The Courtesan Duchess (Wicked Deceptions)

I seldom give five stars unless a book is truly good, and this one was. I liked this book so well I stole time to read it in less than a day. This has been extremely unusual for me lately. The premise of the story is the hero married the heroine 8 years ago and then fled England for the continent, having never consummated their marriage. The heroine is abandoned by his family and has none of her own to see to her interests. So when the hero’s cousin starts using his influence over her missing husband’s finances to force the heroine into his bed, she decides to find her degenerate husband and get pregnant with his heir so she can take back the finances. After getting lessons from a prominent courtesan in London, the heroine accomplishes her mission, but falls in love with her husband in the process. He falls in love with the courtesan she is pretending to be, and then flies into a rage when he learns of her deception. The rest of the story is based on their reconciliation and happily-ever-after ending. Pros 1. I actually liked the heroine. This has been rare for me as of late. She has a problem, she tries to solve it. I don’t have to be told how bold she is, I see it in her actions. In her desperation to save herself, her aunt and their servants. She is willing to buck society and learn from a courtesan, she hunts down her husband, and she seduces him. Yes, she runs off when she realizes she’s in love with him, especially given her deceit. I found that a little harder to believe, given her dire straits and need for an heir, but okay, I still liked her. 2. I liked the hero. Yes, he’s a cad, especially at first, but you can actually sympathize with him when you learn more about him. And you see it for yourself when he cares about his friend (who is actually helping the heroine with the deception). I also felt like his actions and responses were genuine. He didn’t suddenly become a gentleman when he returned to England, and I love, love, love how he handled his cousin who was trying to force his wife into performing sexual favors. 3. There were genuine sparks between the characters. 4. There was also genuine tenderness between the characters. 5. I wanted the characters to get together. I really wanted to see them get their happily-ever-after. 6. I liked the supporting cast, too. They each have personalities. Simon, the white knight. Quint, the disheveled gentleman. Fitz the devoted bodyguard. Aunt Theo with her cakes and sherry. And I like that they care about their friends, look out for them. 7. The steamy scenes were good. Not just passable, but good. Some of them worth reading twice. 8. There was a plot, and it made sense in the context of the story. Yes, the pregnancy was a little too easy in a week (but plausible), and yes a virgin courtesan is far fetched, but, okay. No more ridiculous than a lot of romance novels. Yes, I predicted the ending and the whodunit part. But this is a romance, not a mystery. The fact that the author laid foundations so I knew who was behind it and what they were about is so much better than the dues ex machina I see in so many romance novels. Cons 1 - (Spoiler alert) I never understood why the villain killed the hero’s older brother if her motivation was to be the duchess. She was already married to the heir of the dukedom. Never understood why she hires someone to kill the hero years ago, either. 2 - I did get a bit tired of some of the contrived reasons the characters couldn’t get together in the last quarter of the story. I literally rolled my eyes when the hero took up rooms in the nearby village because he worried his wife wouldn’t want him near as her due date approached. There was a bit too much of cutting off their nose to spite their face going on. I get that they were angry with each other and that it took time for them to build trust, but I would have rather seen them building this while being true to their feelings and let external issues play more of a role in keeping them apart. All in all, one of the better romance books I’ve read in a long time. I recommend giving it a read.

Rating 4 1/2 Stars Okay, a couple of months ago one of the authors I'm friends and follow said that The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe was a must read. So, I told myself okay I'll added to the scary TBR list. Then I saw that The Courtesan Duchess was doing a book tour, I decided I must be part of this band wagon. You know what I'm so glad, because this sinfully delightful page turner was definitely to checkout. I mean it has all the elements for a great book: 1) Fantastic cover. We all know I'm a coverwhore. 2) The title. The Courtesan Duchess which could mean a plethora of things. 3) The blurb. The duchess learns to become like a courtesan to garner her husband attention. For one thing that sounds like trouble and fun. Usually you find trouble and fun together more times than not. At the beginning, we have Julia on a mission to seduce her husband and eventually end up pregnant. Julia enlists the help a courtesan to help learn the art of seduction, who better than to learn from the master of seduction. Have a buddy take her to see her husband and pretend to be her lover to garner the attention of reprobate husband. Everything starts go according to plan until the part she starts to lose her heart to reprobate husband. Wow, I'm amazed by the The Courtesan Duchess, because it's a fantastic read. It has a great mixture steam and plot for a debut story. It's a page turner, granted it did slow down a little about halfway through the story, but it still captured my attention. The first half the story is filled with heat and passion, then Julia starts to develop a conscience about her duplicity. So, it's understandable to have Nick angry at his wife, and even believing she wasn't candid about the whole situation. Nick isn't without faults, but I think the author did a good job on his arrogant manwhorish character. We see Nick and Julia trying to work through their pride and deciding if what they have is even worth trying to save. Here's the bottomline: Fantastic start to a promising series. The Courtesan Duchess starts out with a bang. It's a sinfully delightful read that will have you not wanting to put it down. I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series. I'm sure that they will be captivating like The Courtesan Duchess. Copy provided by Zebra via NetGalley.

An interesting take on what you have to do to get your man!

Sono rimasta subito intrigata dalla trama di questo romanzo, per cui approfittando del prezzo davvero basso dell’ebook l’ho subito scaricato. Ormai nel romance non si può più inventare niente di nuovo, ma quella di The courtesan duchess è un tipo di trama che mi piace molto. Julia e Nick sono sposati da otto anni, eppure si sono incontrati solo in occasione del loro matrimonio: lui non ha mai tollerato quella moglie impostagli con un ricatto dall’odiato padre e quindi subito dopo le nozze è andato sul Continente, a gozzovigliare in giro per l’Europa guadagnandosi la fama di Duca Depravato. Nel frattempo la moglie, in balia di una suocera arpia e del viscido parente del marito che ha preso in mano le redini dei possedimenti e delle finanze del duca, si è vista via via decurtare sempre più la rendita. Julia giustamente non ce la fa più, e l’unica soluzione, visto che non può accettare le disgustose avences di Templeton (il viscido di cui sopra), le sembra quella di rimanere incinta del marito. E come fare se il marito non vuole neanche sentirla nominare? Semplice: dopo aver preso lezioni dalla più famosa cortigiana di Londra, si fa accompagnare dal migliore amico sia di lei che di lui a Venezia, città dove si trova Nick, e lo seduce. Il suo piano riesce perfettamente: il marito non la riconosce perché l’ha vista solo al matrimonio e lei si è tinta i capelli di rosso, ha preso lezioni da una prostituta quindi sa tutto su come far impazzire un uomo, soprattutto a letto, e subito dopo essere deflorata corre via a lavarsi dal sangue cosicchè suo marito non possa sospettare di niente. C’è un solo neo: non ha previsto di innamorarsi del marito. Eh sì, perché i nostri due eroi, dopo la settimana più intensa della loro vita, si innamorano perdutamente l’uno dell’altra. Ma l’idillio finisce, e lei torna in Inghilterra senza nemmeno una spiegazione (e con la pagnotta nel forno)… Il libro è spaccato decisamente in due parti totalmente diverse l’una dall’altra: la prima, ambientata a Venezia, è decisamente più erotica, e vede la nascita del sentimento tra i due, seppur con l’inganno. La seconda, ambientata in Inghilterra, è quella delle accuse reciproche, dell’odio-amore, della colpa e del perdono. Ho apprezzato anche come, nonostante Nick si comporti davvero malissimo con Julia, non possiamo dargli tutta la colpa, perché anche lei ha sbagliato, probabilmente avrebbe potuto trovare un altro modo per risolvere i suoi problemi. C’è anche una piccola sottotrama gialla, che vivacizza un po’ il romanzo, col solito difetto dei romance che vede i gran cattivoni sul più bello darsi agli spiegoni anziché agire, ma io l’ho apprezzata lo stesso. Un bel romanzo, in cui anche i personaggi secondari sono ben tratteggiati. VOTO 7,5 Grado di comprensione 90-95%: veramente facilissimo, e ottimo anche per imparare i phrasal verbs che qui abbondano ma sono inseriti in frasi veramente facili.

I liked that even though you could predict where Julia and Nick end up in the big picture, they didn't give in so easily. It made for a long and interesting story that felt the perfect length. This story really was about them and the rest came along for the ride. However.... What really happened with Theo and Fitz after ever after? Update: If you find the jacket summary grates against your beliefs and not intriguing, you probably will not like this story. This may not follow the usual love plot but it is their story. I read this book not to read a plot of idealistic love parallel to my life experiences and dreams or the story of great couples around me but to enjoy reading about another's story for what it is... Another's story... flawed or not. Whether people (not unlike characters in a novel) deserve that forgiveness or not is not up to for us to decide for them. Julia didn't just have sex with her husband and all was well. It took consideration, time and certain reinforcing actions (all essential components I believe to forgiveness) to realize that love will let them attempt a future together. That in itself is beautiful. And isn't stepping out of the past and onto to a fresh new canvas the point of forgiveness anyway?

In dieser gut geschriebenen Regency-Romance versucht Herzogin Julia den ihr fast unbekannten Gemahl, verkleidet als käufliche Lebedame, für sich zu gewinnen und so einen Erben zu produzieren. Vor acht Jahren von seinem verstorbenen Vater zur Ehe gezwungen, treibt sich der Herzog seither überall in Europa herum und kümmert sich weder um sein Erbe noch um seine von seinem Cousin bedrängte Ehefrau. Eine interessante und schöne Geschichte mit viel Erotik, Täuschungen und enttäuschten Menschen, die weitgehend überzeugt. Leider hält das Niveau nicht bis zum Schluss durch, wird vorhersehbar, dafür gibt es das schöne und erwartete Happy End.

I liked this book, though I wanted to hit Colton over the head a few times (as a few other characters professed a desire to do as well). The ending was a bit predictable and somehow felt both rushed and drawn out, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.