Untouched

Untouched is a standalone by Anna Campbell. This was one of my romanceopoly picks and this has also been a book on my TBR that has been so long and I finally got to this story and it was completely bonkers but simply delightful. I just had so much fun with this book and it was so different from what I was expecting. But so fascinated to see where the author went with this one. I think those that enjoy darker or edgier elements in historical romance will really enjoy this one. So if you are fans of Kerrigan Byrne, then this is one that you need to read.

What impressed me the most about this one was seeing how this couples comes together early on in the story and fight against their enemy. The blurb I know sounds CRAZY and it kinda is, but show more its the kinda crazy that you can get behind. So basically the set up is the hero was sick as a child, and his uncle claimed him "mad" so that he could get a hold of his fortune. He is one of the wealthiest lords in the Ton but for some reason he hasn't been able to find anyone that believes him over his uncle and is a prisoner. His uncle kidnaps a widow to be his "mistress" to keep him under control. So the hero and heroine decide to work together to bring down his uncle.

Untouched was such a pivoting read and I was all into this book. It was super atmospheric and had a gothic feel to the story and I really enjoyed the vibe of the story. It was so unique and different than what I have read in historical's lately, so it just had such a refreshing feel to the story. The hero is more alpha in some aspects but is also so attentive to the heroine. I love how he is with her, and the way that these two become such a team. The heroine was wonderful in this one, in what she is willing to sacrifice for him. The stakes are high in this one, and the plot was so well fleshed out in this one.

I do think fans of edgier romance need to give this one a try! Its a super superb read that just had me fully invested! show less

Untouched
3 Stars

Mistaken for a prostitute and kidnapped, Grace Paget finds herself in a remote country manor where she is told to service a prisoner with a history of insanity or die. Matthew Lansdowne is determined to never give his despicable uncle the satisfaction of participating in his malicious games, but Grace tempts him like nothing else can. Together Grace and Matthew must face the harsh circumstances in which they find themselves and perhaps find a measure of happiness in their shared desires … while they still can…

Starts out really well but languishes in the middle and the ending is too drawn out.

Grace and Matthew are both likable as individuals - she is spirited and sympathetic while he is sexy and tortured (just the show more way I like ‘em). Unfortunately, what little chemistry they have feels forced given the setting and the sex scenes come across as mechanical rather than sensual.

The villains evoke much stronger emotions. The revolting Monks and Filey are enough to make anyone’s skin crawl and Matthew’s Uncle John is repugnant. However, the fact that John manages to escape the punishment he so richly deserves by committing suicide is another strike against the book.

The ending is also problematic as Grace decides to be self-sacrificing despite Matthew’s obvious love for her, and gives him the opportunity to sow his wild oats before committing herself to him - really?! The man gets down on his knees and begs you to marry him and you walk away *sigh*

All in all, a disappointing read. Nevertheless, given the abundance of rave reviews there is obviously something about Untouched that appeals to many readers so take my review with a grain of salt. show less

I picked this up on sale, not realizing I had read it before until I started reading once more. The premise is that Matthew, Marquess of Sheene, is imprisoned on a small estate, treated as a madman so his uncle can pillage the marquisate. Grace Paget, an impoverished widow, is kidnapped and brought to him since he's never had a woman, and his uncle thinks this may placate him. Grace is more than she seems, and she's determined to rescue the young man.
It's a good romance with lots of tension, though I found the story a bit unrealistic in some aspects this second time around. Therefore, I downgraded it from 4 to 3 stars.

Grace Paget is lost in a bad part of town when her cousin fails to meet her coach. Then she is kidnapped drugged and taken to an isolated estate. When she comes to she finds out they think her a doxy and have brought her to service the young Lord. Matthew, Lord Sheene has been imprisoned at this estate since he was 14 and came down with a brain fever, giving his greedy uncle the opportunity to declare him mad and take over his wealth. It is now 11 years later and his uncle has decided to provide him with some female amusement. The 2 are at odds until they discover the truth about each other. Then they agree to aid each other and try to devise some means to escape. Lascivious henchmen, a cruel guardian, Grace's disgraced past and show more Matthew's impossible situation make for a suspenseful story. show less

I liked this book but to be honest I expected more than that. I liked the author's writing style, the dark atmosphere and the tortured hero. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the heroine. She actualy pouted and finally lashed out like a harpy to the hero, for not satisfying her sexually(!) after their first time together. Her actions and attitude towards the end didn't help with the negative impression I already formed for her.Besides these facts, the story was original, the plot intriguing, the hero lovable and the dark, opressing atmosphere artfully presented. I was moved enough after reading this, to buy Campbell's first book, Claiming the courtesan, even though I'm not a fan of courtesan heroines.

Compared to this author's debut effort, Untouched outstrips Claiming the Courtesan by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, considering how much I disliked the latter, that's not saying much. I was prepared for a very far fetched story, so the heroine waking up drugged and in chains, held prisoner to service the baser needs of the purportedly mad hero didn't turn me off. But even though I was willing to suspend my disbelief, the wild improbabilities of this book are hard to swallow. Even harder to stomach is the flagrantly overblown prose that accompanies the huge dramatics of the story. It was mostly this writing style that got in the way of my enjoyment. I just couldn't get past the heavily loaded sentences, the metaphors run amok, the show more hyperboles that are supposed to convince me of grand, sweeping, powerful emotions. It was overkill, to say the least.

Which is too bad, because I actually kind of liked the characters hidden under all that torturous, mangled verbosity. They interacted with each other in interesting and genuine ways, seemed like individuals in their own right dealing with the untenable nature of the disaster in which they find themselves trapped. Matthew has been held captive by his evil uncle on trumped up charges of insanity (he had brain fever when he was younger, but has since recovered.) His uncle, as part of some obscure dastardly plot that I sill haven’t quite worked out, or maybe to placate Matthew or something, has provided him with a whore to take care of Matthew's manly urges. Poor Grace Paget is mistaken for a harlot, kidnapped, and imprisoned with Matthew. They spend a lot of time being distrustful of each other, and it’s tiresome that Matthew thinks she’s in league with his uncle for so long. Then comes a tenuous friendship, which was nice to read. Then the agony of denied passion as they try to keep their hands off each other – Grace can’t besmirch her precious honor and reputation. Matthew doesn’t want to besmirch his honor and play into his uncle’s hands. There’s also the little problem of Grace’s life being forfeit if she doesn’t jump into bed with Matthew.

All this, while extravagantly hyped up, seemed clichéd, just filler before they do jump into bed together. It’s after they get over their scruples that things start to get interesting and their romance develops in ways that seem unique to this couple – mostly thanks to their bizarre circumstances and because Matthew is an original character in this respect. His love for Grace is believable (even if his super duper sexing powers stretch the imagination - he’s a very quick learner, let’s just say. Though I really liked that his first time wasn’t exactly a success. I couldn’t believe, but was very impressed, that a hero was allowed to be less than perfect in the bedroom, at least temporarily.) The tragedy of their relationship is, admittedly over the top, but still wrings sympathy from me. While they are discovering and getting to know each other, the story is interesting and pretty fresh. And even though the plot quickly nosedives into the predictability of martyrdom and separation afterwards, I wasn’t expecting too much from the book, and so am able to focus on the good that came briefly before the tedious pacing as our two lovers strive to overcome and escape the evil uncle. Untouched had some ok moments, and it was readable, even enjoyable in this respect. So, as a small consolation, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. show less

This was my first time reading Anna Campbell; and I want MORE!

Edit on Jan. 6, 2011

Okay. I had to come back and do a proper review of "Untouched."

I had not read anything of Anna Campbell before, but after reading this, I will definitely look for more of her work.

I liked how she wrote Matthew, our Hero and Grace, our Heroine. They were both believable characters that stayed true to their selves. I will admit to having a slight bit of problem with the premise at first until I thought back to the time it appears to be set in and realized, it was a probable scenario.

The love scenes were well written and I found Grace's reaction after the first time very realistic. I have to agree with some of the reviewers that the beginning of the book was show more a bit slow, almost tedious, but well worth continuing to read as it hits its stride about midway through, and keeps you wanting to read after that point.

My rating is 4.5, but I am unable to show that in the rating area, so doing it here.

(Disclaimer--I received this as a free copy in a contest at Facebook by the author) show less