Devon's Ebuzz: Lessons and Lovers by Portia da Costa

Wendy Wootton aka Portia Da Costa's website is here and her blog here. click click click for summary Aristocratic English widow Lady Henrietta Miller is confused. A perfectly civilized arrangement has become a minefield of turbulent emotions. Even while she mourns the loss of her dear, much older husband Piers, she's having intense, breathtaking sex with Starr, his fiercely loyal personal assistant. The fact that her incapacitated husband actively encouraged her to sleep with the virile younger man doesn't make things any easier. And her inner conflict becomes even more muddled when Hettie starts to realize that it is much more than simple lust she feels in the arms of the enigmatically handsome blond servant. Starr's emotions are in turmoil too. Bound by honor to revere his late mentor's memory, he can't deny his passionate feelings for Hettie. He loves her. He's loved her since he first met her. But until now he's been able to conceal it beneath a mask of immaculate manners and controlled English reserve. The arrival of an attractive male houseguest and summer break in the country bring this complex, simmering relationship to a boil... Devon can be found at her blog, Is that a stake in your pocket? Devon's Buzz This book is about an aristocratic English widow named Henrietta, and her relationship with her late husband's faithful manservant, Starr. While her much older (but beloved) husband was dying, he encouraged Hettie to begin a sexual relationship with Starr, who's up for it, being a loyal servant. Of course, he's secretly madly in love with Hettie, and Hettie's growing to have feelings for him. Now her husband has passed away, but Starr refuses to take it any further because of the whole master-servant thing. Which is actually sort of nonsense, because this book was a contemporary, not a historical. Things are brought to a head when Hettie's Italian aristocratic friend sends some amnesiac hot Italian dude to stay with her. I liked this book with a lot of reservations. Starr was totally hot, with his secret seething love for Hettie. And the sex scenes were sexy and I believed their feelings for each other. [Tangent-- I find the devices that Romantica authors use to speed the relationship along (and pave the way for early and often sex scenes) fascinating: soulmates, former lovers, longtime friends, employer/employee...] However, I found the whole reliance on the class differences, master/servant thing to be a bit weird and anachronistic. Then again, as a American, perhaps I don't understand the role of the aristocracy in contemporary Europe. And Hettie was a supersexed widow. She was turned on by everything! Had me rolling my eyes in some scenes. Eh, it was okay, I've read worse. excerpt bes here and you can buy the book here... Thanks for the buzz, Devon!