A hot historical romance from USA TODAY Bestselling Romance Author Jess MichaelsJude Samson has worked for the Woodley family for such a long time that he is seen as a brother. But he has very unbrotherly feelings toward the youngest of the clan, Lady Audrey. When they find themselves off at the family’s country estate, long simmering desires will come to the forefront and Jude won’t be able to … be able to stop himself from taking that one, oh-so-forbidden taste.
After seeing what it has done to her family, Audrey is afraid of passion. But the moment Jude touches her, fear is washed away by intense and powerful lust. Only Jude has a secret that could destroy everything that is beginning to develop between them. And when it comes out, it will change everything.
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So I really adored this book. IT’s trope-y in all the best ways. We have a crushing-forever-friends-to-lovers-romance between blue-blooded Audrey and (still blue-blooded) but shunned by society Jude, who quasi works for Audrey’s family but is besties with her brothers (she has three and a missing sister). Jude thinks they can’t be together because of his circumstances and because of a few secrets he holds having to do with the missing sister. However, Audrey has been depressed over the same missing sister and because she’s not married and “afraid to fall in love” because she thinks passion will destroy her. So she and her mother go to the country to decorate and take Jude with them.
Her mother gets what starts as a cold and Jude and Audrey enter into a SEX PACT to like exercise the really massive pent-up desire between the two of them and get her over her sex fears. It’s going to be limited because it’s first just supposed to be physical and also he thinks he can’t have her, the usual, but it is done FABULOUSLY.
Like all the tropes are done well and the sex pact is VERY sexy with plentiful hot sex (I probably should’ve started with that, something like “the sex was hot and plentiful, this must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the review I’m about to relate.”). And it was perfectly placed (just so it could be taken away for awhile so we could learn about the other siblings and solve all the problems, and then excellently brought back).
This was just a really good read. All the feels were there, you rooted for Audrey and Jude, no matter the mistakes they made. There was the right amount of excitement, just super wonderful. Totally recommend.
Wonderful characters and story.
Interesting characters portraying a strong sense of family.
I enjoyed this book very much and looking forward to reading the rest of this series. Sometimes I enjoy reading books on the erotic side with a great story line and this was one of those times.
Ud
Thumbs Up!
Jess Michaels has written a really captivating romantic story in this, the first of the series.
In it you meet a family, the Woodleys, in their story filled with a broken marriage, and newly wedded couple, a caring mother, a lost sister and above all, two fascinating main characters, Audrey and Jude who are steadfast in their personal beliefs and ideas and blindly follow them.
Of course, after all the goings on, they both admit to their love for each other and there is a happy ever after ending – it wouldn’t be a Historical Romance if there wasn’t, now would it?
But, it is so nicely written that it kept me reading and getting more and more involved with these characters and their stories.
This author doesn’t disappoint and I am giving this one a big “thumbs up”, mainly for the purely enjoyable experience of reading it!
I only gave this three stars because the whole story mainly consists of how much of the hots our two young people have for each other. So much that it’s the main topic and not much else in the way of a plot. The main plot seems to be how often they can get together for sex. I’m no prude but it borders on obsession. Also, there’s the fact that things are still left unresolved with her sister Claire. But even so, I still finished it for the sheer purpose of curiosity at the outcome.
Only read a little and realized it was nothing but sex, sex, sex!
Nice reading
Very little dialogue or character development…mostly sex.