Review: LUST by Charlotte Featherstone

Lust
Author: Charlotte Featherstone

*Reviewed by Barbara*

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to review.

Of old, humans and Faeries have dwelt side by side in parallel realms. Only the canniest mortals recognize the alluring creatures that often walk—and lie—among them.

The righteous Fae of the Seelie Court cherish an ancient quarrel with their Dark counterparts: a curse born of anger and deceit. The Unseelie Court will perish unless one of its princes can win a woman's love—honestly, without coercion…and love her wholly in return.

To halt the slow demise of his people, Prince Thane—the embodiment of Lust—infiltrates the Georgian court to seduce his mortal inverse. Noblewoman Chastity Lennox is purity incarnate—a sensual prize well worth winning. But Thane's carnal quest proves more challenging than he ever dreamed.

No other has ever been able—or willing—to resist his erotic charms. Chastity's resolve is maddening…and intriguing. It makes him want her all the more. But how best to seduce one who truly seems above temptation? Discover her greatest weakness and become the intoxicating essence of her deepest, most forbidden desires….

Publisher: Spice
Release: February 1, 2011
Series: The Sins and The Virtues, Book #1
ISBN-13: 978-0373605521
Pages: 384


Opening Thoughts:

I am a HUGE Charlotte Featherstone fan. There’s no denying that. In my book, her stories rank right on up there with Lisa Kleypas’. I think what I love most about her historical tales is that she writes them in such a way that you laugh, you cry, you fall in love…sigh…right along with her characters.

Let’s be realistic, it’s not easy to come across an author with whose stories you can barely wait to get your hands on. That is how I feel about Charlotte’s historicals. However, I won’t lie, initially I was a bit pessimistic when it came to reading “Lust“. Dark faeries and virtuous mortals wrapped up in a historical package?

I so adore Charlotte’s “regular” historical romances, but what if I didn’t like Lust? Eventually, I sat down and resigned myself to the fact that not every book by our favorite author can be utterly fantastic. Sure we’d like to believe it, but it’s just not possible.

The Plot:

The opening chapters in Lust were designed to draw the reader in to the world of the Fey. As the tale goes, many years ago, there was a king of the Unseelie. Although he was dark and represented all that was wicked and sinful, he somehow became entranced by the queen of the Seelie. She, on the other hand, represented all that was pure and righteous, and no matter how hard the king tried to woo her, the queen disregarded his advances.

He was so desperate to have the woman he lusted after that finally he stole her away from her court and held her captive for many, many years. She bore him two sons, but her hatred for him never waned. Until finally she managed to escape her prison. The queen takes with her the one child who most resembled her and flees, but not before placing a terrible curse upon the court of the Unseelie.

Many years later…
Niall--the child she left behind--is dealing with his mother’s fury. With his father gone, his court is dying and he has spent years trying to find a way to break the curse his mother had bestowed upon his people. He learns that to break the curse, the Unseelie princes (who also bear the seven sins) must find a way to make seven women of virtue from the mortal realm willingly fall in love and return with them to their court.

And so the dark princes depart for the mortal realm to find and woo their virtuous counterparts.

Thane is a Unseelie prince whose sin is Lust. He’s tall, dark, handsome and sexy as all get out--oh, and did I mention he knows it? Yeah, he’s pretty much everything you’d expect from a Fey bearing the sin of Lust. Soon after arriving in the mortal realm, he comes face to face with the woman who is destined to be his mate. Chastity.

Chastity is one of four sisters born on the same day to the Duke and Duchess of Lennox. Since the day she was born it had been instilled in her that she was different, that her life had a greater purpose. Her days are spent living up to her virtuous name, but silently yearning for something she has yet to discover. Until she meets Thane.

Initially, Thane is sexually attracted to Chastity, but as time passes he finds himself yearning for something more. Satisfying his Sin simply isn’t enough when it comes to Chastity. He longs to hold her, protect her and care for her. All of these feelings extremely foreign to him. Still he embraces them and does everything in his power to try and win the heart of the woman who seemingly is against everything he represents.

But Thane knows better. Slowly he begins to creep in to Chastity’s mind, revealing her deepest desires and secrets. He knows she desires him, can feel it with every fiber of his being, yet still she resists, clinging desperately to the belief that she is set apart from other women. That she should not feel this “desire” for Thane and that it is her duty to remain pure.

With the Seelie Queen desperate to keep the Unseelie from getting their clutches on the Virtues, she dispatches her “good” son to bring them to the Seelie realm before her “dark” son and his brood can get their hands on them. With the Seelie Prince forming a seduction of his own to claim Chastity, Thane is in a race against time to win her trust. He is desperate, but he cannot force her. The spell can only be broken if the women were to come with them willingly. How can the dark fey whose sin is Lust ever convince a mortal woman of virtue that her place is beside him forever?

My take on this story:

I'm not a big fan of overly done world building, which is probably why I rarely find myself immersed in a paranormal or fantasy romance. Too much info. and the author has lost me. Just the facts. That's all I need. Just enough so that I can imagine the world but not grow completely bored with the details. Ms. Featherstone did a wonderful job weaving together this "realm" in such an elegant and vivid manner, and did it without once drowning out the actual storyline. I was fascinated with the magical world she created around her characters.

As for the characters themselves, I will say this tale has quite a few twists that had you second guessing how you perceive each one of them. Not everyone is as you would believe them to be, and I found that very refreshing. The romance that transpires between the hero and heroine was, as usual in a Charlotte Featherstone novel, extremely sensual and beautifully written. You can't help but fall in love right along with them.

Thane (the hero): Ugh, I was so completely enamored with Thane. He epitomized everything that is sexy and wicked, and yet, he could be caring and tender. He was that hero who was so utterly sinful and yet, you just know that he would do anything for the woman he loves. My kinda guy :D

Chastity (the heroine): I’m not sure why it is, but I can so easily connect with a well written hero. Heroines, however, I usually have a hard time connecting with. Chastity was no exception. At times I wanted to strangle her, and in other moments I completely understood her motives and actions. In the end, I was happy with the way the story--and her personality--turned out. It was inevitable that she would be a bit of a pain, she was “Chastity” after all ;)

Final Thoughts:

How could I have doubted this author’s abilities? She has yet to let me down. Charlotte Featherstone writes in such a way that you can almost feel that evening breeze as it is described so eloquently, or catch the scent of the heroine’s perfume. The emotions, fears and of desires in each of the characters can, at times, overwhelm you with their intensity. It seems almost as if you are right there with them. Lust was yet another wonderfully written and emotionally driven tale by an author who, in my opinion, just keeps getting better and better with each story she pens.

My Rating: 5 Stars

More Reviews:
Bitten by Paranormal Romance
Lady and the Books
The Forbidden Bookshelf
Blithely Bookish
The Romance Review *top pick*

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