Customer Reviews

Passion (Passion Quartet)

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

A chance meeting between a widow and a strange man leads to sex behind a screen in a... museum? (hey, I wasn't paying all that close attention to the setting--believe me, you wouldn't either. <g> suffice to say it was public) And that's just the beginning.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it wasn't what I got. With all the explicit sex scenes, you might expect it to be erotica, but there's a depth of emotion in this book that makes it more than that.

The good:
Explicit sex scenes that don't make you cringe, giggle, or skim.
Three-dimensional characters, including the secondary characters.
A no-way-out plot that was solved honestly.

The bad:
If you're at all squeamish about explicit sex scenes or graphic language, this book isn't for you.
I didn't expect I'd be needing the Kleenex, and I had to go hunt for some. *sniff*

The excellent:
The in-depth emotional portrayal of a couple whose passion unlocks the needs and feelings they've kept hidden.

The verdict:
I've been recommending this to everyone, and Lisa Valdez has shot straight to my must-buy list on the strength of one single book.

I must admit I was a bit wary of this book. The cover art was so "Cheryl Holt", I was worried that the book would be a series of sex scenes with little or no story. While the sex is both frequent and explicit, it is also very erotic (though this is always a matter of taste). This book also contains explicit language with a very liberal use of the F-word (among others) so those offended by such language should take note. It's the story of two strangers who form an immediate, electric, sexual bond and all the complications that follow.

Passion Elizabeth Dare Redington (I know, her name made me cringe in the beginning) is a widow of two years. She has come to London from her home in the country to spend time with her aunt and cousin in her first forays into Society as she comes out of mourning. Her marriage was not a happy one as her husband did not love her (nor she him) and treated her with total indifference. Passion has been numb for years allowing herself to be lead by duty and obligation. But when she is pulled from the path of a falling palm tree at the Crystal Palace by a handsome stranger, Passion's numbness takes flight. When this man looks at her, he actually sees her and he awakens in her all the need she has suppressed for years. She is drawn to him in a way that she has never experienced before and they play a sort of cat and mouse game as he follows her from exhibit to exhibit. They share glances, touches and conversation until they are desperate for one another and find themselves behind a screen where they give in to their mutual lust. Though she knows that it is wrong, she agrees to see him again though they only exchange first names.

Mark Randolph Hawkmore, earl of Langley was supposed to be meeting the woman his mother expects him to marry at the Crystal Palace. But instead he meets the most sensual, intriguing and alluring woman he's seen in a long time and he just cannot resist having her. Mark does not like women much and one could hardly blame him after meeting his loathesome mother. She made her first born son miserable just because he was his father's son - a man she never wanted to marry in the first place. She takes out her resentment of her husband on his son and man, is she hateful! She adores her second son, her beloved Matthew, but she also has a secret. One that leads to a blackmail scheme requiring Mark to marry the daughter of her former friend, now her sworn enemy. Mark has no intention of marrying after watching the disaster of his own parents' marriage, but if he cannot find another way out, his brother and best friend Matthew will be harmed and Mark can't have that. Besides all Mark wants is to spend as much time with Passion as he possibly can until she leaves London to return to the country.

Of course at first it's just sex, but the more time they spend together, the more attached they become to one another. Unfortunately, circumstances are forcing Mark to do something he does not want to do and, unbeknownst to either one of them, they are more entangled in one another's lives than either can know. For once they discover each other's identities heartbreak is sure to follow. And it does. Will Mark and Passion be forced to part forever because of two mean and cruel women?

I must say that the last quarter of the book was quite emotional, poignant and romantic which I did not entirely expect. I even shed a few tears! I liked Passion's character all the way through and I was glad to the see the growth in Mark's character. Though he is essentially a selfish man (except where his brother is concerned) with little regard or respect for women, his experience with Passion shows him that he is capable of much more than just sex when it comes to women. At least with one very special woman. This is a highly sensual read with a couple you will want to see together in the end.

There will be stories for Passion's two dear sisters, Patience and Primrose as well as one for cousin Charlotte in the future. Matthew will also feature in one as well as John Crossman who is seen in this book. So, we've got a Matthew, Mark and John - can this mean that Prim's hero will be named Luke? ;-) Looking forward to reading more from Ms Valdez.

I read this book three times just to make sure that I understood
what the author was trying to get across.
I didn't summarize the plot here (there is plenty of reviews with
those), just some details of what I love/hate about this book.

First the good stuff. I thought the romance aspect was excellent and
a real tear jerker. Valdez really was able to flesh out her
characters and make a deep emotional connection. This may sound
cheesy, but I really felt that they were two lost souls that were
only complete when they found each other. And the end was a killer!
You want romantic? THIS IS IT! When they both realized that they
could never be together ever again.....I almost died! Sheesh! Bring
out the kleenex! The declarations and the circumstances were just
heart-breaking. And the ending? ~SUPER SIGH~ who doesn't love an
ending like that?!

And now the bad or is it weird? First of all, let me say that I'm
not at all averse to descriptive love scenes (the more the merrier!)
but some of these had me thinking waaaaaay to much -not a good sign.
I know most heroes are described as 'above' average in size (well no
one wants a guy with a **** the size of a pinky), but Geeze is this
man a man or a HORSE? Valdez I think went a little overboard with
this. Ok, so he's big but it doesn't stop there. He's soooo big that
he hasn't been able to find a woman that can *accept* his entire
size into her body, until (lo and behold!) he finds the heroine! And
the love scenes beat this point to DEATH! He's got to shift her here
and there and just a little bit like that and then tilt her up like
this.....AND scream at her to *open* more for him -UGGGG! that was
just toooo much. It turned several excellent love scenes into a bad
bio class. And really do I need to know that the man can fill a shot
glass? Does that make him sexier? Not for me.

And then there was the cursing. I don't mind a few words throw in
here and there but again I thought that Valdez got a little bit
crazy. I don't need F or C words repeated over and over again during
love scenes to turn me on. Yeah, some people like that dirty talk,
but to me it doesn't fit in a historical romance. Say it once or
twice and be done with it. Otherwise your characters sound like
common street people and not the nobility you portray them to be.

So those parts I just wanted to take a sharpie pen to and cross out.
Pretend that they were never written. If they weren't, this could
have possibly been one of my favorite romances.

That being said, I think a lot of romance readers will like this
one. The trend seems to be that authors are adding more and more
explicit love scenes (which I'm all for -if they are written well).
And while I didn't like some parts, that didn't change the fact that
I overall loved the characters and deep emotional romance of the
book. If your not easily offended you'll like this one too. A great
romance that leave you fulfilled (LOL! pun intended!) in the end.

I am torn on rating this as 3 star erotica or 1 star romance.
Since the Publisher designated it as Historical Romance, I am awarding it one star.
Yes. I agree with the reviewers who called this novel: smoking, steaming, sexy, erotic, etc. etc. As erotica goes, it gets the job done. It will certainly get you all hot and bothered. And if your secret fantasy is a crude, public wall banging with a Harry Reems/John Holmes type, you're in luck.
But as a romance, I think it failed. A historical romance should be historical and it should be romantic.
The hero stalking the heroine in a public place, grunting at her with crude sexual suggestions is not my idea of romance. Two strangers agreeing to meet for further anonymous sex is not romantic. Coarse descriptions of this goes there, shove-push-shove-bend-tilt-bend is not romantic.
The hero, Mark, is dishonest and a misogynist.
The author does convince me that Mark loves his brother, Matt. Mark will enter a coerced marriage to save his brother from the revealation of his illegitimacy. This engagement does not stop Mark from bopping the stuffing out of Passion.
Passion is passive. Her first marriage was that well worn romance cliche: The Loveless Duty Marriage. Mark and his incredible you-know-what brings this latent Submissive to life. Passion, like the other women in this novel, is a one dimensional stereotype.
Why a decorous Victorian widow would consent to this type of liason is a mystery. The actions and decisions of these Victorian characters were incongruous with their supposed historical era. These cardboard lovers could populate any contemporary erotic novel.
The romance hinges on whether Mark with sacrifice his and Passion's future happiness. Will Mark marry to protect his brother from the sins of their adulterous mother. Why is Mark protective of Matt's reputation, but unconcerned about Passion's reputation? Has she no honor to be protected?
Ultimately, I was not convinced of Mark's love for Passion. Lust, yes. Sort of. Love, no.
Romance requires some subtlety, some sensitivity, two elements sadly missing from this wham-bam novel.

A simple, unromantic erotic novel. Suitable for one-handed reading. The publisher must have laughed all the way to the Bank.
This historical romance fails to deliver any romance. The Novel opens at the Crystal Palace with the hero copping a feel of the heroine's breast. The heroine almost comes when he fingers her bare palm inside her glove. Oh my.
The hero follows the aroused heroine, proposing various sexual activities. Finally they consummate this anonymous relationship, hiding behind a screen, and screwing madly up against a wall.
Passion doesn't do much more than take it all in, if you know what I mean. After an unfulfilling marriage and two years of proper mourning, Passion is ready for a lot of action. She agrees to continue meeting/screwing Mark at various locales. Sometimes he crawls up the trellis and through her window. Believe it or not, these two are adults.
Here's the plot, unfortunately, it is not as large and powerful as Mark's minutely described member. That's ok, the limp plot goes well with the shallow characterizations. Mark and Passion's deep sexual relationship must wither on the trellis 'cause Mark has been blackmailed into a loveless engagement. Oh no.
Turns out his beloved brother, Matt, is illegitimate. Mark will do anything to protect his brother. All will be revealed if he doesn't obey his Mother's blackmailing former bosom buddy. Seems that Mommy Dearest was given to writing indiscreet letters to this friend.
Mark's mother is a laughable caricature. An evil, adulterous harpy, who never loved him or his father. Oh boy. The adult Mark is selfish and demanding due to this lack of maternal love and kindness. Oh please.
Passion is little more than a receptacle. She happily accepts what ever Mark shoves into her. Her personality is never developed by the author. She remains saintly, accepting and totally unbelievable as a real woman.
The author adds a little piquancy to her cliched tale by liberally drenching the reader in truly amazing gutter talk. Does she kiss her mother with that mouth?
Mark knows no accurate anatomical terms, it's all crude, puerile euphemisms. The c-word gets a real workout.
Depending on your taste, this may be fair to piddling erotica. Maybe it is a new sub-genre: Clit. Lit.
Whatever. Please don't call it a historical romance.

First, I want to say that I don't want to ruin any readers who plan to read this book in the future by any spoilers--so you have been warned. This book is Erotica first and foremost. So if you purchase thinking you are getting a Historical Romance well...it is erotica first and a romance second...as far as being a historical-- the fact it takes place during the Victorian Era, well therein lies the history.

I give the book 3.5 stars overall--4 stars for creative sex scenes; far, farfetched 'appendages', bionic bunny sex occuring chapter after chapter--ridiculous anatomy of a man and woman, etc.

This book is a first for me in that instaneously the hero and heroine meet as strangers and begin having sex...hence the 'bionic bunny' title to this review. I did laugh several times throughout reading the book but not at any humor in the story but because of the outrageousness of the sex scenes and the behavior of the hero and heroine.

Don't expect any deep character development in this book, it is a very light read, a fast read and worthy of my time only because of the silliness of the hero's humongous winky (10.5" to be exact!), his over abundance of 'seed' ( his cup really doth runneth over!) and the heroine's anatomy-- her being the first woman to ever accomodate the hero's gargantuan winky completely...not to mention said winky reaches beyond the norm but clear into heroine's 'womb'.

Readers, I just have to mention this isn't possible in reality and if the feats of the hero were to be beleived well then his winky would be an instant, natural birth control tool--aborting any possible baby created with each coupling between the pair. The author had the body parts worded correctly but apparently doesn't understand how they truly work--there is a reason a cervix is a cervix- it is not for a man's pleasure but to seal off the womb upon conception and protect the unborn baby--

Not a deep read but kept me curious as to what absurd sex scene the author would create next. It made me chuckle more then once hence the 3.5 stars and that is being generous.

This is one of my top 10 favorite books EVER! From their first amazingly hot encounter to the heart-wrenching conclusion I was hooked. Regardless of the graphic nature of their sexual encounters and the explicit language, Lisa Valdez has written a compelling and well plotted story. I appreciate that the author has revealed that the sex scenes are actually integral, and metaphorical, to the character's needs and their relationship with each other. Mark, the Earl of Langley, has never been embraced or loved deeply by another woman and Passion is unfulfilled/unfilled--and both find their needs truly met in each other. Understanding this may help a more reticent reader move beyond the shocking beginning and into the dynamic storyline that is alternately tragic and triumphant. Readers may need to keep a box of tissues nearby during the last third of the novel. :)

I got this in a batch of books a friend gave to me, and wow, I have never read anything this bad before. Dressing it up as an historical romance is completely false advertising and insulting to that genre.

And I have to say, it is not even erotic. It is so childish as to be completely unbelieveable, with two foul mouthed, petulant heroes who boink like bunnies and have very little else going for them other than their moving parts.

They are worried about scandal and issues of illegitimacy, yet they act the way they do up against walls, etc? where anyone could see them?

I am more than happy with erotic if it has plot, setting, and interesting characters, but this was a slight and total fantasy plot which does not reflect the genuine atmosphere of the historical time period they were trying to write about. There is nothing romantic about the book at all, and the 'content' in terms of emotional connection could be fit into a thimble. The publisher should be ashamed of themselves for wasting everyone's time with this supposed historical romance. Just call it romantica or erotica and market it honestly as such. (And even then it was more like men's porn than women's erotica--there IS a difference, you know!)

This book was a wonderful surprise. Lisa Valdez has a big future ahead of her! It was a shockingly steamy Victorian romance with more vivid language than typical, but the real surprise was the story itself. It was an extremely well written and plotted love story. The story was rich with details and emotions, and the ending difficult to predict. There is no doubt that this couple has something very special between them, and that their struggles to find true happiness went far beyond their sexual chemistry.

Lisa Valdez does push the boundaries of "normal" by adding the "C" and "F" word to her dialog, as well as adding more raw and descriptive love scenes. I can see why some people would not care for this style, so if you are of a prude nature you may want to pass on this book. Personally, I felt the language was central to the storyline, and I don't know if the story would have been as enjoyable if the vivid details were glossed over with innuendoes and purple proses. Maybe, but I doubt it. The sex scenes were always heated with passion and desire -- and even love, but I never felt they were superficial or gratuitous. It was never "just sex". This book is a keeper, and I am sure to re-read it many more times.

This is one of the steamiest historical/erotic romance novels I have read in a long time. I couldn't put it down because it was so hot and risque. It reminded me of an Ellora's Cave offering, only this one has more romantic elements. In an ironic twist, young widow Passion Elizabeth Dare had never had a passionate experience in her life, not until she meets the sensual, virile Mark at a London art exhibit. He makes her feel alive during an erotic encounter behind a large screen at the exhibit. Several more smoldering encounters ensue between the two strangers at the same place. Mark is uninhibited, speaks with a very rough language and is hung like the proverbial mule. Passion cannot resist him. He likes that he is able to bring out the fire that her name suggests. He doesn't believe in love or in lasting relationships, but he begins to feel something different for Passion. But blackmail and two cold-hearted, scheming women, one of whom is his mother, keep Mark Randolph Hawkmore, Earl of Langley, from heading toward the direction his heart is taking him. A commoner wants her daughter to have his title, and she'll do just about anything to obtain it.

As said earlier, this is one of the steamiest romanticas I have read! This Victorian romance truly sizzles and lives up to its title with explicit, graphic sex scenes and words and phrases that would make Andrew Dice Clay blush. I loved it! I wish more romance novels had this earnest approach to erotica and not sugarcoat the scenes up with ridiculous purple prose. This one is definitely not for the faint of heart. Lisa Valdez's writing style reminds me a great deal of Emma Holly. They both write erotic romance I can sink my teeth into, so to speak. I'd put this book in the same erotic quality as Holly's Beyond Seduction, except that this one is even hotter. Ms. Valdez is a promising new author, that much is certain. As for the characters in the book, Mark is wonderful. I fell in love with him, especially during *the scene* that brought me to tears. The character Passion is also great. She shattered all inhibitions with Mark. I liked Matt, Mark's brother, and hated Abigail and Lucinda. The story is also a marvel. What impressed me most was the beautiful love storyline that is truly touching. Passion has a wonderful balance of romance and erotica that is irresistible. The couples are earnest and have great chemistry. And the best part is that you don't read about any of the silly "I love you and I hate you" storyline that is so common in romances. The development of their feelings is done subtly and quite realistically. The one thing I don't like is that Passion cries for most of the novel. But that is a shortcoming that is not difficult to overlook. I cannot wait to read the upcoming two parts of this trilogy, which will feature Passion's sisters. The next one will be about Patience and Matthew. (I like that the men in this series have biblical names.) I loved Passion. Lisa Valdez is officially on my must-read list!