The Painted Lady

This romance novel, which I finally tracked down after years of searching for (I read it from the library and never found it later) is simply one of the very best romance books I've ever read. It is extremely well-written.Fleur is a penniless widow of a famous artist, and unbeknownst to her, Anthony, a rich baronet has loved her from afar for years. Fleur has also been the subject of her late husband's paintings, and some are not meant for the general viewing public. Now that she is free, he has proposed. Fleur has been scarred from her marriage and her husband's dirty dealings, and agrees to marry Anthony, but not because she loves him yet. Her problems are just too overwhelming, and Anthony is a way out. However, Anthony catches on, is devastated, and plays out a game with Fleur to unfreeze her heart. For five nights,she must show him unlimited sexual pleasure.This romance is magical as Anthony does manage to delve into Fleur's internal pain and allows her be free to love. The sexual scenes are fairly graphic but tasteful...and so tantalizing. The ending made me cry. Lucia Grahame, please write another book!This is one romance I've read at least 10 times. A keeper forever. If you can find it, buy it.

Will I ever be so lucky as to find another lovely romance novel in this lifetime ? WOW ! That's 1 way to put into words everytime I finished re-reading it ( done 'bout 99 times already =P ). How often Fleur's haunting green eyes gazed down upon him from the walls of his cousin's home in London ! When Anthony first set his cool gray eyes on Fleur from a distance in a restaurant, she was full of life & love, with her famous husband on her side. He saw her again 2 and a half years later. But this time Fleur is a penniless widow with a frozen heart due to the loss of her baby & husband. Desperate for money to pay her blackmailer, she accepted Anthony's marriage offer, thinking that she could fool him into believing that she married him for love & affection. When he found out her terrible secret, she had no choice but surrender to his terms : her freedom & a fortune to live on if she agreed to 5 nights of unquestioning, unrestrained surrender to what he planned to teach her. I love the sensuous development of the story when Fleur's heart is melting layer by layer with each of Anthony's lazy seduction. Every misunderstanding & quarrell is painfully gut-wrenching & oh what an ending ! Of course, as the previous reviewers hinted, the love-scenes literally burn up the pages & left me clamoring for more from this unknown author. I don't know why she didn't make it to the top of the best of the best-seller list. U have got to read it to believe my gushing review !

This is a book I've read at least 3 times! Every time I read it, I feel I could read it again. The ending is the type that brings happy tears to your eyes. You are on a rollercoaster with Anthony and Fleur--and it's a wonderful ride. Sensual, romantic, adventurous---everything you could look for in a historical romance. Oh Ms. Grahame, I concur, write again!

I'VE READ THIS BOOK SEVERAL TIMES, AND STILL LOVE IT. SIR ANTHONY IS THE KIND OF HUSBAND ANY WOMAN OUT THERE WOULD WANT. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFULLY-WRITTEN STORY. FROM THE FIRST PAGE TO THE LAST, IT CAPTIVATES ME. THE LOVE SCENES ARE HIGHLY-IMAGINATIVE, AND THE ENDING IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT MAKES ME SIGH. I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE AUTHOR TO RELEASE MORE HEART-BREAKERS LIKE THIS ONE. PLEASE...PLEASE WRITE AGAIN !!!

Sometimes I don't know how an author could ever come up with a plot, and this one is terrific. I think the author captures well someone coping with depression after the loss of a husband who was less than perfect. Those memories blur the bad spots and sometimes trick us into not living for the future. Extremely well written and moving, with some great sex