Untouched
3.5/5
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About this ebook
A second dark and dangerous romance from the rising star of regency noir. 'I am many things,' Lord Sheene said. 'Kind is not one of them.'Beautiful Grace Paget has no reason to doubt these words. After all, she was kidnapped, spirited away to a remote country manor, and told she is to grant this man his every desire ... or lose her life. But Grace is no common trollop. So she risks everything to save her virtue by planning a daring escape, even though she finds herself tempted by this dangerously handsome man. there is something in his eyes that makes her wonder if he is not as cruel as he would have her believe ...Sheene knew nothing of the plan to bring him this woman. Locked up as a prisoner, called 'mad' by all of society, he will do anything to reclaim his life, and Grace's sensuous beauty has distracted him from his goals. And although he finds her irresistible, he is horrified to hold her against her will. Now, together, they must both revolt against the strange set of circumstances that have forced them together - for only then will Grace truly surrender to him ... forever.'Anna Campbell writes a breathtaking historical romance! Untouched is magnificent. Five Blue Ribbons.' Romance Junkies'Anna Campbell is an amazing, daring new voice in romance' Lorraine Heath
Anna Campbell
Always a voracious reader, Anna Campbell decided when she was a child that she wanted to be a writer. Her historical romances have been critically acclaimed and have won numerous awards, including the Australian Romance Readers’ Favourite Australian Romance Author from 2009 to 2012, and Favourite Historical Romance for Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed , Untouched, Captive of Sin and My Reckless Surrender. Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed also won Best First Meeting of a Couple, Best Love Scene and Best Cover for 2012. Anna lives in Queensland.
Read more from Anna Campbell
Midnight's Wild Passion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Captive of Sin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Reckless Surrender Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Match Made in Mistletoe: A Regency Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Her Christmas Earl: A Regency Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tempt the Devil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winter Wife: A Christmas Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stranded With The Scottish Earl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Pirate for Christmas: A Regency Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mistletoe and the Major Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Christmas Stranger: A Regency Novella Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5These Haunted Hearts: A Regency Ghost Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Days Of Rakes And Roses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Untouched
107 ratings11 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This 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 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) - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I didn't enjoy this as much as Claiming the Courtesan, I think because of all the cruelty the hero had to endure. The characters are engaging, though I'm not sure that the virgin hero theme is for me.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Overall a great story. Kind of sad given what the hero had to endure for most of his life. While I liked both the hero and the hero, the story was somewhat repetitive. Also, it was hard to believe at some points, particularly the part where the virgin hero becomes a love-making stud literally overnight. Too, I think one key point of conflict was too easily abandoned, that of Matthew's reluctance to sleep with the Grace because it meant that his uncle would win.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Very flimsy.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a good story. The first part is quite melodramatic, reminding one of the gothics, minus the supernatural elements. The dramatic escape, and rescue are almost over the top. Then things are swen up neatly. My only criticism is that the author does not allow the characters any time or energy to have issues with what happened to them. It would be rare for someone to get over an attempted rape in a few hours or nearly a decade in captivity in a day or two, or even a year.
But still, it is a story, requiring a willing suspension of disbelief to carry through to the happy ending. But as far as I can tell, its worth it. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed this book, beyond what I thought I would. A woman is kidnapped because she is mistaken for a common whore, and she is taken to the country and put on an estate where a Marquess is being held against his will. This Marquess had a fever at 14 (I wish they would have gone more in depth, I wanted to try to diagnose him) and was declared insane. This insanity claim has persisted for several years, and he has been held captive on a rural estate with treat walls and 2 diligent guards, but he is allowed to study and plan experiments, and he has obviously been well educated. I really enjoyed how he performed scientific experiments on plants- it made me more interested in how he had fall ill and how he had recovered. They end up sleeping together- the first for him, she was a widow of a man who spirited her away from home with slick words at 17- and they fall in love. It's a great story if you want one that isn't the normal run of the mill but ends up being a page turner despite all odds!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An intense read. Campbell paints a very dark, disturbing but emotionally engaging picture. The hero has been captive since he was 14 and knows nothing of women or sensual pleasure. It was truly a pleasure to read a hero who was not the consummate ladies man, but experiencing his own sexuality for the first time, too. The chemistry between the characters is electric, the villain very hate-able. A worthwhile book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What a great ending, full of suspense this book was, and fiery hot love. Being held captive together can really bring someone together - even if one thinks himself an insane man and the other was once a widow.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Untouched
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 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. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Compared 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 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 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. All this seemed clichéd, just filler before they jump into bed together. It’s after they get over these 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.) 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 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.