So tell me have you ever really, really really ever loved a woman.....

This book started out with a Pride and Prejudiced inspired scene. The heroine, Merriam, overheard the man she liked make a hurtful statement about her at a ball. Unlike Pride and Prejudice, though, Merriam came up with a way to get her revenge and show that man she's more woman than he could ever handle. Looking back, the main events of this book made me think of a certain website. Merriam's story totally fits the FML requirements. So I present to you a review of Renee Bernard's A Lady's Pleasure, FMyLife style.

Seeking revenge, she discovers how delicious a case of mistaken identity can be.... Merriam Everett has always been regarded as a shy, docile creature. But for one night, Merriam the Mouse has become a temptress who will recklessly take her pleasure with the arrogant earl who once slighted her, and then leave him aching with lust. A fine plan, if Merriam had not just seduced the wrong rogue! Drake Sotherton left England amid dark speculation and has returned to seek vengeance against Julian Clay, the man he believes murdered his wife. Convinced that the masked beauty who seduced him is Julian's pawn, Drake tracks her down and proposes that she become his mistress for the Season. Every sensual desire, every secret longing will be explored...and fulfilled.

Merriam: Today I overheard my crush, Julian, tell someone that I'm a whey-faced widow. How will I ever face him or the world ever again? FML M: Today I went to the masked ball and my plan for revenge on Julian went awry. I was supposed to get him hot and heavy and leave him wanting but instead I had smokin' hot sex with him. FML Drake: Today I had sex with an unknown woman at a masked ball. She left before I could get her name and I MUST see her again! How will I find her? FML M: Today I found out it wasn't Julian I seduced that night, WHO THE F was it?!?! FML Ok, so aside from the silliness of the 'revenge' scheme I was into this book at the beginning. I didn't mind the set up as long as the rest delivered. I even had a brief moment where I compared Drake Sotherton to Devil Cynster from Stephanie Laurens' Devil's Bride. I liked his friendship with Alex and there was one conversation they had where he bit Alex's head off but immediately apologized for it. He seemed like a decent guy and I looked forward to reading more about him. I also enjoyed reading about his search for the identity of the mysterious Mrs. Lover Lover from the masked ball. M: Today the man I seduced at the ball found me and wants me to meet at his house tonight. He got me all hot and heavy….then didn't finish the job. FML M: Today I went to his house to tell him I was a respectable woman and I didn't want what he was offering…..until he started serving it up. I'm afraid I also had seconds and thirds. FML The author did write some good love scenes, I'll give her that. The scene in Drake's house that night was super hot and seductive

“Only what you bare,” he whispered, his breath hot in her ear. “Hurry.”

Read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about ;) M: Today I agreed to be his mistress for the season but I'm still afraid of what the public will think so we hide out at his place. FML M: Today we finally made a public appearance in the park and OMG my former crush, Julian, came up to us which made Drake all jealous. He rushed us home, threw me over his shoulder, carried me upstairs where he proceeded to spank me….and……I kind of liked it. FML?!?! My good opinion of the book started falling the more I read because I didn't see any positive growth in Merriam and Drake became too possessive and overbearing. Merriam was semi-assertive in bed but if she wasn't sexin' it up with Drake she was back to being Miss Dependent. She never stood up for herself or what she wanted and anytime there was a hint of disagreement, they pushed it aside and went for sex instead. M: Today an acquaintance that saw us in the park stopped by to tell me about Drake's sordid past. He is known by all, yes ALL, the ton as the Deadly Duke!!! *gasp* Why am I always the last to know these things? FML M: Today I attempted to ask Drake about his past yet he distracted me with more good lovin'. Could I possibly be falling for a murderer? FML D: Today I discovered who Merriam thought she was seducing the first night we met. She was looking for my mortal enemy, Julian. Is she in cahoots with him to bring about my downfall? How can I still want someone I don't truly trust? FML By now, you'd think Merriam would want to know more about the man she was sleeping with and falling for yet when opportunity arose, she always backed down. You'd also think Drake would man up and ask Merriam more about her revenge scheme at the ball and what her relationship with Julian was. But both seemed to enjoy living in their little sex bubble and ignored any semblance of truth. There were times, however, when Drake was really good to her. This was my favorite part from the book:

“There is only one person’s opinion that should sway you,” he went on, lifting her hand gently to peel off her glove. “Oh?” she asked, feigning ignorance, anticipating his reply. Typical man! He would say that his was the only one that counted and then pay her a compliment to soothe her bruised confidence. “Oh, yes.” Drake moved her palm up to his mouth and flicked his tongue over it before kissing it. “Your own. Yours is the only opinion that matters.”

I wanted his actions to back-up those words but sadly it never happened. He was always too busy fuming behind her back wondering what her true motives were or being super jealous of her attentions. There was also a mystery subplot about what happened in Drake's past and why he and Julian were enemies. I figured out who did the crime but was mistaken in my reasoning for it. The whole back and forth of "You did it." "No, you did it." "No, you!" got old quick because that's all we got for most of the book. It wasn't until the end that we discovered some of the background info on the crime - right before the truth of the murder was revealed. Sorry, that was not enough to keep my interest in that storyline. Other issues I had with the book were the overuse of words or phrases. "You're incorrigible." "Who is incorrigible now?" "And you say I'm incorrigible" (the last one may be of my own making but believe me, incorrigible was used way too much). Next would be the many references to the Deadly Duke. I felt like I needed the little sound effect that plays during Law & Order scene transitions every time it was mentioned. Drake also called Merriam 'familiar' in reference to how she got his attention at the ball – Merriam was dressed as a cat and sent a message via the butler to Merlin (who she thought was Julian) that his 'familiar' had arrived. It was cute the first couple of times but when it was still used at the end, it was beyond overdone. My review is titled "So tell me have you ever really, really really ever loved a woman" which is from one of Bryan Adam's song but this book forgets one major thing:

To really love a woman To understand her You gotta know her deep inside Hear every thought See every dream And give her wings when she wants to fly.

The meaning of that last line is what's missing from this book. Sadly Merriam never wanted to fly and even if she did, Drake wasn't the type to accept that. This is the first in the Mistress Trilogy with the next book being Alex's story and the third is Julian's. While I liked Alex in this book, I probably won't be reading the rest of the trilogy. Final Grade:

This book is decent but unfortunately I found parts of it annoying, boring, disturbing, and clichéd. Didn't float my boat but hey, maybe it just wasn't for me. So I'll leave you to make your own judgment call. Proceed with caution, though: I came, I saw, I read and was not amused.

Around The Net: Romantic Times: 4 Stars Mrs. Giggles: 73