"Pleasure for Pleasure" by Eloisa James

Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James 2006

"Pleasure for Pleasure" is the last book in the Essex sisters series. It concerns Josie, the youngest sister, who we find out at the opening of the book has been nicknamed "The Scottish Sausage" because she happens to be a bit plump and curvy. This moniker of course makes it difficult for her to find a husband - nobody wants the ridicule of being known as the man who danced with the Sausage. Enter the Earl of Mayne. A friend of Rafe's and an acquaintance of the Essex sisters since the first novel, he's horrified by what's being done to Josie, and encourages her to get rid of her corsets and embrace herself in all her curvy, feminine glory. Josie finds herself falling a bit for Mayne. The problem? He's engaged to a perfect little French girl who he seemingly adores.

This is an enjoyable read. I'd loved Mayne since I met him in "Your Wicked Ways," and it's really nice to finally see him settle down and be happy. Josie is a wonderful character - opinionated, brassy, and not a size zero - the kind of woman a lot of us can relate to! The problem? Well, because of Sophie (Mayne's french fiancee), there's not really all that much time for the relationship between Josie and Mayne to build. It kind of comes out of nowhere and blindsides you. One minute he's waxing poetic about how much he adores Sophie, and the next minute he's in love with Josie. Perhaps he had a revelation, but if so, it doesn't really show it to us very clearly. We know he's fond of her - he's practically like an older brother to her in the other books - but it's a long jump to go from "fond" to "in love." In fact, during the scene on their wedding night, I was convinced for a long time that he actually was going to try to annul their marriage! And again, James makes the fatal mistake of spending too much time on a secondary love story. Griselda's a nice character. If you want to do something with her, give her a book of her own. I don't want to read that when I'm dying to see what happens with Mayne and Josie!

Rating:

Family-Friendly Rating:
An extra star was added for the attempted rape scene...