Customer Reviews

The Lover

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

Anne Aimes is a spinster. She has never known the touch of a man. Michel des Anges is male prostitute, paid to give women pleasure. Five years ago, he was disfigured in a fire. Now he has to pay women to have sex with him. Then Anne appears. She fears dying without having known pleasure. She pays Michel 10,000 pounds to show her such pleasure for 30 days. Michel is amazed by Anne's passion. He thinks of her as his spinster. She blossoms under his touch. But Michel is embroiled in a web of tragedy. A figure from his past vows to take from him all that he cares about. And he is beginning to care for Anne.

Anne and Michel are marvelous characters. Anne is 36, past the age of blossoming youth. She is shy, but courageous. With Michel she grows bold and passionate. Michel is a tragic character. Handsome, yet vulnerable. Charming, yet dangerous. He is amazed that Anne would want him, scarred as he is. He is soothed by the passion she gives him. She becomes his lifeline. Two lonely people needing to feel alive, wanted, and needed. An intriguing story with lusty love scenes. Enjoy!

If you don't like mystery and eroticism, then don't buy this book. The villian is evil, and what he does is evil. It's not for the faint-of-heart readers, and it's not for readers who want cardboard characters with their sex watered down--Robin Schone calls it for what it is, no love lances or ramrods here, and she doesn't cheapen her sex by throwing in vulgar profanities every other word.

Anne Aimes buys a man so she can experience passion. What she doesn't count on is that Michel des Anges, a man named for his ability to give women pleasure, is being systematically destroyed by the villian. We know that the villian hurt Michel as a child, and we know that the villian is responsible for a fire that disfigured Michel, and we know that he will try to kill Anne, but we have to wait to find out everything about Michel's past with the villain and why he's out to destroy Michel. Robin Schone doles out clues and information with each chapter instead of giving it to you all at once.

If you want fluff, look elsewhere. If you want to read about sex and danger and men and women who cry and laugh and grow stronger through love and sex, give The Lover and its sequel, Gabriel's Woman, a try. I think you'll be glad you did.

I must admit I was not sure I would like this book based on the different reviews that I had read but, in the end I was glad that I made the buy!

The story between Michae/Michel and Anne was very good. I feel that although the story had a dark theme, it was nice to find that something could come from it. Both Michael and Anne had their own problems before either had met. The love (yes I do believe that they loved) was special in that both were scared in different ways but each was able to see in the other something that was special. I feel that that was what was important.

As far as the love scenes go I feel that they were very moving in the fact that both wanted to feel something, and in the fact that they both were able to give to each other. I don't feel that they were clinical or gross. But they are not for the faint of heart either.

Ms. Schone writes about something that is very hard to talk about and her stories are always very moving. Yes, it was at times hard to understand what or who "the man" was in the story, but eventually it was all explained including why Michael was the way he was.

This book is worth taking the time to read. Don't be put off by the fact that it is an Erotic romance. The book is more then sex scenes. Ms. Schone is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more from her.

The Lover is one of the most beautifully written erotic historical romance novels that I have ever read. Michel/Michael is a male prostitute who has been without a patroness for five years, since a fire that disfigured him. Anne, is a 36 year old spinster who has spent her entire life subjugating her own desires in order to care for her aged parents. After her parents die, leaving Anne a huge inheritance, she decides that she wants to experience passion, so she hires Michel to be her lover for the price of 10,000 pounds, for thirty days. She had seen him at a ball at her disastrous come out and had wanted him ever since.

What I really enjoyed about this story was that it actually had an interesting story line that fit in/explains Michel/Michael's overt sexuality. The story itself is not necessarily easy to follow, Schone actually assumes that her readers have a bit of intelligence so the plot line is not obvious from the very beginning. For instance we know from the very beginning that Michel is seeking revenge for some heinous crime that was committed upon him as a child. We also know that something happened to him as an adult but it is not until almost the very end of the book that what happened is revealed. It is then that the reason and logic behind Michel/Michael's actions and cryptic remarks make sense. This was a sensitive, beautiful, erotic story - with a compelling plot, adventurous sex and compelling main characters. If think that you would like to read historical erotic romances but have been turned off by Susan Johnson's all sex, no plot, throw away character stories then check out this and The Lady's Tutor. I must give a warning however, there are som ah grahic violent scenes in here, -- that fit into the story line but are disturbuing. (The scenes that I am referring to are not of a sexual nature)

Once again i was astounded by the talent of this new author. Robin Schone has a gift! "The Lover" was a wonderful book!.

Anne Aimes, our herione, is a 36 year old spinster. She was born late to her parents and by the time was a young adult, her parents were elderly and in need of care. She sacrificed her life to look after them. Now, both parents has died, and she is looking at the wide open future that is hers. Only problem is that in Victorian times, the respectable options have no appeal for her. She could marry, in which case, she would be under someones control. Or she could stay a virgin spinster.

The one man she was attracted too, a man she met when she was a debutante, is now attainable to her. As an heiress she now can afford his "services". Anne chooses to buy a lover rather than die an old spinster or marry and lose control.

Michel des anges, or Michael of the Angels, is as tortured a hero as you will ever find. As a young runaway, he and his friend Gabriel became male prostitures to survive. He made his fortune as the most sought after lover. Gabriel later opened a brothel catering to the ton. Michael on the other hand thru some mysterious accident is burned and scarred. After losing his last patroness, a women he loved, Michael retreats, taking the fortune he has amassed and becomes an estate owner. Now, left with those scars, he has been shunned, left with the feeling that no woman would want him. He trys to retreat from public life.

However, someone is out to destroy him and those he loves. The mysterious "man" will not leave him alone.

Knowing that this mysterious man will try to destroy any type of life he has, Michael decides to bait the man, by accepting Anne Aimes offer. What follows is astoundly passionate and horrific at the same time. Anne Aimes, through her courage to take charge of her life, is awakened to her passionate nature and realizes that "beauty" is in everyone. Without spoiling the story for future readers, I will warn those who are thinking about buying this book, it is not for the faint of heart. As in previous books, Ms. Schone work is as erotic as anyone can be and she is not beyond taking the reader thru some of our characters most horrific fears. If you are expecting a sweet, kind story this book is not for you. If i were to have one complaint about this book, it would be that Ms. Schone took to much to bed with the characters. I felt that too much of the "conflict" spilled over into the love scenes, and i didn't feel that the characters totally let go of their "monsters" so to speak, as did with her previous books.

However, all in all, "The Lover" was a great read! And i can't wait for her next book! Go Robin Schone!

I've just finished reading The Lover and found it one of the most compelling books that I have read. Robin Schone has surpassed herself with this complex, disturbing and extremely erotic romantic thriller.

Anne Aimes is the type of heroine that we've come to expect from Ms. Schone. Brave, intelligent, and of course, passionate, Anne is a 36 year old "spinster" who is not content to live the colorless life that is dictated to her by Victorian society. After seeing her parents live joyless lives, Anne is determined to experience true passion, if only for a short time. So, after her parents' deaths, Anne uses part of her sizable inheritance to hire the services of the notorious Franch male courtesan Michel Des Anges. When Anne was eighteen, she glimpsed Michel dancing at a London ball. He was the most beautiful man she had, or has, ever seen and Anne's desire to be with him overcomes her shame at having to hire a man to sleep with her.

Michel Des Anges has been in seclusion for five years following a fire that scarred him. Michel, who has been reduced to paying prostitutes to sleep with him, craves physical contact with a willing woman and agrees to service Anne for a month. For Michel, sex is the only thing that helps him forget the horrors - what horrors exactly we do not know - from his past. As Anne and Michel enter into a passionate liason, the evil force from Michel's past arises to threaten both he and Anne.

Michel is an amazingly complex and well-written character and I was compelled to turn page after page to discover more of his secrets and of his past. I was transfixed by the story of Michel and Anne's liason, by the erotic and imaginative love scenes, and by their growing intimacy. And, I wanted to discover the secret of the mystery that unfolds around Anne and Michel as they spend time together. Anne and Michel's world is joined by several compelling supporting characters and fleshed out with well-researched and interesting details of Victorian life.

What an incredibly well written book! I will definitely keep this one and read it again (and again). I would warn potential buyers that this is more of an erotic thriller than a romance novel - actually to call it a "romance" does it a disservice. This book is so good on so many levels, but is definitely not the light read that the usual romance novel is. Once again, another great book from Robin Schone. Thank you Robin, I can't wait for the next one!

Robin Schone is one of the writers who dares to be avant garde in the field of erotic historical romance, and it is always with anticipation readers pick up her books, looking for sensuality and unexpected twists in her plots. Her last offering, The Lady's Tutor was a no-holds barred passion that shone with poignancy, enticing all your senses in the forbidden world of passion with richly-flavored historical details and stoic characters like Elizabeth and Ramiel.

The Lover,her third full-length book,is more complexed, darker and more somber. She ventures into the gloomy labyrinth of male prositution with the flawed character Michel/Michael. He is tormented by his past,deprived of a childhood and suffers from repulsive burns.Anne Aimes is a spinster, who through her solicitor engages Michael to show her sexual pleasure and slowly develops her own suppressed desires with him.

The Lover, with its convoluted plot and intricacies may prove hard to stomach for some. For the first half of the book, even with its surreal realm of hot-brewed lust, you cannot feel the full blast of the sensuality of the sexual scenes simply the characterization is vague. Which is a pity. For the first part of the story brims with stark lust that tempts and excites the reader, you cannot feel there is love intertwined in the process because you are clueless to inner thoughts of Michel/Michael. It is only after the enshrouding mystery is revealed towards the end of the book, then you can understand the desperation and fervor of their love-making. The last sexual scene involved reaches the zenith of desire, simply because you see the bliss of two tortured souls understanding through bondage. It is only in the second half of the book, you see the characters developing and making sense of their dialogues.This pales in comparison to The Lady's tutor who weaves heightened sensuality because of Schone's intelligent dialogues.

However, credit still has to be given to Schone, who succeeds in crafting a utterly gripping tale and a climax towards the end. It is only after you understand the bitter fate of Michael,then everything comes full circle. If you reread the first part of the book again, then will you feel the urgency of their mating. Schone edges into gritty details of insertion of diaphragms and male prostitution, and created a strong female character who confronts with her passion bravely.

Schone displays unprecedented courage in attempting novelties in The Lover, but romance is still a fundamental sharing of love between two souls and not just confronting with inner desires. It is what endears the readers to The Lady's tutor and A Lady's pleasure - and what makes Robin Schone a poignant writer and a tour de force.

The Lover is highly sensual and is definitely worth a read even though it falters in comparison to her last work.

This book is an extremely well layered romance that draws you into a web of intrigue page by page. Those familiar with Ms. Schone's prior works, AWAKEN, MY LOVE , THE LADY'S TUTOR and A LADY'S PLEASURE (included in the CAPTIVATED anthology) do not need me to tell them of the HEAT that this author writes with. The pages burn your fingers this book is so hot, like all of her works. But the love scenes are so well written, as is the rest of the book. Anne's fear and desire both are palpable living emotions that you as the reader feel right along with her as she embarks on this mission to enter in to an arrangement with the scarred and burned Michel she pays for one month of "service". She is unaware, as are you the reader, of the game of a larger scope to which she has entered into involving the mysterious aspects from Michel's past. And Gabriel, Michael's mysterious friend is an extremely interesting character who just begs to have his own book. I know I have my fingers crossed Ms. Schone is writing it now.

Michel des Anges - Michael of the Angels - is a whore. The Victorian equivalent of a gigolo except that word hadn't been invented yet. A renowned lover famous for his ability to satisfy women. He was the darling of society until ghosts from his past came back to destroy him. Now scarred for life, Michael is out to seek vengeance and must draw his enemies out. To do that, he will need Anne Aimes. Anne is an extremely wealthy spinster who has always been fascinated by the infamous Michael. Deciding that she would like to experience the joys of carnal pleasure without marrying, Anne hires Michael for one month. Each enters into the agreement with ulterior motives and soon realize that they had gotten much more than they had bargained for.

Robin Schone has written a book that is guaranteed to evoke strong emotions. One can't help but feel empathy and admiration for Anne, a creature of her time who is bold enough to shake off the shackles of convention and reach for what she wants. As for Michael, his story is heartbreaking and not easily forgotten. Robin brings these two characters to life in a fashion that is vivid and poignant. She pushes the story to its very limits then takes that final step over the line. The result? A story that leaves an indelible mark. THE LOVER is not an easy book to read - it's intense, disturbing, and definitely not for the faint of heart. All that aside, rarely has a book satisfied me on so many levels. THE LOVER pushed all the right buttons. My copy is firmly ensconced on my Keeper Shelf.

TheSchemer

I really enjoyed this book. It has some unusual main charactors in it. The leading lady is in her thirties, and the leading man has been in a fire, with the scars on his face and hands to show for it. She decides that she is going to get some sexual experiance, and then move on with her life. She had seen this man 17 years before, but he never saw her, because she was to plain. When she sees him again, under some unusual circumstances, she doesn't see his scars. She sees him. There is an underlying plot that was somewhat confusing until the end. I like the fact that it had a story line and the characters seemed to love each other. So often in these types of books, the author gets so involved in making sure there is enough sex, that they forget the story. That is not the case here. It is graphic, the abuse that he took as a child is told in detail, and is pretty disgusting. But then that is what has shaped him to be the kind of man he is. I can't wait until the book on Gabriel!