Title: The Pleasure Chest Author: Jule McBride
Published: September 26, 2006
Genre(s): Romance: Contemporary
Page Count: 256
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Is she dreaming? New York artist Tanya Taylor is amazed—and incredibly turned on—when real-life pirate Stede O'Flannery magically appears in her bedroom ready for action. The dark-haired, green-eyed, sexy seafarer is shirtless, strapped with a sword—and those breeches? They leave nothing to Tanya's naughty imagination.
But he looks just like the subject in the wild and mysterious old painting she's just bought. The truth is Stede has one week to break a fateful curse. He's got to fall in love—and fast. Good thing Tanya, with her chestful of toys, knows the most pleasurable ways to a man's heart. After all, doesn't she deserve something deliciously wicked out of the deal, too?
Sometimes, you just want a book that’s fun. A book that’s a bit silly and knows that it’s silly, and doesn’t try to overtax your brain or make demands on you. The Pleasure Chest by Jule McBride is just such a book. This is a time-travel/pirate romance set in modern-day New York City. It’s sort of the book-version of the movie Kate & Leopold, maybe. In the late 18th century, Stede O’Flannery (yes, that’s his real name!) winds up cursed and spends the next few centuries trapped in one of his own paintings. Aspiring artist Tanya finds the painting in a thrift store, and out pops Stede. He has one week to fall in love, or else he’s going back into the painting. Sexy shenanigans ensue!
What’s nice about this book is that it’s pretty straight forward. Stede O’Flannery needs to fall in love, and Tanya’s going to help him do it. That’s it, that’s the plot. It’s simple, but it works because the characters are charismatic as hell and because McBride tackles the story with a wink and a shrug. She’s aware she’s writing a preposterous story, but don’t we all need a preposterous story every now and then? No shame here!
This is a Harlequin category romance, so it’s obviously a tad bit abbreviated, but I felt that fit the story perfectly. McBride gave her characters depth in relatively few words, and Stede and Tanya were developed as both individuals and potential life partners. They were both really likeable, too, which was nice. Stede, especially, was a charming, honest, humorous and kind person—not your typical alpha-asshole pirate character. Overall, I just really wanted to root for these characters and for them to somehow break the curse and get their Happily Ever After—exactly what a good romance should do.
So, yeah. The Pleasure Chest was eminently satisfying. It’s well-written, a bit campy, but completely genuine and self-aware. I really, really enjoyed this. How can you go wrong with a hero named Stede O’Flannery?
