Book Review: Desired

Desired by Nicola Cornick

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (November 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373775903
• ISBN-13: 978-0373775903

Her wicked ways were the talk of the ton

Teresa, Dowager Marchioness of Darent, is rumored to have exhausted her four deceased husbands with her insatiable needs. So it's no surprise that every rake in the ton wants to bed her. If they only knew…through clever marriages to men who would ask nothing of her physical self, Tessa has remained rather innocent in the ways of the bedroom. But now she's on the verge of losing everything and wants to take care of the stepson she's grown to adore.

Enter Captain Owen Purchase. The handsome American adventurer has come into the title of Viscount Rothbury. And the rumors surrounding his injuries at sea suggest that he could fit Tessa's requirements. But little does Tessa realize that the gossipmongers are wrong. She just might lose her heart, and her desires, to the most unlikely of men….

"Let them whisper-the more they whisper, the farther away they are from the truth". –I really loved this quote from Tessa.:)

This is the first book that I’ve read from this author, and I wasn’t disappointed, the story had me at its best.. :D I usually avoided writing long reviews, but this is the shortest I could manage with this book..:)

Aside from the very beautiful cover, Desired is a book that covers not only romance, but also politics (reforms) and the roles and rights of women (Spousal abuse) in the society. It’s also a book of emotional wounds, hopes and all of the heart’s desires.

I really enjoyed reading Tessa and Owen’s cat-and-mouse interactions. These two characters have been developed well. From the very first page of knowing them, I am already engaged as to what would happen to these two. Their train of thought, was fascinating, and seeing them try to discover and peel each other’s secrets is what I look forward to the most…

I loved how Ms. Cornick developed the chemistry, it wasn’t forced at all, the fusion of these two was just plain perfect. Tessa may have look like a featherbrain, but underneath her smiles, and tempting body, lies an intelligent, admirable and caring woman.. she actually leads a reform movement and has an alter ego named Jupiter (a cartoonist), whom the government is pursuing. Owen is very tender, understanding, and a real protector, and he would do everything to heal the emotional wounds Tessa has.

I loved the development of the story, especially how the two of them started to trust each other, and how their romance developed from pretense into something their heart’s desired. But at the end though, it seemed to me, that the story was rushed into its end. It’s like the author realizes, she’d written a lot already, so she decided to give it an end. It was just at the end of the story though, I still enjoyed this a lot.

Another good thing about this book is there’s the right humor and intensity .I nearly died of laughter when Owen's virility was called into question..lol, and I shed tears when Tessa's true history was known.

DESIRED moved me, I laughed and cried all throughout the story, and most importantly I had gained a better understanding of what happened in this regency era, but there’s a lot to learn more with the last book in the series, “Forbidden” coming this Summer 2012.

It’s a refreshing, entertaining, fascinating, heart-wrenching romance! A must-read!

Warning though, after reading this book, you would have an insatiable urge to buy the other books to learn about the side character’s own stories.


♥♥~♥♥♥ ♥:)♥♥~♥ ♥♥




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