For the Earl's Pleasure

by Anne Mallory

Beneath every scornful smile . . . They were once cherished childhood companions, until a scandalous secret tore them apart. Now Valerian Rainewood and Abigail Smart are the fiercest of enemies. To... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061579149
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Avon
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.0" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful historical romance with a touch of the paranormal!

I can not begin to tell everyone how much I enjoyed this book! I read the book to my husband and he enjoyed it as much as I did and agrees with me that it was a highly entertaining read. It is not only a historical romance but it has a bit of the paranormal in it as well, though the description on the back of the book leads you to believe it is just a normal historical romance. The confrontations between Abigail and Valerian are humorous and delightful. Once cherished friends, a scandalous secret tore them apart. Valerian delights in taunting Abigail through most of the book, feeling that she betrayed their friendship with what he sees as a lie. Abigail only wishes to find a husband and live a normal life but Valerian thwarts her efforts at every turn. Abigail has the ability to see ghosts and when Valerian, who has been missing for two days, appears at a ball walking right through people, she thinks he is dead. Valerian believes he is dreaming and refuses to believe that Abigail can actually see ghosts. There is a strong chemistry between the lead characters from the very beginning. You can feel the attraction between them even though their verbal confrontations say otherwise. The villain behind Valerian's disappearance is a mystery and I have to admit, I was surprised when he was revealed. Not often an author can get one over on me, lol and I love it when they do. A truly wonderful book for anyone who loves historical romance with a touch of the paranormal and little bit of humor combined.

These bad reviews aren't fair!

I don't usually review books, but I had to speak up about this one. I am not going to bother with a synopsis (already done), but I think you need to know that many of the people panning this book are doing it because they weren't expecting a book with paranormal elements. They are apparently fans of a very specific historical subgenre, and they feel betrayed by a book that didn't meet their expectations. It's a valid point -- nothing would lead a person to believe that this is anything but a straight historical romance from the cover. But that doesn't mean it isn't a damn good book, and a lot more interesting than many historicals AND paranormals. She's created a very unusual heroine, one who actually holds my interest and compels me as a reader (I'm sick of women who are TSTL, and equally sick of "feisty" girls who sound more like a modern-day sitcom actor than a historical character). The hero is good, too. He's strong and powerful (love those!) like a traditional alpha guy, but he loses control and needs to be saved by the woman. It's beautifully done, and the fact that the tension between the two sparks right off the page doesn't hurt, either. Don't believe me? Read the excerpt (available for Kindle or Kindle on your iPhone). I read this book in less than 24 hours, and I don't bother to finish half the books I pick up. I'm a picky reader, but this one is a winner. Don't pay attention to those negative reviews, because they're complaining about the marketing, not the book itself. If you like interesting romances, give this one a shot. If you prefer the same old thing you've read a thousand times, maybe the other reviews are right -- this probably isn't the book for you.

Unfair

I rate this book five stars because I believe that many of the other reviews are grossly unfair. I am not overly familiar with this author so my expectations were not based on previous work. Had I been familiar with the author's work, I would have not been overly disappointed in the unexpected. It is always a nice change when one is taken by surprise by a book, rather than constantly reading the same story with names and locations slightly altered. The book had an engaging storyline, well developed characters, and, yes, a little bit of paranormal, get over it. The characters have strong tension throughout the story because they are supposed to hate each other, it is the plot. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy the genre and are open to variations on the "boy meets girl... saves girl... screws girl... and finally marries girl, against all odds" plot.

Bad Marketing, Not A Bad Book

I think this book is being judged on expectations more than merit. I was fortunate enough to know this book was a paranormal, which I generally avoid, but it was also by Anne Mallory, who I generally enjoy. I'd already purchased it, so rather than return it I decided to give it a try. This is not a five star read, there are elements of the plot which are rather heavy handed and melodramatic. Enough to knock it down to three stars if it wasn't for the relationship between the hero and heroine. Using the paranormal aspect of the book as a stand in for the emotional upheavals of the early teen years, Anne Mallory places her hero and heroine at a pivotal moment in both their lives and then hands them the inability to deal with the adult roles thrust upon them. Trapped in the dynamic set in place then, they can neither stay away from each other nor trust again. When Rainewood appears to Abigail, she thinks he's dead. He thinks he's dreaming, and the sounds of her crying through the night only confuse him. Forced out of the roles they've been playing, they work through what drew them apart. The society in Regencyland often seems like a high school clique run amok, and that's taken to enjoyable extremes here. I think I would have liked this book much better if the criminal element were done away with - Rainewood could as easily have been trapped in a French prison or absent his memory in the countryside after a fall, but instead he's the victim of a plot conducted by rapists and thugs. The center relationship was very strong to me. It's not a case of people being drawn together. For The Earl's Pleasure is more of a divorce book - a couple who have come to hate reach across the bitterness to remember why they were together in the first place, but with ghosts thrown into the mix. I think it could have been better, but it was certainly worth my time. I would pre-order her next book without hesitation.

terrific paranormal historical romance

Abigail Smart and Valerian "Raine" Danford were best friends as children, but social status separated them as he is heir to a duchy and she is the daughter of a merchant. Besides her paranormal "gift" makes her more unacceptable even as a companion. Her family thinks she is crazy and at times they feel she needed special treatments. Whenever they caught her talking to herself, they sent her to institutions; no one believed she talked with ghosts as it was easier to accept she was insane. After her latest release, Abigail meets Raine. They want each other, bur she believes he is a rake who would never accept her gift and he shows with his eyes he desires her, but knows she is unacceptable beyond a fling. When he is attacked and knocked out, Raine somehow communicates with Abigail. As he remains comatose for several days, they begin to fall in love. However, though he plans to ignore family obligations that insist he marry acceptable Celeste; Raine knows when he returns to the living, he must confront his enemies while pretending not to care for the woman he loves though that will hurt her in order to keep her safe. This is a terrific paranormal historical romance starring a unique lead female and a more typical male. The story line is fast-paced from the onset as Raine agrees with Abigail's family that she is bedlam material and accelerates as they fall in love on an astral plane. Fans will enjoy Anne Mallory's engaging numinous Regency romantic suspense. Harriet Klausner