Eloisa James breathes new life into one of the most popular fiction genres with her highly original debut novel Potent Pleasures, a charming, vividly peopled Regency romance. With an uncanny wit and an eye for the whimsical, she unravels a complex — and often hilarious — chain of events inadvertently set in motion by a young woman’s first taste of forbidden pleasure.
About to make her debut in … debut in London society, Charlotte Calverstill, beneath the lavish gowns and manners of a well-brought-up young lady, yearns for a taste of freedom. Pushing propriety aside, one evening she sneaks out with a friend to attend a masked ball, and there meets a devastatingly handsome stranger who relieves her — not against her wishes — of her virtue, then vanishes.
Years later, when they meet again, the rogue does not remember Charlotte. But she certainly remembers him; she has since learned not only his identity, but also a titillating piece of gossip about him that is sure to set society abuzz. The intricate web that a now-wiser Charlotte weaves to exact her due ensures justice for some and great merriment for all.
Taking the Regency historical to fresh new places, with artful smoothness and irrepressible humor, Eloisa James delivers a winsome tale of first love and life’s unexpected surprises.
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Eloisa James’s Paris in Love.
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This was my first Eloisa James novel and once I finally got into it, I really enjoyed the storyline. It took me a bit to connect with the characters though and tbh by the end I was rolling my eyes at them again. The middle is the real gem of this story when James hits her stride with the courting and the gossip and the woman about town drama. I …
Love this book!!!#
Rich, well-developed characters along with a wonderful storyline have produced a memorable book. I love all of Eloisa James’ books and this is no exception. The characters are so real and I became so emotionally attached to them, enjoying their love and suffering their anguish. Of course I recommend this!
Susan Duerden has enhanced the book by …
An oldie but a goodie! I’m on an Eloisa James kick lately, and I read this one when it was first published and loved it. So original and fresh writing!
So, I always struggle with leaving reviews. As an author, I don’t really feel it’s my place to leave reviews- reviews are for the readers. (Though, I was one of those far longer than I’ve been a published author.) But, whenever someone asks me for a book to recommend, the first book that comes to mind is Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James. This book …
A wonderful steamy romance about redemption and the rocky road to love.
Read all the books in this series. Good reads that are a little different.
This was the first published book by Eloisa James and you can tell. She has come a long way since this book and this series. But I loved the characters and was drawn into their world. If you are picky about your books and get frustrated with plot holes or less than perfect writing, go ahead and skip this one. I wouldn’t want to ruin your opinion …
Loved it read it twice!
Loved the series of three books, this being the first. Eloise James is a great author and these were some of her first novels.
Eloisa James is wonderful always!
Not my favorite book of the author’s. Too much inner dialogue. I love her other books that have all that fun witty dialogue.
Fun characters and enjoyable read.
Enjoyable book with entertaining characters and dialogue. Of course the hero has to be a jerk for a while but comes around in time
Anything by James is a winner!
It was a good book to read on a cloudy and cold afternoon!!
I am a fan of Eloisa James but this book just did not do it for me. The H/H is interesting separately but together, just causes me to clench my fists. Secondary characters are much more interesting. The writing is good, the plot IMO is predictable. A lot of angst, luckily no cliff hanger.