Customer Reviews

An Unexpected Pleasure

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1879, Irish-American Deirdre Mulchaey dreams that her dead brother Dennis wants his family to avenge his death. Deirdre's older sister journalist Megan needs to know whether her belief and that of her family is true that English aristocrat Theo Moreland killed her brother Dennis when they were on a South American adventure together ten years ago. She is also interested to learn whether Theo's expedition found the treasure they sought in the jungle and if yes what happened to the booty. Her sibling's dream is the impetus to act.

Used to going undercover, Megan knows she needs to infiltrate Theo's home, Broughton House. She succeeds by obtaining a position as governess to Theo's younger twin siblings. Megan and Theo find an instant attraction that shackles him because he recognizes her as the star of his dreams. She tries to tamper down his allure for her that feels so good yet makes her also believe she is behaving like a traitor to her late sibling's memory. He also wonders why he keeps finding her in odd places in the house as if she searches for something.

The lead couple is a fabulous pairing as both suffers guilt over the same person; he from the South American fiasco and she from betraying her brother. As they fall in love, neither is happy with this unwanted and undesirable emotion. The mystery of what happened builds suspense as Megan investigates while Theo wonders what she is seeking and who she really is because he recognizes her from his fevered dreams during the fatal expedition. Fans will appreciate this entertaining well written Victorian romantic mystery with a touch of the paranormal.

Harriet Klausner

Megan Mulcahey has arrived in London from America to find out more about Theo Moreland, the Marquess of Raine¾the man responsible for her brother's death ten years before. Deciding that the only way to get the information she wants is to get inside Theo's home, so she decides to pose a governess for Theo's young twin brothers.

Theo and Megan are attracted to each other. Megan is appalled with her desire for the man who killed her brother. Theo believes that Megan is a thief so he refuses to give in to his desire for her as well. When truths are revealed, Theo and Megan may have to work together to solve the growing mystery around them.

In An Unexpected Pleasure, Megan's constant fear of discovery, the mystery of who the murderer was and the intense attraction between Theo and Megan are captivating in the first part of the story. Unfortunately I was disappointed by the unexpected twist at the end. It took the story on a totally different angle, one that I found a little far-fetched and not able to flow with the rest of the storyline.


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Pleasing, but not worth hardcover prices. The strong paranormal elements were interesting, but sometimes veered into "too convenient." Theo is a thoroughly pleasant man, but not a memorable hero. Megan is a strong, smart woman, but only slightly more memorable. Her sister is actually a more memorable character. The murder mystery takes precedence over the romance.

Pleasant, but I wish I'd gotten it from the libary or waited for the paperback. The tone and content of this review mirror my enthusiasm for the book -- nothing to get worked up over.

Megan Mulcahey and her family are on a vital mission--to root out and denounce a killer. Traveling from New York to London, Megan is sure her brother's murderer is none other than Theo Moreland, the Marquess of Raine, who accompanied her brother several years prior on an expedition to South America. With only a letter from another present at the time of her brother's demise, she must seek out more information in order to convict a lord in good standing with the Ton. The perfect opportunity arises when she takes on the role of tutor for his youngest siblings. Soon, much to her chagrin, she is enmeshed in the Mad Moreland's' household and under the very watchful eye of Theo. Too, she grows weary of deceiving people who seem genuinely kind, even if they are a tad unusual. With the danger of them discovering her lurking around every corner and strange occurrences surrounding her novice detecting project, Megan employs all her skills as a journalist to get to the bottom of this long neglected mystery.

Home for the first time in ages and tired of constant travel, Theo is more than surprised when the urge to go abroad does not surface again. He's certain it has something to do with his youngest brothers' new tutor, a young woman who is clearly not a teacher in the traditional sense. Something besides her dazzling beauty trips his alarms and soon it's all he can do to keep up with her snooping and obvious deceit. Before he condemns her though, he's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for clearly she is in danger. Someone wants to silence the young lady before she's loosened her secrets and Theo steps in to do all he can to protect her, despite some surprising discoveries.

Positives about this historical romance are pretty much all having to do with research and plot. I was delighted to discover it touched on one of my most favorite civilizations in history, the Inca. I fair drank up the author's paragraphs delving into their history and culture and could easily picture ancient weapons and décor, rituals and the people of that long extinct tribe. The characters throughout though failed to grasp my attention. Theo and Megan's relationship, while enjoyable at times, lacked a good reason for coming to fruition. The mystery of her brother's murder was cleverly rounded out, with a good twist at the end, but wasn't strong enough to carry all the surprisingly large cast of average characters through. I was rather surprised that Megan's efforts were not more concealed and it was very obvious at times where the story was going in terms of her involvement. The writing was choppy at times too, and I kept stopping on words that were often unnecessary, cluttering instead of helpful. This is not the first Candace Camp title I've read and would certainly still recommend her work based on past reads, despite this one's frustrating lack of character development. Two stars goes to the interesting tidbits of Inca lore and a plot that still managed to pick up the pace and surprise me in the end.

Reviewed for The Mystic Castle

As a fan of most Camp books, I was disappointed with this one. In fact, I didn't bother to finish reading it. By the middle of the book, the beyond strange turns of plot (sacrifices? puh-lease) completely turned me off.

If you don't like paranormal elements, stay away from this book!

If you're a fan of paranormal romances, you may be more apt to enjoy it. However, I read paranormal myself and this book still rang hollow to me. It was like a cheap science fiction movie gone horribly wrong--not the sort of book you want to curl up and read.

Can I get a refund?

This was my first Candance Camp book and it was alright. It wasn't anything extraoridnary but it was a good read. The plot has everything from murders, kidnapping, lost civilizations, religious cults, to paranormal visions/dreams. One thing though that I didn't like about this book is that there is only one breif descriptive love scene where they go all the way. I prefer my historical romances to have at least 2-3 good loves scenes. Even though the characters are head-over-heels for eachother, sometimes the story is lacking in romance. Also, I found the whole 'paranormal time travel/dreams/visions' aspect to be alittle cheesy. Overall, An Unexpected Pleasure earns 3 1/2 stars in my opinion.

NY journalist goes to England with her father & sister to find evidence re: her brother's death 10 yrs ago in the Amazon forest. She gets hired as a tutor of the twin brothers of their only suspect, a Duke's son. Her investigative search doesn't go as well as she expected: Hero doesn't fit the kind of man she thought he was, his family home is full of antiquities, & he catches her looking around a few times. Hero becomes more intrigued by heroine the more he gets to know her. As the mystery unfolds, the future of Hero & heroine's r/s is in question.

I found this Camp book average & not that exciting. The mystery was predictable. The paranormal element was only slight, which I liked. The romance was ok. It lacked emotional intensity. Actually the whole book lacked emotional pull & that's why it wasn't a riveting read for me. Sexual chemistry was fine & love scenes were ok too but it didn't do enough to increase the excitement level of my reading. I did like the main characters. I liked heroine's intelligence, independence, & loyalty. I liked Hero's sense of adventure, loyalty, & consideration for others. The other characters were written well. They were interesting & didn't distract from the romance.

Recommended with some reservations.

The twist wasn't what bothered me. The slow romance was what bothered me. This wasn't even romance. It was mystery. A whole paranormal story at the end as well. It was just...yawn. There were two love scenes, and they were a few paragraphs long.

I really love most of Candace Camp's books but this one although written well and well researched fell flat on the plot. The plot just didn't make much sense and when it tried to make sense out of nonsense... was a bit too fantastical for me. Ten years a secret was kept from Dennis's beloved family, when a mad man already knew the secret, come on.
A sisters dream took the family to England to solve the crime of a brothers death and in a matter of just days, everlasting love, a love one returned, and everything comes together to solve the 10 year old mystery, please.

I also did not like the time spent on Theo's family, making not enough time spent bringing Theo and Megan together as a charismatic couple. Seeing each other in a dream did not do it for me. It is unrealistic for me to believe an everlasting love materializing from a (dream, 10 years before) and a few days in each others company (with family members all around them, no less 10 years later. Get this one at the library but don't give up on Candace Camp, she is a very good author, I just don't think this one could be called a winner!

New York and England 1879

AN UNEXPECTED PLEASURE is a fine read with an interesting mystery.

Very Enjoyable!