Ecstasy

August 26, 2002
The fourth installment in Jordan's Regency-era Notorious series (Desire, etc.) is devoted to spirited Raven Kendrick, whom readers will recognize from The Passion. Raven is on the verge of fulfilling her deceased mother's greatest wish—to wed a nobleman. Her good fortune takes a turn for the worst, however, when she's abducted en route to the nuptials by jilted suitor Sean Lasseter and taken to his brother, Kell's, gaming hell. Sensual scenes abound between Raven and Kell after he rescues her from Sean's certain abuse, including an outlandish one in which Kell tends Raven, who is suffering from the effects of an aphrodisiac given to her by Sean. Before long, Raven realizes that only marriage will repair her reputation, and when an honor-bound Kell reluctantly offers, she accepts even though the prickly Irishman is rumored to have murdered his uncle. Inevitably, Kell and Raven are unable to keep their physical passion from turning into love, but to Jordan's credit, their bond is founded upon mutual admiration, not merely great sex. Sean's reappearance adds a dash of danger, and the love scenes, while numerous, aren't gratuitous. The real joy here, however, comes from watching Kell and Raven overcome their pasts and their fears so they can build a future together. (Oct. 1)Forecast: Jordan's books beg comparisons to the works of Stephanie Laurens and Christina Dodd, two of the forerunners in the race to make romances sexier and more suspenseful. Though Jordan does not yet have the brand name recognition of those authors, her popularity and her sales are on the rise.

September 1, 2002
All of Raven Kendrick's hopes for respectability and security through her forthcoming marriage to the Duke of Halford are destroyed when Sean Lasseter, a spurned suitor whose obsession with Raven has driven him mad, abducts her on her wedding day. Raven is rescued by his brother, Kell, who reluctantly tries to repair the damage his brother has done by offering to marry Raven. With her reputation in shreds, Raven has no choice but to accept his offer, though both of them agree that this will be a marriage in name only. But plans for a polite yet passionless marriage vanish once Raven finds that scandalous, sexy thoughts of Kell are replacing those of the fantasy pirate lover that used to haunt her dreams. Sensually detailed love scenes play an important part in the plot as these two willful people clash both in and out of the bedroom in the fourth installment in Jordan's Notorious series, a sinfully seductive treat for readers who like their historicals steamy and passionate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)