Potent Pleasures (The Pleasures Trilogy)

At first I was a little discouraged to buy this book, after reading so many bad reviews, pointing to errors and historical inaccuracy. At the end I decided to buy it based on one reviewer that explained that those errors were only on the hard cover edition, not in the soft cover. Besides, I had already read "Enchanting Pleasures", the third novel in this series, and found it pretty decent. So I decided to take a risk with this one. I'm so glad I did!This is one of the best novels I have read in a while!It reminded me somewhat of Judith McNaught's "Something Wonderful", a novel and a writer that I love.The story is full of passion, love, misunderstanding, jealousy, regrets, and forgiveness. What more can you ask for in a romance novel?The only error I found is that in one part of the book I read that Charlotte's brother is 25 years old, and in another part, it says that, 3 years later, her mother (who apparently, since there is no mention of a previous marriage, is also his mother)is 41. By that math, she must have had him when she was 13! Not physically impossible maybe, but very improbable. But that is a very minor mistake, I only noticed it because by coincidence, I had been wondering how old Charlotte's mother would be, since she appeared to be still young, and fun loving and understanding. I had calculated that she must be around 46 at least, based on Charlotte's brother's age. So I was surprised when I read that she was 41.But this doesn't take away from a story that is heart-wrenchingly beautiful.If you like a good romance, in the Judith McNaught style, I really recommend this book.

I could not understand how some reviewers could rate this book as a one. To each his own I suppose. Still, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable romance with complex, well-developed characters and surprising twists and turns. Some people said they disliked Charlotte for going into the garden with Alex, but romance is all about being human and being human is about making mistakes and learning from them. Perfect love stories don't happen, it's the challenges and conflicts which the characters face that make the stories interesting and James seems like she is definitely capable of coming up with well thought out challenges. I can't wait to read Midnight Pleasures. Keep up the good work James and keep the books coming!

This is Elise's debut novel and after reading it, I find myself very anxious for her next novel. This was definitely one of the best romance novels I have read, and I have read a lot! The characters were all unique in their own way. And they have a lot of depth to them. The plot is just intriguing. It gets you very hooked and leaves you begging for more. I loved how the main chracters didn't just reconcile in the end. They discussed the problem they had and dealt with it. Charlotte is such a great heroine. She is beautiful, smart, strong-willed and passionate. She is a great mother, friend and as great a wife. Alex is also as great a hero. He is as brave as handsome. I also loved the touch of him having an identical twin. He just adores his little girl! You have defintely got to read it. Great read, Eloise!

I just finished Potent Pleasures and I'm terribly disappointed - my instinct had been to rush out and buy everything this author had ever written, so you can imagine how frustrating it was to find out I already had! I devoured this novel in 2 days (I was busy or it would have been less).I understand the hardcover was different and that may account for some of the frustration voiced in other reviews. But the paperback was wonderful. And historically accurate as to settings and characters - anyone who feels otherwise has probably only read the kind of total junk that often passes for period pieces in the romance genre. May I suggest Georgette Heyer and Laura Black as peers of Eloisa?

I have read an untold number of romance novels and quite a few regencies and I must say that Potent Pleasures is a wonderful book. From the first page I was drawn into a compelling story with great characters. I have read reviews that complain about historical inaccuracies, but since when is a novel supposed to be a history book. I read novels to enjoy them and this one was fantastic.If you are interested in reading an vibrant new talent, try Eloisa James.