It’s London in 1796 and Lady Lucinda Davenport, along with her mentally retarded and overly-large brother and her servants, set out to kidnap a well-known Duke for purposes later revealed in the book…and Lord, are they revealed.
Lucien Brandord, IV Duke of Carlsborough, is handsome, virile, and one of England’s richest. His sexual appetite is usually satisfied by some of the areas finest courtesans, but on this given night, as he leaves a high-brow brothel, he’s approached by a mysterious and veiled woman who claims to need his help. As he hurries to her waiting carriage, he’s suspicious, but the plea to help the injured woman inside convinces him to enter.
Pinned in the darkness of a blanket wielded by the largest man he’s ever seen, the Duke is swept away into the night and taken hours away from his home, only to be shackled hand and foot to a bed while blindfolded to protect the identity of his abductors. He has no idea what’s in store for him.
While Desperate Desires is Ms. Wolffe’s first “historical” and advertised as a “sweet and spicy novella,” I found it to be more than just a little spicy. For me, the sweetness and historical facets are lost among the overuse of sexual “buzz” words which soon became tiresome. The limited historical references made in the book were accurate, and I admit the author writes with descriptive flare. However, reading with my ever present internal editor on, I did notice a great deal of head-hopping and constant reference to the coloring of Lucinda’s cheeks while in her POV. The editorial issues should have been caught before publication, but there were parts of this book I found very enjoyable. In all fairness, had I known it was such an erotic book, I would have declined reading it. For my liking, there was too much sex and too little story, plus the ending was too predictable. Those who enjoy voyeurism will find great delight in this book. If you give a heat-rating based on sexuality, then this book is on fire.
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