Minerva Spencer

A fun read, but definitely my least favorite of this 3-book series. I can get behind the "love changes a person" theme, but Hugo's change in personality from the other books was a bit too comprehensive to work for me. I liked this Hugo, he just did not make sense to me. I was also a little confused as to why Joss (the MMC from the book before) offered Hugo so much assistance when his dislike for Hugo was made so clear in this book and in the earlier ones. I do like that the author took on the inhumanity and corruption in England's prisoner transportation system and I thought she did it well (in the romance context, this was not a dissertation.) The epilogue in this was a little treacly for me, even for romance, but otherwise I generally enjoyed the journey and look forward to the next series from this author under whatever pen name.… (meer)

My second book from S.M Violette (who also writes as Minerva Spencer) and I loved it even more than the first. LaViolette gives us romantic beautiful stories that bring home the ways the powerful create and reinforce a system where gender and social class leave those not in the elite at the mercy of those who are part of the ruling class. I particularly loved how LaViolette made clear that this power dynamic lives outside of economic success, that money helps navigate the system but never allows one to ascend to power. Those structural barriers get lost much of the time when inequality is discussed. I also loved the clear discussion of how choosing to cede power (in this case in sexual play) is 100% different from having power seized. Rape and sexual submission are diametrically opposed to one another, and LaViolette does a wonderful job of illustrating that fact. I love a book that is both sexy and substantial, arousing and affirming, prurient and pedagogically sound, erotic and economically correct - stop me before I alliterate again! This one is quite likely to make my 2024 romance best-of list.

One quibble -- the audio narrator, Ella Lynch, has a lovely voice until she tries to do an American accent (the FMC is supposed to be from NYC.) In addition to falling in and out of the accent, the accent itself is terrible. It is like she thinks Americans speak like Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (she gets that accent wrong too, but it sure sounds like that is what she is going for.) We don't. None of us do. It is sometimes painful and always grating to listen to.… (meer)

Despite the fact that there was a very central plot point I found utterly logically incomprehensible, a plot point based on a decision of the titular Melissa who is otherwise very logical, and strategic in thought and action, this book was an unexpected delight. The author is new to me, and is apparently an alternate pen name for the person who writes as Minerva Spencer, who has been on my TBR for several years. The tale is smart, sex-positive, sex-worker positive, and filled with kind people, and people who are less kind, who react to things the way they have been taught, but not mustache-twirling villains.

Briefly, Melissa is the most well-known whore is all of London. Sold by her mother at 15 to be a sex slave of a member of the gentry, Melissa ages out of that man's interest at 17, begins working at a brothel and eventually buys the place, along with some other real estate. Along the way she has learned to imitate the manners and dress of the clientele she serves. She meets the love of her life while rusticating in a place where no one knows of her and he knows her only as a well brought up young lady. He is both a vicar and the son of a marquess, so obviously their love is going to be problematic. As mentioned, there is a central plot point I think was stupid, but it doesn't do a lot of damage. Melissa and Magnus are lovely together, they are respectful, funny, smart, kind, and very sexually busy. The one time Magnus behaves disrespectfully he knows it, he is just being a shit as we all can be when our feelings are hurt and we are worried we will lose someone we love, and he sets things to right eventually. I will be reading more by this author under both of her pen names. Surprising nuanced historical romance is so refreshing!… (meer)