Sabrina Darby

f I were to describe On These Silken Sheets with one word it would be hot. Downright sizzling even.

Against the Wall - The Tale of Carolina Hargreaves and Viscount Stanton

These two...I enjoyed this story the most, though I think I would have killed one or the both of them at any given moment. I took a vicarious sort of joy when Carolina's Aunt verbally slapped her down for being stupid and Stanton suddenly realized what a fool he had been those two months. Daily sex plus no precautions at all usually ends only one way. Still the two of them interested me, especially Carolina who took to her sensual nature quite easily and wasn't ashamed of the fact that she knew how to please herself. It ended a little abruptly--the epilogue jumping at least 10 months into the future--but the next story picks up shortly after the end of the last chapter.

The Education of Lord Oakley - The Tale of Lord Oakley and Maggie Coswell

Oakley, who played a secondary role in the first story, finds himself the laughingstock of the ton. All we really learned of Oakley in the first story was that he was rich, ambitious, just out of uni and dedicated to his seat in the House. And good looking. But very fresh-faced innocent. Let this be a lesson--if a guy is innocent at the start of an erotic romance, he won't be for long. His and Maggie's courtship wasn't as interesting at Carolina and Stanton's to me. Maggie, for all the fact she was at Harridan House, wasn't a consumate courtesean like the other women and still had an almost wide-eyed innocent approach to the act of sex. She had things to hide however and I'll give props to Oakley or being a stand up guy.

Roses Are Rouge - The Tale of Lady Diana Blount and Sir Jason Blount

I will say this for certain, this story was a curious switch of places. Instead of the man agonizing over how tempting a woman was, it was the woman tormented over the fact that in her long line of lovers she wanted him the most. Diana is the one who has had multiple lovers over the years--she gives men the conge in fact!--while Jason has been a mostly one-woman man after taking his wife. It was a little vexing to watch Jason be so condemning of Diana (after all men had mistresses all the time), but it was enjoyable to read as Diana seduced him with words. The story was more drawn out then I would have preferred, but otherwise it was enjoyable. It also fore-shadows a scene that is directly related to the last story.

A Maid For the Taking - The Tale of Sir Robert George and Lucy Penneck

I didn't like Sir Robert in the first story--he was such an oily, perverted guy and then the...escapades he got into in the bedroom kind of made me go 'Oh no nono', so I was a little shocked to see he got his own love match! I'm actually still not certain I like him too much. Lucy though is a charming girl, cheeky and well spoken despite her servant class status. She has a history, which we learn in fits and spurts. Robert isn't very different from how he was with Carolina, but perhaps smoother. We see more of him, so it gives him more depth I suppose. This also has a few scenes that are the same from Roses are Rouge and takes places (for the most part) while Diana is in Brighton.

To be strictly fair, even though all the stories revolve around Harridan House in some way, they all build off of each other from the first story--about Carolina and Stanton. Carolina marrying Stanton causes Oakley to want to lose himself in misery at Harridan House where he meets Maggie, who is cousins with Lady Diana (owner of Harridan) who's assistant is Lucy who is seduced by Sir Robert who courted Carolina.

This was an interesting quartet of stories, with the level of heat starting off really high in the first story (they literally had sex, were in the middle of sex or thinking about when next they could have sex every page of the story) and then coming down in degrees in every story. Many of the background cast were simply to support each particular story's love match or as added amusement later on. At the start of each new story I was always interested in who would 'star' in the next outing, as it wasn't made apparent in the subsequent story.… (mais)

This may be a Regency romance, but Caroline is certainly not what we think of as a Regency woman. She has performed her duty - produced an Heir and Spare for her now dead husband, but is a widow before she is 30. She has sworn off marriage - she is not prepared to relinquish her freedom and rights to yet another man, but knows she still has needs and wants to enjoy herself with no strings attached

Sutbridge is the brother of her best friend, and the two of them have been attracted to each other since before her marriage 10 years previously. He wants a legitimate heir, she doesnt want to be married - again. Where will this attraction take them?

This is a very short story - not sure it would even class as a novella. Lots get packed into what's there, secondary characters dont even appear - it's just Caroline, Sutbridge and Julia (sister to one, friend to the other), as the important three. The dead husband is barely referred to, and Caroline/Sutbridge are prepared to risk reputations in public in order to converse.

This has the possibility to be a novella, and maybe even a full length novel, but is satisfactory as it is.… (mais)

This may be a Regency romance, but Caroline is certainly not what we think of as a Regency woman. She has performed her duty - produced an Heir and Spare for her now dead husband, but is a widow before she is 30. She has sworn off marriage - she is not prepared to relinquish her freedom and rights to yet another man, but knows she still has needs and wants to enjoy herself with no strings attached

Sutbridge is the brother of her best friend, and the two of them have been attracted to each other since before her marriage 10 years previously. He wants a legitimate heir, she doesnt want to be married - again. Where will this attraction take them?

This is a very short story - not sure it would even class as a novella. Lots get packed into what's there, secondary characters dont even appear - it's just Caroline, Sutbridge and Julia (sister to one, friend to the other), as the important three. The dead husband is barely referred to, and Caroline/Sutbridge are prepared to risk reputations in public in order to converse.

This has the possibility to be a novella, and maybe even a full length novel, but is satisfactory as it is.… (mais)