Pleasure Me Advanced Book Review *Monica Burns*

I have a small number of authors I always rely on who give me a well-written, unique story. These authors are either comfort reads or ones who are willing to take a chance and write unconventional characters and story lines. Monica Burns is all of the above. She gives me the comfort I need, while writing excellent romance and with characters who are not the ho-hum, been there, done that I’ve seen countless times before. Her latest release, Pleasure Me has a perfect combination of what I love in romance. We have a semi-alpha type hero who has been scarred from an event in his younger years due to a horrendous relative. Because of that, he feels he’s less than a man and has never been intimate with a woman. The heroine is considered past her prime at 41 years old, a courtesan who should retire and never been seen again. Both Baron Garrick Stratfield and Lady Ruth Attwood are two maturely written characters I had the delight to read about set in a Victorian London, England at the turn of the 19th century.

Virgin alpha hero + older experience heroine in Victorian England = Win!

Ruth has just been tossed aside by Lord Marston, her recent protector, for a much younger woman. At forty-one, Ruth knows her options have become limited. She’s ready to retire as a courtesan, but it pains her to do so. Not because of the pleasure she may receive from a man, but the idea that she’s dried up and lacking in her sexuality because of her age. Ruth has a kind heart, for she volunteers her time at an orphanage. Her goal is to purchase Crawley Hall to make into a new orphanage that the odious Marston had promised to give her. Unfortunately for her there is another interested buyer- Barron Garrick Stratfield.

Garrick wants Crawley Hall for his sister Lily, who also helps the orphans (coincidentally the same ones Ruth is involved with). The moment Garrick sees Ruth at a ball he’s bowled over by her. Her advanced age doesn’t concern him. He wants her as his mistress, but in name only. The reason is Garrick feels he’s has abnormality that makes him less than a man. His uncle who, became his and his siblings’ guardian after his parents death, found out what he has and made a point to ridicule Garrick when he was only seventeen and coming into his sexuality. Because of that event, Garrick has never been sexually active, other than kissing, because he dare not let anyone see him naked. But with Ruth he longs to be with her naked and do everything a man would do with a woman he desires. At first Ruth wants nothing to do with him because he’s too forceful, too young for her, and knows all the gossip about his prowess from other women. She assumes he’ll eventually leave her for another woman, especially since he’ll need to get married and have heirs. And since Ruth is past her prime and because of her reputation, she can never have a future with Garrick.

At first Garrick only offers her friendship. But Garrick has a bad habit of kissing Ruth every change they’re together. Ruth is undone by his skillful kisses. If he can make her almost climax with his lips, she can only just imagine what he’ll be like in the bedroom. And when Ruth invites him to her bed, he has one request- she can never see him naked and must wear a blindfold. Ruth allows this since she wants Garrick badly, but he’s unlike any of her past suitors. Something about Garrick if off. He’s more than willing to offer her pleasure, but not receive anything in return. And when she finds out what Garrick is hiding and why, she tries her best to get him to trust her, hoping that when they break off, it won’t be too painful. But Garrick isn’t the type to walk away, because now that he has Ruth he’ll never let her leave him.

Passion is the key word here. Monica can write such unbelievable sexual tension. I really can’t find any fault with the way Garrick and Ruth interacted with one another. They have this deep pull toward one another. Garrick ultimately holds back because of his fear and loathing over his body. Ruth’s reason is because of her age. These two may seem to harp on a great deal about their faults, but it’s written in such a way that makes perfect sense why they think the way they do.

I had a few “what if” moments with Garrick. What if he’d only gone to a doctor at a younger age to discuss his deformity as he thinks it to be (to announce what it is would take away from the enjoyment of the story)? But if he had, then the story would be very different from the way Monica has envisioned it. Garrick is the type to keep things closely guarded, and for a man of that time to be open and honest, even with his physician, may have caused more psychological damage. Because of that, Garrick puts on an amazing front, a self-assured man who will not be messed with, even as his enemies accuse him of being a sodomite because he’s not a braggart when it comes to his sexual conquests. It’s very telling how male society views themselves when it comes to the number of women they have conquered. Monica gives a great psychological study, as well as a woman’s status and respect among her counterparts with Ruth.

Pleasure Me is Monica’s best book to date. It’s mature and smart reading that doesn’t get better than this. I really had high hopes for Pleasure Me when I first heard about it. If there's a virgin hero, and one who’s younger than the heroine, you have me on board to read. Monica has sold me hook, line and sinker. Those who are bored with historical romance because it’s the same old stereotypical trite stories, Pleasure Me is perfect in taking away those blah feelings. I’m giving you another call to action to buy. Pleasure Me as a fabulous read and one of the best books released for this spring season. (Available March 1st, Berkley)

Final Grade: A-

Other Pleasure Me reviews:
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