Customer Reviews

The Pleasure Seekers

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ok, I thought that we had done away with silly, unlikely heroine names like Raven, Parris, Skye and now Bliss? UGH! But Melanie George (along with Nicole Jordan) writes very much in the tradition of those late 70's early 80's bodice rippers, so I suppose we should not be surprised. We're all familiar with stories of women who, through circumstances beyond their control, wind up with nothing, forced to either become governess or mistress. Well here's a twist in that in this story, it's a man who's lost all.

Caine Ballinger has lost everything but his useless title as Earl of Hartland due to his father's debts - especially to the Earl of Exmoor. He's been reduced to "pleasuring" the current lady of the manor, the malevolent Olivia Hamilton who bought Northcote on the old earl's death. Caine hates Olivia (and himself) but with no money and no prospects, he is left with little choice but to do her bidding (sexually) in order to remain in his family home. During a house party, Caine becomes intrigued by one of Olivia's guests - Bliss Ashton who just happens to be the daughter of the man he blames for all his troubles, the Earl of Exmoor. Caine resolves to hate Bliss because of her father, whose intractability over Caine's father's debts to him contributed to his death. But there is something besides hate in his eyes when he looks at the lovely Bliss and it does not go unnoticed by Olivia. Not keen on having a rival for Caine's attention, she challenges him to seduce and ruin Bliss with his reward being the return of his family home, not to mention revenge on the Earl of Exmoor. Though unwilling to go along with any of Olivia's machinations, he agrees knowing it is just one more black mark on his already dark soul. But he's desperate to get his home, not to mention some small measure of his self-respect, back and to get Olivia out of his life forever. Any guilt he feels about using Bliss is blunted by his need for revenge against her father. And so his pursuit begins.

Of course he succeeds in seducing her, they fall for one another and she discovers his true motivations. She flees to Paris to forget Caine and move on with her life. Easier said than done - especially when Caine shows up in Paris determined to win her back. Can she trust him with heart? Can he truly love her? And, given the unsavory things he's done and the fact that he has little to offer her, can he make himself worthy of her?

If you like your heroes tortured, Caine will perfectly fit the bill. He's a man on the brink of despair, especially once he realizes his feelings for Bliss. But a couple of issues: Olivia's character was pretty much one-dimensional in that she did cruel things because she enjoyed it and because she could. And if Caine had no money, how does he pay for travel and lodging when he follows her to Paris? And toward the end there seemed to be more than necessary complications, revelations and some too easily resolved conflicts. But I must say that Caine's despair and self-loathing were very well depicted. When Olivia reveals Caine's ugliest secrets to Bliss his despair is palpable and his reaction borders on pathetic. You just wanted to pull him into your arms, squeeze him tight and tell him it would be all right. Though not perfect, this is a highly sensual story of a man who's done many ugly things and the woman who might just be his salvation.

The Pleasure Seekers is difficult to pin down; it's at once tragic and hopeful. Caine is perhaps the most tragic hero I have yet to encounter. He was truly a lost soul, so incredibly tortured, much of it a torture of himself from guilt and feelings of unworthiness. One almost has to wonder how Bliss was able to see beneath his extremely angry, sometimes violent, always challenging outer self to the deeply scarred, painfully alone, nearly broken man inside. George has created in Caine one of the most memorable romantic leads I've ever read. From the very beginning, the reader hurts for him; even when you cannot sanction his actions, you feel his despair. It is extremely powerful.

Bliss is not as fully realized. There seems little to her love for him other than desire, pity, and compassion. She's just not as real or as emotionally compelling as Caine. Only her ability to see deep inside him, and to love and forgive that inner man, makes her a worthy companion.


Some elements of the plot are defintely too quickly resolved, such as the horse and the murder, and Olivia is a one-note character, although there is certainly plenty to loathe. The reader must be happy that poor Caine has found peace and love, but this is not a comfortable story. Caine too often gets close to rape and Olivia's treatment of him is even worse. But it is also a story of redemption...no, salvation. It's a pity that Bliss is not his equal, except in the largeness of her heart, and that the other plot elements are not given their due.

Caine's a 4 & 1/2 star character...the rest is more 3 stars.

Caine Ballinger, the Earl of Hartland, has fallen on hard times. Once a young, spoiled rake, Caine had been content to live the high life in London ignoring signs his financially inept father was ruining the family fortune. When the storm breaks, Caine's father commits suicide, his patrimony is lost, and he is left virtually penniless. When a wealthy widow purchases his beloved home, Caine barters his body and soul. In exchange for staying on at Northcote, he is now Olivia Hamilton's personal stud. Haunted by his father's memory and damned by the choices he's had to make, Caine can only dream of one day taking revenge on the man he blames for his father's death -- the Duke of Exmoor. That opportunity arrives when Exmoor's daughter, Lady Bliss Ashton, comes to Northcote as part of a house party.

An unusual and independent young lady, Bliss Ashton is no simpering debutante. Since her parents' estrangement, Bliss has spent most of her time in Paris with her mother, establishing herself as an artist and living a Bohemian life. While on a visit to England, Bliss agrees to attend a house party with her cousin Court, and arrives to find an estate set in the stark but beautiful wilds of Devon and its scandalously wild and compelling former master. Although her first encounters with the dispossessed earl make him appear to be a crude brute, Bliss slowly comes to know and love the lost soul behind Caine's feral facade.

However, when a jealous Olivia notices the sparks between them, she gives Caine a devil's bargain -- if he seduces Bliss and makes her fall in love with him, Olivia will return Northcote to him. If he fails, Caine will fall deeper into Olivia's debt. A chance to win back his home AND revenge himself on the man he thinks ruined his father? It should be the perfect solution for a heartless debaucher. If he were still heartless, that is.

The first book in a new series, Melanie George packs a powerful emotional punch with THE PLEASURE SEEKERS. A deeply wounded hero, Caine finds a perfect match in Bliss's no-holds-barred surrender, and the reader is instantly swept into their tempestuous love affair. With its provocative sensuality and Dangerous Liaison-like plots and villains, THE PLEASURE SEEKERS is a powerful tale you won't soon forget.

TheSchemer

This book was appalling - over-dramatic, unrealistic and full of anachronisms. I'm amazed that other readers have recommended it. The hero is a violent, emotionally abusive, uni-dimensional nutcase; the heroine is an idiotic sap and the plot line demands more than a little "suspended disbelief". I was rooting for the horse!

I loved this book! Ms. George knows how to write hot, sexy, tortured TO DIE FOR heroes like Caine Ballinger, and Parris is his perfect foil. The ending was such a twist and brought tears to my eyes. Don't miss this story!

If you love "tortured" heroes then you'll enjoy The Pleasure Seekers as Caine is one of the most tortured characters I've ever read.

This is the emotional story of Caine-whose scarred family history forces this Earl into being a "kept man" by a totally sadistic widow, and used as a "stud" for her enjoyment. The mistress, Olivia, gets her enjoyment by humiliating Caine as well as bedding him.

The heroine, Bliss' story with Caine is a "revenge" storyline. Bliss is the daughter of the man Caine blames for his fathers death. Caine is forced into a "Dangerous Liaison" type of game by his mistress-to deflower Bliss and therefore ruin her. But nothing happens like Caine wants it to.

This story was great until Bliss goes back to France, where it falters a bit, but it still is at least a four star book. This romance is HIGHLY sensual, and not for the faint of heart. If explicit bedroom scenes and language disturb you, then you'll want to skip this book. Otherwise, I'd recommend The Pleasure Seekers to romance fans looking for an emotional, sensual read.

4 stars.

The novel has all the elements that I look for in a good romance: a masculine handsome hero that is also sensitive and has a tortured past; an intelligent, thinking heroine that is loving and also beautiful; an engaging plot that keeps the reader involved in the story. The "bad" characters are one dimensional, Ms. George would do better if she developed them in some shades of gray instead of only unredeeming black. However, the dialogue is just too unrealistic when dealing with sexual matters. I can't imagine most people, even in the 21st century, speaking with close friends, let alone virtual strangers, using the vocabulary or the graphic descriptions that the protagonists use. A little more subtlety in the language would not make the novel unsexy, but would make it more romantic.

Though an Earl, Caine "Vice" Ballinger lives on the fringe of society ever since his father Henry committed suicide off the cliffs of Devon. Caine blames his sire's death on Duke Edward Ashton, who called in a debt that Henry could not pay off. The family home Northcote was sold on the auction block once its entail expired. Caine is angry and frustrated because he cannot do a thing to the man who destroyed his family and his heart.

Opportunity for revenge finally arrives when Edward's daughter Lady Bliss Ashton attends a party that Caine, as the sex toy of the current owner of Northcote, Olivia Hamilton, is also at. Olivia bets Caine he cannot seduce Bliss, known for rejecting suitors. If he wins he regains his family home, but if he loses he becomes a more attentive lover. As Caine makes his move, Bliss sees inside the angry arrogant man to a warm, caring and honorable person who she loves, but to persuade him that he deserves her means a paradigm switch from detesting the Ashtons.

Though the "solution" with her father is too easily resolved, fans will appreciate this passionate Regency romance starring two unlikely soul mates who the audience will adore. The story line moves forward rather quickly whether the subplot contains a romantic theme or a murder mystery. Caine's personality traits are presented rather early in a delightfully intelligent manner during a tryst with Olivia so that the audience sees the pulls on his character and ironically before Bliss finds them. By George, sub-genre fans seeking pleasure in their novels will gain plenty from this solid tale.

Harriet Klausner

This is a very bittersweet romance. Ms. George certainly knows how to write a tortured hero and keeps us in suspense as to the outcome right up until the last pages. Caine, a former rake and now a down on his luck "kept man" is very appealing as the tortured hero with an emotional wound that only our heroine Bliss (hate the name --sounds like a porn star) can heal.

Bliss is complex and interesting in her own right as an early feminist and nonconformist and Caine is drawn to her almost against his will. He wants to hate her because she's the daughter of the man he blames for his father's demise, but he can't get her out of his mind. He agrees to a bet regarding whether he can seduce her, but hates himself for it and nearly drowns in guilt after he succeeds. He's so haunted by her that he follows her to Paris after he has seduced her and she flees. A former womanizer, He wants her for his own, but knows he doesn't deserve her and has nothing to offer her. After she rejects him, he returns to England to set about reforming and bettering himself so he will have something to offer her and be worthy of her love.

He returns to Paris to claim her, not knowing that she is pregnant with his child. She suspects he is offering marriage only because of the child, but he shows her a note he pennned only months earlier during his previous trip and left to the angel on Chopin's grave (reputed to grant lovers' wishes) in which he asked for the priviledge of loving Bliss for the rest of her life.

Caine's pain is so heartbreaking that you just want to put your arms around him and hold him, and the story is very bittersweet. It's all the sweeter because of all the pain both characters went through before they could accept each other and admit their love.

As usual for Ms. George, the sex scenes are very sensual and well written.

The Pleasure Seekers is an intense read that draws you in from the first chapter. Caine is one of the most tortured heros I have ever encountered in a romance and Bliss is a perfect match for him. She sees beyond his cold outside to the passionate, caring man on the inside. Caine and Bliss' story is an intense and rewarding journey.