Customer Reviews

Games of Pleasure

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Compact, fluid writing, pretty good as romance novels go.

No plotholes that I noticed.

The sex scenes were good and steamy, and there were plenty of them.

For a couple whose affection is initially based 100% on a sexual encounter, the gradual emotional ties that develop don't feel forced at all.

Dialogue was sometimes over-the-top, as with an innuendo contest whose entries seriously stretched the imagination (see romance novels generally).

Didn't like the infantilization of the lower-class characters (again, s.r.n.g.).

Uncommonly believable motives for the villain.

It was my first book by the author, and I'm interested in seeking out more.

Julia Ross does it again. Her books always deliver not only a gripping story, with characters that you can root for, but a lush world to escape into. Her voice just grabs me every time. I could barely stand to put the book aside to eat!

Ryder is fantastic, a reformed prig, rather than a reformed rake. What a wonderful change from the norm. And Miracle is a perfect heroine, IMHO. She's a woman of the world who LIKES sex. Not some namby-pamby miss who has to make excuses for her choices or desires.

A keeper.

Julia Ross writes some of the most beautiful romances in the genre - she has the kind of talent that would be remarkable no matter what sort of book you're reading. I think Julia Ross books are like precious jewels, rare and wonderful.

But her books are like jewels in another way: I think that the beauty of her writing, the elegance of the scenes, the wit of the conversations she constructs can overwhelm the story and overshadow the real beating heart of the romance.

"Games of Pleasure" is so rich, so full of allusion, that it seems abstract - like a fairy tale. All the characters are vivid, but they seem sort of inhuman to me. Oversaturated, larger than life.

The book is amazing. The hero and heroine, Ryder and Miracle, are amazingly well drawn, amazingly sympathetic. You fall in love with the both of them, you wish each one happiness individually, you rejoice when they finally overcome the obstacles keeping them apart. And the book is immensely suspensful; up until the very end, I was very seriously wondering if Ross was going to dash my hopes and write a tragedy.

And there is a section at the end of the book - when the Duchess of Ryderbourne delivers her opinion on the wisdom of marrying a courtesan - that positively made me crow with joy.

So it's great. All I'll say is - Ross is in a category of her own. This isn't my favorite of hers because I thought that it was ultimately too stylized.

Riding through the drizzle and nursing a raw heart after having his proposal of marriage turned down, Lord Ryderbourne, eldest son to the aging Duke of Blackdown saw an oarless dinghy floundering towards the rocks. Throwing caution aside, he plunged into the sea and rescued a partially clad, battered and bruised, sensual beauty.

Miracle Heather, a celebrated courtesan, recognized her rescuer. With a cynical view of men she was astounded by Ryder's innate kindness. Knowing `who' she was and `what' she'd done, Miracle gave a false name for in Ryder's privileged life he would never comprehend that he couldn't save her. After a mind-blowing night of passion that rocked both their worlds, Miracle reluctantly fled, knowing that she couldn't involve him in the dangers that followed her.

Feeling responsible for the life he'd saved, even after discovering who she was, Ryder felt compelled to follow. Both logically knew that there could be no possible future between them yet their hearts weren't convinced of such logic as they raced across the country staying one step ahead of the men who sought to see her hang.

--- Ross is unsurpassed at creating intelligent, and atmospheric reads that evoke sensuality with both sizzle and heartfelt emotion. This action packed love story between Miracle and Ryder is one that you soon won't forget and Ryder has certainly landed a top spot as one of my all-time favorite heroes. GAMES OF PLEASURE was surely a pleasure for this reader and it lands a permanent spot on my keeper shelf!

Marilyn, for www.historicalromancewriters.com

This book is the second in the Wyldshay series by Julia Ross. Ryder finally meets his match and is humbled by Miracle. Strange name, but it seems to fit her perfectly. She is able to teach him about himself both mentally and physically, while fleeing for her life. The transformation that Ryder goes through is remarkable. All in all, a very exciting, sensual tale that you won't be able to put down.

Yes, I would say that this was different - usually the men are the ones that have been between many sets of sheets not the woman. Normally I would say this type of book would almost be in the erotica category without much substance - However Miracle is really not that kind of a cortesean her whole life she seems to have been fighting for survival and trying to keep her heart in tact and her dignity. For Ryder he has been living a rather cold way way too in tact, dignified life and certainly not that of a carefree rogue like many of his peers. He nas never felt fire and passion and only has had limited sexual encounters. So perhaps this is exactly the type of woman Ryder needed to find, save her life and become involved with. Someone that he could finally feel something for, because it certainly had not been working with all the tons young misses. I really got totally absorbed in this story - however there is no way I could see it turning out well! I mean men that were to be Dukes just did not marry females that had been many others mistresses. The mystery that continues to keep Miracle and Ryder travelling together through the back roads of England was a good one and it allowed this couple to really come to grips with their feelings for one another. I loved how Ryder's mother shows her own mettle by dealing with Miracle - she actually turned out to be quite a force for the ton to deal with. Ryder and Miracle were an unlikely but a great couple, what they both needed! great book by Ross!

This was the first Julia Ross book I have read. I enjoyed it so much, I have ordered all her earlier books. If they live up to this one, I will be one happy reader for weeks to come!

This woman can WRITE! There are times I enjoy the story in a book I'm reading but the writing is only average. This book had both a great story, great characters, and great writing - the perfect comnbination.

The plot was somewhat different because the heroine is a courtesan and much more sexually experienced than the hero, a duke's heir who seems to have been spending most of his time taking care of estates and his family. His affairs have been few and far between and brief with no emotions involved. He saves the heroine's life and they take off cross-country in the first real adventure of his life. Both characters learn a lot about themselves and each other, defeat the villain and of course live happily ever after! This book was a real treat.

Lord Ryderbourne, heir to the Duke of Blackdown, has just been rejected by a young lady who finds him "too forceful" despite "his magnificent prospects and his sincerely expressed admiration for her." He is a tad annoyed, a bit hurt, chaffing at "the duties and privileges of being the heir" while his younger brother - Wild Lord Jack, "the wicked, interesting boy with the face of an angel" has left for adventure with his new wife. (another Ross book, NIGHT OF SIN)

Fortunately for Ryder, his life is about to get very interesting. As he rides along a cliff road next to the sea, he spies a foundering dinghy in the surf - and there is someone lying in "the slosh of water at the bottom of the boat." That someone will change Ryder's life. Plunging his horse into the surf, he snags the boat and sees: "A woman. Almost naked. Ivory flesh shone blue-white beneath her corset and a scrap of soaked chemise, her thighs and arms bare to the cold rain and sea....her long legs entangled in beauty and threat. Her face damaged by a man's fist."

The woman is Miracle Heather - a skilled courtesan who hides many secrets beneath her exotic beauty and has no desire to be rescued by a virile young aristocrat.

It seems impossible for there to be anything between these two beyond a single night of seduction (by Miracle) and passion (Ryder). Yet, Fate, having brought together these two strong-willed and fascinating characters, refuses to let them part. Their story is enthralling and beautifully written - lyrical, graceful, rich and sensual.

I read this book - the middle book in Ross's Wyldshay trilogy - first, and it was so good, I hunted up the first (NIGHT OF SIN) and waited eagerly for the third (CLANDESTINE)(see my reviews of those). According to Ross's website, she is no longer writing, or at least not publishing at the moment. That is a terrible shame. Her style and talent are rare wonders which some publisher out there should be nourishing and rewarding. She has a short backlist, all great, which will reward a new fan. I hope that she finds an opportunity to add to that list soon.

In a genre filled with cliche plots and cardboard characters, Games of Pleasures stands apart. It is simply one of the best historical romances that I have had the pleasure of reading in many years. There is an exciting plot and a deeply sensual and romantic love story. Ryder, the hero, develops from a man of rigid views to a man more enlighten in the ways of the world.

But what I especially love is the outstanding heroine, Miracle Heather, who is no one's victim. She is an intelligent, self reliant, and honest survivor.

This reminded me of "Pretty Woman". The most notorious courtesan of London and the Duke of Blackstone. We all love these Cinderella like stories but this was just so hard to believe. I liked the heroine a lot and the story reaffirmed our belief that anything is possible, but in those times especially in London where it was common to have a mistress, I just couldn't believe it was even remotely possible for the Duke to have made this choice. Nonetheless, the writing is fabulous.