'Patience' Passion Quarter #2 by Lisa VALDEZ

From the BLURB:

A WOMAN CALLED PATIENCE. A DESIRE THAT WOULD PUT HER NAME—AND HER LOVE—TO THE TEST.

Known for her exceptional beauty, Patience Emmalina Dare has been pursued by admirers ever since coming of age. But suitor after suitor fails to inspire her love – or her desire. Certain she will never find a man who touches her deeply, she decides to forgo marriage in favor of pursuing her music. But just when Patience thinks she has her life well in hand, a passionate kiss with her enigmatic brother-in-law awakens a powerful need in her. How will she reconcile her desire for him and her desire for a life that's her own – and what will she do when he shows her a deep and hidden part of herself that she never knew existed?

When the secret of his illegitimate birth pushes Matthew Morgan Hawkmore from his place in society, the darkly handsome half-brother of the Earl of Langley plots his resurrection and his revenge. Betrayed and abandoned by the women he believed loved him, he swears to never again be controlled by love. But despite his vow, he is unable to resist the beautiful Patience, whose strength and self-reliance hide a need that he is perfectly suited to fulfill. Can he have her without loving her? What will he give up to keep her? And will her passionate surrender be the one thing that can stop him from making a tragic mistake that could destroy them both…

Matthew Morgan Hawkmore has just been ousted as the bastard son of his mother’s gardener. He has lost his title, his fiancée and his pride. Meanwhile, his elder brother Mark is living in wedded bliss to the woman of his dreams. The one plus to Mark marrying Passion Dare is that Matthew is now family to her delectable little sister, Patience. Patience of the fiery red hair, sensual mouth and kind nature. Now that they are related through their siblings, it’s impossible for Matthew to ignore his lust for Patience . . . with her he can explore his dominant side, and introduce her to the bliss of submission.

But Matthew still lives in ton society and is trying to claw his way out of the social faux pas his bastardry has created for him. He needs to navigate a social landmine that could see him lose his business and his standing in society, especially if his ex- fiancée’s father has anything to say about it . . .

‘Patience’ is the second book in Lisa Valdez’s ‘Passion Quartet’ series. I was warned about this follow-up being a little let-down from the outstandingly luscious ‘Passion’. I thought a lot of fan ire surrounded the fact that ‘Passion’ came out in 2005, while ‘Patience’ was only released last year . . . but having now read this second instalment, I can see that it was more than just a frustratingly long interim that displeased fans.

Passion and Matthew have a similar relationship-start to Mark and Passion in that it is quickly ignited. Mark and Passion met at London’s Crystal Palace exhibit. Matthew and Patience meet because of their sibling’s betrothal – and it’s a temptation neither of them can ignore. Living in close quarters and meeting at family events, Matthew succumbs to his lust and seduces Patience. And with her, Matthew unleashes his dominant side and ignites Patience’s desire for submission.

BDSM in the 1800’s is a little saucy, but the attraction is mostly sexual rather than charismatic. Patience and Matthew connect on a sexual-level, but their affection for one another feels rushed and artificial. Matthew decides very quickly that he is going to marry Patience; and honestly it was so rushed I felt reader whip-lash. Although Valdez throws in many declarations of love between the two, I still wasn’t buying it. In fact, I found such declarations overtly syrupy and I couldn’t help but giggle at their outlandishness;

The gold in his hair gleamed in the sunlight. “I will never leave you. You and I are forever.”

His words made her eyes sting even more. Her tears fell.

“What if there is no earthly forever, Matthew? What if forever only exists in heaven and fairy tales?” She drew a shuddering breath. “What if our forever, isn’t really forever?”

Matthew’s dark eyes caressed her. “Love is eternal, Patience.”

One of the great things about ‘Passion’ was the twisted concurrent plotlines that crashed together into a brilliant finale. While also writing about Mark and Passion’s meeting and falling in love, Valdez included a storyline about Mark being blackmailed into marriage with another woman . . . it heightened everything, the foreboding was nail-biting and the conclusion all the sweeter. But it feels like Valdez missed a few potential plot twists in ‘Patience’.

There is a small point of contention concerning Matthew’s suffering business, thanks to his illegitimacy. But to be honest, the business side of things was boring and clerical. Things could have picked up when Matthew’s ex-fiancée, Rosalind, showed interest in rekindling their relationship. Matthew could have been much more duplicitous in his dealings with Rosalind, and Valdez really could have heightened tension for readers by tempting Matthew to ruin Rosalind in a bout of revenge (but at what price to Patience?). I honestly thought that was where the storyline was going – towards a love triangle between Matthew/Rosalind/Patience. Sadly, no. Where Valdez wrote an intensely twisted plot in ‘Passion’, she misses the mark with ‘Patience’.

Valdez fails to deliver a satisfying follow-up to her brilliant ‘Passion’. The romance between Matthew and Patience is mostly compiled of good sex, making their relationship somewhat hollow. The BDSM storyline is titillating, but repetitive ‘tie-me-up-tie-me-down’ sex scenes, in the absence of a more interesting plot, means ‘Patience’ is a lukewarm historical romance. And it’s a real shame because ‘Passion’ was such an outstanding first-outing from Valdez. Hopefully things pick back up with third book ‘Primrose’.

2/5

'Passion' Passion Quartet #1 by Lisa VALDEZ

From the BLURB:


Young widow Passion Dare thought she'd never love again. But a handsome earl has been pursuing her- and after a lifetime of propriety, Passion ponders throwing caution to the wind. After several heady encounters, the pair must face blackmail, learn a shocking truth-and choose between duty and desire.

Passion Elizabeth Dare was widowed at a young age, and with her widowhood came freedom. Freedom from a loveless marriage and her husband’s indifference, and freedom from the cruel irony of her name... But Passion’s mourning-period is soon over, and her Aunt Matty insists she venture to London for her debut as a widower out of mourning. While in London Passion wants to explore the grand Crystal Palace exhibit and spend time with her dear cousin Charlotte. But Aunt Matty is determined to see Passion betrothed (again).

Meanwhile, Mark Randolph Hawkmore is in a waking nightmare. He has just discovered that his beloved younger brother, Matthew, is in fact his half-brother... and a lady from his mother’s past is threatening blackmail if Mark doesn’t wed her daughter and give the family a title. Between breaking the news to his brother that he is a gardener’s bastard and succumbing to his mother’s scandal, Mark is between a rock and a hard place.

The story opens at the Crystal Palace in London’s Hyde Park, 1851. The Crystal Palace was a great exhibition of the industrial revolution and modernization. It is also where Passion Dare and Mark Hawkmore share their first steamy encounter. They literally bump into one another while wandering the Crystal Palace... and then share a delicious romp behind a Gothic screen in an act of pure erotic voyeurism. With Mark, Passion discovers all that was missing from her marriage... and though Mark is a notorious rake and womanizer, he cannot bear the thought of having just one encounter with this mysterious woman in black.

Crystal Palace exhibit

What unfolds between these two is a delicious and scandalous affair that plays out in plain sight and then behind closed doors. . . an affair that will be their undoing, as Mark is caught amidst his own blackmail scandal that will eventually impact Passion. . .

I kept hearing about Lisa Valdez’s debut book, the first of what will be four books in the ‘Passion Quartet’ historical romance series. This book came out in 2005 and has remained a rite-of-passage for lovers of historical romance. And now I can understand why.

Valdez’s book is the dark chocolate and forbidden fruit of the historical romance genre. The sex scenes are graphic. I don’t mean they’re blush-worthy for the Victoria-era ton setting - I mean that Valdez writes intense erotica that is so explicit it’s educational! Her sex scenes could quite comfortably be transported into a modern-day erotica novel and fit right in. Wow. Just ‘wow’. I kept reading Amazon reviews in which the reviewer commented (whether gratefully or negatively) on the graphic nature of the sex. . . but I wasn’t prepared.

That’s not to say that the sex scenes are enjoyable purely for their thrilling titillation. . . Valdez has expertly and beautifully crafted sensuous scenes of intense eroticism. The first, voyeuristic, coupling of Passion and Mark is wonderful for its originality. A sex scene amidst the hubbub of a Hyde Park exhibit – wonderful! But what I loved about the sex scenes was how Valdez marked the couple’s growing affection and infatuation through them. . . from their scandalous public pairing to when they decided to move their rendezvous’ to their private apartments and embark on a slower and more carnal affair. Brilliant.

Lisa Valdez’s debut may be notorious for the blush-worthy sex scenes. . . but it’d be a crime to suggest that it is only the sex scenes that hold any value in the novel. The romance itself is glorious. Mark and Passion have one of the best romance’s I have ever read – and part of the brilliance lies in the foreboding.

Mark’s blackmail plot coincides to his affair with Passion. . . and as their blossoming love unfolds, so too does the darker sub-plot that will eventually unravel their affair. There’s a fair amount of tragedy to Mark and Passion’s romance as it coincides with Mark’s forced engagement. . . but any sadness just heightens the ‘will-they-or-won’t-they?’ to grand proportions, so that by book’s end I was crying and blubbering because I honestly didn’t know if these two would get a happy ending;

“Tell me something,” she said
He tipped her chin up to look at him. His cheeks were wet. “I shall think of you every day, a thousand times a day. I shall dream of you at night and speak your name when I wake. I shall relive every moment we ever spent together, and I shall invent ones we didn’t.” He held her face between his hands. “I shall write to you and speak only of us. I shall tell you every adventure we share and recount the ways we make love. And in such a way, I shall create a life with you.”
Passion closed her eyes on her tears.

I have been warned that Ms Valdez’s second book in the series wasn’t very well-received (at all!). There was a very big gap between first book, ‘Passion’, and the second book, ‘Patience’. ‘Passion’ came out in 2005, and ‘Patience’ came out in April 2010. That’s a very long wait for fans – and I do wonder if some of the animosity towards the second book was simply fans disgruntled at having to wait so very long? Regardless, Valdez has me hooked on her writing and I will venture into the second book, but perhaps with lowered expectation?

Regardless, Lisa Valdez’s debut book is exquisite. It stands as an incredible feat of fancy in the historical romance genre, but also serves up blushing brilliance for the ‘hardcore’ sex scenes. . . Superb, and a must-read for lovers of historical romance.

5/5