Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt: Book Review

NOTORIOUS PLEASURES by Elizabeth Hoyt Book Review
Series: Maiden Lane, #2
Publication Date: February 1st 2011 by Vision

Book Summary: Their lives were perfect . . .
Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiancé. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn’t bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . .

Until they met each other.
Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect – and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire – desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero’s wedding nears, and Griffin’s enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?

Heroine: It was so easy to like Hero as a main character. She’s so fun to read about because she knows she was raised to be prim and proper, and for the first time she’s doing something she’s not supposed to. It’s fun to read about a rebel.

Hero: Griffin was an equally enjoyable male lead. I love that he isn’t just a privileged upperclassman who doesn’t have to work. Griffin works more than any other rake, and he does it to ensure his family’s financial stability. He may be the second son, but he’s the one who has the head for business.

Supporting Cast: Oh, Phoebe! She’s such a sweet younger sister, and her condition makes my heart reach out to her. Hero seems overly protective of her younger sister, but at the same time she wants her to live a normal life as possible. I’d love to see more of Phoebe and I hope a book is centered around her in the future.

Plot: I love the focus on St. Giles and the poor living conditions. It’s really refreshing to have a chapter every now and then that doesn’t focus on the ton. I also like how the gin distilling plays a part in the novel, but it was kind of odd that we never got to see Griffin’s rival, the Vicar. Am I missing something because I didn’t read the first book of this series? Or is it intentional that we don’t know who this Vicar is?

Romance: Oh my god, Elizabeth Hoyt knows how to write a good steamy scene. I could crown her queen right now. Griffin and Hero had phenomenal chemistry. Yeah, I knew this one would have a Happily Ever After, but it did not stop my heart from clenching in fear that the two wouldn’t end up together. I usually don’t go for a novel where the basically the hero or heroine sneaks around and cheats, but I felt like NOTORIOUS PLEASURES cannot be placed in that category. Alright, Hero basically cheats on her fiancé for his brother. But morals aside, neither of them had emotional investment in their engagement. Thomas isn’t the best fiancé either. I’m not justifying what Hero did as alright, because even she knows that it was horribly wrong of her to do this in the first place, but in the end no one was really hurt by this act of adultery. Hoyt’s ending is tied up nicely and everyone gets a happy ending.

Love Potion Strength:

– Exceeds Expectations

Hands down, I have a new favorite series. I need to get my hands on the first book of the Maiden Lane series. I can’t believe I read it out of order.

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