Review: The Pleasure of Your Kiss

by Teresa Medeiros
Rating: 3/5

Ashton Burke is a legendary adventurer who has spent the past ten years roaming the globe to forget the girl he left behind. His devil-may-care life is interrupted when he's hired to rescue his brother's kidnapped fiancée from a sultan's harem. Too late, he discovers she is none other than Clarinda Cardew, the very same girl who made off with his jaded heart a decade ago. The last thing Clarinda wants is to be trapped in a palace of sensual delights with the man whose irresistible kisses still haunt her sleepless nights. Although he vows he is only doing his job, Clarinda quickly realizes that allowing Ashton to rescue her may put her yearning heart in even greater peril. In a journey that takes them from the delicious intrigues of a sultan's court to the glittering ballrooms of London, Ashton and Clarinda resume the steps of their dangerous dance only to discover the most seductive pleasure of all may be love itself.

This is book one in the Burke Brothers series by Teresa Medeiros. I rather enjoyed her Kane Vampire books, which manage to both mock vampires and be vampire books. In Regency England. But to be honest it was only book two that made me want to read this book. So was it worth it?

Yes. And No. While the surroundings for this book are unique and absolutely a sultan’s harem, the characters are stale. I actually enjoyed Poppy and Farouk’s interactions way more than Ashton and Clarinda’s.

Clarinda is your typical heroine for this type of book. She loved/loves Ashton but he left so she’s angry and refuses to fall in love with him. She wants to escape the harem but resents that he’s the only way out she has.

Ashton is all noble and suffering over leaving Clarinda and definitely angry that she immediately jumped into engagement after he left, with the intention (that he didn’t explain) of becoming worthy of her.

Despite this, I did enjoy the book. The fact that this is set in such a unique location for this period of historical romance brings a breath of fresh air in face of the stock characters of Clarinda and Ash. Also Poppy as the frumpy friend who falls for the sultan Farouk as they bond in their understanding of each other was simply lovely to read.

It didn’t light my world on fire but it was still a good read. So I would recommend it if book two interests you, if you’re sick of the same old and if you want a little comfort reading.

Currently Listening: Fireworks – You Me At Six