Customer Reviews

Naughty or Nice

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

 

 

Ms. George is a good writer. It's that simple. Lucien is a terrific, tortured hero. Fancy is headstrong and determined, but vulnerable. They make a terrific pair. The story maintains its tension and the reader's interest throughout, and meanwhile does a superb job of setting up the next book, making the reader pine for its release. George also writes very hot love scenes.

My only concern is that I didn't always buy into the angst. Fancy's withdrawal from Lucien when she found out how her brother died seemed extreme after what she already knew, not so much that it happened, but that it took so long for her to forgive (under the circumstances). Lucien's actions sometimes seemed to contradict his beliefs; worse, he continued with his revenge for no reason that to continue. But these minor qualms and only drop my rating a a few tenths of a star.

All in all, a great read and a definite keeper. Somewhere around 4.4-4.5 stars.

This was my first experience with this author and it was an enjoyable one, but not what I was expecting. From the title, cover and description, I thought it would be a light Christmas story, but it was actually rather dark and the holidays played a very minor part in the epilogue. I wasn't disappointed though. I probably enjoyed the story I read more than I would have the one I was expecting.
This book has great characters (a feisty heroine and a tortured, brooding hero, which I love) and an interesting plot. It's about a young woman of nobility struggling to save her family home. Her parents have died, as has the grandmother who raised her and her older brother. When her brother is killed, she becomes the ward of a man she's never met, who served in the military with her brother. The moment he sees her he's smitten, but he doesn't know who she is and vice versa. When he shows up at her home later, looking for his ward, she figures it out and decides to have her best friend pretend to be her while she pretends to be a servant, giving herself more freedom under his watchful eye.
He has an opium addiction and was raised in extreme poverty, having pulled himself up through the ranks of society. He doesn't think he's good enough for a lady, but doesn't hesitate to pursue the object of his desire when he thinks she's a servant.

The Pleasure Seekers series continues with this sensual tale of temptation, love and vengeance.

Dressed as a boy, Lady Francine "Fancy" Fitz Hugh is trying to find evidence that will help her friend avoid an unwanted marriage. Lucien Kendall is fascinated watching a little thief rifle a drunk's pockets. But fascination becomes anger when the thief bashes him over the head for asking a few questions. He's surprised when he visits his ward, the girl who's been called "an incorrigible chit" by the ton, and notices she looks remarkably like his attacker.

Lucien appears the perfect rake. Few know of the scars and deep emotional wounds he carries that have him lusting for revenge against his family's killer. By becoming embroiled in Fancy's schemes to save her friend, Lucien uncovers a remarkable young woman whose love can heal him and help him put aside his hate.

With an angst-ridden, sexy, alpha-male hero and a spunky, delightful, adventurous heroine, a fast pace and a grand cast of secondary characters, this is one of the most luscious romances of the season. George keeps you glued to the pages, following Fancy's roller-coaster-ride escapades, and there is no way you can be immune to Lucien's sensuality. You're guaranteed to get your pleasure from this read!

Lady Francine "Fancy" Fitz is on a mission to help her dear friend avoid an unwanted marriage. Lucien Kendall happens to be in the local tavern and observers Fancy posing as a young lad rifle the pockets of a drunk patron. Lucien is quite fascinated knowing full well that Fancy is a female and oh what a luscious female she is. Lucien begins asking questions and Fancy gets angry, so angry she bashes him over the head. Later when Lucien discovers Fancy to be his very own ward, the fun between these two truly begins.

Lucien seems to be the perfect rake but for me was one of the more tortured ones. He had an addiction to opium probably caused by all of the many mysteries and deaths surrounding his family. Very few really understand Lucien and the depth of his emotional scars. Suddenly because of Fancy and her interesting schemes he gets more involved in her troubles and less obsessing over his own.

Fancy was completely drawn to Lucien, problems and all. I would have been too. There was a vulnerability with Lucien that made him a sympathetic hero. He tried very hard to do the right thing. It was not that he lived his life hurting others it was more that he continued to fall short, not being able to protect and save those he loved. And for that he kept sinking into the world of drugs.

If he had not met Fancy under these unique circumstances, thinking her a lower class person, not a Lady, he never would have been drawn to her the way he was. Fancy in turn saw the more real Lucien because he believed he could open up to her just a little. And of course she was able to see his sexual charm which he never would have shown to Lady Francine!

This was a powerful and emotional read, far better I think than the others in this series, although they all are good. Interesting thought that these men, the Pleasure Seekers are all so tortured and have such horrible things to overcome!

I loved this book, and again I rate very few books fives, although this is almost a five. I believe for me with a little more developed ending I would have given it a solid five stars, but instead a solid four.

I really didn't think a book could top THE PLEASURE SEEKERS, Ms. George's previous book in this series, but she managed to do just that with NAUGHTY OR NICE. Lucien was one of the most tortured and yet thoroughly endearing characters I've had the good fortune to read about in a long time. This book delves into areas I never suspected an historical would, but will clarity and no overdose of pity on the part of any characters. Bravo, Ms. George! I can't wait for the next book in the series.

After two governesses quit because his wild ward Lady Francine FitzHugh drove them away, Lucien Kendall decides he will take a firm hand with the pest and marry her off immediately so he can go back convincing the Ton he is a hedonist. Instead, Lucien uses pleasure seeking as a ploy to hide his real self, a tortured soul worried that he is just like his father and knowing what happened to George, his ward's brother.

Her grandmother died last year and her brother soon after, but Fancy does everything to save her home. Now her guardian, George's commanding officer, interferes with her plans to save her beloved Moor's End. However, when Lucien arrives to admonish Fancy, the two are stunned as an immediate attraction erupts. Soon love blossoms, but he has dark secrets that once she learns them might turn her love to hate.

The second The Pleasure Seekers Club Regency romance is a fine tale because of the interesting Lucien who has guilt feelings involving George and an abusive father to overcome; he is the key to the tale. Like Fancy, readers slowly learn his dark secrets that he hides by pretending to be a card carrying pleasure seeker (kind of like reaction formation). Fancy is an intrepid heroine fighting to save her home and subsequently her beloved. Though the action is limited, this character driven historical will pleasure fans of nineteenth century relationship dramas starring a traumatized protagonist.

Harriet Klausner

After ridding herself of unwanted governesses, the prospect of having an ancient man as guardian leaves Lady Francine "Fancy" Fitz Hugh with chills. She has a plan though, she'll rid herself of Lucien Kendall too.

Adding to her problems, Fancy's friend Rosalyn, who is living with her. Rosalyn's stepbrother wants the estate, meaning Rosalyn has got to go. So, he hires thugs to kidnap her.

Lucien Kendall was Commanding Officer to George, Fancy's brother, and on his death bed George asked Lucien to become Fancy's guardian. When Fancy and Lucien first meet, Fancy has beaten off the thugs and mistakes Lucien for another thug. She shoots him in the ankle. It doesn't help one bit when Fancy learns that Lucien is her guardian. He is much too handsome and desirable for the guardianship to last.

NAUGHTY OR NICE is the second installment in the Pleasure Seekers series. As the relationship between Fancy and Lucien develops, the reader is faced with several questions. What is the secret that Lucien is hiding? Why has Tahj, a Buddhist Monk, taken the role of protector to Lucien? Anxious to find out answers, I found it difficult to put the book down. Melanie George did a great job holding my interest right to the final page.

This is a good read. If you like Lori Foster type writers, you will enjoy this book.

The base of the story is that Lady Francine's (Fancy) lies to her quardian that she is not the Lady Francine but a servant. Lucien falls for the 'servant' and then is very angry when he finds out the truth. The depth of the story deals with Lucien demons and how Fancy help him -- in so many ways. Melanie George is becoming one of my favorite writers. Check out M. George's 'Handsome Devil' as well.

Highly anticipating this book after adoring "The Pleasure Seekers", I expected the rousing, emotional read George provided with her previous release. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to its predecessor. Naughty or Nice uses the most over used plot device in historical romance: the feisty ward and the jaded guardian, and does nothing to change the cliched-ness of the hackneyed plot device.Fancy and Lucian are cliched from the beginning of the book and by the end, are just plain carictures of themselves. The reasons for Fancy's disguise are inane and silly and Lucian was nearly over the border of cliched embittered rake. But the biggest wallop I had to swallow was the book's lack of historical wallpaper. TPS was obviously set in the Victorian era, but NoN was all over the place. If you've never read George's historicals, this isn't the book to start. Try The Pleasure Seekers, a compelling and sexy read. I have hopes that George's future work can be as touching as TPS.