The Pearl

The standalone third installment to Reisz’s erotic Godwicks series (after The Rose) pairs a desperate lord with a domineering hotelier to deliciously dirty effect. Lord Arthur Godwick has spent most of his life cleaning up messes made by his younger brother, Charlie. So when Charlie runs up a 100,000 pound bill at the Pearl Hotel and offers a priceless family heirloom to the owner, Regan Ferry, as payment, it’s left to Arthur to fix the situation. Arthur agrees to spend 10 days meeting widowed artist Regan’s every sexual whim in order to reclaim the painting before his parents discover it missing. Regan, whose loathing of and complicated history with the Godwick clan is revealed piece by piece, takes pleasure in humiliating Arthur—who’s shocked to find he likes it. Their scintillating sex scenes enhance the twisty plot, which takes an eerily paranormal turn with the arrival of the ghost of Malcolm Godwick, Arthur’s great-grandfather. Reisz isn’t content to keep things between the sheets, setting her steamy romance in a fully developed world populated by well-drawn characters who will steal readers’ hearts. Moments of snarky humor add a lighthearted counterpoint to the novel’s darker themes. This is erotica done right. (Dec.)