Potent Pleasures (Enchanged Pleasures) (Hardcover)

by Eloisa James (Author) "Charlotte was one week short of seventeen when her life changed, falling into two halves like a shiny child's ball: before and after..." (more)
Key Phrases: floppy poppy, green domino, garden girl, Lady Charlotte, Lord Holland, Alexander Foakes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
When the young Lady Charlotte Caverstill attends a local masked ball while on holiday in the countryside, she has no intention of dishonoring herself. But a handsome man ignites an unknown passion in her, and she finds herself willingly following him into the shadows of the garden. Before the night is over, Charlotte has surrendered her heart, as well as her virginity, to this man whom she doesn't know.

Though Alex McDonough Foakes spends the entire summer trying to track down the mysterious maiden from the masquerade ball, he cannot find her. Sent to Italy, he seeks solace in an ill-fated marriage, and returns years later a father, a widower, and a pessimist in love. When Alex meets Charlotte, he falls madly in love with her--despite his inability to recognize her--and proposes. She refuses. How can she marry a man who does not remember her after such an intimacy? And if she does, how can she explain her lack of virginity?

In this, her debut novel, author Eloise James takes special care to test and develop her characters in different situations. Unlike books with the familiar cart-before-the-horse plot, James does not restrict her characters to the bedroom; as Charlotte and Alex interact with friends and family in different arenas, they become more realistic and interesting. And though their motives are not always believable, the lovers appear to be a part of a greater world--one that will quickly capture the reader's imagination. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

From Publishers Weekly
Is he or isn't he? That's the question on London society's collective mind in this slow-starting but ultimately satisfying Regency romance. Alexander Foakes, earl of Sheffield and Downes, allowed his Italian wife, Maria, to divorce him on grounds that he was impotent, but now he turns up with a baby daughter he claims is his child by Maria, who kept Pippa's birth a secret until she was dying. Charlotte Calverstill, the unmarried Lady Daicheston, can't believe he is impotentAafter all, he "ruined" her in a garden three years ago before leaving for ItalyAbut Alex doesn't seem to remember their tryst. Nonetheless, he is smitten with the new Charlotte in her trend-setting French gowns, and since Alex requires a mother for Pippa, Charlotte is his choice. Charlotte is less than thrilled that her first lover doesn't even remember their unplanned assignation, but her hormones are drawing her back to Alex, who desperately wants a virgin bride after the debacle of his previous marriage. Thus, the stage is set for surprises all around, though dedicated Regency readers will spot developments well in advance. There are a few unexpected twists, however, and James introduces several well-integrated subplots for variety. As an independent woman with kind and understanding parents who wouldn't dream of pressuring her to marry, Charlotte may not be a realistic representative of her era, but she is an engaging heroine. The depth of characterizations, the steady progression of the plot and the tongue-in-cheek title will attract readers who may just greet James as the next Amanda Quick. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (August 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385333609
• ISBN-13: 978-0385333603
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,661,319 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Pleasures Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardcover vs. paperback- there is a difference!, May 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Potent Pleasures (Mass Market Paperback)

I read the "Potent Pleasure" and I enjoyed the story very much. After reading it, I came online here to read the reviews of other people. I was amazed to see both wonderful and very terrible reviews. I began reading the 1-2 stars reviews and I discovered that the historical errors the "unhappy" readers talked about were not present it my "Potent Pleasures" book. I was confused and I truly thought that the 1-2 stars reviews must be talking about a different book than I read. I even went back to try to find the numerous historical errors which other people found, but I couldn't find them. Anyway, finally I figured the puzzle out. Apparently, I am the first one to be reviewing the paperback version of this story (which came out in May 2000) and I can tell you that the story errors, that the other readers pointed out, have been cleaned up and/or rewritten before the paperbacks went into print.

This is Eloisa James's first novel and on the whole I found the story to be very interesting and enjoyable. However, I am surprised that an unknown author would have had her first historical romance novel printed in a hardcover book. If I had purchased the $20.00 version of the book and found all the initial errors in the story, I too would have been upset. But for $6.00 the revised softcover version it well worth the money. It's a good story, and I am looking forward to Ms. James next "paperback" book. This new author has alot of potential!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plenty wrong, but couldn't put it down., March 18, 2006

By	Janet (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Potent Pleasures (Mass Market Paperback)

I felt I had to write a review with the several scathing reviews already written. There are too many characters and the author tends to go off on a tangent with many of them. The first meeting between Alex and Charlotte WAS slutty. How could he have sex with a complete stranger and it supposedly mean a lot to him, yet he never recognizes Charlotte later. I found myself skimming over the too long paragraphs that had little to nothing to do with the plot. HOWEVER, these problems were mostly in the first half. I nearly put the book away to never finish it. I am glad I stuck with it. The second half is what grabbed me and didn't let me put it down till finished. The second half of the book is emotionally wrenching and moves along swiftly. The ending saved the book for me. The birth scene was heartbreaking and the love scene 2 months later was redeeming for Alex.
If you can plod through the first half, you will enjoy the second half enough to make it worthwhile.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I had to force myself to finish this..., November 22, 2005

By	CoffeeGurl (MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Potent Pleasures (Mass Market Paperback)

I am on Thanksgiving vacation and reading some lighter stuff. I don't often read two regency romances at the same time, but figured I'd better keep my reading in a lighter note for the holidays. I saw the very pretty cover of Eloisa James's Potent Pleasures at the train station bookstore and decided to give it a whirl. Big mistake. I read through the old reviews here and many readers complained about the historical inaccuracies. I admit that their reviews were far more interesting and enlightening than the book itself. It appears that either the author or the editor fixed some of the more blatant and embarrassing inaccuracies (but still left some). Shame, shame on the author and publisher who researched and corrected the mistakes AFTER the readers pointed them out. Well... they should have fixed the story as well. Ugh. Charlotte Daicheston decides to join her friend to a seedy masquerade ball to see how the other half of the world (the ones without titles) lives. There she meets a dashing masked man who says he is a footman and they indulge in some very compromising things. A few years later, Charlotte makes her London debut and meets the dashing masked man again. But she discovers that he isn't a footman but an earl, one whose reputation of being a rake is fast dwindling due to rumors centered on his virility. Charlotte is determined to set things straight. Sparks fly between them again, but a secret will get in the way of their happiness. All it takes is for Alex to open his eyes to the truth. There are some twists throughout the novel.

Oh brother! Let the stupid misunderstandings begin! Charlotte is one of the silliest, eye-rolling ninnies I have ever read. She could have avoided a great deal of heartbreak had she set things straight to begin with. I know that this misunderstanding is the plot and if things had been straightened out we wouldn't have much of a story. But that isn't exactly a bad thing! Alex is a nasty piece of work. I don't think I've ever disliked a "hero" as much as I disliked this loser. I can't even call him an anti-hero because that description is better reserved for a compelling, complex character, and this one isn't that in my book. This male character treats Charlotte like the equivalent of garbage. And the worst part is that she keeps coming back for more. The scenes in which he is nice to her don't make up for his nastiness. I kept reading the book during my train ride in order to keep myself busy with something, but I had to keep the vile from rising when I read some of the scenes in this book. I hated the story and its characters, period. I give Potent Pleasures two stars because the author succeeded in getting reactions from me, even if they were mostly disgust. The author tried to do something similar to that of Judith McNaught, a story centered on misunderstandings. Perhaps she achieved the misunderstandings part, but she failed to create compelling protagonists that you care for and wish them well. I won't be giving the other Foakes brothers' books a whirl.