A Taste of Pearl: A free romance

Loved a story that starts off with instant attraction and continues to build throughout the story line. The only downfall was that Alexander was just too perfect . But I kept in mind that this only the beginning of the story and that could change as the story progresses. Looking forward to the next book.

I really enjoyed this book . I like that they used an older women . I wish they would have made the guy a Lil older but it isn't that big a deal I got lost in the story which is why I read watching books through my imagination is relaxing and this story flowed easily

I ended up borrowing all three Pearl Series books from my local library (trying to save some $). I enjoyed reading the trilogy but some parts of the book to rough to get through (espeially in book two) ; but by the end of book three everything comes together.

an excuse (not a reason, which has value) to write 'sex scenes' -- and write them poorly. this book actually has a beginning and an ending (skipped to end to see), it just has no middle. it does have sex -- not love, romance, or even 'how-was-your-day', just how many ways can you do it.

I just finished this book. I thought overall it was ok however nothing really wowed me.The book is centered around a women who makes documentary for a living. She wants to interview a wiz kid and misses him. Later on they meet and things go from there. I had a few issues with the relationship they have. The first is the sex in this book just could or would not happen ever like she described.Most guys would not be that open to some of the wild things she does right off the bat. The other issue I have with the book is its mostly about the sex scenes and a lot less about them as people.

However the good is I did like the female character as she is well fleshed out and is very believable. The male lead in the book is a predictable french millionaire and I found him to be a bit dry and kind of one dimensional compared to the female. This book is a series so far I have only read the first. I sort of wish the book would have been a little bit more conservative instead of crazy sex right off the bat. The ending without spoiling anything felt forced to me and a little strange. Not a bad book at all. I would like to read more of this authors work.

Side note: since this is a series wouldnt it make more sense to cut down on some of the kinkier sex and make it more about the emotional part and work up to the wilder stuff later? As the relationship grows. I think that would make more sense to me.

Very interesting play on the 2 stories. Though I'm a bit rusty on the Graduate, I recognized it for what it was. The chemistry is somewhat believable, however I feel the author could've spent more time really developing each character. Don't feel like I want to know more about these two to continue with the series, at least not $3.99 for 9 chapters.

Loved the book. Not only about hot and steamy sex but a beautiful story. A lot of substance touching on many aspects of real life. The fact that the heroine is a mature woman really pulled me into this series (because I just bought the trilogy). Alexandre is young yet the writing is so good that the fact that he is 15 years younger than Pearl doesn't really come to kind until she reflects on it. Empathizing for Alexandre at the end of this book feeling used by Pesrl...

Excellent writing and character development. Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

WARNING: this book is only the first nine chapters of the first book in the trilogy. Not a stand alone. I typically hate cliffhangers but I am really glad I read Pearl the 5 book series is awesome!!

Yet another BDSM-flavoured romance to cater to the overly-enthusiastic dabbler crowd. Not the worst I've read, but none of the books I could describe in such a way would ever be high up on my list of things to recommend to others. As far as BDSM or D/s goes, I figure you might as well read the best if you're going to read anything at all. This doesn't qualify in that bracket.

That said, it's not terrible. I wasn't a fan of anyone in this book, but none of them are so bad as to warrant throwing my phone across the room, so that's something. I was particularly NOT fond of Alexandre ... which is awkward, since he's meant to be the scintillating hero of the story, someone who dazzles the titular Pearl into doing everything he wants. It just doesn't work. Alexandre is neurotic and hypocritical, arrogant and inconsistent. As a Dom, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him (and from the description Richmonde gives of his physical build, I wouldn't even be able to pick him up). There's the fact that he claims not to be into any of that stuff -- bondage, power play, etc. Yet it's all right there as soon as he gets Pearl in the bedroom. He never explains this discrepancy, and Pearl is too chicken (or desperate for attention) to demand some kind of firm stance from him.

His sister Sophie is a fleeting figure -- possibly she gets more airtime in the subsequent novels. I'm not going to read them, so I guess I'll never find out, but from what little we are told of her, she comes off as a woman with a lot of intelligence and street smarts, little to no self-control, and horribly violent tendencies. Provoked? You could argue that. It doesn't change the disgusting mental image Richmonde chooses to leave with you when Sophie's past is partially revealed. Not too keen to get to know her with that kind of introduction.

Pearl herself comes across as flighty, weak, and as I said, desperate. She isn't the sort of heroine I'd root for, though perhaps her overly-realistic failings might make her easier to empathise with for older or similar readers. The title of this review comes into play here: possibly Richmonde's target audience is older than I am (somewhere at the nether end of my twenties). Pearl's ripe for the picking, of course ... but I haven't read many books in this genre that so highlight a heroine's pitiful state of emotional neglect. In "A Taste of Pearl", it isn't just a facet of who she is and what she's bringing to the story -- it's almost all of her character, i.e. 'Pearl, the woman who hasn't had decent sex ... pretty much ever'. Alexandre sweeps in, all handsome, charming, successful, brooding, and tormented, and she falls over into his arms with nary a protest.

It bored me more than anything else. As a free taster for the rest of the series, it didn't do its job of hooking me in -- in fact, it made me want to avoid anything else by this author. She's not a bad writer in a technical sense, but ye gods, give me characters I can get all emotional over, whether that's in loving or hating them (instead of merely feeling contempt for them)! Give me a plot that I can sink my teeth into! Give me a reason to tell my friends about your book!

And don't leave a mediocre story on such a ridiculous cliffhanger at the end. When the bait fails that hard, it just feels like the ultimate reason not to continue a series.

Beautifully written story. Intense and oh so sensual. Romance and then boom he finds out what she didn't tell him. So yes I will buy this series and enjoy every word. Arianne Richmonde you write so beautifully that I could picture every bit of this series in my mind. You have a new fan.

A really boring read with characters that are just unbelievable. The storyline is ragged and have no true or deep meaning. I don't love or enjoy any of the characters. There was just no wow. The story could have been developed a lot better.