Thursday, April 7, 2016

A Reckless Desire (Breconridge Brothers #3) by Isabella Bradford

A Reckless Desire. I couldn't resist the cover! It's absolutely gorgeous! I'm always up for trying a new author so I dove right in and...totally interesting. Bradford brought a different dynamic to the scene and I was fascinated from page one as Lucia and Rivers set about turning her from an errand girl for her family's dance troupe into a successful actress that will sweep the stage and leave London...stunned!



  • The bet. Everything came about because of a bet between Rivers and his cousin. He was to turn her into a successful actress in a matter of weeks or he'd lose. Bets can be dicey business but this time around Lucia was in on the bet as well. I really enjoyed it. Seeing the two of them escape London and hide away at his country home to work on her skills. 
  • The dynamic between Lucia and Rivers was so different. You read about heroes and heroines of opposite classes often but this one you could really feel that divide. From speech to behaviors to daily expectations. It was fascinating watching the two of them work together and struggling with being partners in the bet but then falling into class behaviors. The teacher/pupil dynamic likely played a part in that as well since he was instructing her in regards to acting. It made their attraction and interactions difficult on a number of occasions and could be really hard to read as well with how they struggled and dealt with frustrations with each other.
  • There's a nice little bit of heat. Now they try to avoid starting anything up because of their teacher-student relationship but, alas (and yay!), they totally failed at this. And, whew, the passion!
She remained a virgin not so much by choice, but because she'd never known a man worthy of her surrender. <---I loved that for some reason
  • I really liked both Lucia and Rivers. They could be a little frustrating now and again but I couldn't help but like them in the end. Lucia had incredible strength, passion and determination. And Rivers was a spot geeky which was fun.
  • My only complaint was that I wished there had been a show down with her family. They're retched people who really hurt her every chance they got. Talked down to her and treated her terribly and I would have loved to see them actually get put in their place in the end.
All in all, a fabulous introduction to a new author. Bradford has a unique voice and I loved that! Now on to checking out the others in the series.

Lord Rivers Fitzroy is as charming and sought-after as his rakish elder brothers, though he immerses himself more in dusty books and scholarly pursuits than in bawdy houses. Yet, Hell-bent on making the most of his remaining bachelorhood now that his father insists he marry, Rivers becomes the favorite of a troupe of Italian dancers. One night, after a performance, the handsome lord is challenged with a most provocative wager: Turn the players’ meek and mousy cousin into the first lady of the London stage.

But Lucia di Rossi is not what she seems. Scorned by the rest of her family, Lucia longs for the respect and stardom of a great actress. Rivers’s wager could be the answer to all her hopes—so long as he understands that she wants to be an actress, not his mistress. The two commence her metamorphosis in earnest—even as passion begins to take center stage. As Lucia’s dreams come true, she fears that it may be Rivers, not she, who is the master performer. Is he only making her believe he cares? Has she found the spotlight only to lose her heart—or will the final curtain reveal a love strong enough to last?

   
  
*covers link to Amazon

Challenges: Pick Your Genre (historical) | New to You (author) | Goodreads

No comments:

Post a Comment

I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

Bloggers don't forget to leave your links!
~Anna

The Herd Archives