The Pleasure Of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros

Setting: Pre-Victorian 1834

Summary:

Ashton Burke is a legendary adventurer who has spent the past ten years roaming the globe to forget the girl he left behind. His devil-may-care life is interrupted when he’s hired to rescue his brother’s kidnapped fiancée. Too late, he discovers she is none other than Clarinda Cardew, the very same girl who made off with his jaded heart a decade ago.

The last thing Clarinda wants is to be trapped in a palace of sensual delights with the man whose irresistible kisses still haunt her sleepless nights. Although he vows he is only doing his job, Clarinda quickly realizes that allowing Ashton to rescue her may put her yearning heart in even greater peril. Unable to resist temptation, Ashton and Clarinda resume the steps of their dangerous dance only to discover the most seductive pleasure of all may be love itself.

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Review:

It’ll come as no surprise that I love a good harem romance. I mean who doesn’t, really? There’s something about the whole idea that denotes decadent luxury and then there’s the sinful temptation of the whole master-slave thing. Yum! 😉

So when I heard that Ms Medeiros’ latest was a harem romance, I immediately dropped all plans of buying anything else and went out to get this one first. I mean, hadn’t I been waiting to read another harem romance for ages?? And W-O-W, wasn’t it worth the wait! 😀

I simply LOVED this fresh, sexy, fascinating, hilarious story about a couple who had been torn apart due to a misunderstanding and then drawn together in Morroco of all places! She’s been captured and sold to a sultan’s harem and he’s being paid by his brother (also our kidnapped lady’s fiancé) to find her and get her back. Quite a tangled story, no?

I think the best part for me was getting this inside look at harem life and in general, life in a Morrocan palace. I loved the contrast and how different the customs were to the strict British traditions and ideals.  Our hero, Ashton, is shocked to discover the sultan can have as many wives as he pleases! And yet for all their outrageous customs, the harem women are well-treated and follow a strict regime of hygiene that would put the English of that time period to shame!

These fascinating tidbits of history are mingled with a sexy reconciliation story. Ashton is your very much desirable rogue who despite appearances does have a heart and his heroine, Clarinda is beautiful, strong and is revered by the sultan because she is exotic, feisty and witty. The sultan himself is a wonderfully complex character and I found myself quite caught between him and our main hero! He’s not your typical bad guy who keeps Clarinda under lock and key. Aston and Clarinda had amazing chemistry and you’ll enjoy how their love story unfolds.

Besides this, the story was just so funny and had me laughing out loud every few pages at the wit and the hilarious scenes and antics of the characters. I loved how fresh it all was and how unpredictable the author was able to make it.

If you’re looking for a fresh Victorian romance in an unusual location that is light, funny and hugely sexy, look no further! 😀 My first book by Teresa but definitely not my last. Can’t wait for the sequel to The Pleasure Of Your Kiss!

Sensuality Rating: HOT! (Love scenes are long and explicit)

Verdict: History, romance, an exotic location… Two thumbs way up!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars