|
A Gentleman Seduced begins with the premise of a young woman, Diana Tiverton, who is about to be married, but wants to have "an Adventure" first. She talks her half-sister, Ivory, into letting her pose as the madam at Ivory's bordello. She watches as various sex games are played and wishes she could participate, especially with Lucien Northcote, Viscount Pembroke. Then to her total shock, she sees her stuffy fiancé, Stephen, Lord Denonshire, stark naked, playing with a couple of the prostitutes. She runs away after shrieking his name. Pembroke follows her and takes her to his home. She tells him her desire to have an adventure before she marries the man who hadn't even kissed her when they got engaged.
What follows are page upon page of sexual interaction other than intercourse, because, while she wants the adventure, she also wants the marriage. Lucien tells her he can't wait until she's married so they can take their games to the conclusion.
Diana is a virgin with an imagination, and willingness to do whatever Lucien wants her to. She stays with him for several days, and they escalate their play. He teaches her about anal sex, and naturally, she loves every second of it. And then somehow, as he's about to have anal sex with her once again, he "slips" and enters her vaginally instead. Oops, now she can't marry Stephen. Lucien offers for her but she refuses and runs away saying she'll become a "businesswoman" like Ivory rather than force him into a loveless marriage. He goes looking for her, and finds her at Ivory's establishment.
Ivory doesn't agree with Diana that she has ruined her chance to live in society, and encourages her to accept Lucien's offer. Diana allows Lucien to persuade her to marry. But now they have to face her fiancé.
This story was unrealistic to me. A young society woman, about to get married demands to have a sexual adventure first? She's the first of several half-sisters to have the chance to marry into society. There is no explanation of how she comes to have all these siblings, only that her father is a merchant. Nor is there a clear explanation of how she comes to be presented in society in the Regency era. Diana seems like a caricature of a woman. She goes along with anything Lucien suggests, has no boundaries, and is not shocked by anything. She even demands that he take her to an orgy that is occurring while they are at Ivory's.
Lucien is the stereotypical rake. He's had more than enough sexual experience, yet somehow, Diana captivates him completely. He's over 30, never married, and has no plans to marry anytime soon. He takes his role as sexual tutor seriously, and shows a complete lack of conscience in teaching his best friend's fiancée. He also shows an amazing sexual capacity for his age, with no recovery time required.
As a total fantasy, the sexual interactions were inventive and smoking hot. The couple spends days at a time in bed, trying anything, and everything, including mild bondage. They are well matched and find delight in each other. If you want a book that is true to the Regency era, skip this one. But if you want an escapist sexual fantasy, dive in!
Reviewed by Nancy Riggins-Hume
for The Road to Romance
October 5, 2004
|
