Customer Reviews

Her Secret Fantasy (Thorndike Core)

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

 

 

If this is your first Foley book, put it down and go back to any of her earlier books. This one was so disappointing. It started out promising, then just disintegrated. I caught myself in the middle realizing I was just skimming -- and I never skim! It takes until page 325ish before Foley realizes oops! no consumation scene so she squeezes one in during the most improbable circumstance. Derek starts out as a sizzling hero and ends up very wishy-washy. I found it disjointed and anticlimactic... where were her editors?? Oh, well ... all of her others have been grand, so I will forgive this one for now.

Book two is miles better than one, however, not a GF keeper for me. I was not wholly convinced I could tolerate either Knight brother after reading the first in the 'Spice' trilogy, but Derek has changed personalities. Major Derek Knight was the best part of "HSF" although I felt strongly for Lily as well.

What was missing was the dialogue. The reader was in the heads of the characters more than they were actually communicating. Also, lacking was the taut sensual tension I have grown to anticipate from a GF read. The love scenes were warm but I was left cold. I kept waiting for the big Kama Sutra sex scene I've been expecting from all the teasers and was again disappointed.

Normally, I enjoy the plots where the heroine is already betrothed because it usually induces hero-jealousy. Not in this instance. GF merely glanced upon it. The last 50 pages should have been summed up in an epilogue after the final resolution. I found them completely unnecessary.

That said, would I recommend 'Her Secret Fantasy'? I'd say read everything else by Gaelen Foley first. This series just hasn't been my favorite.

Lily Balfour is the consummate lady. She has grace, style, and manners, despite the fact that her family is nearly bankrupt after her father's death attempting to seek his fortune in India. With her house in shambles, and her grandfather's title passing to a distant relative, Lily has no other choice than to go to London and find a handsome--and preferably stupid--man who can dig her family out of debt while also benefiting from her good name.

Major Derek Knight returns to England from India to seek out aid that the government has promised to the British soldiers, and failed to send. He has no intentions of behaving like the typical cavalry officer, wiling away his time with drink and women. Instead, Derek only wants to get the money so that he can go back to the front lines and lead his men to victory.

When these two meet at a masked ball, Derek is captivated by Lily's beauty, but again he only has one reason to be in England. When he discovers that Lily is being courted by a man he suspects of treachery, Derek decides to protect the girl from her own fate. When Lily repudiates his efforts, and becomes even more determined to marry her rich, stupid beau, Derek is angered. After all, he has no shortage of women chasing him, and he cannot believe that anyone would turn him down. Together, they fight the love that we all know is coming, with a little bit of mystery and intrigue in the meantime.

I think I once wrote in a review (probably for The Duke, the first book in the Knight series, which I absolutely adored) that Gaelen Foley had never written a bad word in her life. Well, I'm recanting that statement. This book was just bad. I love Gaelen Foley. I love (most of) the Knight series, and I bought this book last winter when it came out. I wondered why it sat on my bookshelf so long, not calling to me even though I'd started reading it several times, but my TBR pile is outrageous so I figured I'd get to it eventually. I really wish it were still sitting on the shelf.

One of the things I love most about Gaelen Foley is her ability to combine romance with intrigue. She has great heroines who can endure even the worst circumstances, and still remain likable and steadfast in their determination to do whatever they're aiming to do. Her heroes are mostly the strong, silent type who are willing to do anything for the lady in their life. And then we have this book. That just seemed... rushed. I never got into this story. I was bored most of the time I was reading it, and wondering how in the world Gaelen Foley had fallen so far. Maybe it's that I liked the original Knight series more than this spin-off series of the Knight cousins, because to be honest I wasn't all that impressed with Her Only Desire: A Novel (the first book in the Spice triolgy) either. I'm going to read Her Every Pleasure: A Novel, the finale to this series, because I'm a person who finishes what she starts. I only hope that if it's as bad as this one that Foley soon moves on to a new family with new stories, because this one is getting old. I'm giving this book 3 stars, when it really only deserves 2, because I loved the earlier Knight stories, and I believe that Foley can turn this series around if she tries.

Overall this was a great historical novel and one I recommend to fans of this genre, but I don't think it will be considered GF's best. (Considering all of her books are great, that isn't bad!) Derek was a great hero, maybe one of GF best ever, as he was full of charm and a wicked sense of humor. He meets Lily at a ball and becomes instantly smitten. Lily has been in London trying to find a 'rich but stupid' husband, one who can help pull her family out of hard times. Derek finds himself working with Lily's soon to be fiance, which keeps these two in close quarters. GF delivers a smart, fun and sexy historical where the sparks fly, the passion is deep, and the action makes you breathless! So, what is wrong with this book? For me, just two things kept it from the 5 stars. One, I found Lily simply forgetable. Didn't hate her, but didn't really like her either. She was smart and agreable, and thank God didn't do anything overly stupid, but she somehow lacked a personality. Her plight was hard to understand, but that is due to much being held until the end. Which brings me to my second problem: the ending. It dragged on too long and missed its mark. This books should have ended 30 pages earlier on a high note instead of the lingering note it finally ends on. For me a good ending can make or break a book. While this ending didn't break this book, it just felt overly long and a bit too depressing. Despite all, GF still remains on the top of my "must read" author list.

After reading Foley's Acension trilogy I thought that her other works should be as good with her creativity. I was wrong. It was disapponting to find myself bored midway through and abandoning it.

England, 1818. Miss Lily Balfour and her family are on the brink of financial ruin. Rumors have gone around that the Balfour family is cursed after Lily's father dies while trying to find gold in India. It seems that everything after that has been one disaster after another. Now her godmother Mrs. Clearwell has suggested a London season. There she could meet wealthy suitors and have her pick of someone who will help save her financial problem. Lily and her mother agree that she must marry someone who is "rich and stupid," someone not only with financial means to rescue them from ridicule and ruin, but also someone who won't tell the difference between a maiden and, well, someone who isn't a maiden. He will also have to be someone in need of good family connections. Her father was going to be a viscount, and Lily's mother has an earl in her side of the family. So, when Mr. Edward Lundy, a social-climbing tradesman, begins to court Lily, she feels as though she's found the perfect husband.

But she hadn't envisaged meeting and falling for Major Derek Knight -- war hero and incorrigible rogue. Derek wants nothing more than to get the compensation promised to the soldiers so that he could go back into battle in India. Something is going on. The men in charge are hiding something; they're stalling, saying that the money will be available when it's available. But when Edward Lundy approaches Derek, asking him to help him out with an investigation for embezzlement, one of the men will no doubt try to pin on the lowly tradesman. His plans don't go so well, especially after meeting Lily Balfour. He had first laid eyes on her in a fancy-dress ball, where she hid her identity under a fairy mask. But when he learns her identity and that Lundy is courting her, Derek might have to do something to get the beautiful woman out of his mind, for she's not interested in marrying a second son with little money to offer.

Her Secret Fantasy is the second offering in Gaelen Foley's Spice trilogy. This series is based on a second set of Knight siblings, cousins of the Knight family, a series that began with The Duke. The first book, Her Only Desire, is Georgiana Knight's story, one I did not finish reading because I thought it was dull, with very little balance between political intrigue and romance. There is more of a balance in this second installment. Lily and Derek have good sexual tension and chemistry, and the political intrigue is well done. At least I was able to finish this one. Having said that, I feel that the series so far is nowhere near as good as the first Knight series. The protagonists have failed to intrigue me; they pale in comparison to Lucien and Damien Knight, my two favorite Knight brothers. Still, this is an enjoyable Regency read. I like the fact that Foley follows the rules of the time by having Lily with a suitable chaperone without keeping romance at a distance. Her Every Pleasure is in my possession and I look forward to reading it soon.

I love Foley's books,but this one started out good and just fizzled out over half way. I look forward to the next story,but sure hope it will be a life saver.

I have loved every one of Gaelen Foley's books, so I bought this from Borders without even reading the back- her name was enough for me. You can imagine how disgusted I was when I started reading. It was a sloppy plotline, pointless "conflict", and it goes without saying that though I liked Lily and Derek, I didn't care about either character enough to keep reading. I was waiting for my plane and got so annoyed I tossed my 2-day old book into the airport trashcan. Do not buy this book; it is her worst ever. Get "Pirate Prince" or "Princess"... don't waste your money on "Her Secret Fantasy". It's not worth it!

I have now read four of Gaelen Foley's books,Pirate Prince,Lady of Desire, Her Only Desire, and now Her Secret Fantasy (I almost cried when I looked to see that I still had "HSF" to read - the other books were so boring). If these four books are any indication of her work, thank God I did not purchase any more of her books. I read at least one book a day, I was recommended to read "GF" - what a waste of four days. There are no plots, no "fantasy", no sexual tension, no nothing.....it left me high and dry. There are a lot more authors out there that can smoke this one from what I have read in these four books. I won't waste my time, energy, or money on any more books written by this author.

Really good book and interesting love story, it sure takes you back in to time.