More Than Passion by JoMarie
Degioia
Geoffrey Kane, Earl of Kanewood refuses to feel anything more than
passion. Four years ago, his fiancée betrayed him and he has no desire to
experience that again so when he meets the beautiful Rebecca Kingsley, it’s
passion at first sight. And only passion.
Rebecca has led a very quiet life working for her father at a small country inn. When she meets Geoffrey she falls in love with him right away. But she’s only the daughter of a baronet and men like Geoffrey never marry country girls like her. Do they?
When Rebecca’s father tries to marry her off to a wealthy old man, Geoffrey intervenes and marries her himself. He wants her very much but he couldn’t possibly love her. Love is for fools. At least that’s what he tells himself. But a sinister enemy soon threatens to destroy all that Geoffrey holds dear, forcing him to face the truth. His marriage depends on it . . . And maybe even Rebecca’s very life.
Rebecca has led a very quiet life working for her father at a small country inn. When she meets Geoffrey she falls in love with him right away. But she’s only the daughter of a baronet and men like Geoffrey never marry country girls like her. Do they?
When Rebecca’s father tries to marry her off to a wealthy old man, Geoffrey intervenes and marries her himself. He wants her very much but he couldn’t possibly love her. Love is for fools. At least that’s what he tells himself. But a sinister enemy soon threatens to destroy all that Geoffrey holds dear, forcing him to face the truth. His marriage depends on it . . . And maybe even Rebecca’s very life.
Published & Release Date:
Lachesis Publishing May 1, 2012
Time and setting: 19th
century Regency England
Genre: Historical Romance
Heat Level: 3 Scorching Flames
Rating: 3.75 Gold Crowns
Vikki’s Musings
Geoffrey Kane, the Earl of Kanewood, meets with an
accident when he loses a wheel on his traveling carriage. The wheelwright in
the closest town has injured his hand and tells Geoffrey it will be several
days before he can repair the wheel. The earl takes lodging at Raven’s Inn, a
surprisingly elegant establishment in Oakham. He’s not particularly bothered by
the delay because it will give him time to think about some disturbing issues
that have come up regarding his estate. It looks like someone is stealing from
him and he needs to find out who.
Geoffrey is immediately taken with the raven-haired
beauty, the innkeeper’s daughter, Rebecca Kingsley. The next morning, when he
meets Rebecca coming out of a shop with a picnic basket, he suggests they find
a place and enjoy the food. While picnicking on the common, Geoffrey kisses
her, unable to resist her allure. That night, he hears a knock on his door.
It’s Rebecca in tears. Her father is planning to marry her off to the local
doctor, a much older man. By this time the smitten earl will do whatever it
takes to keep this from happening.
Even though Rebecca knows it’s wrong, she gives into
the immense passion between her and Geoffrey and gives him her virginity. At
least the horrid doctor would not get that, even if he does marry her.
The next day, Geoffrey overhears the innkeeper
talking to Rebecca about the marriage and bursts in when her father raises his
voice. He offers to marry her instead, but Rebecca refuses his offer. Geoffrey
should feel relief over her refusal, after experiencing betrayal at the hands
of his last intended. He doesn’t want to give his heart to another anyway, but
he can’t get the image of them making love out of his mind.
When a tavern patron accosts Rebecca, Geoffrey steps
in defending her honor. The doctor walks in and when he finds out the brawl
happened because of Rebecca, he tells the innkeeper he withdraws the deal
because she is too young and pretty for his sanity. Rebecca flees to her room
and Geoffrey follows her, but again she spurns him.
The following evening Geoffrey imbibes too much ale
and stumbles to Rebecca’s room. She helps him back to his room, and they
immediately fall in lust and come together in a burst of passion again. They
both fall asleep. When the chambermaid finds them together the next morning, he
asks her to marry him again, and this time, Rebecca says yes to avoid a
scandal. Can this passion that burns so bright grow into more, or will it burn
out when they learn more about each other?
This story has moments of brilliance, yet at other
times, it fails to deliver. As far as the characters, I liked Rebecca (can’t
call her Becca, which is Geoffrey’s name for her, way too modern for a Regency)
and thoroughly enjoyed Geoffrey. I totally bought why he had trust issues,
based on what happened with his former betrothed. The plot twists are
intriguing and the pacing kept me turning the pages to see what would happen
next. The sexual scenes are hot and the first half of the book is littered with
them.
The story deepens about half way through the book,
taking it from a light-hearted romp to a story of deceit and betrayal. From
that point on, there is a lot more story and a lot less sex, capturing my
attention on a deeper level. I was greatly surprised by who turned out to be
the villain in this read. I never saw that coming.
I particularly enjoyed the scenes with the little
girl, Ann, his brother’s daughter. I also thoroughly enjoyed Rebecca’s
relationship with Geoffrey’s mother. I do struggle with how forgiving Rebecca
is of Geoffrey’s lack of trust and of her parent’s abandonment. While the
passion is fierce between the H/h, there is so much more between them, hence
the title is a perfect fit.
Now for the reasons I gave this book 3.75 Gold Crowns. The story is a solid five, however some of the inconsistencies kept me from rating it higher. Other
than the aristocratic titles and brief descriptions of clothing, the tone of
this book is way too modern, much more suited for a contemporary piece. Everyone
in the story immediately uses each other’s given names, even if they haven’t
been given permission to do so.
The author uses the word hello a lot and that word
was not around until the invention of the telephone. She refers to balls as
bashes and also uses the words smashing and okay. None of these words were in
existence in Regency England. I also have a problem with them falling into bed
after only knowing each other a couple of days. I do realize this is supposed
to be erotic, which it is, but the set up could have been better to make it
more realistic for me.
Nonetheless, I enjoy a good Cinderella story and
this is definitely an interesting read. I was entertained and isn't that what a
book is supposed to do? I’m glad I took a chance on this story and will
probably read future books in the series. There is depth to the story and the
characters are well-developed. Happy reading!
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