Review: I loved this book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 21, 2012
A lot of times when you read Historical erotica, it's all about the sex. There may be a few mentions of corsets and cravats thrown in, but the real history just isn't always there. What I loved about this book is that you get that hot erotic story, but with a rich Historical setting. As a former nursing student, I especially appreciated the history of nursing thrown in as well as mentions of Florence Nightingale.As a heroine, I really sympathized with poor Kate. It is a story we've all read about in Historicals, the pragmatic younger sister who has to sacrifice her happiness because of her drunken, gambling, bumbling idiot brothers. After her physician father's death, Kate's brothers gamble and drink away their inheritance, leaving Kate to have to scratch, scrimp, and work like a dog to support them all. She's got dreams though...getting to Paris and exploring the Lourve and the cafes and shops, freely and without demand from her brothers, while wearing her scandalous collection of lacy and silky unmentionable beneath her gowns. Kate doesn't buy the lingerie with seduction on the mind, she buys the decadent confections because she wants to feel beautiful, womanly. When her dreams of a Paris trip are crushed, Kate finds herself working with a doctor to do physical rehab on an injured war veteran.Enter James Lancaster, the perfectly charming hero. He was definitely my favorite character of the two. Suave, charming, sexy and best of all, owning a sense of humor that had me giggling on several pages. When he catches a glimpse of Nurse Kate's silky unmentionables beneath her drab work clothes, he is intrigued with her. Throughout the book, though, I was intrigued with him. He was just that loveable.As far as the sex goes, it is hot, hot, hot, with lots of spice and variety thrown into the mix. What I appreciated most about it, though, is that none of it was fluff. None of the sensual scenes seemed just thrown in for the sake of being there, as I have experienced in other erotic books. I also appreciated that while Kate was a virgin, she wasn't one of those simpering heroines waiting for the man to show her what to do. She was eager to please and learn and that created much hotter interaction between the two.The ending was satisfying and believable and I found myself with a new go-to author for hot historical romance in the end. Ava Archer Payne is definitely an author I will read again.I was provided with a review copy of this book by the publisher. My opinions are my own and I was not compensate in any way to write this review.