Miss Margery Derrington and her dear aunts are in dire straits. Their discovery of a rare manuscript will hopefully stave off their creditors—if it’s worth what they hope. Margery reluctantly allies with a reclusive scholar to use the book to pursue a treasure that could solve their woes. Only, the irresistible desire she feels toward her partner is neither expected nor wanted. Rhys Bowen can’t … can’t believe he has his hands on the elusive de Valery text. Solving its hidden code and unearthing its legendary treasure would establish him as one of Britain’s leading antiquaries, finally casting him out of his brilliant late father’s shadow. But when a centuries-old organization convinces Rhys of the perils of disturbing the past, he must choose between his conscience…and the captivating woman he’s sworn to help.
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This book is Dan Brown meets Regency Romance. I was hoping for much more of the former and got mostly the latter. Should have gone with my gut when I read the title and passed on it. It was a slow, predictable read and I’m not sure why I stuck with it.
Took to long to get to the point
It didn’t seem realistic for what the characters were doing.
A decent 3 1/2 to 4 Star read.
An entertaining read with mystery, intrigue, and potential hidden treasure relative to King Arthur. Two lead characters at odds with one another who discover they need to work together to succeed in solving the riddle of the ancient manuscripts they possess. I usually greatly enjoy anything written by Darcy Burke and though Lady of Desire has an interesting plot, it didn’t quite knock it out of the park for me. The romance between the H and h seemed to be lacking in warmth. Nevertheless, I do plan to read the successive books in the series. Forewarning: there are some steamy sexual episodes so some may be offended.
The characters are very unique. The setting is great
Historical novel with a mystery to solve.
Completed reading in one sitting!
Lady of Desire is a fabulous historical romance by Darcy Burke. Ms. Burke has delivered a well-written book furnished with amazing, lovable characters. Margery lives with her two aunts and they decide to sell an old book when their money runs low. Rhys is excited when Margery brings the book to him. Their story is packed with drama, humor, sizzle, action and suspense. I enjoyed reading Lady of Desire and look forward to reading my next book by Darcy Burke. Lady of Desire is book 1 of the Legendary Rogues Series but can easily be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
Despite suffering multiple murderous attacks, this couple blithely continues to try to solve a treasure code without spending ANY time or effort on figuring out how the bad guys know exactly where to find them and what they have discovered so far! Other than that, this is an entertaining, completely unbelievable regency romance. The mystery of who’s bad and who’s good is delightfully confusing.
R rated for unnecessary and distasteful erotic scenes beginning shortly after the halfway point. I wish Darcy would make it clear in the book blurbs which books are “steamy/nasty” and which ones are not!
Wonderful
Da Vinci Code meets Regency romance. My allegiances were with the hero, Rhys, for most of this book, as he was mostly striving to do the right thing. Meanwhile, Margery kept doing stupider and stupider things, like telling Digby way more than she should have . The steamy scenes were pretty great, but overall, Margery was too wishy washy for my liking
‘Miss Margery Derrington and her dear aunts are in dire straits. Their discovery of a rare manuscript will hopefully stave off their creditors-if it’s worth what they hope. Margery reluctantly allies with a reclusive scholar to use the book to pursue a treasure that could solve their woes. Only, the irresistible desire she feels toward her partner is neither expected nor wanted. Rhys Bowen can’t believe he has his hands on the elusive de Valery text. Solving its hidden code and unearthing its legendary treasure would establish him as one of Britain’s leading antiquaries, finally casting him out of his brilliant late father’s shadow. But when a centuries-old organization convinces Rhys of the perils of disturbing the past, he must choose between his conscience…and the captivating woman he’s sworn to help.’
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4.5 stars rounded up to five stars.
Lady of Desire is the first book in Darcy Burke’s Legendary Rogues series and is a historical romance and an adventure.
Who doesn’t like a good treasure hunt? And with a distinct National Treasure vibe, this book certainly fits such a discription. I think my favorite aspect of this book was the sense of adventure . That and Rhys’s nerdiness about medieval texts. There were several instances of danger along the way, which I really enjoyed because it gave their quest a sense of urgency. I know treasure hunts aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I really love them.
I will say that I was a bit disappointed by the level of mistrust between the two of them, especially on her part. I understood it earlier on in the book, but after working together and going through several unsafe experiences, the continued level of mistrust made any connection between the two feel a touch less compelling. And Mergery’s continuted accusations in that regard made her character a less likable for me.
Although the series is called ‘Legendary Rogues,’ I wouldn’t come close classifying Rhys as a rogue, but I assume this name will likely be more apt for the heroes in the remainder of the books in the series.
From reading this first book, I am enjoying the series so far and am looking forward tor reading the next in the series, Romancing the Earl.
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I recieved an electronic copy from this author for reviewing purposes. This is my honest and voluntary review
I found this story interesting but it does have a high level of sexual content. Also it is not for the under 18 readers. I received this free with the Exclusive Jewels-Vol 3. I voluntarily chose to review this and I’ve given it a 4.5* rating. Most of this story moves around Sir Arthur and the round table, truth or myth. Then are there artifacts or not? A mystery wrapped around treasure hunting with erotic romance thrown in.
Wonderful, Adventurous, Exciting & Romantic
Margery & Rhys’s Journey to HEA was Absolutely Wonderful, Adorable & Exciting.
Imagine being chased for a treasure you had no idea if it exists or not.
Margery & Rhys traveled their way through England encountering a bad man after another while trying to hold on to a book that had a Code from Edmund de Valery who not only created the Book but created it with codes which could only be seen with a device his Brother made for him.
It was a Fascinating Story & Very Enjoyable to read.
A fun and exciting story of an orphan young woman, Margery, who lives with her 2 aunts since age 10 at the death of her parents. Other than her aunts, she is determined not to feel the pain of loss of love again. But finances are low and they find a manuscript of the tales of a knight of the Round Table. Margery goes to an elder scholar at the request of her aunts to find its worth. But she discover Rhys Bowen, the son, a few years older than she. With his father dead, Rhys is now the expert. He too grew up with only the strict ‘love’ of a father and felt he would not need any other company other than his books and scholarly pursuits. Together these two determined self-sustaining people embark on a journey to discover the only and truest treasure is Love. Very entertaining and enjoyable!
Really good!
This was the second story I’d read written by Darcy Burke and I must say that I am enjoying her style.
I love the way her story runs so smoothly from beginning to end, makes one want to carry on reading and also that it has such exciting and believable characters in it.
This one has a mystery to be solved, two very strong characters who just know what they want and team up to get it, some interesting romancing as well as a few hottish scenes. All of this is put together in a story that will certainly keep me coming back for more and I can definitely recommend this book to you.
My unbiased review above is given voluntarily.
Keep me in suspense until the end.
I enjoyed the characters of the story, but I enjoyed the story line more. Very entertaining and a slice of suspense. Thanks.
Great read!
A light read with a little mystery included.