Linda
Written on May 18, 2017
Lord of Pleasure was a delightful read with masquerade balls, a scandalous rakish Earl and a mousy, but respectable lady. I had such fun reading this story, and can't wait for more in this well done series
Lord of Pleasure was a delicious treat to the senses! The masquerade balls were such a perfect opportunity for both Lord Wainwright and Miss Camellia to actually be themselves, not the person society had forced them into by labelling them. Wainwright showed up in the scandal sheets' caricatures more often than he liked, and Camellia was starting to think that being the good sister wasn't working so well for her. Not when her parents had decided to marry her off to a man she didn't know, and who lived close to the Scottish border. All for being the good girl, so they could pay closer attention to her wilder younger sisters.
Lord of Pleasure is all about hiding in plain sight, but also about how different men and women were seen during these times - and that is still the case now. Camellia was sometimes called the mouse of the family - because she never really did anything to make others notice her. When she was Lady X at the masquerade ball, though, she let her own wants out, and had a fantastic evening with Lord X, watching the stars and talking about a variety of subjects. Wainwright felt free with his mask too, for once, a young woman didn't swoon when he talked to her. She talked with him and shared interesting opinions. While participating in the masquerade balls, Camellia was also hiding from her impending marriage to an older gentleman she had never met.
There were a lot of humorous moments with Camellia and her sisters, especially because Wainwright had inadvertently made some investing ladies withhold their money from the youngest sister's school for young women. However, the characters also showed that they had it in them to forgive - which is definitely important in many situations. Written in third person point of view, past tense, and following Camellia and Wainwright closely, I felt like I got to know the characters well, and enjoyed their journey towards pleasure... and possibly ruin as well.
"I, too, had despaired of you ever finding a match. Mr. Bost is not only a - "
"Mature?" Dahlia asked.
"Respectable?" Bryony added innocently.
Camellia covered her face with her hands. "- gentleman," Mother continued, "he will be able to keep you in a great deal of comfort. You shall not want for a thing from the very moment the wedding concludes until your dying day."
And of course, the masquerades. Everyone who presented themselves at the door was taking arisk. That was a key component of the allure. Yet the true reason Michael had always attended wasn't in order to put a mask on, but rather to take his off. The earl mask, the rake mask, the caricatures of himself.
