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samrushingbooks's review
5.0
My goodness, I absolutely love this series of novellas, though I also continually wish for them to be longer. Every one has been delightful and this third installment is no exception. The arrangement made amongst Jane, her husband Jacob, and his cousin Matther is scandelous and at the same time quite intruiging. I so hope there will be many more in this series because I am addicted to Viveka Portman's writing.
kbranfield's review
4.0
The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding by Viveka Portman is a scorching hot historical novella that is highly erotic but also full of emotion. This quick read has a wonderfully unique storyline, well-developed characters and a delightful surprise ending.
Jane and Jacob Fielding are deeply in love and their marriage is quite happy and lust-filled. Jacob's unfortunate accident does not diminish their desire for one another but with Jacob's odious brother Arthur in line to inherit the family fortune, the need for a male heir becomes quite urgent. After a year passes with no pregnancy, Jacob devises a rather scandalous and unconventional plan to procure an heir but will Jane and his cousin Matthew agree to Jacob's outrageous proposal?
The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding is written in first person from Jane's perspective. Using a journal to confide her innermost thoughts, Jane reveals her fears about her husband's accident, the disgust over her brother-in-law's actions, and her trepidation over her husband's solution to their pressing need for an heir. There is never any doubt about the couple's deep love and devotion to one another however a future with Arthur controlling her fate provides a compelling reason for Jane to give serious thought to Jacob's proposal.
Seen only through Jane's eyes, Jacob and Matthew are vibrantly life-like with a great deal of depth. Jacob's plan is born of desperation but he is just as uneasy with the situation as Jane and Matthew. His love for Jane is always apparent as is his keen despair over the loss of his fertility. Matthew is hesitant to agree to his cousin's plan, but he is quite impoverished and in need of funds to renovate his crumbling estate. All three are in an untenable position but when Arthur continues to press Jacob to declare him as his heir, Jane and Matthew reluctantly agree to Jacob's plan.
The three have very surprising and unexpected reactions once their arrangement is put into motion. Jealousy, unanticipated desire and unforeseen pleasure lead to an open and honest discussion of the situation which results in a shocking decision regarding the future of their unusual relationship.
The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding is an outstanding erotic novella that fans of historical romances do not want to miss. It is a well-written story with an engaging cast of appealing characters, incredibly sensual sex scenes and an amazing array of believable emotions. Absolutely one of the best historical romances I have read in a long time and as soon as I finished it, I immediately purchased and eagerly devoured Viveka Portman's backlist.
Jane and Jacob Fielding are deeply in love and their marriage is quite happy and lust-filled. Jacob's unfortunate accident does not diminish their desire for one another but with Jacob's odious brother Arthur in line to inherit the family fortune, the need for a male heir becomes quite urgent. After a year passes with no pregnancy, Jacob devises a rather scandalous and unconventional plan to procure an heir but will Jane and his cousin Matthew agree to Jacob's outrageous proposal?
The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding is written in first person from Jane's perspective. Using a journal to confide her innermost thoughts, Jane reveals her fears about her husband's accident, the disgust over her brother-in-law's actions, and her trepidation over her husband's solution to their pressing need for an heir. There is never any doubt about the couple's deep love and devotion to one another however a future with Arthur controlling her fate provides a compelling reason for Jane to give serious thought to Jacob's proposal.
Seen only through Jane's eyes, Jacob and Matthew are vibrantly life-like with a great deal of depth. Jacob's plan is born of desperation but he is just as uneasy with the situation as Jane and Matthew. His love for Jane is always apparent as is his keen despair over the loss of his fertility. Matthew is hesitant to agree to his cousin's plan, but he is quite impoverished and in need of funds to renovate his crumbling estate. All three are in an untenable position but when Arthur continues to press Jacob to declare him as his heir, Jane and Matthew reluctantly agree to Jacob's plan.
The three have very surprising and unexpected reactions once their arrangement is put into motion. Jealousy, unanticipated desire and unforeseen pleasure lead to an open and honest discussion of the situation which results in a shocking decision regarding the future of their unusual relationship.
The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding is an outstanding erotic novella that fans of historical romances do not want to miss. It is a well-written story with an engaging cast of appealing characters, incredibly sensual sex scenes and an amazing array of believable emotions. Absolutely one of the best historical romances I have read in a long time and as soon as I finished it, I immediately purchased and eagerly devoured Viveka Portman's backlist.
booksuperpower's review
4.0
The Private Affairs of Lady Jane Fielding is a 2014 Harlequin Escape publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jane and her husband Jacob are very happily married until one day Jacob is the victim of a horrible accident. He survives but it is now questionable as to whether or not he can father more children. The sad truth is that if he can not produce a male heir his horrible brother , Arthur will inherit everything and leave Jane under his control. Jacob simply can not abide by that, so after a year of trying to conceive with no luck, Jacob makes a proposal to his wife that could solve all their problems.
This novella ( approximately 71 pages), is a regency period historical romance, but not the usual fare. This book would be definitely be classified as erotica. For any of you that follow my reviews you know that I steer far away from hard core erotica, and if I can avoid ANY erotica, I do. I did read an Escape publication a while back and it pushed the envelope a little, but it was pretty good, so without doing any research I agreed to review this one when asked. So, for the record, this one is pretty far out of my comfort zone. However, the set up is such that even if you are not a reader of erotica romance, especially with a regency period setting, you might find that this premise is quite understandable. Producing a male heir was of utmost importance in those days. The men were under a lot of pressure to marry if for no other reason than to hopefully produce male issue. Women were forbidden to inherit and an estate would be passed off to the nearest male relative even if that meant a sixth cousin twenty times removed or something. In this case Arthur, a most despicable man would inherit and the thought so repulsed Jane and Jacob they took extreme measures to keep that from taking place.
The author did a great job was depicting Arthur in a bad light so that the reader actually feared for Jane's future if something were to happen to Jacob, and money would have been the least of her problems. The entire uncomfortable situation was well written with the people involved expressing real human feelings and emotions. Matthew was perhaps the most uncomfortable of everyone, but Jacob also exhibited feelings he didn't factor into his master plan. Jane got caught between feeling guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, and curious, excited, and initial repulsion turned into a pleasing experiment that everyone could accept .
The story was strangely fascinating for me and I was really pulled into the storyline despite my reservations. I wouldn't want to read this type of book often, but the author did a great job of taking this subject matter and making it a story that could appeal to a wide audience of romance readers. I don't condone this scenario but again, the premise is one that made the book seem less about the sexual escapades and more about people learning to cope with a bad deal and finding a way to make it work for them …. in spades.
For those who enjoy erotica, erotic historical romance, or for those that want to read something a little out of the ordinary for regency period romance, then you won't want to miss this one. Overall the story was well written, the characters were well drawn, and hopefully an heir will soon be on it's way.
I give this one 4 stars.
Jane and her husband Jacob are very happily married until one day Jacob is the victim of a horrible accident. He survives but it is now questionable as to whether or not he can father more children. The sad truth is that if he can not produce a male heir his horrible brother , Arthur will inherit everything and leave Jane under his control. Jacob simply can not abide by that, so after a year of trying to conceive with no luck, Jacob makes a proposal to his wife that could solve all their problems.
This novella ( approximately 71 pages), is a regency period historical romance, but not the usual fare. This book would be definitely be classified as erotica. For any of you that follow my reviews you know that I steer far away from hard core erotica, and if I can avoid ANY erotica, I do. I did read an Escape publication a while back and it pushed the envelope a little, but it was pretty good, so without doing any research I agreed to review this one when asked. So, for the record, this one is pretty far out of my comfort zone. However, the set up is such that even if you are not a reader of erotica romance, especially with a regency period setting, you might find that this premise is quite understandable. Producing a male heir was of utmost importance in those days. The men were under a lot of pressure to marry if for no other reason than to hopefully produce male issue. Women were forbidden to inherit and an estate would be passed off to the nearest male relative even if that meant a sixth cousin twenty times removed or something. In this case Arthur, a most despicable man would inherit and the thought so repulsed Jane and Jacob they took extreme measures to keep that from taking place.
The author did a great job was depicting Arthur in a bad light so that the reader actually feared for Jane's future if something were to happen to Jacob, and money would have been the least of her problems. The entire uncomfortable situation was well written with the people involved expressing real human feelings and emotions. Matthew was perhaps the most uncomfortable of everyone, but Jacob also exhibited feelings he didn't factor into his master plan. Jane got caught between feeling guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, and curious, excited, and initial repulsion turned into a pleasing experiment that everyone could accept .
The story was strangely fascinating for me and I was really pulled into the storyline despite my reservations. I wouldn't want to read this type of book often, but the author did a great job of taking this subject matter and making it a story that could appeal to a wide audience of romance readers. I don't condone this scenario but again, the premise is one that made the book seem less about the sexual escapades and more about people learning to cope with a bad deal and finding a way to make it work for them …. in spades.
For those who enjoy erotica, erotic historical romance, or for those that want to read something a little out of the ordinary for regency period romance, then you won't want to miss this one. Overall the story was well written, the characters were well drawn, and hopefully an heir will soon be on it's way.
I give this one 4 stars.
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