Passion's Kiss

Rating:
Summary: Delightful romp!
Review: Passion's Kiss is a delightful romp set in the mid-19th century England. The hero is Miles Wellesley, a first-generation American visiting his noble English grandmother while scouting out horses for his family ranch. The heroine is Lady Victoria Pembroke, a beautiful, intelligent, spirited and hoydenish spinster. Their clash, of culture, of wills, and of the sexes, makes this an enjoyable read.

Although their clashes are quite common in romance, Miles' straightforward American-ness makes him a superb specimen of a hero. These two are bound to get together if his grandmother and her step-mother have anything to do with it. And if . . . they would listen to their bodies, their minds, and their hearts. And if they would accept that their marriage is really not one only of convenience.

Miles' family provides wonderful secondary characters. Though his parents are British to the bone, they have accepted the American frontier as their home and have become more open in their views than the typical Brit.

His parents as well as his siblings provide a wholeness to this book that often romances do not always have - while it is true that Victoria's father and birth mother are not alive, there is enough extended family to provide both lead characters with a well-rounded sense of belonging.

The author expertly uses humor in ways guaranteed to bring a smile to any readers' lips. Lady Victoria's twin step-sisters have been named after States in their American mother's homeland. They are silly chits, really, and hearing Miles and his grandmother mistakenly-on-purpose refer to them as "Atlanta and Savannah", "Florida and Virginia", etc., is quite funny. Also humorous are the comments made by Miles' parents about their enjoyment of marital bliss. The scene where Miles' mother tries to allay Victoria's fears about the marriage bed by commenting that, on the morning after her wedding night, she "looked like a kitten who'd swallowed the cream", is priceless.

In fact, the major conflict in this book concerns Victoria's fear of the marriage bed. Victoria accepts the notion that young women should "lie back and think of England". Her confidants in this area, her newly-wed friend Mary Ann, as well as her step-mother, have her so frightened about "it" that she becomes obsessed with not "doing it", even though Mary Ann says she only has to do it on Saturday nights and it lasts only 15 or 20 minutes.

Victoria's fear conflicts tremendously with what her body has experienced from the kisses and caresses of her handsome hero. After a tremendous blow-out which results in both Miles and Victoria trying to hurt each other, and succeeding, they finally are able to come together and accept each other as man and woman, husband and wife.

As is different from many other books in the genre, this happens not at the end of the book, but about three-quarters of the way through, leaving plenty of time for the reader to enjoy their growing closeness. A bit of nastiness near the end does help to wrap up the loose ends, but by focusing on Miles and Victoria, American and Brit, man and woman, husband and wife, the author provides a pleasant interlude for her readers.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

Publisher, All About Romance

Rating:
Summary: Delightful romp!
Review: Passion's Kiss is a delightful romp set in the mid-19th century England. The hero is Miles Wellesley, a first-generation American visiting his noble English grandmother while scouting out horses for his family ranch. The heroine is Lady Victoria Pembroke, a beautiful, intelligent, spirited and hoydenish spinster. Their clash, of culture, of wills, and of the sexes, makes this an enjoyable read.

Although their clashes are quite common in romance, Miles' straightforward American-ness makes him a superb specimen of a hero. These two are bound to get together if his grandmother and her step-mother have anything to do with it. And if . . . they would listen to their bodies, their minds, and their hearts. And if they would accept that their marriage is really not one only of convenience.

Miles' family provides wonderful secondary characters. Though his parents are British to the bone, they have accepted the American frontier as their home and have become more open in their views than the typical Brit.

His parents as well as his siblings provide a wholeness to this book that often romances do not always have - while it is true that Victoria's father and birth mother are not alive, there is enough extended family to provide both lead characters with a well-rounded sense of belonging.

The author expertly uses humor in ways guaranteed to bring a smile to any readers' lips. Lady Victoria's twin step-sisters have been named after States in their American mother's homeland. They are silly chits, really, and hearing Miles and his grandmother mistakenly-on-purpose refer to them as "Atlanta and Savannah", "Florida and Virginia", etc., is quite funny. Also humorous are the comments made by Miles' parents about their enjoyment of marital bliss. The scene where Miles' mother tries to allay Victoria's fears about the marriage bed by commenting that, on the morning after her wedding night, she "looked like a kitten who'd swallowed the cream", is priceless.

In fact, the major conflict in this book concerns Victoria's fear of the marriage bed. Victoria accepts the notion that young women should "lie back and think of England". Her confidants in this area, her newly-wed friend Mary Ann, as well as her step-mother, have her so frightened about "it" that she becomes obsessed with not "doing it", even though Mary Ann says she only has to do it on Saturday nights and it lasts only 15 or 20 minutes.

Victoria's fear conflicts tremendously with what her body has experienced from the kisses and caresses of her handsome hero. After a tremendous blow-out which results in both Miles and Victoria trying to hurt each other, and succeeding, they finally are able to come together and accept each other as man and woman, husband and wife.

As is different from many other books in the genre, this happens not at the end of the book, but about three-quarters of the way through, leaving plenty of time for the reader to enjoy their growing closeness. A bit of nastiness near the end does help to wrap up the loose ends, but by focusing on Miles and Victoria, American and Brit, man and woman, husband and wife, the author provides a pleasant interlude for her readers.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

Publisher, All About Romance