EVERY NIGHT I'M YOURS

Author: Christie Kelley ISBN: 1420103512 2/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: KENSINGTON
Time Period: Regency

A WOMAN YEARNING FOR A TASTE OF THE FORBIDDEN… At twenty-six, aspiring novelist Avis Copley intends to wear spinsterhood as a badge of honor. But when she discovers a volume of erotica that ignites a searing fire within her, Avis realizes just how much she doesn't know about the actual pleasures of the flesh. Determined to learn more, she devises a daring plan… A MAN READY TO TEACH HER MUCH, MUCH MORE … Avis chooses Emory Billingsworth, a fellow novelist—not to mention a beautiful specimen of manhood—to instruct her in carnal pleasure. But when the brash earl of Selby, Banning Talbot, a man she has known for years, unearths Avis' true intentions, he claims she's made a dangerously bad choice. Volunteering his services for one wicked night of reckless, abandoned passion, Banning promises he will satisfy all of her deepest longings. Yet Banning cannot begin to imagine the effect his willful, voluptuous, and very eager student will have on him—or how far an innocent lesson in desire can go…

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

EVERY NIGHT I'M YOURS by Christie Kelley was such a treat that I read it twice. That's right, it was so good I read most of it a second time. My first impression, from the blurb and cover, was that this would be another steamy romance with more emphasis on steam than plot. Boy, was I in for a surprise! Ms. Kelley has written a delightfully original Regency romp that not only warmed my heart, but made me laugh out loud, too. The dialogue is witty, intelligent and saucy. The characters are just extraordinary enough to be loveable, but not so quirky that they're weird. Overall, this is one of the best stories I've read this month—and I've read a lot of them.

Avis Copely wants to be a novelist. She doesn't much care about adhering to the social mores of the day, which works well because when she finds a book with less-than-ladylike qualities, she is neither aghast nor insulted. Rather, the erotic volume intrigues Avis. She is chagrined by her lack of sexual knowledge and sets out to have a few erotic lessons of her own. Her chosen teacher is cast aside when Earl Banning Talbot makes himself available for her use in her "lessons." The predictability factor—the fact that the two find romance, something patently obvious from the start—hardly seems to matter. Instead, the focus is on the characters. Avis is wonderful, a modern woman whose honesty and sincerity make her unforgettable. Banning's attention to Avis' emotional needs as well as her physical, brings him to the top of my Perfect Hero List. Banning is a hot, hunky hero but has a gentle, loving side as well. The romance between this intelligent, fun couple sizzles!

EVERY NIGHT I'M YOURS is heartwarming and tender, a perfect love story.

Kay James