Kate Pearce was born into a large family of girls in England, and spent much of her childhood living very happily in a dream world. Despite being told that she really needed to 'get with the program', she graduated from the University College of Wales with an honors degree in history.After graduation, real life did intervene and she ended up working in finance which was not the greatest career choice for a would-be writer!
A move to the USA finally allowed her to fulfill her dreams and sit down and write that novel. Along with being a voracious reader, Kate loves trail riding with her family, 'western style' in the regional parks of Northern California.
Kate writes in several different romance sub-genres under different names. She is a member of RWA and is published by Kensington Aphrodisia, Ellora's Cave, Virgin Black Lace/Cheek and now Rouge.
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Product details
ASIN
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B00276HAK8
Publisher
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Aphrodisia; Original edition (22 April 2009)
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 February 2010
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If you like your erotica with some semblance of a storyline then this is great. As the main character decides to set up a 'house of pleasure' this does give the characters excellent opportunity to engage in many different scenarios without it being too contrived. Although there are aspects of the story which are weak and unnecessary it is still a fun book. I enjoyed it. Better written than a lot of erotic tales I have read.
I enjoy almost everything Pearce writes, some more than others... this was an "other". The story was solid & hot but it seemed to lack the spark the first 2 books in the series held. I bought the first 4 when I caught a heavily reduced offer & I'm looking to pick up more the next go round. Helene is a strong female w/a compelling story but it fell flat since most of the action was in the beginning & end. She's had a hard life but made the best of it, she's certainly a survivor. I missed the humor most of Pearce's books have in them.
A good read w/M/F & M/M action, but unlike the first 2 books there was no M/F/M action.... I missed it.
Reviewed in the United States on 22 September 2012
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This is the 3rd book in the series. I had read 2 others out of order and enjoyed them so I decided to start at the beginning. Kate Pearce is a good writer and storyteller. I mention this as a back-handed diss to the Christian Grey series. She's able to generate heat from both the male and female perspective.
I appreciate the strength of the female protagonist, and her challenges of providing for herself and her children. I'm always interested in the attempt or process of allowing oneself to be vulnerable. For some of us it's easier to be sexually rather than emotionally available.
This isn't a very hot review but please know there is heat, passion, intrigue, and deceit.
I must agree with some of the other reviwers that this 'Simply...' book was below par and left me cold and indifferent. I did'n like the characters as they didn't make me feel for them or draw me in, in spite of their horrendous past experiences. Such experiences normally predispose the reader to be symathetic and understanding , but these two people, Helen and Philip failed to gain my interest.
The story goes something like this. Helen (18) meets Philip while traveling. They spend a night together when their carriage breaks down. During the night they share passionate sex but in the cool of the day Helen parts from an enamoured Philip, as he is betrothed to another. Moreover, her past experience as a prisoner in Bastille,prevents her from forming any meaningful relationship with this young man. So, when she arrives in London, compatriots whom she had helped escape the Bastille back in France, help finance a House Of Pleasures, which she runs.
Years later Philip appears as part owner of this profitable business but he is no longer the carefree, sexually emancipated man Helen once met. He is resentful, cynical and sexually repressed as his wife ( who has died in the meantime) tolerated intercourse for the purpose of procreation only, so when that was fulfilled she no longer had sex with him. Yeah, this extremely attractive man with tantric training in sex was rejected by his wife. Hm.Hm. Was this really necessary? Oh yes. He remained sexually frustrated all these years, yearning for what he shared with Helen. Hard to believe.
I felt that the relatinship between Philip and Helen lacked spark. {Philip is at first too much of a stuffed shirt and Helen too businesslike and cold. The sex scenes contain the same daring descriptions as the previous books but in this case the love they profess to feel for each other rings hollow. It's not enough to simply read that they loved each other and the numerous sexual encounters alone aren't enough to persuade the readetr, either. I think that there are too many minor characters who detract the reader from the story which is, after all the romance between man and woman. Overall, it was a loose storyline, one where the author tried to develop the story beyond the main plot by including other issues such as Helen's relationship with her children, but unfortunately it failed.