It's a charming romance and I wanted more of it. They have a heated affair and he pursues her until she agrees to marry him. But the best romance in the book, is the sub-plot between Griselda (the heroine's chaprone and the hero's sister) and Darlington (a writer of pulp fiction) who is much younger than she is. The hero, while much older than she is, isn't that much older as far maturity goes - so they are well-matched. The heroine is a bit of a nit-wit, but she is also only 18 and far from worldly, so it is forgiven. Saw a lot of references, including quotes from, Midsummer Night's Dream. The title refers to Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure' but the writer riffs off of Midsummer Night's Dream and Little Women mostly.

We also have a marvelously comical scene where the hero, a reformed rake, is teaching the heroine how to walk seductively, while wearing her pink dress. First off, there's three romances, one between the trite but true younger woman and older man (except the younger woman is full figured and plump not a stick, although back then that was actually appealing), one between an older woman, who is not a virgin, and a younger man, and a third between two lesbians - which is subtley referred to, mainly because the author is no doubt aware of who her audience is. The novel is subversive of the form in some respects.

Read moreĬharming and rather witty in places, if a bit scattered. I love that multi-faceted aspect of novels.All in all, a great read, particularly if you're looking for something with a bit of spunk. Where Sylvie ends up, Darlington and Griselda, Thurman, Gemima, and more.all was on display. She really accepts herself by the end of the story, dimples and all, and it was fantastic to read.Of course, the side plots were interesting too. It was wonderful to see Josie's transition from the 'Scottish Sausage' to a woman who is proud of her curves and the affect they have on men. There were so many different personalities on display, so many different venues, so many different ways the story went. Other than that slight pet peeve, I loved the book. In fact, the only complaint (and I use that word loosely) is that the illustration on the cover was not of a curvy woman. And I loved that the main female and a few of the other females were truly curvy women, not 'petite' women or 'with subtle curves.' No, these were real women, and that's so often hard to find in romances. The characters were fun and fresh, and they were different from the characters that show up in a lot of other novels (ie, different from the Cynsters). I enjoyed reading every bit of this novel.

This is my first Eloisa James book, and I have to say that I think she's a fun author.

Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James