Hope Tarr brings sensuality to a peak with her newest historical release, The Tutor. Following the conclusion of her "Men of Roxbury House" Victorian trilogy, Hope Tarr decided to give secondary characters innocent Lady Beatrice Lindsey and rogue Ralph Sylvester, their own story.
The Tutor begins with Ralph and the horrors of his childhood, giving readers a bit of a background on him and what he has had to endure growing up, thus the reason for his instabilities. The story then focuses on the "present" with Lady Beatrice (Bea) leaving her newly married sister's, Lady Katherine, home to return to London at the summons of her father. There is a sizzling spark between Bea and Ralph, who works for her sister's husband, Rourke, and who is also a good friend. Bea's sister tells her, however, that Ralph `eats little girls like her for breakfast', and to set her mind away from the likes of him.
It is nine months later and Bea is betrothed to a kind, stable, yet fairly boring man. Bea comes to stay with her sister for a week and once again is met by Ralph. It is with a bit of thought that Bea comes to the conclusion that Ralph would make the perfect tutor for her, with his many accomplished ways in... sex. After an encounter of little satisfaction with her betrothed, Bea takes it upon herself to learn the pleasurable ways of lovemaking, thus allowing her to teach them to her soon-to-be husband.
Ralph is shocked and surprised by Bea's request to be taught the pleasures of the flesh. But given he's yearned for Bea since setting eyes on her all those months ago, this seems like the perfect solution. What neither of them counts on is that as their sexual desires are met, their hearts blossom and tangle themselves deeply within one another's souls.
Both Bea and Ralph deem themselves unworthy of one another and there is still the troublesome fiancé waiting for Bea. The clock is ticking, and the week of Bea's stay is coming to an end and the end of nightly delights and daily teasing between the two--forever. While able to overcome any insecurities of the body, will Ralph and Bea be able to overcome the insecurities of their hearts, before it is too late?
In all honesty, I have to say that The Tutor sizzles. The lovemaking scenes cover a vast array of activities, including bondage, oral sex, submission, as well as self pleasuring. However, Hope Tarr's writing style puts these scenes in a very well written way, without making it pornographic or crude. The chemistry between Ralph and Bea is mesmerizing and titillating. In addition to the strong physical scenes and attraction between the two, the story of their blossoming love is enduring. The combination of all angles makes for a very hard-to-put-down story and one that will leave the reader with a smile on their face.
I do want to mention, that while The Tutor focuses on characters from a previous series, which I have not yet had the pleasure to read, I had absolutely no trouble getting into the story and characters as a standalone book. The way the story opens gives a bit of needed background information, with tidbits of previous incidents throughout to keep the reader up to speed.
Hope Tarr does a fantastic job setting the historical time with the use of period dialect. One such instance that stands out is the term for condom which was once called a "French Letter ". Another instance is the term of one being pregnant is "breeding". I do have to admit that the idea of a pregnant woman being a woman in "breeding" wasn't too thrilling to me. However, it does show the setting of the times, which is the early 1890's.
The Tutor is an excellent story for anyone looking for a fun, steamy read. I do want to say that three quarters of the story is sexually based, so be prepared for that. Hope Tarr is a most delightful author and I greatly look forward to reading more by her in the very near future.
