London, England, and Italy – 1800’s

Lord Elliot Rothwell is the youngest of four brothers, and considered the most normal of them all. The eldest, Christian, lives in his own world and may not be seen for days at a time, as did Hayden before he married Alexia. Elliot is also able to petition his mind into little rooms where he takes himself at will, but he is more aware of what is going on in the world around him than Christian. So, it is quite unusual that Christian is out of his private rooms in order to have a discussion with Elliot.

The brothers have heard rumors of a book of memoirs written by Richard Drury, and in them is an article hinting at less than honorable dealings by their father, who is now deceased. Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook, expects Elliot to find this manuscript and do whatever is necessary to keep their family name from ruin. This duty takes Elliot to Italy, where he expects to find answers to disprove what is written in the memoirs, as well as to find Drury’s illegitimate daughter, Phaedra Blair, to make her an offer she can’t refuse. Oh my, is Elliot in for a rude awakening!

Phaedra Blair lived with her mother, the infamous free-thinking Artemis Blair, internationally known to believe in free-love, among other radical beliefs. Artemis taught her philosophy to Phaedra every day, and even after her mother’s death, Phaedra is true to those beliefs. She is outspoken and lives in her own little world as polite Society does not receive her. Phaedra is a beautiful woman of pale skin and long silky red hair, and is generally misunderstood by everyone. Phaedra is instantly struck by Elliot Rothwell's male beauty and experiences desire when she looks into his eyes. This desire is mutual and only grows as this couple spends more time together. An incident in an old-fashioned Italian village is the catalyst that brings them close and changes the course of their futures.

I found this couple to be one of the most unusual I’ve ever read about. They live in opposite worlds and have very different beliefs, but they both value honor and honesty. Elliott has allowed Phaedra to know exactly what he wants, both in regards to the manuscript and to her. They strike a bargain, one they will have to live with, and not very happily at times.

Elliot has a protective streak a mile long, a trait Phaedra wishes he didn’t have most of the time, but they understand each other and the reasons they react the way they do. Author Madeline Hunter writes in a way that readers can understand why her characters think as they do as she links their pasts to the present. She brings together two of the most unlikely candidates to ever fall in love, yet it happens, but not without serious problems developing along the way.

LESSONS IN DESIRE has a bit of suspense built in to the story, and keeps the villain well hidden until the end of the tale, so I would suggest NOT reading the back of the book first or it will spoil your fun getting there. Though there are many secondary characters to fill in the tale, nearly every page further develops the relationship between the main couple. I must say I enjoyed Elliot’s character much more than I did Phaedra’s, even though Ms. Hunter did a great job in presenting her. I’m hoping that we will get the eldest brother’s story next. I believe the woman who catches the marquess will have to be something very special, as he is a very strange man.

Carol Carter