Legendary Lover [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2000

Dear Readers,

I had heard the gossip. Who in London hadn't? But whether or not the elusive Venus Duras would favor one of her numerous suitors didn't concern me. After all, I had a surfeit of obliging lovers. And then I bumped into her. Literally.

She was utterly enchanting, the most dazzling creature I had ever seen. I knew she had to be mine. But she was aware of my reputation and thought me a libertine. When I invited her to a dinner party, she gave me the cut direct.

Within hours our heated encounter became the talk of the town. Who could resist a wager or two on the delicious possibilities? Could I conquer the unconquerable Miss Duras? Would she resist or succumb to my legendary powers of seduction?

It became a luscious game and tantalizing spectacle--wildly provocative, uncertain in outcome, a delight and fascination to all society. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever meet my match. But then, I never dreamed I would meet a real-life Venus.

Yours,

The Marquis of Redvers

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Johnson (To Please a Lady) is at it again: turn the air conditioner on high and take out the fireproof oven mitts before opening the pages of this erotic Victorian romance. Jack Fitz-James, a dissolute young marquis renowned for his bedroom skills, meets Venus, an independent-minded Frenchwoman whose carnal appetites surpass even his own. Johnson fans know her plots are pretexts for one sexual encounter after another. (Every so often a historical "fact" is thrown into the brew, but it hardly makes a splash.) How long will it take Jack to give up his dedicated-to-pleasure life and admit he's fallen in love with the delectable Venus? Almost 300 pages, several dozen positions and variations of the same. Not satisfied with the now-standard dildo scene, Johnson adds a cognac bottle, too. Is this pornography? It depends on one's definition, but Johnson's romances are not for the demure. (To quote the amazing Jack: "He didn't know it was possible to fuck oneself to death... but he was willing to try.") Here, as usual, readers get their money's worth from Johnson's erotic-escapade novels. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"[Susan Johnson] is one of the best."
--Romantic Times

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553578677
• ISBN-13: 978-0553578676
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( J )

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Legendary Lover Continues Johnson's Erotic Style, May 2, 2000

By 

E. Beck (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Legendary Lover (Mass Market Paperback)

Legendary Lover continues author Susan Johnson's highly sensual and erotic romance style and, like the others in the Duras family series, this one sizzles with sex from beginning to end. Pasha Duras' daughter Venus is similar to Daisy Black in another of Johnson's series on the Braddock-Black family. Venus is independent and wealthy enough to thumb her nose at society and do as she pleases in and out of bed. Like many of Johnson's female leads, she has an interest in more than just society life. Jack Fitz-James, young and cut somewhat out of the same mold as Trey Braddock Black, is the rich and sexy Marquis of Redvers, a notorious rake. The book plot, a little weaker than her other books but still good, is propelled largely by steamy sex as the two try to avoid marriage to each other and any other suitors. You definitely don't have to read the previous two books in the series to enjoy this offering. As always, Johnson incorporates a heady use of elegant and sophisticated vocabulary to create her scenes and her dialogue entices with its brevity, laced with innuendo and suggestive spice.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Johnson does what she does best..., May 4, 2000

By 

Debra Hunter "voracious reader" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Legendary Lover (Mass Market Paperback)

Jack Fitz-James and Venus Duras are stunningly attractive, wealthy, independent, and bored, bored, BORED! Bored with popular society and it's aimless pursuits. Bored with the countless members of the opposite sex who throw themselves at them. Bored with the love affairs that they have both had. And then...Venus and Jack meet. Sparks fly. Clothes are thrown off. A torrid love affair begins. And Venus and Jack begin to wonder - is this just lust? Or is the irrestible pull they feel toward each other something more...?

Why do I enjoy reading Susan Johnson's books? Is it for the labyrinthe stories? The deep and moving characters? No, no, no! It's for the erotic and imaginative love scenes - and this book has them (plenty of them). No one writes witty repartee between lovers better than Johnson does, and there is plenty of that here, too. The previous Duras family books are my favorite of Johnson's novels, and this one is right up there with the other two.

I don't mean to sell this book short. Ms. Johnson does research her novels well (her books are the only romance novels I know of that have footnotes). And there is a story, of sorts. But really, you won't care because the love scenes, and the lovers, are so hot and so much fun. If you're looking for a fast, sexy, and witty romance, this is the book for you. Thanks to Ms. Johnson for an entertaining read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars About the use of certain words..., July 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Legendary Lover (Mass Market Paperback)

While I do not like the work of Susan Johnson, I feel obliged to defend her use of certain vulgarisms in this book about the Regency era. The F word is known to have been in use since the 1400s. Back then, it meant to destroy or spoil. Its use to describe the act of copulation has been in existence since the late-1600s. The C word is even older than the F word, and has been in use since the early 1300s. So, contrary to what various reviewers have said previously, Ms. Johnson IS entirely accurate to have Regency era characters use these words, vulgar as such may be.

Information about the historical appearance of English words is available in the book, English through the Ages, by William Brohaugh. It was published in 1998 by Writers Digest Books.