Customer Reviews

Ask For It

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Elizabeth Hawthorne was in love with Marcus Ashford. They were to be married and she thought life couldn't be any better. Little did Elizabeth know her world was about to fall apart. When fate presses her to seek out her fiancé for help late one night, she discovers him with another. Heartbroken she leaves Marcus, jilting him to marry Lord Hawthorne, a man who offered less risk to a tender heart. While she never loved her husband as she did Marcus, she felt it was a safe life, one she could be content with.

Now fate once more compels her to Marcus' sphere. Her husband is killed, leaving her in deep mourning. As she returns to the functions of the world, she receives a strange journal, which had been written by her husband. It's hard to make heads or tails; the writings are in code. Only someone out there can read it and is willing to stop at nothing to get his hands on it.

Marcus has never forgotten or forgiven Elizabeth for leaving him to marry Hawthorne. He is now a spy for the crown and he, too, is interested in the journal. Still smarting from being jilted, he wants to possess Elizabeth, body and soul, but not her heart. As their passions heat up, they must face the danger stalking Elizabeth.

Day breathes sensuality and life into her characters in this richly textured read and leaves me eager for more from this talented writer.

An agent for the Crown, Marcus Ashford, Earl of Westfield has just been assigned to protect widow Lady Elizabeth Hawthorne, who is in the possession of a mysterious notebook left by her dead husband. Elizabeth is stunned to find that Marcus is her contact, for they share a complicated past. Four years ago she was engaged to the Earl, but Elizabeth jilted him and ran off and wedded another. Marcus cannot forget the beauty and the misery she had caused him and vows to make her his lover. Meanwhile, someone is attempting to gain the notebook and its secrets. Marcus and Elizabeth embark on an affair amidst the attempted kidnapping and murders.

Beware, this is not 'lite' romance. First of all there is some use of foul language (F and C words mostly). Secondly the love scenes are many and very intense and graphic (seem to involve a power-struggle of sorts between the H/H). And lastly the emotional turmoil going on between these two keeps up until almost the end of the book. Both indulge in the carnal aspect of their relationship but vehemently guard their hearts. Their power struggles and lack of mutual trust leads to many confrontations and ultimately the realization of their true feelings for one another.

The only thing that prevented me from giving this one five stars is that in some of the love scenes the hero was a little too demanding and dominant for my taste -not that it was rape/forced, but it still gave me the willies to have the herione that vulnerable. The mystery wasn't bad, but took a back seat to the melodrama and the love scenes.

Basically a pretty good historical romance with LOTS (really no exaggeration!) of erotic love scenes.

If you like this types of erotic historical book I also recommend:
The Raven Prince -Elizabeth Hoyt
Passion -Lisa Valdez
A Lady's Pleasure -Renee Bernard

My introduction to Day's work was her anthology entitled "Bad Boys Ahoy!" and I was instantly impressed with the sensual feel that her historical plots exude. The historical aspects are masterfully blended to give that long ago era feel and enrich the lives she weaves for her characters. Rounded out with engaging plots and perfect pacing, Ms. Day easily becomes one of my most watched for authors.

Marcus Ashford, Earl of Westfield relishes the opportunity to rush to his former fiancé's side when it becomes known she is in danger. As an agent to the Crown, who better to serve her in every way he possibly can? He has burned for her for four years, years in which he was tormented at the thought of her married to another. What really went wrong so long ago when she was meant to be his? While an old danger that killed her husband looms, Marcus will do everything he must in order to make her answer for his anguish and his once again raging needs.

Lady Hawthorne, Elizabeth, is literally laid siege to by the one man she hoped never to meet again. The pain of Marcus's betrayal drove her away and into another's arms, and it's a sore fact she cannot forget. He leaves her no room in which to run this time and she is forced to face not only the dangers surrounding her late husband's death, but also the added dangers of his mysterious journal. Everyone wants it and so Elizabeth has no choice but to trust the one man she couldn't trust with her heart. The question is, is it worth the risk this time?

Ms. Day continues to thrill me with her passionate and strong characters. Her plots are rich in detail, both the sensual and non-sensual variety. The action is not over the top, but just enough to keep one interested in events as they unfold. Marcus is a strong, dominant man who thrilled this reader with his primal pursuit of Elizabeth. Elizabeth in turn is stronger than even she realized and is quite capable of taking on the forceful man. Their love scenes are heavenly to read, both erotic and sweet at once. This is going on my keeper shelf and I await "Passion For the Game", about Christopher St. John (an important character in this book), June, 2007. Ms. Day is also releasing "The Stranger I Married" in January of 2007. Glad to see this author keeping `em coming!

To be fair, I must start off by saying that my least favorite theme in A romance novel is when the hero is in pursuit of the heroine through out the whole book.I guess it's hard for me to understand when a woman is in love with A man as rich and gorgeous and alluring as Marcus and then she acts like she does not want him. Having said that, I could tell from the start what I was getting into, but Sylvia Day knows how to write some really good love scenes thats hard to resist and to be honest that was her strongest point in this book. Her desciption of Marcus was also very captivating. He was simply put...gorgeous, and who could past up on reading about such A sexy hero?

To my disappointment though, his character was portrayed like A stalker that you could not get rid of. The heroine wanted no part of him and yet he held her against her will and chased her through out the whole book. At one point she was literally alarmed by his possessiveness. It was so sad to see such A remakable hero made into such A pathetic man. Maybe if the heroine had A legitimate reason for turning him away at every turn, but even when she found out the truth that he was not unfaithful, she still came up with the lamest excuses, like not wanting to be consumed by A lust that was insatiable or because he was involved with the agency. Give me A break! I do not know one woman that does not yearn for A love like that or after being in love like that would turn away from A man because of his work! There were times when I wished that he would just meet someone else and leave her alone to rot! She emasculated him and by the time she relented, it was too late for me to enjoy him as A hero because he lost all the appeal he had in the begining.

Also, the plot with her dead husband's diary and the agency was not at all engaging, and if in the begining you didn't see that the year took place in 1770, you would never know from reading the book. The historical details were nonexistent and there was never A feel for that era. I have read and loved SD's books before and I knew that historical details was not her strong point but that problem was more pronounced in this book. I gave this book 2 stars because as usual the love scenes were great, and boy!... what a goodlooking hero, but I'm sorry to say that those two things does not make A great book!

In 1770 England Lady Elizabeth Hawthorne fears for her life as someone killed her husband because she believes they wanted control of his espionage secrets in his diary in which he claims a conspiracy to harm the throne exists. Elizabeth needs a protector, but the only man she trusts to do the job loathes her because she jilted him four years earlier to marry Hawthorne when she caught him in a compromising position. Still these are desperate times for Elizabeth so if she wants to survive she must swallow her pride.

Marcus Westfield has survived many an adversary except one, his former fiancée Elizabeth. Now the unthinkable dream he has had for four torturous years of rage has happened; she has come to him begging for his help. He wants to say no, but cannot as he still desires her, but this time he plans to hide his heart from her treachery, not understanding why she dumped him. Besides he rationalizes that his undercover assignment to protect the royals should enable him to enjoy some under cover assignments.

Georgian romance fans will be asking for more works like this delightful historical romantic suspense that hooks the audience from the onset into a one sitting read. The action-packed story line is filled with suspense and tension as antagonists are willing to kill again to obtain the journal. The heat between Elizabeth and Marcus will burn fingers though one might ask why she did not confront her lover when she caught him in an apparent tryst. Eighteenth century romance readers will have a wonderful day with this fine historical.

Harriet Klausner

In 1770, Marcus Ashford, the Earl of Westfield is an agent for the crown. His job is to hunt down England's enemies and he does it superbly, dodging bullets and danger all the while. Four years ago he was in love with a woman who made his heart race, and when she left him for another man, Marcus believed that he would never get another chance with her--until now.

Elizabeth Hawthorne was madly in love with Marcus once. Until the night that she went to him for help and found him with someone else. Not allowing him the chance to explain and already fearful of her desires for him, she ran straight into the arms of Lord Hawthorne, a man who would never be as dangerous to her heart as Marcus. Elizabeth believed she would be happy, until her husband was killed.

Now, three years after his death and finally out of her mourning period, Elizabeth has received a journal. It is written in her husband's hand, in an unbreakable code, and sought after by a mysterious man. But, the only one that can protect her is the man that is most dangerous to her.

Marcus has finally gotten his chance at Elizabeth but he refuses to believe in love again. This time, he only wants Elizabeth to sate his lust. When they fall in bed, and Elizabeth runs again, Marcus chases her down with a proposal. Live with him for a fortnight, without sex, and consider his offer of marriage. If she doesn't want him afterwards, he will leave forever.

Now, when an enemy with an agenda of his own is breathing down their necks, and when Elizabeth's life is in danger, the two must discover whether they can trust each other enough to be together. And they must decide whether they can overcome the obstacles in their path to realize their love.

Ask For It is a fabulous combination of intrigue, breathtaking passion and a fabulous hero willing to do anything to satisfy his woman. I absolutely loved Marcus. He is incredibly patient, and after everything he has gone through he is willing to do almost anything to ensure Elizabeth remains in his life. At times I was so frustrated with Elizabeth's behavior that I wanted to strangle her, but that is a testament to Sylvia Day's skill at drawing me into the story. I loved the atmosphere within Ask For It. From the bedrooms and ballrooms of Georgian London to the beaches of Essex, Sylvia Day is able to make this world come alive.

Shannon
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

After struggling to finish this book (and admittedly skimming through the last 100 pages or so), all I can say is, "What?!" This book is all over the place. It starts off fairly promising, and we think "Oho, a challenge for our gorgeous hero," but unfortunately the chase lasts about 4 seconds and then it's all downhill from there.

I really wanted to like Elizabeth but she unerringly manages to fall into that too-stupid-to-live territory that I detest in heroines. Rather than simply draw her as a complex person, the author can't seem to decide what Elizabeth is. One moment she's calmly firing a weapon at an attacker, the next throwing a hissy fit over some perceived slight, the next acting like an ice queen, the next running away from some Big Misunderstanding like a middle schooler.

As for Marcus, he is a typically gorgeous, arrogant hero who is verbally neutered by Elizabeth at nearly every turn and reduced to near violence, yet we're not supposed to love him any less.

The plot is a joke--some business with a journal that gets old quickly, a stolen brooch, a stolen (and unkindly returned) knife, a long-dead mother whose memory nonetheless affects everything, a Robin Hood pirate, some sort of wager that's not explained, blah blah blah. In addition, the secondary characters are mostly weak and annoying, such as a meddlesome brother who deserves a poke in the eye, former mistresses who...what? I could go on, but I've lost interest.

The only reason I gave this two stars instead of one was for the frequent sex scenes. Not quite decent erotica, they do rise slightly above the normal bodice ripper herd, so at least there's a minimum of the usual cheesy euphemisms.

All in all, if you're looking for a coherent plot and/or steamy erotica, save your dollars and look elsewhere.

Once upon a time, gut-wrenching betrayal at the hands of the man she loved drove Elizabeth to accept the wedding proposal of another man, the Lord Hawthorne. Now widowed, Elizabeth finds herself besieged by Marcus Ashford's attentions, whether she likes it or not. The real problem is, she likes her once wayward love's attention all too much, a fact which makes it more difficult to resist the libertine by the day.

As an agent to the Crown, it is Marcus' duty to protect Elizabeth from suffering a similar fate as her husband, whilst investigating that man's murder. If that duty keeps him in close proximity to the lovely widow, then all the better. He is not a man to bypass a golden opportunity when it presents itself, and this most certainly qualifies.

Marcus is determined to finally have his way with his ex, but the tricky part will be keeping his heart out of the equation long enough to satisfy his thirst for her passion.

I am a huge fan of author Sylvia Day, and of her historical series, THE GEORGIAN SERIES. I confess, however, I had no idea how much I would enjoy these stories until I read the second in the saga, PASSION FOR THE GAME. That book fed my hunger for more, and I have since devoured all of these wonderful books. Although ASK FOR IT is actually the first book in the series, I read it fourth. I had absolutely no trouble understanding any part of the series, even though I read them out of order. Actually, this is the easiest story to read out of sequence, as the characters in this book don't have quite as large a part to play in the later books. While the stories are definitely connected, they aren't dependent on each other.

Sylvia Day is a writer who knows how to turn the heat up and keep it there, and that is certainly true of ASK FOR IT! Watching Marcus seduce Elizabeth is enough to make anyone hot under the collar. But the story is a lot more than just bedroom antics. No, this romance is rife with emotion ranging from hurt and distrust to love and deep caring.

On top of that, Ms. Day gives us a hefty dose of suspense as our characters delve into the mystery surrounding Lord Hawthorne's death and the danger that currently threatens Elizabeth.

If you love sensual historical romances with suspenseful plots, you will not want to miss either ASK FOR IT, or the rest of the stories in the delicious THE GEORGIAN SERIES!

Series Order:
Ask For It
Passion for the Game
A Passion For Him
Don't Tempt Me (Brava Historical Romance)

**Courtesy of Wild on Books**

This is excellent reading if you're looking for intense and explicit sex. The plot, characters and their actions were interesting but not great enough to earn 5 stars. Elizabeth was engaged to Marcus and sees him with another woman having just showered. It was an innocent shower, because the woman had fallen into the river. Elizabeth never took time to hear the truth. She ran away and married Hawthorne. Hawthorne later died, and then Marcus arrogantly pursued Elizabeth.

Sexual content: erotic. Setting: 1770 London. Copyright: 2006. Genre: historical romance.

For a listing of my reviews of other Sylvia Day books, see my 5 star review of "The Stranger I Married" posted on 1/19/07.

England, 1770

Loyal to the Crown, Marcus Ashford is part of an exclusive organization of spies. Four years ago, his fiancée, Elizabeth, ran out on him and eloped that very same night. Now she's a widow and in possession of a book that he's been assigned to decipher, which puts him in her company much of the time. Revenge is sweet. Marcus intends to collect on the promises she'd once made and never delivered.

Elizabeth eloped with Viscount Hawthorne after discovering her fiancé, Marcus, in his room with another woman. She never even gave him a chance to explain. Four years later her husband's been killed and she's learned that he was a spy. In her possession, she has a book that he kept which contains encrypted codes, and there's already been one unsavory demand for her to relinquish the book. Now Marcus has been assigned to decode the book and protect her, but who is going to protect her from Marcus's desires? And how will she protect her heart from the only man whom she's ever truly loved.

Eldridge, head of the organization of spies, only wanted to exploit Marcus's cryptology skills to decode the book. He hadn't considered that Marcus would want to manage the case. For Marcus, this is the perfect opportunity. He's patiently waited for Elizabeth's period of mourning to end and is planning to pursue her within a few days' time. She'll have no excuse to avoid him now. Since Elizabeth's husband, Viscount Hawthorne, was investigating the pirate Christopher St. John when he died, Marcus is hopeful that by deciphering the code, he'll finally have damning information on the infamous pirate. Ah yes, the woman who's plagued his every waking thought and the pirate who has plundered his holdings are finally within his reach. Things are not always what they appear, and revenge isn't nearly as sweet as he thought it would be.

Sylvia Day once again proves that there's nothing she can't write that isn't simply breathtaking. ASK FOR IT will sweep readers back in time and surround you with fascinating characters, a thrilling plot, and intense sex scenes. While the sex itself is smoldering, it's actually the build up to those scenes that will leave readers hot and bothered. I adored both Elizabeth and Marcus and loved getting the opportunity to know them and share a small part of their lives. This is one of those stories where the more you read, the more you need to know and then there's that incredible feeling of awe once all the pieces come together and suddenly everything makes sense. I'm hopeful that the pirate, Christopher St. John, will get his own story in the future. He's a thrilling character with a charisma that drew me to him. As always, beautifully done, Ms. Day! Look forward to reading more of your writings in the future. I see several on the coming soon page on Sylvia Day's website that I've already added to my "must read" pile.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)