The Price of Desire [Paperback]

Jo Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Olivia Cole is devastated to learn that her ne'er-do-well brother has promised her to the operator of a London gaming hall as payment of his debts. Olivia accepts her fate - even if it means that her reputation will suffer from living among rogues and gamblers. But when she meets the sexy and mysterious Griffin Wright-Jones, the Viscount of Breckenridge, Olivia has more than just her good name to worry about - for he rouses in her wanton thoughts she's never dared entertain - until now...Griffin wears the scars of his life on his striking face. Although he wants Olivia like no other woman before, eh doesn't force her to share his bed - a difficult task considering how beautiful she is. But with each passing night, Griffin and Olivia's resolve weakens until finally they take their greatest gamble on one night of reckless pleasure.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420101749
• ISBN-13: 978-1420101744
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Had some major problems (spoilers included), September 30, 2008

By 

Beanbag Love "Beanbag Love" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Price of Desire (Paperback)

I had some real problems with the story of this book. It wasn't that I didn't like the leads. They were fine and the story started out well, but as more details were added and added and added, it became an exercise in shock fiction.

One of my main complaints is that I don't understand why true villains get off without any punishment. That's been a theme for a while in many novels I've read. The hero and heroine's 'compassion' lets them send the villains off to another country or to live a life in poverty or some other such mild punishment. Presumably this is supposed to stop the criminal behavior. Not likely.


SPOILERS:

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Does Ms. Goodman expect us to believe that Olivia's father stopped going to that convent to hook up with little girls when Olivia left? That he's not still visiting the convent school to exercise his perversions? Not only does her father go off to his life after having abused her as a child, but also after assaulting her in the office of the man who supposedly loves her, and the convent school is forgotten by the end of the book. Griffin and Olivia are not interested in what most likely continues to happen to the little girls sent there?

And does she expect us to believe that Olivia is the only person Mr. Burton tried to rape? Mr. Burton is left to his own devices at the end. Alastair's shots went astray and we're supposed to be happy about it. The reality is that Olivia was probably the only woman who escaped Mr. Burton.

And as for the dark topic, I felt Olivia's ardor with Griffin was also a bit hard to believe after what she'd suffered as a child and even as an adult. It seems her harrowing background was more an effort to create drama and, although it was realistically presented, the longer term effects of such trauma were virtually ignored, which made it all seem like a gimmick rather than a well considered plot line.

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SPOILER END

This is my first Jo Goodman book and I bought it because a friend recommended her as an author. I don't think I can go for a second try after this one, unfortunately. If there's anyone out there who agrees with my problems on this one and can recommend one of Goodman's stories without this sort of prurient exploitation of real and horrifying issues, I'd be happy to change my mind. I just won't go in blind again.

I can't recommend this book. I only give it two stars because she's got considerable talent as a writer and I did like the leads. Otherwise it would have gotten one.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Tortured Heroine" Rescued by Love, September 2, 2008

By 

G Heyer Fan "scififan" (Madison, MS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Price of Desire (Paperback)

There is not another author who can portray the "tortured heroine" so well. Olivia's story is revealed very slowly, bit by bit, leaving the reader anticipating the horror that you know is coming. The hero, Griffin, is excellent in his subtle ability to "love" our heroine into trusting him with her secrets. I so wanted the "villain" to get his come-uppance at the end, but I suppose the way Ms. Goodman achieved this was pretty good, if not what I was hoping for. I have read almost all of Goodman's books and have a hard time deciding which series I like best. This story reminded me most of her "Compass Club" series, one of my favorites. I highly recommend this book for all who enjoy "meaty" stories, not the light fluff that a lot of romantic authors are spinning out these days.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dark But Very Good Book, January 18, 2009

By 

Catherine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Price of Desire (Paperback)

The Price of Desire revolves around Olivia Cole and Griffin Wright-Jones. Griffin owns a hell where Olivia's brother, Anthony, has wracked up an enormous debt. When Griffin demands collateral until Anthony can pay the debt, Anthony is forced to give him a family heirloom. Through Anthony's selfishness and scheming Olivia ends up being given to Griffin as a marker. What follows is a journey of Olivia discovering her self-worth and learning how to trust someone.

It's always easier for me to be specific about the things that didn't work for me than the things that made me love a book. Bear with me as I try.

What I love about Jo Goodman's writing is the lyrical quality of the prose. As I read, the flow of the sentences takes on a cadence in my mind and pulls me through chapter after chapter. I find this is especially true in the way she writes dialogue. It has a certain rhythm that makes the pages turn quickly for me.

I'm definitely not an expert in any period of history, so I can't speak with any authority on how authentic everything was. However, I can certainly give my opinion as to how it felt for this reader. Everything felt authentic, especially how the characters spoke. The way they expressed themselves and the way they phrased things felt very antique. I don't mean that in a bad way, it was definitely a plus for me. There was never a moment where I stopped because something seemed weird about how the period was described. That happens to me sometimes. I feel compelled to google a fact because it seems so out of place.

Sometimes in a Romance book I either love the heroine or I love the hero. It rarely happens that I love both. I may like both, but I really only love one. That was not the case here. The way Olivia and Griffin were written made both of them strike a cord in me. I ended up feeling for both and enjoying them equally.

Olivia was such a mix of strength and vulnerability. I loved that about her. She was strong, but it was a quiet strength. She was very levelheaded and thought before she acted. Olivia was very self-contained. There were never any outbursts to give the reader or the characters in the book an obvious indication of how she felt. Because of that the reader and the characters are obliged to watch her and hope for more clues to figure out who she is as a person.

Griffin was more up front than Olivia, so it was easier to see who he was and what his motivations were. I didn't really enjoy his history with marriage, but I certainly understood it. I empathized with his circumstances and found his attitude toward them refreshing. Any character that has had a negative experience that impacted them but doesn't "woe is me" about it automatically earns points with me.

I didn't really enjoy the first love scene between Olivia and Griffin. It actually made me faintly uncomfortable. Having said that, I think the way it was done was spot on in regards to the characters. It gave me a lot of insight into Olivia and Griffin. I appreciate when a love scene actually shows me more about the inner workings of the characters. I enjoyed watching their relationship mature and how they grew together.

I didn't like how things were resolved with Elaine. That was the only part of the book that felt like it took the easy way out. I did however like the situation she left with Griffin. I was interested in what he would choose to do in regards to Nat. That's a hard situation to be in and I can honestly say I have no idea which way I would have gone on it.

I found the resolution, or the lack or resolution, with Olivia's family to be realistic. While I, living in the time I do, may think it is unfair and heinous things should be done to right the wrong, that wouldn't fit here. There isn't always a horrible future for villainous people. Sometimes there is no justice. I also like that Anthony stayed the same immature, selfish person throughout the book. I was glad that Olivia actually acknowledged his faults and learned she really couldn't depend on him. Too often the selfish family member suddenly reforms toward the end of the book for no discernable reason. It's very irritating.

This is a quiet book. We're never given info dumps or shown the character thinking very obvious thoughts like, "I love her/him". Until things are resolved through the characters the reader will have to pay attention to the actions of the characters to gauge their true feelings. Also, this is a very dark book in some aspects. Some readers may be turned off by that, so be warned.