Notorious Pleasures is the perfect example of a great story destroyed by annoying secondary characters. I would have given this 4 or 5 stars if only Thomas, the hero's older brother to which the heroine was engaged, did not exist. 
 Thomas was a lying, cheating hypocrite. He put up this air of perfection and morality, when in fact, he has less morals than a 10-year-old. He was such a bitch to Griffin, the hero. He had the gall to lecture him about being a gentleman when he was far, far from being one! For example, he never planned on leaving his mistress even though he was going to marry Lady Hero. 
 Here's what he said to his mistress: 
 He sneered his words, but she looked at him wonderingly. "Areyou jealous, Thomas? I can't think why, since you're the one who broke it off when you decided to marry Lady Hero." 
 He looked away from her too-perceptive face. "I never said we had to quit, only that we wait a decent amount of time after the wedding. A year at most. I could've bought you a bigger house if you wanted it. A carriage and team." 
 "The money never had anything to do with it." 
 "Then what did?" 
 She sighed. "However provincial it might seem to you, I don't wish to carry on a liaison with a married man. It's rather sordid, don't you think? Besides, I've seen your Lady Hero and she seems a nice girl. I shouldn't like to hurt her." 
 He grit his teeth, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "Are you saying you care more for my fiancee than me?" 
 And then he guiltripped Griffin and Lady Hero because of their budding attraction to each other. What a fucker. 
 This was such a waste, really. I loved Lady Hero. Others didn't like her priggish and uptight nature, but I did. I think it's because I'm really prudish and priggish in real life so I can relate to her. Griffin was delicious and amazing as well. It took me a while to get over my instant dislike of him (because of what he did in the first chapter) but he redeemed himself wonderfully in the story. 
 Unfortunately, my love for the leads was overshadowed by my hatred for Thomas. If there is one thing I absolutely hate in life it's cheating. So for all the Thomas characters out there: