Scandalous Desires

Silence and Mickey: don't like this one at all. Don't like Mickey; don't find anything about the plot romantic.

Ms. Hoyt took a villian I loathed and transformed him into a hero I absolutely loved! If you want a rollercoaster of emotion AND action, strong protagonists, and side characters who will charm you unexpectedly, then this book is for you. So much better than the previous book in the series! Well done!

This one is so great, I love Mickey so much! I loved the narration as well.

enjoyable listening i would definately recommend this to my friends

a fabulous story, the adventure and suspens intertwined in this beautiful romance brought a delightful thrill and sensuality.

This book was nearly perfect for me. I just loved the tough and tender Mickey. Despite finding silence kind of ugh before, I loved her as a MC.

Elizabeth Hoyt is completely rocking my world and I'm surprised I can read these so quickly after one another and find them so strong. I can't imagine not reading them again, in fact. I know this is more gush than review, but it is what it is, folks.

A violent murderous unrepentant thief is one step beyond bad boy, and it was a step I could not and would not take. That said, there was a lot to like here. Fun side characters, a nice parenting depiction, and a good entree into Winter's story. I can't say it wasn't fun and sexy, but I just could not invest in the happiness of this bad man and the woman who forgives him for every trespass against her and others.

She, Silence Hollingbrook, meek widow of no particular means, had just faced down Charming Mickey O'Connor, the most feared pirate in London.

I was looking forward to this couple because of how "good" Silence and how "bad" Mickey was set-up portrayed; I'm fond of supposed opposites like this, a'la Devil in Winter. Their portrayals ended up being a bit more heavy handed than I like, though. Silence became a bit annoying with her somewhat dry personality and Mickey started to wear thin with his continuous lounging and not taking action against the Vicar.

She soothed his soul, this woman.

This seemed a bit more slow paced, or maybe I just felt like not a lot was happening. Mickey and Silence have some obvious chemistry but I was looking for more talking back and forth and building development instead of the focus on Mickey already knowing he wanted Silence forever. I guess I felt like some connection was missing between them.

For while her head knew she had done the right thing in leaving Michael, her heart was not so sure. Her heart didn't want a good man at all.
Her heart wanted a pirate.

I'm not a big kid person but the baby Mary Darling was a pretty big component in the story only to be a stand-in decoration and felt fairly forgotten; Mickey is said to have bonded with her but I can't say I really saw it.
I liked this story but more because of the wonderful world Hoyt has created, with past and future characters flitting in and out. Hoyt also does an incredible job with her sex scenes, which there are always plenty of, but this time the emotional component wasn't as strong for me. I also felt the story and characters had a melodramatic flair to it that didn't jive with me but the hero was pirate so what did I expect :)
I hope Bran gets a story :)

LOVED the ending, how both main characters had strong roles and fought life and death for what they believed in, for each other.

Audio-book: Narrator - Ashford McNab

I was so excited to see the same narrator as the previous book I had listened to. And unbelievably, she did an even better job on this book! Her voice absolutely pulled me in. When the character’s voices were supposed to tremble with emotion...Ms. McNab’s trembled so convincingly. And when the drama builds and there is wild action and intense response to that action, her voice rose accordingly and oh my gosh! My heart raced as the narrator plunged me right into the middle of the story, the danger, and forced me to be present in it. Gah! I’ve never had such a reaction before. If this story interests you, I highly recommend this audio-book!

Silence’s reputation was ruined by Mickey/Michael and she lost pretty much everything as a result. Now he’s forced her into a situation that leaves her no choice in order to protect and care for little Mary Darling.

Mickey is a man who grew up with nothing, living a life of a nightmare that left him with a deep hunger to control his own destiny and ensure he never lacked for anything again. So when he forces Silence into his home he doesn’t think twice about the consequences.

This was a freaking amazing book! I loved these damaged characters so much and their organic move into love. The gradual change of Mickey’s heart and the slow revealing of Silence’s truth of her own marriage were beautiful things to behold.

I can’t recommend this book enough if historical romance with some action and an anti-hero is your thing.

Of all the novel written by Elizabeth Hoyt this I did enjoy so very much. It is just a edgey story for all that were involved and the wanting of justice for herself and husband. But in the end only to be hald against her wise not knowing what is pushing her up becoming something out of the oridary for each other. Beatifil ending and finding out joy and love in adventure quest.

This has to be my 5th or 6th reading of this series, so, obviously I enjoy it. In this one, we find out more about another Makepiece sister (Silence) and the man she loves to hate (Charming Mickey, the pirate who cost her the comfort of her first husband). See publisher's blurb for clues, no spoilers here. There is the usual erotica, but there is always a real story with lots of plot twists, and a (mostly) happy ending, as well as a paragraph or so of the morality tale at the beginning of each chapter. You can't go wrong with an Elizabeth Hoyt novel, but you can get addicted.Ashford McNab does a remarkable job of character delineation in the audio version.

After reading the first two books in Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, I was eagerly awaiting Silence and Mickey's story. Even though I had only seen glimpses of them in those two novels, I had become enthralled by their characters and thought that their own story would have to be good. Now that I've finally read it, I can say without a doubt that it wasn't just good it was absolutely amazing. Scandalous Desires exceeded my wildest expectations and was quite possibly the best romance I've read all year. It had everything I could have hoped for and more. The writing was superb. The plotting was ingenious. The romance was swoon-worthy. The love scenes were decadently sensuous and utterly beautiful with this couple holding back nothing from one another. The emotions were heartfelt. There were tidbits of humor scattered throughout that had me smiling. The characterizations were extraordinary, with even the secondary players being quite memorable. There was a death-defying climax that had me on the edge of my seat, nearly unable to put it down, and the ending left me positively dying for the next book in the series. What more could a girl possibly ask for in a romance novel?Mickey has definitely earned a spot on my all-time favorite heroes list. Ms. Hoyt did an amazing job of redeeming this bad boy pirate. Mickey is a man who thinks he no longer has a heart. He believes his soul to be black and irredeemable, but nothing could be further from the truth. He is rather baffled by his attraction to Silence, but he can no more let her go than he can cease to breathe. Mickey hasn't experienced much softness in his life except what little his mum provided when he was young, and Silence reminds of everything that is good and pure and gentle. They are things that he hadn't even realized he'd been missing until he met her, and deep down, he somehow wants to recapture that. He's intrigued by Silence, because she's not like the other people around him. His gruff, grumpy attitude at the beginning was rather funny, but it was definitely a case of his bark being worse than his bite. Underneath it all, Mickey is a big marshmallow when it come to “his lasses.” He's just afraid to allow himself to truly care for Silence and Baby Mary, because of things that happened in the past and the threat they now face from his enemy. Mickey has been deprived of love and kindness for so long, he just soaks it up when Silence comes into his life even though he doesn't feel worthy of her care and affection. It's so sweet how he warms up to little Mary and she to him, and how his big, ugly dog follows him around everywhere. I find that babies and dogs can sometimes the best judges of character.:-) Mickey had not one, but two, amazing libraries (swoon), and in fact, he had a weakness for some very surprising things. He was a multi-faceted man who astounded me at every turn. Best of all, I thought it was lovely when Mickey told Silence that if he had been her husband, he would have believed her and listened to her, and he went about showing her that and more throughout the entire story in ways both big and small. I love how he just wants to know all about her and listens to the stories of her life so intently. Mickey was a man who may have taken a while to express his love in words and who didn't wear his heart on his sleeve (at least not at first), but his every action proved how much he cared. Silence was a wonderful heroine, also an all-time favorite, and perhaps the best romance heroine I've read this year. I was drawn to her in the previous books, in part, because of her vulnerability and lack of self-confidence. At first, I was a little bothered that she seemed to have already lost a large part of those qualities when the story opens, until I realized that she actually began loosing them after her very first encounter with Mickey. I think he unwittingly taught her that she could stand up for herself and those she cared about. Since she'd done it with him before, she wasn't as afraid to do it again. It was quite funny how she initially kept defying Mickey as every turn, but ultimately, it was her spunk that earned his respect. Then she earned his love with her kind, compassionate heart. At first, Silence didn't want to think of Mickey as a human being, but she rightly intuited that there was much more to him than what he allowed most people to see on the surface. As she slowly got to know him better, I loved how she never wavered in her belief that there was still a good man lurking inside of him. Silence was brave, stubborn (in a good way), and persistent, always gently pushing Mickey to really examine his life and challenging him to become the man she knew he could be. That, in my book, is the mark of a perfect romantic heroine.The secondary characters were so much fun to read about too. I loved Harry and Bert, the two burly men who Mickey tasked with guarding Silence. It was hilarious how she managed to wrap them around her little finger without even trying, and had them and her maid bringing her food when Mickey mulishly refused to feed her if she wouldn't grace his dinner table with her presence. Mary Darling was, well... a little darling. For such a tiny tyke, she had quite the big personality, yet she very suitably behaved like the one-year-old she was. I chuckled every time she called Mickey, “bad,” but when she warmed up to him, the two of them together were absolutely adorable. Lad, the dog, was funny too. It warmed my heart to know that big, gruff Harry had rescued him from a bull-baiter who was going to drown the poor thing. It was even cuter though that even though Harry saved his life, he'd taken a shine to Mickey and thought he was his dog even though Mickey frequently grumbled at him. Charlie Grady, the Vicar of Whitechapel, a gin dealer and all-around crook, was a crazy and dastardly villain. The identity of the Ghost of St. Giles is finally revealed, and I can't say that I was entirely surprised who he is. Most of Silence's family put in appearances including her sister, Temperance, and brother-in-law, Lord Caire (Wicked Intentions), as well as her brothers, Concord, Winter, and we are finally introduced to the elusive Asa. We also get a couple of brief visits with the Ladies Syndicate who are providing charitable assistance to the foundling home, including a glimpse of Hero (Notorious Pleasures) and an introduction to Isabel Beckinhall, a new addition to the group. She is a widow who seems to have a bit of a mischievous streak and enjoys subtly teasing Winter. These two pair up to become the hero and heroine of the next book Thief of Shadows, and after the cliffhanger ending of Scandalous Desires, I just might explode while waiting for it to be released.;-)Overall, Scandalous Desires was sheer perfection. It was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be and more. I loved it so much I could barely put it down, but at the same time I didn't want it to end either. I'm thoroughly enjoying the Maiden Lane series as I've done with all of Elizabeth Hoyt's books I've read to date, and I'll be waiting with bated breath for the next 6-9 months wondering what happens to Winter. I have a feeling I just might enjoy his and Isabel's book equally as much as this one.Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Hatchette Book Group, in exchange for an honest review.

In the third installment of EH’s Maiden Lane series, she finally gives Silence, a character we met in the first book, and a sister to Temperance and Winter, the owners of the orphanage in St. Giles, her own happily ever after.

We also met the hero of this tale, even though we thought him a villain in the previous books. Mickey cleans up quiet well after we meet get to know him better. On the outside, he’s all ruff and gruff, but deep down, he’s a loving man and very protective of his “family”.

What torched me the most is the love that slowly developed between these two. It was the respect they started to feel for each other that allowed their hearts to open up to love.

If you’ve not read the previous books in this series, have no fear of starting with this one. It stands on its own, but I’d probably read them all, just to get the feel of the world that Ms. Hoyt is gifting us with. I know what I’m speaking of, since I started this series with book nine:)

Melanie for b2b

At first I couldn't believe Mickey was the hero of this book, as I could not see how he could ever redeem himself and become hero material. But he did! IMO it takes a good author to be able to do that. As always: great voice, story, characters and romance.

Scandalous Desires
4 Stars

Following the build up to Silence and Mickey’s romance in the previous books, Scandalous Desires lives up to expectations barring one or two small issues.

Charming Mickey O’Connor is a pirate who makes no effort to conceal his autocratic, decadent and ruthless nature. He is also haunted by the memory of Silence Hollingbrook, the gracious and sedate widow whose reputation and marriage he so callously destroyed. So, when the opportunity arises for Mickey to once again have Silence in his life, he grasps it with both hands.

Despite his rakish charms, it takes time to warm up to Mickey but once his traumatic past it revealed, it is impossible not to fall for him as Silence does. Speaking of Silence, her prim and proper ways conceal a passionate heart and tremendous capacity for love that slowly chips away at Mickey’s cold-hearted facade. Silence manages to charm not only Mickey but everyone in his household from the sullen guard to the cantankerous cook to the smelly bulldog.

Mickey and Silence’s romance is suitably steamy and the suspense plot is fast paced with an action packed climax and a villain who gets his just deserts. Nevertheless, the ultimate revelation of the Ghost’s identity falls somewhat flat and I hope that the next book will contribute more to this storyline.

A liked this historical romance with a good beginning, steamy parts and an exciting ending but it was kind of slow in the middle and I started to wonder if the hero was really as alpha as they set him up to be. Widow Silence goes to pirate Mickey's palace to demand her baby back.

Silence Hollingbrook never wanted to see Charming Mickey O'Connor, the river pirate, ever again after he left her reputation in tatters. But when he reveals that the infant she's been caring for over the past year is his daughter and that his enemies have recently taken an interest in both the baby and Silence, she agrees to stay with him. Will living in such close proximity help Silence see there is far more to the pirate than meets the eye?I usually enjoy Elizabeth Hoyt's historical romances as she writes strong female characters and often uses more than the typical romance novel tropes. However, this novel was nothing but tropes and none of my favourites. Mickey is a possessive alpha male and I couldn't fully buy that Silence fell in love with this man, especially given their early encounters. Not Hoyt's strongest novel and worth giving a miss if you're not a completist.

Silence gets her happily ever after. Mickey isn't the most plausible of heroes, but that doesn't detract from his over all charm.

Silence, after losing her husband was at her wits end, until Mikey O'Connor left at her doorstep a little girl, who Silence considered her own, until Mickey enters her life again, and takes Mary from her, so when she goes to confront him, she finds out that Mary is in danger from Mickey's enemies, and the only way to make sure Mary is safe and protected is to stay with her father, Mickey O Connor, and even though he isn't to be trusted, she knows that she has no choice. However what Silence never anticipated was to fall in love with the king river pirate himself, and that theirs is a love and a passion that sneaks up on them.....Scandalous Desires is the third installment in this series, I did read the first book but I didn't read the second, so I was glad that when I read this one, that I wasn't totally lost or anything. It did help to read the first book though, and I was thrilled to get my hands on Silence's book...I just fell in love with this character in the previous book, but I never thought she would be paired with Mickey, who is the kind of hero you wonder how could this romance ever work out.....but luckily it did and in the most surprising way...with twists and turns in the plot that will leave you feeling pleased. I really loved getting to know these characters alot more....especially Mickey, and digging a little bit deeper into his past, and I also loved the romance in this story...it was a bit different but this story was full of mystery, adventure and witty interaction that will leave you wanting for more and more....just LOVED it!!!

Loved it! Mickey was a wonderful hero, very protective of his woman, and while it took him a long while to realzie he loved her, he wasn't stupid enough to ever think of her as 'just another woman'; she was always special to him. The dialogues were sparkling and witty, sometimes humorous, others poignant but always interesting and attention-grabbing. Silence as a heroine was ok after all; I had many doubts about her as she seemed a bit weak in the beginning for someone like Mickey, but in the end she was able to stand proudly next to him without cowering.I'malso glad that I read Winter's book before this one, as Winter's no a very likable character here; he seemed even more stern and dour than usual (but turned into a very different man in his own book).