Pleasure for Pleasure

Every Eloisa James book is a delight, as she has a special talent for adding a touch of magic that makes each story and group of characters become more enchanting as the book before. This last installment in the Essex Sisters series is no different. It lives up to its name Pleasure for Pleasure, page for page. The whole Scottish Sausage storyline kicks off a domino effect of events that are fun, entertaining, and sexy, with a touch of mystery. Josie gets tagged with the name of the Scottish Sausage early in the season by a group of young bucks led by Lord Charles Darlington. It is her "new look" from the modiste Madame Badeau that begins with the special corset contraption that creates the "sausage" look and dresses loaded with seams, created to hide Josie's full figure. The whole family is together for the wedding event of Josie's guardian "Rafe" Raphael Jourdain, the Duke of Holbrook to her sister Imogen. So they meet and try to solve the problem of Josie being ostracized out of the season by this name calling and cuts at recent ton events. The widowed Lady Griselda, family friend, Josie's chaperone, and Earl of Mayne's sister, steps in to help with a plan to flirt with the young Lord Darlington and put him in his place. The flirtation leads to lust, desire, passion and love, with an eventual struggle of the older woman with the younger man relationship. Lord Darlington's chase is sexy and adds extra depth and meaning to the story. Garrett Langham, the Earl of Mayne, the infamous lover of the ton, is now engaged and apparently in love with a french woman Lady Sylvie. Now that his friend Rafe is away on his honeymoon and he considers Josie a friend, he steps in to help Josie through this social and personal crisis. While helping her Garrett comes to realize that he is becoming attracted to this young lady which he feels is breathtaking with her lush figure, beautifully curved laughing mouth, and intelligent eyes. After Garrett's guidance and a new modiste many young men are now attracted to Josie and she becomes a social success. He now feels it is time to push towards his marriage, but soon finds behind the virtuous manner of his Lady Sylvie is a woman who has no passion for him. His engagement and hopes for marriage ends, but when Josie is attacked by one of the young men in Lord Darlington's former group, Garrett comes to her rescue and feels he must save her from social ruin and marries her. Josie, who recognizes her attraction to Garrett agrees with the marriage hoping the attraction, passion and desire will turn into love. They both soon realize they have been attracted to each other for many years, but the age difference and close family relationships were separating their true feelings from coming to the surface. Having the two simultaneous passionate romances of Charles/Giselda and Garrett/Josie evolving together with the side mystery of the popular book everyone in the ton is reading and speculating about "The Earl of Hellgate or Night Scenes Amongst the Ton" is masterful. Having an excerpt of the book to start each chapter adds even more fun to the total story. Speculation as to who is the author and who is Hellgate has the whole ton buzzing. It even effects Josie, as she feels Garrett is Hellgate and how can she in her young, inexperienced life keep this passionate, experienced lover? The ending culminates with how Josie comes to terms with her love and marriage and the discovery of the author of the infamous book about Hellgate. The discovery of the author is a surprise, but what is most expected is a another good story from Eloisa James that is a pleasure to read. The whole Essex Sisters series is a Regency delight that will be read and re-read for years to come.