The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long | Book Review

Posted July 6, 2015 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long | Book ReviewThe Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long
Series: Pennyroyal Green #1
Also in this series: What I Did for a Duke
Published by Avon on January 29, 2008
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 375
Format: eBook
Source: Gift
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His life is in her hands...

She's willing to be fearless for a price...but what if the cost is her heart?

A rescued rogue...

Scandal has rocked the city of London. Colin Eversea, a handsome, reckless unapologetic rogue is sentenced to hang for murder and, inconveniently for him, the only witness to the crime disappears. Then again, throughout history, the Everseas have always managed to cheat fate in style: Colin is snatched from the gallows by a beautiful, clever mercenary.

A captivating captor...

Cool-headed, daring Madeleine Greenway is immune to Colin's vaunted charm. Her mission is not to rescue Colin but to kidnap him, and to be paid handsomely for it. But when it becomes clear that whoever wants Colin alive wants Madeline dead, the two become uneasy allies in a deadly race for truth. Together, they'll face great danger—and a passion neither can resist.

I found The Perils of Pleasure to be a very fun and enjoyable read, although I read What I Did for a Duke (book #5) first and still love that one more. Colin, our not-so-fugutive on the run, and Madeline, Colin’s rescuer, spend most of the book on the run from the law, following clues and leads to discover the identity of the true murderer. The story really started off with a bang, and reminded me of the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where Will saves Captain Jack Sparrow from the gallows. Colin is ready to be hung, when BAM. A diversion. A rescue. And I love that the rescuer was a woman. Yay girl power! The tables were turned, and the man is the one in distress here. I’m a huge fan of unique plot lines, and this one is definitely not your typical historical romance. Colin is sarcastic and likes to make light of things, whereas Madeline is cynical, private, and stand-offish. These two go so well together, and I loved how he Colin was able to soften her up a bit and she got him to think about more serious things.

Colin and Madeline have this great tension and chemistry, and the slow burn was almost painful at times because I just wanted to smash their faces together and get it over with! Their banter is pretty funny at times, especially when they are walking long hours or sneaking one another around in a coffin. The writing was very well done as well. The only complaint I had was that the story dragged at times, and I was not always completely motivated to read it. The “mystery” was a little convoluted and I had a hard time keeping track or who was where and for what reason. I did not find that aspect of the story, which was basically the bulk of the story, to be very exciting. I also would have loved more emphasis on their love story. I’ve become quite a fan of Julie Anne Long, though, and am excited to read more of this series!

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2 responses to “The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long | Book Review

  1. Some of my friends keep telling me I need to read this series by Long. I still haven’t but I am curious. I’ve heard AMAZING things about What I Did for a Duke. I’m glad you enjoyed this, even if the story dragged a little. The whole coffin thing reminded me of the movie The Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. Have you ever seen that? It’s amazing.
    Quinn @ Quinn’s Book Nook recently posted…Express Lane Review: The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

    • Jana

      Quinn, this is such a fun series! I totally agree with your friends. You mist read it! What I Did for a Duke is the first one I I read, and it is amazing. It’s one of my favorite historical romances, for sure.

      I love that The Scarlet Pimpernel movie! It’s so great! It’s been so long since I’ve seen it that I completely forgot about the coffin scene. The two are similar!