Improper Pursuits
Improper Series, Book 1

Dawn Ryder

Publisher:
Ellora’s Cave

Release Date:
November 2005

Genres:
Erotic
Historical Romance

ISBN:
eBook
1419904264
Print
9781419955631
Kindle
No ISBN

Bookmark Rating:

Reviewed by
Kimberly

Review Posted:
October 2008

For the elite circles of Victorian Boston society, proper behavior is not only expected, but demanded.  Finally out of mourning for a husband she did not love, Lady Lynette Edwardmoore doesn’t relish the idea of having to endure another cold, passionless marriage.  But with society’s watchful eyes all around, what more can she do?  When an unlikely opportunity arises, Lynette takes it.  Forbidden pleasures given free reign without the oppressive mandates she’s been raised to follow.  And at the center of it all is Nigel Spenser.

During her first season, Nigel had been all that was proper as he courted her, before Lynette was married off to her father’s friend.  Yet Lynette knows there’s something less than gentlemanly about the man she’d dreamed of.  She soon finds out how right she is, as the two embark on a decadent, erotic journey where the rules of society have no sway and pleasure is its own reward. 

Unlace those corsets, because Dawn Ryder has delivered a wild romp through the nineteenth century that will leave you breathless.  IMPROPER PURSUITS is both captivating and irresistible. 

Lynette is a genuinely likeable heroine.  It was a joy to watch her privately defy the role society expects of her, to have the courage to reach for what she wants, even if it opposes what she was raised to believe was acceptable.  As for Nigel, he’s the type of wicked hero that makes you shiver and grin with delight.  He and Lynette are perfectly matched in bed and out, so I couldn’t help but be drawn to their romance.  The supporting cast of characters are endearing as well.  Reading the book, it was as if they became my friends as much as Lynette and Nigel did.  By the end of IMPROPER PURSUITS I wanted nothing more than to delve into its sequel, Improper Lessons, and watch Nigel’s half-brother Brenton meet his match. 

The contrast presented between a staid, respectable exterior and the sensuality that simmers just beneath that façade is utterly alluring.  In IMPROPER PURSUITS, Ms. Ryder takes that idea and weaves it into an absolutely marvelous tale of passion, love, and trust.  Nigel and Lynette are undoubtedly “most improper,” and I, for one, would not have it any other way.

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