Customer Reviews

Desire Me Only

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Looking for a charming or even a dark regency set romance? Well, don't look here. I have never read a romance so devoid of romance in the nine years that I've been reading the genre.

The story starts out when Diandra Reynell and her younger sister Selena leave India shortly after Diandra's husband mysteriously dies. Selena loathes India and wants to spend a season in London where she hopes to snag a husband. Although Diandra fears her step-son, Justin, the Earl of Skene, will be less than thrilled with their sudden appearance she holds out hope he will do his duty by sponsoring Selena and putting them up for six months.

What Diandra fails to anticipate is the level of hatred Justin feels towards her. He seems to think she has murdered not only his Father (for his money) but also his Mother years earlier (so he would be free to marry her). Having had enough of Justin's insinuations and insults she tells him she will get lodging elsewhere. He decides to do the noble thing and puts them up but only so he can keep a close eye on her and hopefully find some sort of evidence to prove that she is a murderess.

When tables begin levitating and ghostly apparitions begin to appear Justin assumes it is all Diandra's trickery while she thinks it is his way of scaring her into leaving. This is only one of many obstacles that face them. There are murders, and dark secrets, jealous relatives, not to mention their own prickly personalities. Although they bicker by day they can't deny their physical attraction to each other in the dark of night where anything is possible and secrets are kept. They indulge in all kinds of carnal sex but once their needs are satiated they dislike and suspect each other all over again. The story takes a bit of a turn when women begin showing up dead and Diandra is almost the next victim and Justin is forced to reevaluate his misconceptions about her.

This is an uncommonly harsh review for me and I hesitated writing it. Why? Because I realize this is just my opinion and that authors have feelings too. But when I spend $4.99 of my hard earned money on a book marked historical romance and I don't find even a glimmer of romance within its 352 pages I get very perturbed. I realize this is probably not the author's fault but the spine on this book should read "Historical Erotica" because this book is not a romance, IMO.

So what did I have a problem with? Well, first off I like snappy, witty or even sentimental dialogue. You know, the kind of dialogue that makes you like the characters? DMO was filled with bitter, argumentative dialogue. Not only were the hero and heroine snapping at each other but so were most of the secondary characters! There wasn't a charming one in the bunch (well, maybe that poor sucker George but he was a very bit player). It got depressing and repetitive after page 100 and it never brightened up.

I have to give the author credit for pushing the envelope in the sex department but as much as I enjoy explicit sex I fear the characterization suffered in this book in order to include more sex scenes. I never got the impression that these two got to know each other or even truly liked each other. After the first sex act the many that followed bored me because I didn't care about these people. There was nothing sexy about their trysts because I knew they couldn't stand each other. I just can't fathom how anyone can be attracted to someone that makes them want to smash their face in with every obnoxious word they utter. Maybe my view of romance is skewed but romance, at least in my eyes, is about more than just lusting over someone's bod. This book was missing some important ingredients like caring, tenderness, and love. When I finished the last page I pictured these two killing each other in about a month.

Not only did the characters bother me but the writing did as well. The author has a habit of repeating herself, repeating herself, repeating herself. For example the hero is observing the heroine and the author writes, "He watched her, watched her, watched her". This strange sort of repeating thing is done many times over the course of the book - by both characters! I assume it's a quirk of the author or maybe she was striving for a stream of consciousness style of writing but it became annoying and distracting.

Well, if anything, I've learned that I like the idea of graphic sex but it has to be between two characters who like each other and I need a little dose of romance to go along with it or it just doesn't work for me. A little tenderness, a smile, a gentle caress, and a kind word would've made the descriptions of what one does with a man's cream all the more effective in my opinion . .

I was completely uninspired by this book. After reading such great reviews and hearing "erotic romance", I was all geared up for a hot thrilling read. What a disappointment.

The book opens with our hero and heroine (newly arrived from India) getting into a heated argument as he accuses her of murdering his father (her late husband). She says she'll leave and he won't have to be bothered with her (and her sister's) presence...something stops her. Play this same scene through about three more times and you have the first half of the book.

The country house, with it's hidden underground room of pleasure, has great possibilities...but they are hardly there and the sex in the rooms is...boring, unmotivated and lacking in emotion. They just have sex and go on hating each other for most of the book. It isn't until past the middle that we get an idea that he may have some feeling for her (and vice-versa). The first sexual encounder in her room is interesting (and I was hoping things were starting to pick up), but then we just got the exact same thing several more times.

The plot developments all happened in the last 1/4 of the book, and were very rushed. I didn't like that the author brought in a character we had never met before as a conspirator...it seemed like an easy way out, and didn't gave us a fair chance to figure things our for ourselves...isn't that the fun of a mystery?

Monotinous sex, characters that never profess any kind of love or real affection for each other, and a thrown-together plot...all in all, not an inspiring introduction to Ms. Devine's work. I'm not sure I'll try another.

The young, recently widowed Diandra, has promised her India-based bother, Hugh, that she will give their sister, Serena, a debutant season in London. Unfortunately, to accomplish this, she must request the assistance of her never-met stepson.
However, her deceased husband's son, Justin, has other ideas. He believes that Diandra has killed his father for his money. He'll never assist her her in any way, but with a return ticket home. In fact, his plan is to prove that she's a murderer and have her arrested.
The two meet and hostility is the order of the day. They each try to prove the other a fiend. In this fast-paced novel of superstituion, magic, malice and murder, the two begin to see each other in a different, more erotic light.
There are the usual and unusual suspects. Who can be the culprit? The great thing about this book is that the thickening plot is highly anticipated and just as highly unimaginable.
This book comes highly recommended for lovers of well-written eroticism, intrigue and suspense.

This is the first Devine book I've read. I've heard that her stories are comparable to Robin Schoen in eroticism and suspense. The sex was very plentiful and steamy. The characters of Diandra and Justin were well conceived and developed. The plot, altough a bit contrived, was suspenseful and kept my attention, but the ending was hurried. Ms. Devine spent over 270 pages developing the story to have the mystery unraveled in under 10 pages. Also, the fact that Justin and Diandra would find love in the mist of such contention and mistrust is unbelievable. Despite the quick and unsatisfying ending, I recommend the book. Ms. Devine's sexual imagery is outstanding and the story was capitivating. If your looking for a book that will leave you dreaming for some bridal cream this is it.

A great and intriguing read, and should be classified as "romance/suspense." The characters are well drawn, the language clean and less florid than that of most Romance novels. I found the plot twisty and unusual and a surprise right to the end. To readers who like their stories sweet, I say, beware! This is not sweet in the least - Desire Me Only is hard edged, gritty, and very, very erotic. After reading it, I turned to Ms. Devine's earlier novels and was disappointed. Though her earlier novels are well written, the plots and characters are typical. In this story, the heroine is older, mature, and sure of herself - a refreshing change from the more insipid ingenues that populate many such novels. This is a break away book for the author in style and content. I encourage her to continue in this direction and eagerly await the next book.

Wonderfully erotic. Some reviewers have objected to the fact that anti-hero Justin has such an intense hatred of the heroine, but wants a sexual relationship with her anyway. Frankly, I think his ongoing dislike of her is what keeps the sexual suspense alive. He doesn't make it easy for his widowed stepmother to win him over - but he sure does make it fun. Excellent side characters, atmospheric place descriptions, and an unexpected climax. (Well, at least one of the climaxes is unexpected.) Thea Devine gets better and better.

After reading the mixed reviews here I checked this one out of the library first, but ran out and bought my own as soon as I finished it. It was much better than I expected from comments from some reviewers. Yes, the two main characters cannot stand each other - which is what makes it so intriguing that they can't keep their hands off one another in private. I think their mutual dislike in public starts off as genuine but quickly becomes mostly a facade, as they don't want to admit that they misjudged one another. By the end, they are very romantic and that makes love scenes that had been merely erotic into ones that are more sensual and loving. Give this book a chance, you may be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

I think this is the best book from Thea Devine. I just couldn't put it down.

The story starts when Justin received a letter from Diandra, his young step-mother, announcing that she's coming to London to give her sister (Serena) a season. She married Justin's father in India and Justin is convinced that she married and later killed his father for money. The clash between those two started on the day of her arrival.

Diandra is a woman to be admired. She is not faint-hearted, strong and can stood up for herself. I love the way she snapped back at Justin. What I still don't understand is how can she sleep with him???

To be honest, Justin is certainly not hero material. He's absolutely the biggest jerk I have ever read. When ghosts started to appear and strange things started happening with the arrival of Diandra & Serena, he directly accused her of being the culprit. It's so clear that he didn't trust her one bit.

The plot thickens when the murders happened. Women who are paid attention by Justin ended up dead, and the police started questioning the household. Not to mention the death of the two psychic that were called to the house to talk to the ghost. When suddenly Diandra became the murdered next target, Justin came to the rescue (finally).

The book has a very good plot that will keep you guessing what will happen next. The ghosts and the murders certainly keep me interested. I won't spoil the end by telling you who is the guilty party but this book is certainly a good read.

This was the first book by this author that I have read. I am not likely to read another. There were very erotic sex scenes, although the characters didn't really seem to connect emotionally. None of the characters seemed well developed and the story dragged and repeated itself a number of times.

Perhaps books in this branch of the romance genre focus more on the erotic images rather than on a well written plot and interesting characters.

This is the best book I've read by Ms. Devine. The characters are wonderful. The plot keeps you guessing to the every end. It has wonderfully erotic sex, a tormented hero and herione, wonderful secondary characters. An outstanding book