Reviews
Wild Heights, Classics Rekindled I
My Earnest Reviews 5 - Outstanding
A fabulous take on the classics with a decidedly wicked pinch of sexy make Josie Dennis a new must read in historical erotic romance. Can't wait to read the next in the series. (Reviewed by KCReader)
4 Stars from Manic Readers!
Reviewer: Alberta
Review:
Henry and Edward, having sown their wild oats in London, have decided to come back home for good, and marry. Trouble is they are both in love with Cathy, who has been in love with both of them since childhood. In 1800s England, can they indulge their penchant for ménage sex with her without drawing criticism from the small village where they all live?
What if Cathy won’t play the games they want to teach her? They have no trouble seducing her, and introducing her to all manner of sexual delights. However, she thinks they are just playing with her, and will discard her once they find other women who are higher born.
The two men set out to win her over, and convince her that they want to marry her and forsake all others. When the town gossips attack her, they are quick to defend, and finally she agrees to marry them both, one legally, one emotionally. Wild Heights is a cute little love story, although given the Victorian social mores of the time, perhaps a little too risqué for the era. Nevertheless, it’s well done, and I liked the characters.
Emmy's Lesson, Classics Rekindled 2
5 cups from Coffee Time Romance and More!
Emmeline Woodson, Emmy, faces a long lonely life of looking after her father – she thinks she will never marry. She has strong feelings for Gabriel Kingley, but she can never please him. When their long time friend, Stephen Churchill, returns to Highbury; she finds she has strong feelings for him, too.
Gabriel is happy that his long time friend has returned to Highbury. He and Stephen share a desire for Emmy, and they agree they must share her.
Emmy’s desire for both men prompts her to agree to Gabriel’s and Stephen’s offer of lessons in passion; knowing that they will be over at the end of the summer. Her response is everything they could have hoped for, but even before they approach her, they know what their three futures hold. When Emmy hears news that Stephen is engaged, she realizes she loves them both and faces a lifetime of heartache. Gabriel and Stephen realize Emmy needs another lesson, this time about her future.
Wow! I had to read this book just to see how Ms. Dennis added a third person to this classic tale, inspired by Jane Austen’s “Emma”. Honestly, I wondered if I would even like it. I did not – I loved it. The characters were well written, having many of the classic traits, but they still read fresh and exciting. The addition of Stephen was a perfect fit for Emmy and Gabriel. I was happy to see a favorite scene rewritten to fit this story, and the outcome was more than I expected. Beware – the scenes between Emmy, Gabriel and Stephen are HOT! You will not be able to put this book down until you reach the end; then you will want to read it again.
Jane
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
4 Stars from Just Erotic Romance Reviews!
review by: Silla Beaumont
3 Flames - Orgasmic !!!: Our reviewer found the ultimate satisfaction with this book.
4 Stars - The reviewer found this book to be engrossing and arousing.
Gabriel and Stephen are old college friends who were used to sharing women and playing with bondage long ago. When Stephen returns to Highbury he and Gabriel decide that Emmy is the woman that both of them want, forever. As the only person her father trusts to care for him, Emmy knows she’ll never marry. When the two men decide to school Emmy in the fine art of seduction and sex, Emmy immediately agrees, knowing that after the summer ends her dull life will be back to normal. But little does she know that Gabriel and Stephen are playing for keeps.
Between the two men determined to teach Emmy every delectable thing they know about pleasure and the willingness of Emmy to learn everything they can teach her, Emmy’s Lesson is one sizzling seduction session after another. Blatant and hot, yet filled with innocence, Emmy’s Lesson is set in 1821 England and features many elements that fans of historical romance will love. As a fan myself, I was intrigued at Ms. Davis’ writing style. Simply changing a few words in Emmy’s Lesson could have made this a contemporary romance rather than a historical one. This book was written well enough that it could have been set anywhere from 1750 to 2099 and still have had the same erotic impact. The encounters between the three characters were both playful and passionate, giving the reader a tantalizing taste of forbidden affairs. Fans of historical and contemporary erotic romance will all enjoy the naughty escapades featured in Emmy’s Lesson.
4 Stars from Manic Readers!
Reviewer: Alberta
Review:
I thought this sounded familiar as I read it. I recently reviewed Wile Heights by the same author, and the two stories are very similar. So I will say the same thing I said of the other story which is:
Two rakes decide to settle down with a woman they both love, and teach her how to please and be joined with both of them at once. Emmy proves an apt pupil for Gabriel and Stephen. Although she falls in love with both of them and is willing to be with them, she is uncertain that they want to be with her.
The two men set out to win her over, and convince her that they want to marry her and forsake all others. When the town gossips attack her, they are quick to defend, and finally she agrees to marry them both, one legally, one emotionally.
JANE'S HEART is an excellent M/F/M retelling of Jane Eyre. Anyone who loves the original but wished for more eroticism will adore this retelling as much as I did.
Emmy’s Lesson is a cute little love story, although given the Victorian social mores of the time, perhaps a little too risqué for the era. Nevertheless, it’s well done, and I liked the characters.
Jane's Heart, Classics Rekindled 5
4 Stars from The Romance Reviews!
JANE'S HEART is an excellent M/F/M retelling of Jane Eyre. Anyone who loves the original but wished for more eroticism will adore this retelling as much as I did.
Jane Elliot loved Marcus at Thorncrest Manor but ran away when she learned he had an insane wife living in the attic. She finds refuge with a vicar, Sinjun Riverton, and his sisters. But while Jane is still in love with Marcus, she's attracted to the gentle Sinjun. Sinjun knows Jane needs closure with Marcus so he finds him and learns Marcus was burned in a fire in which his wife died. Sinjun brings Jane to Marcus since neither man will give Jane up. But can these unlikely three make a lasting relationship?
First, I adored the original Jane Eyre and the author here works in the same dark atmosphere and English manor brilliantly. I was shocked at how successful this erotic retelling was while still keeping true to the original setting and characters. It was in the author's favor that as a fan of the original Jane Eyre, I had all the back story of the characters so her retelling could focus on the realigning of the emotional and physical ménage relationship. I could almost believe that THIS is what happened behind the closed doors of Thorncrest Manor. Kudos to the author on a great erotic homage.
The three characters here are very similar to the originals: Jane is a plain woman who doesn't believe she deserves love; Marcus is a wild, cynical, and deeply flawed gentleman; Sinjun is the gentle, loving but unworldly vicar. Singularly they're not all that interesting, but put them together and the story turns into a cauldron of lust and love. I liked the believable conflict between Sinjun and Marcus; it didn't simply go away conveniently, instead the men had to figure out how to love Jane together, for her and for them. Jane's worry about her deserving the love of not one, but two men was realistic and in the spirit of the original.
My only quibble was that I wished this was a M/M/F ménage. I could almost see the simmering attraction between Sinjun and Marcus and wished that was explored. The men develop a relationship almost separate from Jane and in my opinion, this begged for the men to be lovers as well as Jane's lovers. I would have given this novella five stars if all three characters were sexually connected.
JANE'S HEART is an excellent erotic retelling of Jane Eyre which kept the best of the original while adding well written sexual and emotional intimacy. I will now look forward to reading the first four novellas in this Classics Rekindled series.
