Rules of Passion
Sara Bennett
ISBN# 0060796480
Avon, Oct 2005, 384 pages
Historical Romance-Victorian
$5.99 (US) $7.99 (CDN)
Reviewed by Laurel
June 2005
Marietta Greentree has lived an exciting life so far; she was kidnapped from her mother at young age, adopted out and ruined before Society when she took off with a boundless cad to Greta Green, with the hopes of marriage. After a night of passion and stolen virginity, she was left shattered, destitute and ruined. Years have passed and since then she’s been reunited with her biological mother, Aphrodite, a well-known Courtesan in London. Feeling that she is never going to fall in love again she approaches her mother about following in her footsteps. Horrified, her mother sets her up with a series of tasks to complete before she grants patronage. They agree that Max Vallant would make an excellent tutor, being he is a true gentleman and would not impose any outlandish duties that come with the life of a Courtesan and he also happens to be embroiled in a scandal of his own.
Max Valland is suddenly accident-prone and a disturbing letter found by his sister Susannah upon his mother’s death reveals he is not the Duke Of Barwon’s biological son. In a rather public display of anger his father disinherits him, casting him out. Down to his last shred of dignity, he goes for a balloon ride with his friend to escapes his troubles. This is where it all starts, there is a chance encounter with Marietta Greentree and a very tense and sexually charged moment. When he visits Aphrodite’s to seek some relief he encounters Marietta again, thinking this is too good for his luck, they pick up where they left off, only to find out she is Aphrodite’s daughter. He leaves and is then struck down by an assailant. Having been found he is brought back to Aphrodite’s for care where Marietta takes charge of him and proposes her outlandish plan to him. There is a problem though, Marietta is attracted to Max and Aphrodite knows this and hopes that this attraction will stop Marietta from making the same mistakes she did.
Hot, steamy, and sensual passion left this reader seeking relief from it all. I loved the characters and the chemistry. The one thing I really liked in this novel was how there is light shed into Aphrodite’s life via Marietta reading her diary. The tasks she set up for her daughter, from asking to be taught to kiss, barely there outfits, to meeting in a strange place and perform your duties in public. Marietta was not amused with these tasks; she lived in a fantasy world when it came to being a Courtesan but did them to prove them both wrong providing more than a few laugh out loud moments.
Being the second novel in a series, RULES OF PASSION is a highly enjoyable novel and my first from Sara Bennett. Her style of writing is direct and matter of fact. She does not use plot devices to move a story along rather she introduces them and leaves them in the background bringing them forward when the time is right for setting up the novel with a dramatic conclusion where it is revealed. Her characters were refreshing, witty and funny, smart, attractive and well rounded. They did not use stupidity when it came to things or useless excuses to drag the story out. Rather it is laid bare at the beginning of the book and what you read is two people overcoming fears, distrust and learning to grow with each other and realizing that mistakes in the past do not indicate a repeat in the future and you only live once, so follow your heart. Sara Bennett has created a unique series with a unique background to base her series on.