[.ca] A Wild Pursuit (ISBN 0060508124)

Don't waste your $6.99--There are better books:
What a disappointment. I have read other Eloise James books and liked them much better. Lame plot, lame characters--I could barely stand to read the whole thing, but I felt after having bought the book, I should make myself finish it. There's no rapport with the characters and not enough background to empathize with them. The only character you really understand is Esme, Lady Rawlings, and in theory, she's a subplot. Pick out something else, if you're tempted to buy this one.

This book was hard to put down:
I am a big fan of Eloisa James and this book did not disappoint me; I enjoyed this book from begining to end.I laughed so hard through parts of this book that my husband had to tell me to be quite! I would recommend that before you read this book that you read Duchess In Love and Fool For Love as all these books are connected, but if you have or just want to enjoy a good book this is it! I always love to see a story line that has more than one set of main characters that flow together really well in the story and this book has that. I loved Beatrix and the way that she handled most situations with her honest approach to people, and the way she had Stephan practical eating out of the plam of her hand. She is one of my favorite leading ladies in a book. The fact that she is honest about who she is and only plays a few games with Stephan is refreshing. Alot of times I get sick of romance novels because the plots feel all the same, and granted the endings are a given in most of them the story lines do not have to be. I think that Eloisa James is one of those authors who is very good at giving a great story line with characters that do not make story hard to enjoy.

Provocative.:
Now this was fun! A country house party filled with scandalous, flirtatious women. Properly-bred ladies, ethical in their way, but misunderstood by society. "A Wild Pursuit" is a story saturated with lust and desire, yet the author sidesteps heavy intimacy. However, it is the lightweight jealousy Eloisa James employs that delivers the most appealing reading sensation - humor. This is a comedy of errors. A mixture of misunderstandings that create tantalizing subplots that keep the pages turning for the reader. The only male guest invited to the house party is Stephen Fairfax-Lacey, the Earl of Spade. This puritanical gentleman is a respected Member of Parliament, and a duke's heir. To his utmost delight, Fairfax-Lacey finds himself hobnobbing with these scandalous women. The women have included him in this celebration because he is husband material. If the marriage plans don't work, Stephen might be the perfect man to be a lover. Unhappily, Lady Beatrix Lennox finds herself very interested in his love talents. Lady Beatrix is a social outrage. Caught in a compromising situation during her debut season, she truly remains on the edge of society. Initially, I found Beatrix and her rebel attitude too foolish and too extreme; however, I did warm up to this character by the time the book ended. But it is Fairfax-Lacey's preoccupation with this lustful little upstart that is sheer entertainment. The second subplot is the enticing tale of Esme Rawlings and Sebastian, the Marquess Bonnington. This is the first romance book I have read where a late-stage pregnant woman engages exuberantly in lovemaking and relishes the activity. This passionate intimacy is a magnificent move by the author. Sebastian is a splendid man. He is a caring lover, he is concerned, he is soothing, and he frequently talks to the unborn baby. Sebastian loves Esme, but Esme is confused. She has decided to become respectable. Unfortunately, the Marquess laid the groundwork which resulted in her husband's death. To marry now would create a scandal of enormous proportions. To this reader, Esme's beliefs are nonsensical. But, I will grant Esme's irrationality to hormones running amuck in the late stages of pregnancy. Finally, the subplot that aroused this reader's future buying attention. Helene Holland, the Countess Godwin is truly out of place among these impulsive party women. For Helene is a lady, a gentlewoman who is also lonely. She exists in a life separated from her heartless husband Rees Holland, the Earl of Goodwin. Far too young when they eloped, these two people sadly discovered they were incompatible. Rees accused Helene of being a frigid lover, and now he lives his life akin to an alley cat. This scoundrel flaunts his mistress, allows her to occupy Helene's bed chamber, in a house Helene once called home. Enough is enough. Helene eyes Stephen Fairfax-Lacey as the tool to end this vile marriage, she will commit adultery, and finally get a divorce. Although the story began slowly, it grew, and soon I was hooked. This is the first book I have read from Eloisa James, and I enjoyed this effort very much. Undeniably, I will go on and read Rees and Helene's story in "Your Wicked Ways." Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!:
I was bored at work and found myself wanting to read a really good romance novel. So, I headed to the book store, and this was the first book I picked up! I would have never imagined, that I, someone who reads,very little..read it in 2 sittings!! I couldn't put it down! Now, I'm on here, trying to find EVERY book this woman has wrote! I loved ALL of the characters!! By far one of the best romance novels I have read!! It's a must read!

A Delightful Menagerie of Characters and Plots:
This is my first book by this author, but will definately not be my last. I love her style of writing, she goes from one storyline to another in a very seemless fashion. The book is supposed to be about the story of Bea and Stephen, but surprisingly Esme and Sebastian also had their own wonderful love story. I loved the fact that Bea was so unconventioneal, a trollop, that is something a heroine rarely is in a Regency novel. This is an unconventional regency that will make you laugh and pull at your heart strings.