Customer Reviews

No Greater Pleasure (Order of Solace, Book 2)

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

 

 

This is not your typical Megan Hart book, or at least not what I've come to expect. It isn't that it's not highly engaging with characters being put in heart wrenching situations. It's that it does not have the page upon page of erotic, explicit encounters, for which I think Megan Hart steals the cake when it comes to mastering those titillating scenes of the flesh and incorporating that into an emotionally compelling read. It is rather mild for over half the book, but what you do get is a building of a friendship between the two main characters, Tranquilla Caden and Gabriel Delessan, as well as between Tranquilla and his staff.

In No Greater Pleasure the sexually charged atmosphere is toned down to a slow and engaging build-up as Tranquilla, the Handmaiden assigned to Delessan, learns her new master and attempts to gain the knowledge she needs to bring him absolute solace. As well as making friends with the staff and earning herself a respectable place in their eyes.

Gabriel Delessan is a dark, mysterious, brooding, unhappy man. His wife is a mad, conniving, deceitful woman. And she makes his life miserable. He'd like to think that when she has moments of clarity that she will remain that way, but she ends up that despicable person once again. So he requests a Handmaiden from the Order of Solace, hoping to find some sort of peace in his very unhappy existence. Yet Gabriel fights and argues with Quilla nearly every step of the way as she tries to sooth him. But what he doesn't realize, is that over the course of the months she's been serving him, she has been breaking through his barriers, on act, one word, one gesture at a time.

But you may be wondering the same as I did, how can this be a romance if Delessan is married and refuses Quilla in any intimate fashion? And that is where Megan Hart's talent as a writer shines, and makes her stories different from the rest. Her characters are put in situations that aren't typical and where there's a will, there's a way, and happiness lies down that road. If ever there was a man who needed some happiness, it's Gabriel Delessan (and what a great name too!) and Quilla the perfect soul to mend his torn and broken heart, giving him perfect Solace.

I enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful addition to the first one, Pleasure and Purpose. But I must say that I was a tad disappointed for the lack of sex. And I only say that because I have come to expect it, especially since the first book was extremely potent, but that's the only place my disappointment lies. This one may have been toned down on the explicitness, but it still tugged on my emotions at the end something fierce. I loved the story and I think the Order of Solace is a grand concept and makes for delightful reads.

This book left a lot to be desired. The Order of the Solace may believe in helping and bringing solace to tortured individuals, but Quilla was way too lenient to let Gabriel treat her with such hatefulness. In the end he blames her for everything that went wrong in his life as she stood there loving him. Would most women put up with that unfair blame and still love a man who would not take responsibility for his own actions (or lack of)? Would most women stand to be thrashed as a standin for someone she hates or allow the man she loves to beat and slap her? I don't think so, unless she is a total submissive and loves masochistic behavior or really hates herself so much she wants to punish herself for some reason. I had no respect for her at the end of this book, and even less for Gabriel. The intimate sections of the book, I felt, were only a physical release for Gabriel. He never really treated her as if he loved her. His wife was mad and he stood by as he let her hurt Quilla (physically) and his son (mentally) with her bizarre behavior. He let her slap him and call him names. Would you really want to have children with a man like this and subject them to his cruelty? Would you want to spend your life with a man who would treat you with such disrespect. Yes, some women would, but not me. I like strong women characters who have a sense of self respect. You may enjoy this book if you like stories of d/s. This is the second Megan Hart book I have read. I did like the first one but now I am unsure of purchasing anymore.

I've come out from my years-long avoidance of anything fiction and have been reading some historical romance. This was definately an interesting book!

This is the first book by Megan Hart that I have ever read, so I cannot compare it to her other books, but thought it was excellent! I immediately got absorbed in the plot, and it kept me interested to the very end (difficult to do for this "fiction scrooge"). As others have mentioned, it isn't overly "steamy," which was fine with me. It was not lacking, though, in tension. Not usually an emotional-type person, I did find some parts towards the end tugging at my heartstrings, bringing me to tears. I look forward to getting the 1st of this series and reading it.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is because I, too, felt like Gabriel was very cold, even to the end. His intimacies w/ Quilla were more "cold" than I would have liked, and was disgusted with his treatment of her, especially later in the book when I would have thought, or hoped, that he would have changed. I couldn't understand why Quilla "loved" him, unless she is a glutton for punishment.

Original and fantastical, Megan Hart takes erotic fiction to a new level. In the Order of Solace series she created a world, a religion and a people that are not only completely believable, they do not require 200 pages of droll blah-di-blah to render exposition. The tease is as good as the sex, the men are nearly Darcy-worth, and the ladies are strong and intelligent and astoundingly insightful. A note to all other authors in this genre: please, please, please follow her example; don't confuse eroticism with porn. Those of us that read erotic fiction READ for a reason. We like good writers. Oh, and a warning - this series does contain light to heavy BDSM elements and some menage and a little bisexuality, all of which are tasteful and, frankly, really hot.

The second of the ORDER trilogy was not as strong as the first. The story was well-written, characterization was good but I got bored with these people anyway. (Were they all just sleep-walking??) I expected more from Ms Hart.

Pretty good story. I liked the first Megan Hart Order of Solace novel better but this one had a good storyline. Not as "risque" as the first but still a good book.

I absolutely love Quilla and Gabriel. They are robust characters. I love the part about the breakfast, and how they were always almost at each others throat, playfully. There were other lighthearted parts where this reader could very well visualize their expressions; and the wife, well, let's just say, you have to read this book. No Greater Pleasure is indeed a delight from start to finish. Megan Hart has fashioned a remarkable read that is downright irresistible. I like how even the other helpers soon quaint themselves with Quilla and recognize she is indeed a nice person. I think not only did Gabriel learn lessons but Quilla, and the staff, all had something to contribute as well. The emotions really cut to the heart in this compelling read. This is really a wonderful book that spins a story that should not be missed. - Linda L.

In a response from Lord Gabriel Delessan, the Order of Solace sends Tranquilla Caden to serve as his handmaiden, proving him whatever comfort he needs. The difficult part of her assignment is to figure out what she can do to help him as he conceals his emotions and his wife objects to her presence.

Quilla makes friends with Gabriel's two sons Dane and Jericho and quickly becomes a favorite of the staff. However, as she slowly learns what makes Gabriel tick, his crazy but diabolically clever spouse wants her gone and is pulling out every conceivable dirty trick to insure this happens ASAP.

The Order of Solace book (see the PLEASURE AND PURPOSE with its three tales) is a terrific story of a handmaiden who does her job yet keeps her ethics while under pressure to go astray. The story line is fast-paced from the onset and character driven between Gabriel, his handmaiden and his wife, who make an entertaining triangle. However the heart of NO GREATER PLEASURE is the world that Megan Hart has created as The Handmaidens of the Order of Solace seems too fascinatingly (and erotically real).

Harriet Klausner