Simply Scandalous is the deliciously sexy final installment of Kate Pearce’s House of Pleasure series. An intriguing mystery and a secondary romance make this novel a little different from the other books in the series. The sex scenes are still smoking hot and longtime fans of the series will be delighted with the wrap up of all the various storylines. To read my review in its entirety, please click HERE. ( )

Two different couples stories, spy games, unearthing traitors. Blackmail and family secrets come to light. While the stories are improbable they are still entertaining to read
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ABOUT THE BOOK: After years of fighting on the continent, Richard Ross has finally returned to London to make peace with his father, and the erotic delights of his stepmother’s Pleasure House provide a welcome distraction for his war-weary heart. But he is shocked to encounter someone there whose resemblance to his lost love leaves him both tempted and tormented…

As a former spy, Violet LeNy has mastered the art of deception. But there is no disguising the heated passion that still burns between her and Richard, the man she once betrayed but who now is her only hope of survival. Soon she plans a scandalous game of seduction where sensual surrender is the ultimate pleasure…

REVIEW: The plot in this piece was great. It’s engaging, moves at a steady pace, and when the antagonist is finally revealed, surprising. I enjoyed watching it unfold and absolutely loved both romantic stories moving at a steady pace at the same time.

I’ve read Ms. Pearce’s pieces before but only got about three books into the series before having my attention drawn away. Picking up this piece, I now remember why. Now, before I jump into the why of giving this MS three stars, let me just say the plots overall in each of these books, are actually very good.

That being said, the writing in the stories frustrates me to the point where I almost want to stop reading. It’s not that she doesn’t write well, because obviously she does, it is more so a lot of it tends to be very passive for starters. I feel as if I’m reading and watching from afar, instead of being right in the scene with the characters. Second, a lot of the details seem to be reversed when it comes to some scenes. Ms. Pearce will give us details into something that completely doesn’t apply to the story, yet turn around on something that is actually needed, and rush through it. It was that way with every single love scene. They were extremely rushed, to the point of say, two paragraphs from the first touch and kiss, to the final act, and even then sometimes that was skipped over as well. Reading a romance, I want to see that build up, want to see the confliction of feelings, the tension and instead in this piece I got none of it and it fell flat for me as a reader. By the end of the story, I was very frustrated in the sense that I felt as if I didn’t see the connection between the characters as promised.

I do think that the plot which unfolds is again, very good and I hope that we’ll get to see more of a connection in future books. Three stars for an overall good read. ( )