SIMPLY CARNAL – Kate Pearce
House of Pleasure Series
Aphrodisia
ISBN: 978-0-7582-6945-4
February 2012
Erotic Historical Romance

London, England – 1826

Christian Delornay has seen it all in the House of Pleasure, an erotic club for men that he runs for his mother. When a mysterious, beautiful woman shows up on his doorstep asking to be trained as one of the sensual givers, he is surprised, as Mrs. Smith seems out of place with her regal bearing. Yet nothing appears to shock her, including the goings on in the House of Pleasure. Christian's first instinct is to turn her away, but he's intrigued with her and hires her. Women lately have begun to bore him in bed, but Mrs. Smith isn't afraid of taking him on. The more Christian pushes her to reveal the truth about her past, the harder she tries to hide it from him. But Christian is one determined man who is going to find out the answers.

Elizabeth is hiding from those who want her under their control—and possibly dead—so she has assumed the name of Mrs. Smith and sought shelter at the last place anyone could find her…the House of Pleasure. Christian asks too many questions that threaten to expose her secrets, so she keeps pushing him away. Yet, she can't deny the sensual pleasure he provides her when he kisses her. He is the perfect lover, except she can't afford to give in to the passion between them for fear of exposing the dark side of her past. All she needs is the time to plan her next move, and then she'll be on her way—and Christian will be out of her life.

The comings and goings of the House of Pleasure would surely be too much for a well bred woman, but for Elizabeth , she doesn't bat an eyelash. Soon she reveals to Christian about her marriage to a man who forced her to do unspeakable sensual acts with other men while he watched. The depravity and eroticism Christian promotes at his club allows her to hide her true feelings. Yet, Christian is the one man who understands her best. As they have heated bouts of sex, the hunger for him never dies. Will Christian turn out to be Elizabeth 's downfall? In SIMPLY CARNAL, Elizabeth 's secret past is slowly revealed to readers, though we never learn the whole truth until near the end.

Christian enjoys running the House of Pleasure, but he knows it really isn't his, but rather it belongs to his mother, who is currently enjoying a second round of romance (and newfound marital bliss) with his father. Christian has enjoyed the dark depravity of sexual acts in the past, but even that doesn't please him much anymore. Enter Elizabeth—or Mrs. Smith as she calls herself—and his libido kicks into sensual high gear. He wants her. While he will share her with the likes of those he trusts, like Paul, a regular at the House of Pleasure, and his trusted employee, Ambrose, he won't let anyone be her master but him. It drives Christian nearly insane that Elizabeth won't confide in him, even as he keeps his own secrets away from her. The two are a perfect match in personality and sensual passion, but will their issues continue to drive a wedge between them?

Sinfully hot, with an intriguing and mysterious heroine, SIMPLY CARNAL brings to the forefront Christian, who has appeared in previous tales of the House of Pleasure series. Kate Pearce has once again written a story that will grab the reader's attention with its scorching sensuality and endearing characters. If you like your romance hot as you return to the Regency era, where behind the scenes anything goes, then grab SIMPLY CARNAL for your reading pleasure.

Holly Tibbs