Avon
Featuring: Major Lord Stepen Ives; Lady Delphine St. James
384 pages ISBN: 0062332406 EAN: 9780062332400 Kindle: B00H1UMOFQ Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES is the first book that I've read
by
Lecia Cornwall. There are many supporting characters in
this
book that have appeared in previous stories. As a reader
who
is new to this author, I was able to enjoy and follow the
story without having read the previous books. Major Lord
Stephen Ives lives up to the dashing figure on the cover
of
WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES.
Stephen and Lady Delphine St. James experience a spark of
attraction as soon as their eyes meet across a crowded
ballroom. However, Stephen suppresses his initial
attraction. He got the mistaken impression that she's the
type of woman who would only be interested in him until a
wealthier, titled suitor comes along. He couldn't be more
wrong. They both end up in each other's orbit when he
returns from war a blinded and injured soldier. She gently
nurses him back to health, not out of pity, but because
she
feels that she is in love.
There are two main storylines in WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES
--
the romance that develops between Stephen and Delphine,
and
the mystery of who is slandering Stephen and accusing him
of
cowardice and theft. I think both are equally compelling
and
enjoyed them immensely. The mystery does not take the
focus
off the romance. I love the romance between Stephen and
Delphine. While confined together, they get to know each
other and the attraction builds between them. They become
friends and Stephen realizes how wrong his first
impression
of Delphine was. One of the things that draws Delphine to
Stephen is that she feels as though he sees her as a
person
rather than her dowry or what marrying her could do for
him
- like other men who have pursued her. The tight bond that
is established between them is something which contributes
greatly to the eroticism.
I love books about wounded heroes. A story with a main
character who struggles to overcome difficulties in life
makes for a textured character and usually a more
interesting story. One thing I always worry about with
these
stories, is whether the injured hero will take out his
frustration and pain out on the heroine. Happily, this was
not the case with WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES. Stephen does
feel a lot of frustration, and he does try to push
Delphine
away at one point, but I never felt that he was being
verbally abusive to her. As a reader, this is something I
am
particularly sensitive to, and it would have tainted the
reading experience if he had been like that. In her own
way,
Delphine is a very strong woman. I like that she speaks up
for herself and doesn't let her family or friends push her
into marrying somebody. She is firm without being
disrespectful. She knows what she wants in a romantic
relationship and won't settle for anything less.
WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES is an erotic romance with strong
characters and an exciting story! One of the supporting
characters who was central to the story, in addition to
being one I adored, was Sergeant Alan Browning. He is a
wounded soldier himself and I loved how Lecia Cornwall
fleshed out that character. I hope he turns up one day in
a
story of his own one day. I look forward to reading more
books by Lecia Cornwall in the future.
On the night before the final battle against Napoleon,
Lady
Delphine St. James finds herself dancing with the one man
she has always wanted, Major Lord Stephen Ives. He makes
it
clear he has no time for a lady he sees as flirtatious and
silly, but as the call to arms sounds, she bids him
farewell
with a kiss that stirs them both. When he returns gravely
injured, she is intent on caring for him, even if his
surly
behavior tests her patience.
After the battle, Stephen is not only wounded and blind,
but
falsely accused of cowardice and theft. The only light in
his dark world is Delphine, the one woman he never
imagined
he could desire. But she deserves more than he can give
her.
As their feelings deepen and hidden enemies conspire to
force them to part forever, can their love survive the
cruelest test of all?
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