Forbidden Shoresby Jane Lockwoodreviewed by Cybil SolynOctober 2007, 352 pages, Publisher: Signet Eclipse, ISBN: 0451222172 Back Cover Blurb: In the tropical paradise of nineteenth-century Barbados, two powerful men and one beautiful woman are drawn into a passion that will tie them together-and possibly destroy them...
Allen Pendale only meant to entertain himself during his long voyage to the Caribbean when he shamelessly offered to tutor the beautiful Clarissa Onslowe in the sensual arts. He never expected to fall in love with her, or that his erotic instruction would lead her into the life of a courtesan - and win her the affections of another man.
Used to getting his way, wealthy plantation owner Lord Lemarchand - otherwise known as March - will let nothing come between himself and Clarissa, the seductress who's aroused every fiber of his being. Not even if it means destroying everything in his path, including the woman he loves.
Bound together by chains of desire, passion, jealousy, and betrayal, this fragile triangle will be forced to face the ecstasy of their desire, along with the perils of their forbidden passion. And if Clarissa can't bring herself to give up her nightly pleasures, her dangerously sensual ways will bring about her downfall.
Jane Lockwood is a pseudonym for Regency author Janet Mullany who, for me, writes hit or miss novels. She has a wonderful voice and talent, but often her stories fall flat. In Forbidden Shores, she has moved far from her usual books to a darkly erotic novel that wasn't to this reviewer's taste.
Clarissa Onslowe is a fallen woman on her way to the only post she can get - one far away in the Carribean. But upon setting sail she meets Allen Pendale, a lawyer who is fleeing his own problems. Within pages of meeting one another they have sex. She then explains to Allen her goal of becoming a courtesan so that she doesn't have to work as a governess. Allen agrees to help her learn all she needs to on their journey. Once they arrive though, he discovers that he has done his job too well. Clarissa instantly falls for her new employer Mr. Lemarchand "March" even though Allen has deeper feelings for Clarissa and wants to marry her. The plot continues to unfold with sex, twists and turns, an ultimately a big reveal about who Allen really is.
This book has proven very hard to review because although I didn't find it a good read, I was interested through most of it. The realism of how slaves were treated was especially well done and the setting is different and therefore intriguing. I liked Clarissa for the first part of the novel, but once she fell in love with March I found Allen far more interesting. Learning his story was the reason I finished the book.
The sex in this book put me off the most. It was dirty in a totally non-romantic or sexy way. I was often turned off and uncomfortable during it. By the last quarter of the novel I was skipping over as much of it as I could and still follow the plot. I wasn't even opposed to the male/male sex or the love triangle between Clarissa, Allen, and March. Emma Holly's m/m always excites me, but watching these three characters interact was like sitting through a bad family function - once filled with dysfunction, anger, guilt and, ultimately, self loathing. None of which falls into the "hot" category for me.
Bottom Line: As a Regency and Erotica reader I can't recommend this book, but if you are looking for something compelling and down and dirty this would do the trick.
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Cybil Solyn, csolyn@rakehell.com
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