Passion Mass Market Paperback – July 5, 2005

Passion Elizabeth Dare was widowed at a young age, and with her widowhood came freedom. Freedom from a loveless marriage and her husband's indifference, and freedom from the cruel irony of her name. . . But Passion's mourning-period is soon over, and her Aunt Matty insists she venture to London for her debut as a widower out of mourning. While in London Passion wants to explore the grand Crystal Palace exhibit and spend time with her dear cousin Charlotte. But Aunt Matty is determined to see Passion betrothed (again).Meanwhile, Mark Randolph Hawkmore is in a waking nightmare. He has just discovered that his beloved younger brother, Matthew, is in fact his half-brother. . . and a lady from his mother's past is threatening blackmail if Mark doesn't wed her daughter and give the family a title. Between breaking the news to his brother that he is a gardener's bastard and succumbing to his mother's scandal, Mark is between a rock and a hard place.The story opens at the Crystal Palace in London's Hyde Park, 1851. The Crystal Palace was a great exhibition of the industrial revolution and modernization. It is also where Passion Dare and Mark Hawkmore share their first steamy encounter. They literally bump into one another while wandering the Crystal Palace. . . and then share a delicious romp behind a Gothic screen in an act of pure erotic voyeurism. With Mark, Passion discovers all that was missing from her marriage. . . and though Mark is a notorious rake and womanizer, he cannot bear the thought of having just one encounter with this mysterious woman in black.What unfolds between these two is a delicious and scandalous affair that plays out in plain sight and then behind closed doors. . . an affair that will be their undoing, as Mark is caught amidst his own blackmail scandal that will eventually impact Passion. . .I kept hearing about Lisa Valdez's debut book, the first of what will be four books in the `Passion Quartet' historical romance series. This book came out in 2005 and has remained a rite-of-passage for lovers of historical romance. And now I can understand why. . .Valdez's book is the dark chocolate and forbidden fruit of the historical romance genre. . . The sex scenes are graphic. I don't mean they're blush-worthy for the Victoria-era ton setting. . . I mean that Valdez writes intense erotica that is so explicit it's educational! Her sex scenes could quite comfortably be transported into a modern-day erotica novel and fit right in. Wow. Just `wow'. I kept reading Amazon reviews in which the reviewer commented (whether gratefully or negatively) on the graphic nature of the sex. . . but I wasn't prepared.That's not to say that the sex scenes are enjoyable purely for their thrilling titillation. . . Valdez has expertly and beautifully crafted sensuous scenes of intense eroticism. The first, voyeuristic, coupling of Passion and Mark is wonderful for its originality. A sex scene amidst the hubbub of a Hyde Park exhibit - wonderful! But what I loved about the sex scenes was how Valdez marked the couple's growing affection and infatuation through them. . . from their scandalous public pairing to when they decided to move their rendezvous' to their private apartments and embark on a slower and more carnal affair. Brilliant.Lisa Valdez's debut may be notorious for the blush-worthy sex scenes. . . but it'd be a crime to suggest that it is only the sex scenes that hold any value in the novel. The romance itself is glorious. Mark and Passion have one of the best romance's I have ever read - and part of the brilliance lies in the foreboding.Mark's blackmail plot coincides to his affair with Passion. . . and as their blossoming love unfolds, so too does the darker sub-plot that will eventually unravel their affair. There's a fair amount of tragedy to Mark and Passion's romance as it coincides with Mark's forced engagement. . . but any sadness just heightens the `will-they-or-won't-they?' to grand proportions, so that by book's end I was crying and blubbering because I honestly didn't know if these two would get a happy ending.I have been warned that Ms Valdez's second book in the series wasn't very well-received (at all!). There was a very big gap between first book, `Passion', and the second book, `Patience'. `Passion' came out in 2005, and `Patience' came out in April 2010. That's a very long wait for fans - and I do wonder if some of the animosity towards the second book was simply fans disgruntled at having to wait so very long? Regardless, Valdez has me hooked on her writing and I will venture into the second book, but perhaps with lowered expectation?Regardless, Lisa Valdez's debut book is exquisite. It stands as an incredible feat of fancy in the historical romance genre, but also serves up blushing brilliance for the `hardcore' sex scenes. . . Superb, and a must-read for lovers of historical romance.

Overall, this is a compelling romance-- it's well-written, full of hot love scenes, and the plot really pulls you in. There's no denying that Lisa Valdez is talented and that this is one of the more buzz-worthy debuts in years. I'm surprised it wasn't published by Brava-- who has an erotic historical romance line that would be the perfect venue for this novel-- but I'm very happy to have discovered it.The plot concerns Mark and Passion, who have sex behind a screen at the Crystal Palace within five minutes of meeting for the first time. This takes place in the very first chapter, and because the sex is explicit it's hard not to read the scene, but I admit I was a little tempted to put the book down-- not because the sex offended me, but because it was so early in the book and I didn't even know the characters yet before they were all over each other. Plus, the scenario was pretty unbelievable. However, because the book received so much positive attention, I gave it a shot and read on. I'm really glad I did.The second and ensuing chapters show that Valdez can write very good dialogue and slowly and carefully unfold her story in a manner that draws you in. By the end of that second chapter I was hooked and dying to see what would happen. There's a lot of intrigue, drama, and high emotions and Valdez does keep you guessing as to how it can all possibly end with a happy ending. But it does end happily, and very satisfyingly, too.There are some things I didn't like (and hence, the four star review). I thought two conversations-- one between Mark and his mother about the size of his private parts (yes, really, an explicit and rather nasty conversation about size with this MOTHER) and another one between Mark and Matthew where Mark goes into graphic detail about the experience of being with Passion for the first time-- were gratuitious. Again, the bawdy talk didn't bother me per se; I just didn't buy that these people would talk to each other in this way. It simply didn't ring true to me, especially considering the nature of the age.Also, the character of Mark and Matthew's mother was a bit too over-the-top evil, especially since both she and her female nemesis are simply awful parents. I would have liked a more balanced portrayal of both women.I did, however, love Matt and can't wait to read his book.This is definitely a worthy read, better than most romances out there. As many have said, though, the sex is explicit and graphic and if you don't care for that kind of thing, it's best to avoid this book.But for the rest of this, it's a great find.

I was brought to this by a quick Google search for "erotic regency novels". Yep; hot from the get-go with truly uninhibited scenes. It is very strong in its sexual content and language (I don't mind that but some may need a caveat...) but I was really impressed with the actual writing. Usually I read a novella like this for a quick afternoon of escapism - really reading for the sexual content and not the characterisation so much. However I really did get involved with Passion (what a ridiculous name) and Mark as people and engaged with their back-stories.When I thought the story was over in chapter 26 I was heartbroken. If Lisa Valdez HAD ended it there it would have been a mightier story for it. I will be reading the next one in the series for sure.

Excellent, loved it! Warning: very steamy!!! First time reading this Author, looking forward to the next book . . .

タイトルpassion(=ヒロインの名）の通り、1ページ目からＨＯＴなシーンが満載で、ストーリーのほぼ半分くらいありました。さすがに飽きてきて（というより疲れる）、途中で読むのをやめようかと思ったくらいです。後半はヒーローとヒロイン、家族のやりとりもありますが、全体的にはあまり満足できませんでした。

Powerful and lovely at once this story pulled me in from the very first page.Passion has led an unfulfilled life married to a man who did not love nor respect her. Now, after his death, she has contented herself to spend the rest of her life alone. But then a chance meeting with a handsome stranger makes her realize what she has been missing. He awakens her senses, makes her believe in herself again and she slowly falls in love with him.Mark, who has been bewitched by the beautiful stranger from the beginning, starts to develop feelings as well but long denies them. He doesn't believe in love, having never experienced it, instead being forced to watch his parent's marriage go sour.It gets complicated when his mother declares that she is being blackmailed by a former friend with the knowledge that Marc's younger brother Matthew is illegitimate, the result of one of his mothers many affairs. His mother wrote a letter to her friend in which she acknowledged that she was pregnant by another man. Her friend now wants Marc to marry her daughter in order to elevate her in society for Marc is an earl. Wanting to protect Matthew from the scandal, with whom he has a very close relationship, Marc sees no other way but to let himself be forced to propose, all the while hiring someone to steal the letter back. And not knowing that the girl he is supposed to marry is Passion's cousin.This was very impressive for a first book. But watch out, it's not for the faint of heart because the love scenes are HOT!!! And it starts right on the first pages. Still it's far from a meaningless bodice ripper. Lisa Valdez manages to write a deeply moving story about lies, betrayal, hate, passion, lust and in the end love. This was one of the few books I read lately where I actually believed that the hero and heroine were in love with each other. The scenes where they decided to sacrifice their happiness to protect the innocent bystanders really broke my heart. So be sure to have plenty of tissues at hand when you read it!Brava, Ms Valdez! Please hurry to write the next books about Passion's sisters. I can't wait to read them!

Very steamy novel, really pushes boundaries with it male dominance. Great though