Desire

by Amanda Quick

Book Overview

From the windswept, craggy coast of a remote British Isle comes the thrilling tale of a daring lady and a dangerous knight... bound by the tempests of fate--and the dawning of... Desire Upon her father's death, beautiful, headstrong Lady Clarre knew that she must wed, for the protection of the Isle of Desire new fell to her. Yet when her guardian's choice of prospective husband rode through her castle gates, she felt utterly betrayed. All sinewy muscle...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553561537
• ISBN13: 9780553561531
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Breathtaking!

As any avid Amanda Quick reader knows, she usually sticks to the London 'ton' for her settings, but in _Desire_ she uses the middle ages as her backdrop and it is glorious! As is evident in all her works, Ms. Quick has a talent for bringing an atmosphere to life and such is definitely the case with _Desire_. The setting for this story is a remote British isle known as 'Desire' -- a land rich in flowers which thrives on the perfume trade that results from cultivating those blossoms. Ms. Quick describes the panorama so wonderfully that you will feel as if you can smell the endless fragrances of the isle. Not only is the scenery captivating, the characters are vibrant, lively and fascinating. Gareth is strong, brave and somber. When he arrives on the isle it is reputed that he never laughs. Clare is energetic, loyal and just exactly what Gareth needs to bring laughter into his life. Again, Ms. Quick delivers characters so well suited for each other that it is inevitable that they fall in love. As is always the case with Ms. Quick's work, _Desire_ is full of humor. This is clearly apparent in the scene following the wedding night -- it is classic and oh-so-funny! It had me very nearly rolling on the floor! Though not as prominent as in some of her stories, the mystery comes into play near the end and drives the book on to an exciting and touching finale. I was once again amazed by Ms. Quick's ability to snare a reader from the first and keep the story so exciting that it is impossible to stop reading. All in all, _Desire_ is a delightful gem of a story full of love, laughter and heady aromas that will leave you wanting more. Possibly the only thing that could have made this book more enjoyable would have been a glimpse into the future of our couple. If you're interested in seeing another book by Ms. Quick set in the middle ages, try _Mystique_. It is of the same high quality and showcases Ms. Quick's flare to adapt to any setting be it the ton or medieval times.

Hearts' Desire

One of Amanda Quick's very best books, this is HIGHLY recommended! Ms. Quick shows in her many books that she is a scholar who does a lot of research into the background settings of her books. This can range from all sorts of scientific facts to archeological information to, as in this book, the growing of herbs and flowers for essences and perfumes. She creates characters in this book that are incredibly real, you can see them, sense them, even feel like you can touch them. They are also immensely likable, and the chemistry between them is formidable. The plot in this book forms smoothly and the tension builds little by little until the great confrontation. Humor and double entendres are liberally sprinkled throughout the book, and make it a thoroughly enjoyable read. But it is the touching love story between the characters that melts heartstrings and makes it a hard book to put down, and and even harder for the reader when it is ended. It is an unforgettable romance.

Desire

This is by far one of Amanda Quick's best. Lady Clare is one of the most life-like characters and her hero Sir Gareth is priceless. The humor is appealing and refreshingly placed throughout the book and often takes you by surprise. Definitely recommended when you have all day to read. You won't want to put it down until you finish.

A Wonderful Romance With Lots of Laughter

If you love to laugh, you'll love this book. I have read all of Amanda Quick's books and am anxiously awaiting her next. This one is definitely a favorite of mine and quite unique. We begin with an illegitimate, landless, although still honorable knight. While quite the expert with his sword, he, unbeknownst to others, wishes to be a scholar. He loves to learn but has never discovered how to laugh. His father and liege lord recieves a recipe for a husband from our fair heroine, the Lady Clare. In her recipe, she requests a knight who is of medium size (Gareth is extremely large), of even temperment and good sense of humor (what's humor?), and intelligent (he CAN read). She wishes to choose between 3 or 4 knights, just not Sir Nicholas. The lord sends his son to compete with only one other, Sir Nicholas.The fun really begins when you picture this great, masculine warrior in the midst of an island of flowers (Lady Clare makes perfumes and is quite talented). He is amazed to find that Clare is surprisingly cunning (he likens her to a lawyer) as she points out how he doesn't match her recipe. But since she has only a choice between Gareth and Sir Nicholas . . .The laughs begin on the eve of her wedding when everyone, including a couple of nuns, her best friend, and her old nurse, question her virtue and supply her with what seems to be a gallon of chicken blood.Through this and other hilarious episodes, Gareth learns about love and laughter. Clare learns that maybe bigger is better.My only wish would have been to see Clare pregnant or ready to give birth before the end of the book. I love to see grown men (especially macho, grown men) get all panicky when the big moment arrives. A great read full of light-hearted romance.

Ah, for the good old Quick days

After reading some of her recent (very) idiotic books, I went back to the book that got me started on AQ. I swear, it does not compare. THIS is a wonderful story. But lately, all her books are THE SAME: Bluestocking/spinster obsessed with unfashionable stuff (metaphysics, ancient cultures, godawful precious stone, unsolved something or other, etc) hires man of affairs (I swear, if AQ uses that phrase ONE MORE TIME) and even though she has kept herself pure, she has sex with him at the first opportunity. Then, there will be a sex scene in some bizarre setting (cave, dusty museum, etc) and some run of the mill complication, but, aided by their nutball relatives/house staff/friends, the mystery is solved/treasure found/murder solved, etc, and there you have it. In the godforsaken case Ms. Quick reads this. Please please, stop assembly-line-ing your books. I have a computer program that does better, and I want a hero and heroine I have not met before, for god's sakes.