Innocence Undone

This is the modern world where women are no longer called whores but give themselves freely and no one dares to care. However, the setting of this book is regency and IS treated fairly by Kat Martin. Unfortunately, Jesse is the daughter of a whore. Unfortunately in regency time, people were considered to be like their parents unless proven otherwise-which did happen. I have read many regency books and the attitudes of male and female of the ton are consistant among the authors. Many of the ton did not marry for love or lust. They married to keep the lineage rich, landed, and/or titled. They were the "elite" and did whatever they wanted if they thought they could get away with it-much like royalty today (in fact the many of the ton were in queue for the throne). This book very well shows how people can change. I thought the father was wonderful. His protecting Jesse and wanting his son to be happy showed a lot of depth. His son's attitude was part the product of misconception about his father and stepmother,and part the product of the society as a whole. Kat Martin deserves credit for writing about regency. She shows the attitudes of the day, but she also show that some of the ton had depth to them. The characters are well-rounded and the book has a happy ending. The journey to this ending is well worth the read. In fact, it is one of my rereads.

after hearing the buzz surrounding this book i decided to give it a try and was definitely rewarded. i am a huge fan of kat martin's work and have read a fair number but, like anything else, some of her works can start to sound repetetive. "innocence undone" is one of the better regency romances i have ever read.Jessic Fox was a girl who saw a live of poverty stretching out before her and swore that she would be a lady. after seeking help from the aging marquess who agrees to help her. skip ahead a few years when mathew, the marquess' son, comes home from battling the french as a captin in the english navy. he remembers the rag clad girl who he knew as a young boy and refuses to believe the jessica fox that he sees now is any different. what he can't deny though is the incredible pull he feels towards her, though he vows nothing will come of it, though the marqess wants nothing more than for these two people he loves most to marry.this book has so many scenes that were not only original but had me smiling and laughing. the wedding scene was classic and something that was so different from what most other authors would have handled it that i had to take my hat off to mrs. martin. as always this kat martin book is duly steamy and even has a side story of gwen, jessica's friend, meeting up with her man, adam harcout. their story is just as enthralling as matt and jessi's.this book was one of those you want to read on a rainy day when you have plenty of time because you don't want to put it down. it's fun and just a good read. check it out.

Innocence Undone was everything I could have wanted in a romance and more. The story was thoroughly developed, the passion between the hero and heroine sizzled, and there was enough adventure, conflict and subplots to keep me enthralled in the story. I hated to see this book end. Matthew is a strong hero who is afraid to love because of his not being shown open affection as a child. This struggle is what makes him the deep, brooding romantic hero. His developing attraction to Jessica, and ultimately his journey into love, is fueled by Matthew's mistrust of and fear to love. Jessica is a strong heroine. She begins life without much hope and a prayer. She is the daughter of a doxy, she is abused by her brother and she resorts to all sorts of undesirable behavior. Underneath all that, Jessica is a loving, caring person who wants to rise above her pitiful lot in life. Jessica eventually becomes this headstrong, intelligent, and nurturing young woman. And although Matthew doesn't think he and Jessica "suit", he finds himself on a journey that causes him to break down all the walls he has erected around his heart just to keep up with his father's ward. The conflict between these two characters is classic!! The passion between them is timeless!! If you don't read this book for anything else, read it just to find out what Matthew does when he thinks Jessica is going to marry someone else!!You will fall in love with all the characters. And, you get to see two other romances develop along with Matthew and Jessica. The story of Gwen and Adam, Lord St. Cere, is heartwarming and makes me believe in knights in shining armor. Even "Papa Reggie" finds love in this twilight years with Lady Bainbridge.Trust me when I tell you that this is a romance for all ages. If you enjoy this book half as much as I did, you will have found an unforgettable romance that you will want to read over and over again.

This was the first book I read of Kat Martin's and it was terrific. I could not put it down and finished reading it within a day. For anyone looking for a great read this is it. I guarantee that after you read this wonderful story you'll want to read other historical romances by Kat Martin like I did. She is now one of my favourites!!!