I was excited to read this book. I've become a lover of historical romance and the fact that this was described as an erotic historical romance only made me want to read it more.Viola is a courtesan whose life is in danger thanks to the tell-all book she is writing. Lord Leonidas (Leo) approaches Viola, offering to be her protector in exchange for her services. Little does Viola know, Leo's motives are not altogether altruistic.Ripe for Pleasure started off with promise. Viola lived her life as a courtesan without apologies or explanations. And she was not afraid to name names in her tell-all book. Her goal was to make enough money from her books so that she could live out the rest of her life in comfort. When Leon comes on the scene, she's grateful for his help and is more than willing to be his courtesan. She's heard of Lord Leo and his instantly attracted to him.It took a long time to build up to the sex and when they finally did have sex, only a couple of paragraphs were dedicated to it. I was really disappointed considering this is an erotic romance, I thought there would be more smex and definitely more detailed, smoking hot smex. There was none.Ripe for Pleasure was a huge disappointment for me. Because I started reading the book thinking it was one thing, but it turned out to be something else, I was unable to enjoy the story as much as I thought I would. The author provides a lot of historical facts and mentions of authors and books. This part slowed the story down for me because I didn't know who the hell they were talking about. I couldn't get into the romance between Leo and Viola. I didn't find it believable and didn't think they were a good match.If you're looking for a historical romance with romance and historical references, then this is the book for you. It didn't do anything for me because I was expecting something completely different.
