Book Review: Jilted in January by Kate Pearce

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Jilted in January is the first book (of 5) in the multi-author A Year Without a Duke series. The series has an intriguing premise: one of England's wealthiest and most prominent dukes, the Duke of Beckworth has died and there is no immediate heir, and the five books in the series explore how the Duke's death affects the various people in his life.

From a reader's standpoint, I think the first book of a new series is always the trickiest to write, because the first book needs to establish the premise and introduce the main and recurring characters in that series. Kate Pearce starts off A Year Without a Duke with Jilted in January, the story of the Duke of Beckworth's assistant land agent, and Rose Leyton, a ward of the late duke. Colin Ford is sifting through the mess that was left behind by the Duke's sudden death, and by his "predecessor's" sudden flight from the estate -- Colin discovers unpaid bills, and empty coffers, and help in the form of Rose Leyton.

Rose is waiting: Waiting for the new Duke to be found so she could discover what lies in her future. Waiting for her betrothed to return home from war. Waiting to be married after seven years of engagement. She'd never stepped foot in the land agent's offices before, but, with things in upheaval, she finds herself stumbling through the piles of papers and documents and ransacked drawers, and finds Colin Ford.

Together, they sort through the office and restore a semblance of order to the late Duke's estate -- and, at the same time, they discover a kinship: Colin is the fifth son of an Earl of modest means and depends on his occupation as assistant land agent, and Rose's life and future depends on her brother's decision, her betroth's return, and on the new Duke. Then Rose finds out that her betrothed has, not only broken their engagement, but has also gotten married, Rose is back to square zero -- and her brother isn't helping her, and has, in fact, sided with her former fiance. It is Colin who speaks up for her, defends her and stands up for her.

And in so doing, gets himself engaged to Rose.

I thought Kate Pearce did a great job introducing the series and the premise. The first few chapters do start out a bit slow, but it's because the author wants to establish the conversations and the relationship between Colin and Rose. When the complication arises with the return of Rose's brother, the reasons why Colin acts and reacts the way he does is already very clear. What surprises me about this particular Kate Pearce novel is that she decides to take another route to love: yes, there's attraction, and, yes, there's a spark -- but this doesn't have the combustible passion that one usually finds in her stories.

And I like it. I like that sex isn't the solution, but is actually part of the problem. I like that Colin and Rose are slow to figure out how they'll fit into their new lives together.

As Colin and Rose's story ends, one sees the beginnings of a tentative resolution between these two characters -- and, yes, it does feel like a cliffhanger.

After Jilted in January, I went on the read Book 4: An Affair in Autumnby Jennifer Haymore -- and, I have to say, each instalment in the series reads very well as a stand-alone, but one can see the bigger picture forming.

Jilted in January is the first book in the A Year Without a Duke series. To find out more about Kate Pearce and her books, click below:
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ARC Review: The Sinners Club by Kate Pearce

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The First Sinners, the e-novella that introduces this new series, left me with a very good impression so I was eager to try out the first book, The Sinners Club. Luckily, my ARC request was approved and I immediately read the book as soon as I got it.

A bit of a warning: this book is an erotic historical romance and does contain M/M and menage scenes.

But what this book also contains is the engrossing story of two siblings and a secret agent who gets tangled up in their labyrinthine plan to secure the late Earl of Storr's estate for themselves.

Jack Lennox never knew he had nobility running through his veins. He never knew that his father was the youngest son of the fifth Earl of Storr. His entire life, Jack survived by doing what was necessary, honour and morals be damned. His situation improved when he worked as an agent for the crown. Discovering his bloodlines, Jack now has a chance to live the life he has dreamed of -- and maybe put down some roots in a place of his own.  But his claim to the title isn't without complication: the Lennox Family lawyers hint that there is some trouble at the late Earl's estate and asks that Jack go to investigate it.

Not knowing who or what to expect when he arrives at Pinchbeck Hall, Jack pretends to be Jack Smith, the secretary to John Lennox, who has been sent ahead by his employer to inspect the estate. When Jack arrives there, what he sees is the place of his dreams: a land that calls out to him, a land where he feels he belongs -- but he also meets the late earl's widow, Mary Lennox and her brother, Simon Picoult. The family lawyers were never informed of the former earl's marriage and neither was Jack -- add to that, the young countess is pregnant and Jack's claim to the title depends on the baby's gender.

Jack's claim is further endangered when he comes to know and like the siblings, whose lives were not so different from his own: forced at a young age to do the unspeakable and the unthinkable -- the sacrifice of one's innocence -- for survival.

The premise of the story is deceptive in its simplicity (and even the blurb is only 5 sentences long) but Kate Pearce impresses me with how well she plots out the mystery involving the Picoult's. Beyond that, I loved seeing Jack's transformation from ruthless and ready to take no prisoners to a man who finds his heart (and conscience).

"Don't do that. Don't pretend."

"How do you know I'm pretending?"

"Because like knows like, and in your position, I'd be offering exactly the same currency."

"And what would that be?"

He slowly turned to face her. "My body for a few hours of pleasure."
- loc 2036

Mary is an equal match for Jack: she will stop at nothing in order to get what she and her brother worked so hard for, struggled so hard for. She initially considers Jack Smith and John Lennox as collateral damage but has a change of heart when she sees Jack's goodness and integrity -- two virtues she had not experienced in a very long time.

Finally, I like how Kate Pearce depicts sex in the story. It is never gratuitous and never just sex for the sake of sex (but it is explicit). In this particular novel, the meaning behind the act shifts as the story progresses: from an act of power and manipulation, to an act of sacrifice, to an act of healing before finally becoming an act of love. It's an interesting reflection on the part of the reader but the characters in the story experience this as well and becomes part of their growth.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and held him close. There was nothing to say. Words were for clients. This was for each other. Mary closed her eyes and went straight to sleep.
- loc 3349

There's really a lot more to talk about in this story but I worry that I might spoil it -- and part of what makes this story so interesting is how the author will gradually reveal the layers of Mary and Simon's and Jack's stories. My one complaint is how Mary's parentage gets sorted in the end. I thought it was a little too convoluted, considering how complicated the plot was already and I wish that this particular point had been simplified.

The Sinners Club is the first book in Kate Pearce's The Sinners Club series. It will be released on December 31, 2013. To find out more about Kate Pearce and her books, click below:

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Disclosure: I received an ARC copy through Netgalley. Thank you to Kate Pearce and Kensington Books for the opportunity. Yes, this is an honest review.

Review: The First Sinners by Kate Pearce (e-novella)

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I've read the first few books in Kate Pearce's House of Pleasure/Simply series (up to Simply Insatiable) and I was impressed with how Kate Pearce mixed the erotic elements to the historical romance story, especially in the earlier books in the series. When I discovered that the author was embarking on a new series, The Sinners Club, I was curious by how Pearce would write a spy series --

The First Sinners is an e-novella that details how The Sinners Club came to be. Ian, Earl of Westbrook, works as an undercover agent for the Crown and he has been assigned to uncover an information network between English peers and the French. Ian becomes a houseguest at Pelly Manor, pretending to court the younger, more beautiful Pelly daughter, Margaret -- but it is the older sister, Faith who truly catches Ian's interest.

Pearce portrays the two sisters in such contrasting manner: one, a bookish bluestocking and the other a social climbing, title-hungry beauty, which struck me as quite a conventional romance device. It wasn't much of a challenge for the hero to prefer Faith over her sister Margaret -- but this is where the conventionality ends: there is more to Margaret than meets the eye and I would want to read more about her. She pretends to be shallow and stupid but she's actually quite clever and machinating. Like her sister, she can see right though Ian's pretense of courtship.

"...I suspect he came down here to avoid something in London rather than actually court me."
- loc 400

* * *

"Honor is for men. Women have to use what God have them."
- Margaret, loc 952

At every turn in the story, Kate Pearce demonstrates a fresh perspective in romance by challenging standards: I loved how Faith was so jaded and unimpressed by Ian's grand romantic gestures and how she appreciated more the honesty and forthrightness that he shows her.

"It doesn't look very safe," Miss Pelly observed.

He held out his hand to her. "Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time."

"Which means we might both fall to our deaths," she muttered as she clambered across the crates toward him.
- loc 732

* * *

He held the candle high. "Do you want to take my hand?"

"I'd rather you use it to find your way, sir."
- loc 742

At 87 pages, I was surprised at how complete this story was: the idea of smuggling information from the coast of England to France isn't new but Pearce executes this part quite nicely. I appreciated it that the author didn't make the intrigue overly complicated and that she was able to resolve it in the length of her novella. Ian is in Cornwall to investigate, possibly out fellow peers are traitors to the Crown. His job becomes even more complicated when he becomes involved with Faith, who seems to be the most likely person involved in this treachery. Pearce narrates enough of everything and provides enough backstory that makes The First Sinners a satisfactory, quite fast-paced and very engrossing read.

This is a work of erotic historical romance, but, unlike her Simply series, the scenes in The First Sinners have been toned down a notch. Nevertheless, Pearce shows that she is a master of ... sizzle. It's amazing how well she writes sex!

Overall, this is an excellent start to the Sinners Club -- one that I'll definitely be following.

The First Sinners is currently FREE on Amazon. To find out more about Kate Pearce and her books, click below:
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Review: Educating Elizabeth by Kate Pearce

Another day. Another debt. Another house and family to serve. Elizabeth has no control over her life -- or her sleep. She's woken up one more time by her stepfather, in order to pay for another of her stepfather's gambling debt -- but, this time, she's not being sent to an average, run-of-the-mill family but to serve the Duke of Diable Delamere.

When the Duke misunderstands what kind of service she provides and her family casts her out fearing the stain on their reputation, Elizabeth realizes she's tired of her unsettled situation and decides it is time to take matters into her own hands.

Wanting a life where she will be in control of herself, her finances and her future, she asks the Duke to teach her how to be a courtesan --

Gervase past and his current profession as a spy working to uncover a plot to assassinate the prince have taught him not to trust anyone. Not even Elizabeth. He agrees to tutor her but remains suspicious of her and her true motives.

Unlike some of her kind, she had not succumbed to the temptation to steal any of the small but expensive knick-knacks scattered around the room.
- loc 82 (One of Gervase's early impressions of Elizabeth)

When it is discovered that Elizabeth has a natural talent for cracking codes, Gervase reluctantly allows her a glimpse into his real world.

Gervase strikes me as a man who keeps his life compartmentalized -- he's a very different person inside the bedroom and outside. He also treats Elizabeth differently when she serves as a code breaker and when she's his lover.

But when the parts of his life start to meld together because of Elizabeth, he does not know how to feel or think anymore. He does what he usually does to people: push them away.

"My dear, I see the beginnings of hero worship in your beautiful eyes. I've told you on several occasions I'm not a good man. Please endeavor to remember it."
- loc 1565

Many of the conflicts in the story stem from the unwillingness of the characters to tell the truth. Pearce establishes that neither our hero nor our heroine have a profound capacity to trust, which is why they hide so much of themselves from one another. (See latter part of Chapter 18.) Some secrets are revealed but more are kept hidden -- Elizabeth doesn't tell Gervase about her brother Michael and arranges secret meetings with Michael's caretaker, Jack Llewelyn. Elizabeth doesn't know that Gervase has her followed and that he suspects her family to be connected to the plot against the prince.

There's a nice mix of intrigue and romantic tension in Educating Elizabeth and this story has a potential to be amazing but, unlike her Simply series, Kate Pearce seems to have held back. There's emotion -- but not enough. There's tension -- but not enough. Even as the story reaches its critical point: when Gervase discovers the minds and hands behind the plot, somehow it all fell flat.

That being said, this is still a story worth reading because of Gervase's transformation -- I especially enjoyed the sojourn Elizabeth and Gervase take in Chapters 24 to 25. Plus, there is Lord Vincent who I find very intriguing. ^_^

To find out more about Kate Pearce and her work, visit her website. (Please note that her Simply series is considered erotic and has adult themes.)