremendous Kleypas fan, I ran out to buy this third book about the Bow Street runners. As I began reading, it became apparent that Kleypas is writing more and more purely "sexual" books, and spending less time really developing the characters and plot. Many of her previous novels, almost ALL, as a matter of fact, were VERY difficult to put down and I found myself staying up through the night at times to finish. This one, however, I was able to put down at any time, but I did plow through it, skipping MANY heated pages of nonsense and trying to hurry to the end. There was very little suspense involved. And Nick's difficulties in getting close to Lottie seemed a bit far-fetched. Not trying at all to seem prudish, but the heated sex scenes were overkill.

I truly loved her previous novels which were very sensual and involved characters who were well-developed, complex, and had realistic problems to overcome. Walking away from the books almost seemed to be a departure of a friendship. Nick and Lottie did not at all strike me in that way. Sorry guys - I know everyone has loved it up to this point. I was sorry myself since I await each of her books EAGERLY! I guess I am in the minority but felt the need to express a differing point of view. I give it 3 stars only because Kleypas is a wonderful author and has a gift that deserves acknowledgement.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Priceless
Review: This bodice-ripper of a romance opens with the tortured Bow-Street runner Nick Gentry seeking sexual expertise from an experienced courtesan. One might quickly jump into the conclusion that Lisa Kleypas has decided to forfeit her sensuality for eager blatant prurience and infidelity. However as we read on, the opening scene becomes tragic as Nick succumbs to lust to purge his guilt and nightmares of his afflictions during his imprisonment.

Worth Any Price is immediately a haunting romance that triumphs with passion and poignancy - and a superb follow-up to its equally measured predecessor Lady Sophia's Lover. As readers reassociate with Nick Gentry - the villain in the predecessor, they learn that he is actually Viscount John Sydney who is thrown to the underbelly of London at a young age and survives a jail-term through a switch of identity. He becomes the hardened crime-lord who is later captured by magistrate (and ironically brother-in-law) Sir Ross Cannon . To escape punishment by death, he is to serve his sentence as a Bow -Street Runner supervised by Sir Grant Morgan.

The dangerous job soon subconsciously becomes an outlet to gamble with his life through risks for life is now beyond hope and aim. The pivotal moment comes when he finds Charlotte Howard in Hampshire for the deranged Lord Radnor. His protective instincts are aroused by the stunning beauty whose life has been ruined like a Pgymalion fable. To save her from Radnor's harrasses, he decides to marry her but both are convinced that love can never enter the equation.

The steamy interludes of exotic passion emerges surprisingly tender and erotic with an undercurrent of intimacy and empathy for our tormented couple. Ms. Kleypas meshes hot-blooded romance with careful research on the period and peerage as well as deft characterization that easily makes Worth Any Price her most accomplished so far. The best moment of the read - the climactic declaration of love - is especially priceless.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another Winner from Kleypas!!!
Review: I have to tell you..Lisa Kleypas has been an "auto- buy" for me ever since I discovered her when I read "Suddenly you". My Favorite book of hers has always been "Dreaming of You", but wow...now that Ive read "Worth Any Price", I have to say its a toss up! I absolutely LOVED this book..I was sucked into the story at page one and I never looked back...Nick Gentry was so unbelievably sexy!!! My God!...What a fox..I was intrigued by him when he was introduced in "Lady Sophias Lover",and I was hoping that he would get his own story....whew!!! Hes even more delicious than I thought hed be!!!! Please do read this book..you wont be disappointed...I have to say I think its one of Kleypas' best!...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Nice follow-up to "Lady Sophia's Lover"
Review: We first met Nick Gentry in "Lady Sophia's Lover" when he was a famous/infamous crimelord/thief-taker. His capture meant hanging - except that his sister happened to be married to the Chief Magistrate. Since accepting his brother-in-law, Sir Ross Cannon's proposition to "go straight" and become a Bow Street Runner, Nick is now a success and the best runner there is. He has taken on a private commission to find the runaway fiance of Lord Radnor and he finds her working as a companion to dowager Lady Westcliff. Up to now, Charlotte "Lottie" Howard has evaded Lord Radnor for two years and Nick is impressed and attracted by her. She's spirited, but wary and tends to live for the moment, enjoying long walks, dragonflies, wishing wells and May Day celebrations. He is reluctantly charmed and knows that he cannot turn her over to Lord Radnor only to be crushed into submission. Besides, he wants her for himself. So he offers to marry her to take her out of Radnor's reach. She agrees and so begins the bittersweet journey toward trust, friendship, sexual fulfillment and ultimately love for this couple. Nick and Lottie are well suited and sweet together, both working hard to understand and support each other even while they hold part of themselves back. But trust and love do come as they realize their need for each other.

Though this story lacks some of the sparkle of "Lady Sophia's Lover", it's still an enjoyable and recommended read. It was great to see characters from LSL again - Ross is still dreamy, Grant is still wry and Sophia is still her sweet, perceptive and supportive self. We see Nick's resentment of Ross's interference in his life turn finally to gratitude and even respect. Nick may have lost his father years ago, but between Ross and Grant, he has two men looking out for him and in the long run he recognizes this.

I have to agree with another reviewer that the blurb on the back of the book is quite misleading and overblown. While he may be a skillful lover, it was not always so and is certainly not commonly known as the prologue clearly demonstrates. Such hyperbole is really unnecessary.

I'm wondering if we'll see a story about Lord Westcliff. It seemed more time was spent introducing him than is usual for a fairly minor character. And I still think Dr. Linley (LSL) would be fun to investigate as well - I like his sense of humor!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Title of this Book Says it All
Review: I have read a few other books by Lisa Kleypas, but this one is her best by far. Bow Street runner Nick Gentry is hired to find Charlotte ("Lottie")Howard, the runaway fiance of the dissolute Lord Radnor. Lottie has been the object of Radnor's obsessive and perverse fantasies for more than 12 years, and she had left Radnor at the altar rather than become a sacrificial lamb to redeem her father's debts. Gentry tracks Lottie down to the country home of Lord Westcliff, where she has been working for the past two years under a false name as the companion to Lord Westcliff's elderly mother. Posing as Lord John Sydney, Gentry contrives to meet Lottie and is immediately struck by her courage, her honesty, and her unconscious sensuality. Soon, he abandons his original mission and decides that he must have Lottie for himself. To his own surprise, he proposes marriage to her and she accepts, creating an enemy in Lord Radnor in the process. Gentry is a man of considerable skill in bed, having been tutored by the madam of an exclusive brothel for a number of years, and he is easily able to seduce Lottie. But he soon comes to realize that he wants more from her than her considerable physical attractions. To win Lottie's love, he must conquer his nightmare of a past and exchange his own heart and soul for hers. This is a well-written, fast-paced book with sparkling and realistic dialogue. Nick is every woman's dream of a perfect lover: handsome, thoughtful, passionate, faithful, intelligent, funny, unselfish, and a man with slow hands, to boot. Lottie is his perfect match in every way, and when these two get together, the pages catch on fire! Great story, great read, great book.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Heavy on the sex, light on the plot
Review: Lisa Kleypas is a very talented author who has apparently signed onto a style of novel I'm just not interested in. If you are a fan of very early Brenda Joyce, Susan Johnson or Dara Joy, you will be elated to find a writer of LK's caliber writing erotic romance.

If you prefer, as I do, a more emotionally and character driven story you will be disappointed. While there is some exploration of the personal challenges of the hero and heroine, it's presented more as a glimpse of what the story could have been and as a bridge to another sexual encounter. Important story points such as the resolution of the hero's denial of his past or the almost blind willingness of his sister to force him into it, are given short shrift for a tired reworking of the Kama Sutra-esqe sexual secrets he has picked up from a kindly madam.

Rather than explore the world and dynamics around the characters (which are rich, well researched and engaging) we spend additonal time learning that the hero likes to count his strokes and measure their depth in the hopes of practicing tantric sex. I think Brenda Joyce has lived down her 'tree scene' and may pass the crown for least sexy scene to this one. I would have much rather learned who Nick Gentry's people where and why 'Nick Gentry' needs only one night to acclimate himself to change. Why are the heroine's parents blindly bent on destruction against all logic? How do they react to the final events concerning them in the book?

I haven't the answer to any of that. But I do know quite a bit about the sexual preferences of the characters and number and depths of the hero's strokes. If you enjoy what I call softcore, but I understand is billed as erotic romance, Lisa Kleypas is a fine writer which makes this a cut above the usual. If you prefer authors like Julia Quinn, Nora Roberts, or Edith Layton you may be disappointed.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not up to my expectations
Review: I'm a Kleypas fan, and I think she's a remarkably talented romance writer whose heroes are always dream men and whose love (can't write the "s" word in here or www.Amazon.com will delete it; euphemisms abound!) scenes are ultra steamy and sensual. However, I must say that I was a little disappointed in this novel, the third of her Bow Street series. In fact, I still have about 20 pages or so left to read as I write this review, but I became so bored with it that I decided to go online and just finish it tomorrow. For one thing, there's too much focus on Nick's background and his vulnerabilities in this novel and not enough conflict around the romance itself (This reminded me of Galean Foley's most recent work, LADY OF DESIRE; indeed, the two heroes of these novels are remarkably similar). I like for there to be some kind of conflict between the hero and heroine so that we, as readers, can look forward to seeing how it will finally be resolved. In WORTH ANY PRICE, the conflict is mainly Nick's internal one and how he'll combat the demons of his past. The romance isn't really challenged. Additionally, Lottie didn't have very much depth as a character. She seemed to be a stock figure who was not exceptional in any way. Finally, while the love scenes were indeed steamy, they weren't sensual. They were graphic and, frankly, contained harsher language than I've become used to seeing in Kleypas's novels. Yes, she is one of the romance writers whose novels are especially hot, but in this novel, the love scenes seemed gratuitous and seemed to pop up more often than was necessary. It's as if she was making up for other failings of this novel by providing readers with more frequent and more graphic scenes. The funny thing is, these scenes are not nearly as erotic as some of the love scenes she's written in other novels such as SUDDENLY YOU or STRANGER IN MY ARMS.

I'll continue to read Kleypas novels because I haven't changed my opinion that her romance novels are among the best out there. However, I must be honest and admit that this novel was not one of her best efforts.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: engaging early Victorian romance
Review: Because he has heard of the man's highly regarded reputation and skill as a thief-taker that has made him wealthy, controlling Lord Radnor hires Nick Gentry to find his missing fiancee. The trail is difficult because Charlotte Howard vanished two years ago even though Radnor already bought her from her parents. She disappeared because she realized how dominating her future spouse is and what he would do to her.

Two months later Nick believes he has found Charlotte masquerading as a companion to an elderly woman. Through his connected in-law, Nick, disguised as a spoiled Lord Sydney, obtains an invitation to visit Lord Westcliff's estate where he believes Charlotte resides as Lottie Miller. However, once Nick meets Lottie, he finds he likes her very much and cannot just give her over to his odious client. Westcliff points out that her only way to avoid running and Radnor is to marry someone else, preferably him. However, Charlotte declines his kind offer, but agrees to marry Nick, who says he will protect her and her parents while she only has to sleep with him. As they become better acquainted they fall in love, but Radnor believes she is his possession and plans to gain ownership.

This historical romance will provide much pleasure to fans of the sub-genre due to the charming lead protagonists. The story line is at its strongest when this duo takes center stage. The villain is so sociopathic, he does not seem like a character. Nevertheless Lisa Kleypas purveys a story that caters to the tastes of the early Victorian readers.

Harriet Klausner

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful historical romance...........
Review: WOW! This was the third book of the Bow Street Runner trilogy and it definitely did the series justice. There are many historical romances that where the characters play games with each other, not being able to decide if they want to be in love...

Nick Gentry was a peer of the realm who did not want, nor did he ever have plans, to claim his title. When he accepted a private commision from Lord Raynor to find his missing betrothed, little did he know that it would change the course of his life.

Charlotte Howard was a desperate woman who fled from her controlling fiancee two years before. When she met Nick Gentry, whom she was introduced to as Lord Sydney, she felt something for him that she'd never felt in her life.

The story of Nick and Lottie is heartbreaking and at the same time it will warm your heart. Nick is a tortured hero who knew too much desolation at his young age, of 28. It was uplifting to see Lottie bring him out of his self-imposed shell and teach him how to trust and love again.

You will enjoy 'Worth Any Price' and any other book that Lisa Kleypas writes. I can't wait for her next book to come out!!!


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