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n0tg4b's review against another edition
1.0
this book was the first book i bought from a thrift store.
one word.
smut.
THERE WAS NO PLOT!! AND EVEN THE ANTAGONIST WAS A PERV!! it was a rough read and i REALLY shouldn't have read it in class. i just hope none of my teachers watched my face as i read it or knew what the book was
one word.
smut.
THERE WAS NO PLOT!! AND EVEN THE ANTAGONIST WAS A PERV!! it was a rough read and i REALLY shouldn't have read it in class. i just hope none of my teachers watched my face as i read it or knew what the book was
anto23's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
crissilva's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
llama_lord's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.5
3.5 stars
I keep swearing to myself that I am done with this series and yet here I am crawling back to the Malory-Andersons again. In my defense, I only read this book because I found a paperback copy with a stepback for a mere 25¢ at a thrift store and I couldn't pass it up. It's a pretty stepback, but the male model is not at all what I picture Derek Malory looking like.
Set around 1819, Kelsey Langton is an aristocratic girl from the East Midlands whose family has fallen on hard times following the death of her parents. In a desperate last attempt to save her little sister from poverty, Kelsey agrees to travel to London and be auctioned in a brothel as a lord's mistress. Derek Malory happens to stumble upon the auction and impulsively bids on Kelsey to save her from being purchased by another lord that he knows to be a sadistic sexual deviant.
...
One thing I have noticed about the Malory-Anderson series is that the premises seem to be getting more risque as the series goes on. The storyline in this book certainly took some crazy turns, to say the least. CW and Spoiler: SpoilerAt one point Kelsey gets kidnapped by the sexual deviant who was outbid by Derek and he takes her to his sex dungeon where he has held women captive there for who knows how long. The man gets off on mutilating women by whipping them.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. Kelsey and Derek had sort of a puppy love going on which was sweet. In general I just find Johanna Lindsey's books to be light, easy reading for me so it is fun to kind of turn my mind off and just enjoy her stories. I wouldn't re-read Say You Love Me, but I didn't actively dislike it the way that I did with the first two books in the series.
I will say, I found Kelsey and Derek to be very bland leads. Kelsey is nice, but you never get a real sense of her personality over the course of the story. As for Derek, he has been around since Love Only Once and despite having 4 books in which to develop his character, his only personality trait is still just "guy with 2 friends". I'm actually confused why Johanna Lindsey picked him as the lead in this story as opposed to one of the Anderson brothers or Jeremy Malory.
This is definitely not a standalone book and I wouldn't recommend reading it you haven't read the other books in the series. There were copious Malory family cameos as well as a sub-plot that I could not care less about regarding Derek's father. Since reading Gentle Rogue and becoming a James Malory stan, the Malory cameos don't bother me as much anymore (or maybe I just have Stockholm Syndrome from reading so many books in this series). I have to laugh at the fact that Johanna Lindsey has unabashed favorites in the family such as Regina and James Spoilerfor example, in the climactic moment where Kelsey is rescued from the sex dungeon, JAMES is actually the one who busts down the wall and saves her, not Derek
I keep swearing to myself that I am done with this series and yet here I am crawling back to the Malory-Andersons again. In my defense, I only read this book because I found a paperback copy with a stepback for a mere 25¢ at a thrift store and I couldn't pass it up. It's a pretty stepback, but the male model is not at all what I picture Derek Malory looking like.
Set around 1819, Kelsey Langton is an aristocratic girl from the East Midlands whose family has fallen on hard times following the death of her parents. In a desperate last attempt to save her little sister from poverty, Kelsey agrees to travel to London and be auctioned in a brothel as a lord's mistress. Derek Malory happens to stumble upon the auction and impulsively bids on Kelsey to save her from being purchased by another lord that he knows to be a sadistic sexual deviant.
...
One thing I have noticed about the Malory-Anderson series is that the premises seem to be getting more risque as the series goes on. The storyline in this book certainly took some crazy turns, to say the least. CW and Spoiler: SpoilerAt one point Kelsey gets kidnapped by the sexual deviant who was outbid by Derek and he takes her to his sex dungeon where he has held women captive there for who knows how long. The man gets off on mutilating women by whipping them.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. Kelsey and Derek had sort of a puppy love going on which was sweet. In general I just find Johanna Lindsey's books to be light, easy reading for me so it is fun to kind of turn my mind off and just enjoy her stories. I wouldn't re-read Say You Love Me, but I didn't actively dislike it the way that I did with the first two books in the series.
I will say, I found Kelsey and Derek to be very bland leads. Kelsey is nice, but you never get a real sense of her personality over the course of the story. As for Derek, he has been around since Love Only Once and despite having 4 books in which to develop his character, his only personality trait is still just "guy with 2 friends". I'm actually confused why Johanna Lindsey picked him as the lead in this story as opposed to one of the Anderson brothers or Jeremy Malory.
This is definitely not a standalone book and I wouldn't recommend reading it you haven't read the other books in the series. There were copious Malory family cameos as well as a sub-plot that I could not care less about regarding Derek's father. Since reading Gentle Rogue and becoming a James Malory stan, the Malory cameos don't bother me as much anymore (or maybe I just have Stockholm Syndrome from reading so many books in this series). I have to laugh at the fact that Johanna Lindsey has unabashed favorites in the family such as Regina and James Spoilerfor example, in the climactic moment where Kelsey is rescued from the sex dungeon, JAMES is actually the one who busts down the wall and saves her, not Derek
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexual violence
budgies's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
patrizia_anna's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
marureviere's review against another edition
2.0
The blurb caught my attention, but I found the story itself uninteresting when I read it. Didn't really work for me.
lisabooksit's review against another edition
5.0
My first Johanna Lindsey novel and although not my favorite, a close number 2. It sold me on the Mallory's and I love them all!
Reread yet again 3/17/16
Reread yet again 3/17/16
chandelierskies's review against another edition
A lot of telling about things instead of showing. I stopped at 34% but the male lead had no depth to him. I kept hearing about his family through first names like he tells about his father by calling him James and I was just getting confused on what the heck the family relationships were. There were too many POVs involved. The premise of the book sounded good but it’s fallen so flat from the beginning. I skipped a few chapters just to get back to the main couple before I gave up on it. ALSO what the hell is Derek’s relationship with his mom who he doesn’t know is his mom because she’s a servant?? Like he said she was motherly, but he smacked her backside playfully and teased that he loved her to distraction loudly?? Um, that’s not a motherly relationship. That’s weird as hell and gross.