|
Roaming the exhibits at the Crystal palace in search of her cousin, widow Passion Elizabeth Dare finds something she’d given up hoping for – passion! A handsome and sexy gentleman pursues her through the crowds, and before long his molten kisses and seductive touch compel her to abandon her hitherto sedate behavior and indulge her senses for the very first time in her life and in public.
The stranger, who’s none other than Mark Hawkmore, Earl of Langley, can’t quite believe his luck in finding a woman who so perfectly shares the same capacity for passion that he does. Unfortunately, as his younger brother Matthew reminds him later, he can’t indulge himself since he has a duty towards his recent fiancée, Charlotte.
However, Mark feels nothing but ire towards Charlotte since their engagement was a direct result of blackmail and not out of true regard. Swept away on a tide of unquenchable desire which soon transforms into true love, Mark and Passion keep meeting in secret, little realizing that Mark’s future wife is Passion’s dearest cousin. Desire and duty collide with what seem certain to be disastrous consequences.
Lisa Valdez’s “Passion” is one of those rare books that truly capture the meaning of Love. The love between Mark and Passion arises out of passion, with time develops into tenderness and then deepens into true caring, one that sacrifices rather than destroys. This is a true facet of love rarely explored in today’s modern romances, but which Valdez has brought to life with such shattering emotional intensity as to bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded reader.
Both Mark and Passion are outstanding characters. Mark’s conversion from a somewhat selfish and marathon sexual athlete to a lover of Romeo’s standards is beautifully chronicled and arises largely due the influence of Passion’s goodness which is effective without being preachy. Readers will find themselves on constant edge at first due to the sizzling torrid scenes and later on, as a result of all the emotional seesawing. The book title promises ‘Passion’ and passion there is plenty - of lust, of love, that of dangerous ambitions, of maturing hopes, of brotherly caring, of selfish desires – and so much more. Unforgettable, utterly enchanting and oh, so hot, Lisa Valdez’s “Passion” inspires, inflames and indulges to the utmost.
Reviewed by Rashmi Srinivas
for The Road to Romance
July 29, 2005
|
