WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES is the first book that I've read by Lecia Cornwall. There are many supporting characters in this book that have appeared in previous stories. As a reader who is new to this author, I was able to enjoy and follow the story without having read the previous books. Major Lord Stephen Ives lives up to the dashing figure on the cover of WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES.

Stephen and Lady Delphine St. James experience a spark of attraction as soon as their eyes meet across a crowded ballroom. However, Stephen suppresses his initial attraction. He got the mistaken impression that she's the type of woman who would only be interested in him until a wealthier, titled suitor comes along. He couldn't be more wrong. They both end up in each other's orbit when he returns from war a blinded and injured soldier. She gently nurses him back to health, not out of pity, but because she feels that she is in love.

There are two main storylines in WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES -- the romance that develops between Stephen and Delphine, and the mystery of who is slandering Stephen and accusing him of cowardice and theft. I think both are equally compelling and enjoyed them immensely. The mystery does not take the focus off the romance. I love the romance between Stephen and Delphine. While confined together, they get to know each other and the attraction builds between them. They become friends and Stephen realizes how wrong his first impression of Delphine was. One of the things that draws Delphine to Stephen is that she feels as though he sees her as a person rather than her dowry or what marrying her could do for him - like other men who have pursued her. The tight bond that is established between them is something which contributes greatly to the eroticism.

I love books about wounded heroes. A story with a main character who struggles to overcome difficulties in life makes for a textured character and usually a more interesting story. One thing I always worry about with these stories, is whether the injured hero will take out his frustration and pain out on the heroine. Happily, this was not the case with WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES. Stephen does feel a lot of frustration, and he does try to push Delphine away at one point, but I never felt that he was being verbally abusive to her. As a reader, this is something I am particularly sensitive to, and it would have tainted the reading experience if he had been like that. In her own way, Delphine is a very strong woman. I like that she speaks up for herself and doesn't let her family or friends push her into marrying somebody. She is firm without being disrespectful. She knows what she wants in a romantic relationship and won't settle for anything less.

WHAT A LADY MOST DESIRES is an erotic romance with strong characters and an exciting story! One of the supporting characters who was central to the story, in addition to being one I adored, was Sergeant Alan Browning. He is a wounded soldier himself and I loved how Lecia Cornwall fleshed out that character. I hope he turns up one day in a story of his own one day. I look forward to reading more books by Lecia Cornwall in the future.

Book Summary

True desire always finds a way . . .

On the night before the final battle against Napoleon, Lady Delphine St. James finds herself dancing with the one man she has always wanted, Major Lord Stephen Ives. He makes it clear he has no time for a lady he sees as flirtatious and silly, but as the call to arms sounds, she bids him farewell with a kiss that stirs them both. When he returns gravely injured, she is intent on caring for him, even if his surly behavior tests her patience.

After the battle, Stephen is not only wounded and blind, but falsely accused of cowardice and theft. The only light in his dark world is Delphine, the one woman he never imagined he could desire. But she deserves more than he can give her.

As their feelings deepen and hidden enemies conspire to force them to part forever, can their love survive the cruelest test of all?