Pleasure In The Pages: My first love.

This, my dear friends is the reason I love books the way I do. This one book caused everything to change. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved to read prior to this book and sometimes you would find me with a Dan Brown Novel, or Stephen King, or whomever caught my fancy at the time.. But one fated trip to the library, one curious woman just poking around, and one treasure to be found later and WHAM! Love at first read. So let's go to the beginning shall we?

One day (as most stories begin) I brought my children to the library. There was really nothing better to do and I think at that time my penchant for movies was at an all time low. So while the kids looked for books to check out I just meandered through the isles looking for something to jump out at me. Back then I did NOT read romance novels. I thought them frivolous and down right boring - who knew? So, back to roaming the isles and nothing really catching my eye, I kept going. I got to the romance section and gave a mighty huff. I think the librarian thought I was going crazy because I kept bypassing the section with my nose in the air. Back and forth I went and I was not going to relent. There was NO way I was going to grab something from the romance section. I even sat on a chair for a while just to people watch. The clock is ticking slowly and so back up I went to see if I could find anything, I thought maybe a biography would be nice. Yeah, OK. So finally I admit defeat and head to the romance section. By this time the librarian was smirking and trying not to laugh at me. Did I tell you guys this was a very small library? Well, it was. So off I go into the "forbidden zone". I start looking around, reading the blurbs on the back of the books to see what catches my eyes. Nothing! Making a slow circuit around the romance department was a bit tough, I have to admit. I look over to my right and there it was. I go over like some magical spell has been cast and I can only think about grabbing the book before someone else snatches it up. Funny thing is that, there weren't many people in the library. So, I grab the book and read the blurb on the back and said to myself "hmmm..." so off we went, back home with a few books and one romance book. Oh good lord, what the hell did I just pick up?!

Some days later, I brought the book with me (at this point I hadn't started it yet) while I waited for my oldest to get out of school. There's not much to do in the car besides listen to music, so I opened the book and started to read... and read... and read...! My son finally came out and I was literally pissed off because he interrupted the story. LOL! Can you imagine?! We all went home, I did my mommy duties and after everyone was in bed I picked up the book again. Holy shit! I finished it in one sitting. That was the beginning of a great love affair with Mrs. Eloisa James. The following week I returned the book and asked the librarian to find me whatever published book she had out at the time and reserve them for me. The poor librarian who was trying really hard not to laugh at me just smiled nicely and assured me she would call me as soon as they arrived. She also pointed out other books that were similar to Eloisa's, but that's another tale for another time.

Needless to say, I have read and re-read her collection. I have also bought each and every one of them in paperback. Yes, the bookstores loved me. I have even bought some paperbacks for friends just to share my love of her with others. The rest is history. She is basically the reason why I am a "reader" to the extent that I am. I will be forever grateful for her presence in my life, even if she doesn't know it. Her books captivated me with every single page. With every single sentence I read, she touched a part of me that I, myself, can't describe. She is one of my all time Historical Romance favorites and I thank her so very much for her gift. My love for her and her writing will be ever lasting. I know, I sound like a sap. :)

If you haven't read historical romance before, she is one to definitely pick up. The picture above is the third book from her "Pleasures" Trilogy. It can be read as a stand alone, but to get the true effect of the people involved in the story, I recommend that you read it from book 1. The rest of her books are just simply AMAZING and I still collect them on paperback form. I look forward to each and every one of her new releases like a child would look forward to a present at Christmas time!