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The Painted Lady
A DESPERATE BEAUTY TRAPPED BY FATE
Sadness shadowed Fleur Brook's lovely, famous face. Because of her young husband's success as a painter, all of Paris and London's beau monde recognized the proud, dark-haired woman who had not only been his wife but his most inspiring model. Few knew the secrets behind his untimely death and the terrible betrayal that had left Fleur without a penny and with a heart she felt had turned to stone.
A DARKLY BROODING NOBLEMAN ENSNARED BY PASSION
Reserved and understatedly elegant, Sir Anthony Camwell could not have been more different from the exuberant Frederick Brooks -- except in his captivation by the exquisite Fleur. Now, newly widowed, she had reluctantly accepted Sir Anthony's proposal of marriage, although she remained indifferent to his touch ... not noticing the flame that burned behind his cool gray eyes.
A BARGAIN BORN OF DESIRE
Amid the lavish surroundings of the Camwell ancestral estate he was fire, but she was unmelting ice. Then he made his stunning offer: her freedom and a fortune to live on if she agreed to his terms -- five nights of unquestioning, unrestrained surrender to what he planned to teach her ... the exquisite art of love.
Sadness shadowed Fleur Brook's lovely, famous face. Because of her young husband's success as a painter, all of Paris and London's beau monde recognized the proud, dark-haired woman who had not only been his wife but his most inspiring model. Few knew the secrets behind his untimely death and the terrible betrayal that had left Fleur without a penny and with a heart she felt had turned to stone.
A DARKLY BROODING NOBLEMAN ENSNARED BY PASSION
Reserved and understatedly elegant, Sir Anthony Camwell could not have been more different from the exuberant Frederick Brooks -- except in his captivation by the exquisite Fleur. Now, newly widowed, she had reluctantly accepted Sir Anthony's proposal of marriage, although she remained indifferent to his touch ... not noticing the flame that burned behind his cool gray eyes.
A BARGAIN BORN OF DESIRE
Amid the lavish surroundings of the Camwell ancestral estate he was fire, but she was unmelting ice. Then he made his stunning offer: her freedom and a fortune to live on if she agreed to his terms -- five nights of unquestioning, unrestrained surrender to what he planned to teach her ... the exquisite art of love.
370 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
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July 6, 2011
When I first read The Painted Lady by Lucia Graham, I totally hated Fleur and felt so bad for Tony and his unrequited love. Upon further rereads that initial judgement has changed considerably and now it is one of my favorite books with a permanent place on my keeper shelf.
The strange thing about it is the book is told in Fleur's first person POV and that is my least favorite method of storytelling. I have been known to consign books to the catbox for first person and have no regrets in doing so. I have come to the conclusion that the Painted Lady really would not be as effective a romance if it were told any other way.
Fleur starts out as morose, moody and self centered, she has a bedrock of ice in her soul and this coldness freezes out the reader and hinders truly liking her. The genius of the first person pov is that as Fleur begins to deal with the anger, grief, betrayal and lost love that has haunted her for so long, her emotional warming translates to the reader warming to her character as well.
Fleur has had some incredibly awful things happen to her in her life, desertion by her father, the deaths of those closest to her, including a child that she has never been able to grieve with anyone for, and the threat of public exposure of the most intimate portraits of her young love for Frederick. Fleur is taught that respectability is the ultimate goal and yet her husband's selling of those portraits is a betrayal of her love and teaches her that any feeling or passion is dirty and corruptive. Fleur loves Frederick in innocence, she gives herself in joyful abandon to him and allows him to paint her in provocative poses as an expression of her love. Sadly, that love and intimacy is destroyed and turned into something lascivious and ugly that makes Fleur feel ashamed to have given herself so freely and afraid to express any type of passion.
Strangely, with the widespread availability of video equipment now, there are even more parallels in this day and age to the shattering ugliness of intimate portraiture abuses than when the book was written. Fleur has been damaged very badly and it is no surprise she rejects Tony as she does. You want to sigh in anguish when she lies to Tony, you want to smack her when she kicks him out of her bed but you also feel her shame and anguish so much, you almost have to empathize with her choices.
Tony isn't much better emotionally than Fleur at the beginning. He doesn't really see Fleur as person who has had some bitter and painful experiences. He sees the object of his adoration and infatuation, the seed of love is there but it hasn't really flowered. He proposes marriage, convinced he can make everything okay for Fleur with his love and his money but he really has no clue what drives her emotionally except fear. He hasn't the same experiences as Fleur and he can't really relate. He doesn't know her well and she can't communicate with him on any meaningful level, she can't even communicate with herself at this point.
Tony finds out that infatuation and adoration are shallow substances and when he fails to reach any meaningful communication with Fleur and instead gets harsh rejection, he justifiably loses it. Rejection hurts and it hurts even more when your love lies about returning your devotion. His subsequent turning to sex with women who look like Fleur isn't very pretty or mature, but entirely understandable. I never really dislike him for that, Fleur isn't pleased but then she is not having to salvage a massive ego blow from having your lovemaking completely rejected and a cold bitter woman telling you no way can you ever melt her heart.
That is the failing in Tony's character at first, his love is comprised of a great deal of passion and lust for Fleur physically with no mental or emotional comprehension of her needs and while passion isn't a bad thing, it isn't going to help him gain Fleur's trust and understanding. She has been betrayed by passion and those pictures are her greatest shame while for Tony they incite his desire and stir his jealousy. He doesn't understand the depth of the grief and pain Fleur has endured and so he decides that Fleur can earn her freedom by indulging in passionate interludes he designs.
On one hand the five nights request is Tony's attempt to satiate the frustrated passion Fleur has engendered in him but on another level this is Tony's desperate attempt to communicate with Fleur in a meaningful way and maybe establish a common ground for a loving relationship. Fleur does respond to the passion and by allowing passion back into her life she is able to allow the other emotions of grief and anger release as well. The physical sex with Tony allows her to actually verbalize her emotions and it is when she is able to tell Tony of her life experiences that he is able to see her as a real person and fall even more in love. One of the saddest parts of the book is her grieving over her child and the compassion Tony radiates as he listens to her pain is one of the pivotal moments in their relationship. You begin to believe this relationship might actually end happily and Fleur might recover.
Despite the first person pov, Ms. Graham does deftly slip in accurate references to what is happening with Tony though the use of other character's descriptions. The other characters see more clearly than Fleur, and it is their depictions of Tony's actions that show where he is at emotionally with Fleur. The most poignant moment in the book for me is when Tony gives her the check and tells her she is free to leave Charingworth, because it is at that moment that you realize how deeply he now loves her. From Guy's foreshadowing of Tony's feelings at the train station and the scene in which he gives her money and tells her he will support her with whatever she needs, you can feel his anguish as he lets her go but you know now he is truly seeing her as a person and he really loves her.
Fleur still hasn't learned the lessons of the night of the ride when they make love in the woods where she feels so safe as she realizes he is gentle and that he protects her from the tree bark, she hasn't learned to tell him she trusts him and loves him. Fleur just needs time though, and her stint as an English teacher gives her the space to fully acknowledge and come to terms with her past, her emotions and to fully acknowledge her love for Tony.
One of the best lines in the book is when Fleur realizes her relationship with Tony is wonderful not because he slays dragons for her but because his support enables her to slay her own. That one line makes the entire story worthwhile and we finally see both Tony and Fleur as wholly healed people with some deep scars but finally able to build a happy loving life together. Some reviews claim the reconciliation scene is too short but I dispute that statement. I think the whole time starting at Charingworth and beyond is one long reconciliation, as hearts are mended, emotions are healed and two people discover the depths and heights of true love.
The strange thing about it is the book is told in Fleur's first person POV and that is my least favorite method of storytelling. I have been known to consign books to the catbox for first person and have no regrets in doing so. I have come to the conclusion that the Painted Lady really would not be as effective a romance if it were told any other way.
Fleur starts out as morose, moody and self centered, she has a bedrock of ice in her soul and this coldness freezes out the reader and hinders truly liking her. The genius of the first person pov is that as Fleur begins to deal with the anger, grief, betrayal and lost love that has haunted her for so long, her emotional warming translates to the reader warming to her character as well.
Fleur has had some incredibly awful things happen to her in her life, desertion by her father, the deaths of those closest to her, including a child that she has never been able to grieve with anyone for, and the threat of public exposure of the most intimate portraits of her young love for Frederick. Fleur is taught that respectability is the ultimate goal and yet her husband's selling of those portraits is a betrayal of her love and teaches her that any feeling or passion is dirty and corruptive. Fleur loves Frederick in innocence, she gives herself in joyful abandon to him and allows him to paint her in provocative poses as an expression of her love. Sadly, that love and intimacy is destroyed and turned into something lascivious and ugly that makes Fleur feel ashamed to have given herself so freely and afraid to express any type of passion.
Strangely, with the widespread availability of video equipment now, there are even more parallels in this day and age to the shattering ugliness of intimate portraiture abuses than when the book was written. Fleur has been damaged very badly and it is no surprise she rejects Tony as she does. You want to sigh in anguish when she lies to Tony, you want to smack her when she kicks him out of her bed but you also feel her shame and anguish so much, you almost have to empathize with her choices.
Tony isn't much better emotionally than Fleur at the beginning. He doesn't really see Fleur as person who has had some bitter and painful experiences. He sees the object of his adoration and infatuation, the seed of love is there but it hasn't really flowered. He proposes marriage, convinced he can make everything okay for Fleur with his love and his money but he really has no clue what drives her emotionally except fear. He hasn't the same experiences as Fleur and he can't really relate. He doesn't know her well and she can't communicate with him on any meaningful level, she can't even communicate with herself at this point.
Tony finds out that infatuation and adoration are shallow substances and when he fails to reach any meaningful communication with Fleur and instead gets harsh rejection, he justifiably loses it. Rejection hurts and it hurts even more when your love lies about returning your devotion. His subsequent turning to sex with women who look like Fleur isn't very pretty or mature, but entirely understandable. I never really dislike him for that, Fleur isn't pleased but then she is not having to salvage a massive ego blow from having your lovemaking completely rejected and a cold bitter woman telling you no way can you ever melt her heart.
That is the failing in Tony's character at first, his love is comprised of a great deal of passion and lust for Fleur physically with no mental or emotional comprehension of her needs and while passion isn't a bad thing, it isn't going to help him gain Fleur's trust and understanding. She has been betrayed by passion and those pictures are her greatest shame while for Tony they incite his desire and stir his jealousy. He doesn't understand the depth of the grief and pain Fleur has endured and so he decides that Fleur can earn her freedom by indulging in passionate interludes he designs.
On one hand the five nights request is Tony's attempt to satiate the frustrated passion Fleur has engendered in him but on another level this is Tony's desperate attempt to communicate with Fleur in a meaningful way and maybe establish a common ground for a loving relationship. Fleur does respond to the passion and by allowing passion back into her life she is able to allow the other emotions of grief and anger release as well. The physical sex with Tony allows her to actually verbalize her emotions and it is when she is able to tell Tony of her life experiences that he is able to see her as a real person and fall even more in love. One of the saddest parts of the book is her grieving over her child and the compassion Tony radiates as he listens to her pain is one of the pivotal moments in their relationship. You begin to believe this relationship might actually end happily and Fleur might recover.
Despite the first person pov, Ms. Graham does deftly slip in accurate references to what is happening with Tony though the use of other character's descriptions. The other characters see more clearly than Fleur, and it is their depictions of Tony's actions that show where he is at emotionally with Fleur. The most poignant moment in the book for me is when Tony gives her the check and tells her she is free to leave Charingworth, because it is at that moment that you realize how deeply he now loves her. From Guy's foreshadowing of Tony's feelings at the train station and the scene in which he gives her money and tells her he will support her with whatever she needs, you can feel his anguish as he lets her go but you know now he is truly seeing her as a person and he really loves her.
Fleur still hasn't learned the lessons of the night of the ride when they make love in the woods where she feels so safe as she realizes he is gentle and that he protects her from the tree bark, she hasn't learned to tell him she trusts him and loves him. Fleur just needs time though, and her stint as an English teacher gives her the space to fully acknowledge and come to terms with her past, her emotions and to fully acknowledge her love for Tony.
One of the best lines in the book is when Fleur realizes her relationship with Tony is wonderful not because he slays dragons for her but because his support enables her to slay her own. That one line makes the entire story worthwhile and we finally see both Tony and Fleur as wholly healed people with some deep scars but finally able to build a happy loving life together. Some reviews claim the reconciliation scene is too short but I dispute that statement. I think the whole time starting at Charingworth and beyond is one long reconciliation, as hearts are mended, emotions are healed and two people discover the depths and heights of true love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2015
Not much to say about this one. It is what it is. If you're a fan of endless angst in a similar vein to Sherry Thomas, Cecilia Grant, or Judith Ivory's Bliss, knock yourself out with The Painted Lady. If that style makes your insides twist into pretzel-shaped spasms of horror, avoid The Painted Lady at all costs.
Like Bliss, the setting of this book intrigued me. But -- also like Bliss -- an unusual setting couldn't compensate for the flood of plotless, overwrought angst. The heroine, Fleur, spent pages upon pages whinging about her dead husband, her dead baby, her courtesan grandmother, her lack of stable parentage, her lack of friends, her lack of money....blah blah blah. In the same breath, it's clear she's not so friendless, loveless, & devoid of resources as she claims. Most women in Fleur's situation would count their lucky stars when circumstances conspire to force a marriage with someone they already know & care about...let alone the fact that Fleur didn't need to marry anyone at all, assuming she'd just ask for help from her friends. But no. Instead she whinged & moaned about losing her lowly independence & still loving her dead husband while being half-in-love with Anthony & how she hasn't had peen in two years & ZOMG HER DEAD FETUS. (Every little thing reminded her of that damn miscarriage. C'mon, woman. Grow a spine.)
After 80-some pages inside Fleur's head, I couldn't stand to live there anymore. The woman just wouldn't STFU her endless pity-party splooge.
Grahame's writing isn't bad in the technical sense. But I've said the same thing about fellow romantic angst-wallowers Thomas, Grant, & Ivory. Even when (if?) an actual plot device struggles to peek above the water, it's chained to a bag of bricks & drowned beneath the next diatribe o' forced emoz.
Swapped away. These kinds of romances just aren't my style.
Like Bliss, the setting of this book intrigued me. But -- also like Bliss -- an unusual setting couldn't compensate for the flood of plotless, overwrought angst. The heroine, Fleur, spent pages upon pages whinging about her dead husband, her dead baby, her courtesan grandmother, her lack of stable parentage, her lack of friends, her lack of money....blah blah blah. In the same breath, it's clear she's not so friendless, loveless, & devoid of resources as she claims. Most women in Fleur's situation would count their lucky stars when circumstances conspire to force a marriage with someone they already know & care about...let alone the fact that Fleur didn't need to marry anyone at all, assuming she'd just ask for help from her friends. But no. Instead she whinged & moaned about losing her lowly independence & still loving her dead husband while being half-in-love with Anthony & how she hasn't had peen in two years & ZOMG HER DEAD FETUS. (Every little thing reminded her of that damn miscarriage. C'mon, woman. Grow a spine.)
After 80-some pages inside Fleur's head, I couldn't stand to live there anymore. The woman just wouldn't STFU her endless pity-party splooge.
Grahame's writing isn't bad in the technical sense. But I've said the same thing about fellow romantic angst-wallowers Thomas, Grant, & Ivory. Even when (if?) an actual plot device struggles to peek above the water, it's chained to a bag of bricks & drowned beneath the next diatribe o' forced emoz.
Swapped away. These kinds of romances just aren't my style.
March 11, 2013
Yann Tiersen -Amelie Soundtrack La Noyee
Bat For Lashes - What's a Girl To Do
Lana Del Rey - Paris
Enrique Iglesias feat Ciara - Taking back my love
Bastille-Bad blood
I had seen mention of this book around the web.Some raved about it while some seemed to hate it. So I decided to see for myself what it was all about...and wow it was a ride.
Sir Anthony Camwell sees Fleur Brooks one evening in 1880s Paris.He cant help but envy her charming artist husband Fredrick Brooks.
********** ****** ********
Two years later Fleur has lost her child at birth and her husband is dead,leaving her almost penniless.Not an ideal situation.
Through a former patron of her husband she is introduced to Anthony
and they soon strike up a friendship (from her side at least) and going on outings whenever he finds himself in Paris. She even considers that given time she might become in love with him.
So things are quite idyllic until one day however Fleur is approached by a shady art dealer who has in his posession some paintings made by her husband depicting her in various risqué poses. The art dealer threatens to expose them to the public wich could mean Fleurs reputation would be destroyed.
Unless... she can pay her for them. Feeling trapped in an impossible situation Fleur finding herself unable to pay considers becoming a prostitute.
But soon thereafter Anthony offers her marriage and desperately she suggests and feigns that she is in love with him too. This white lie soon unravels when Fleur fails to rouse any feeling during their marital relations.
Angered at her deceit Anthony starts acting cold and withdrawn and Fleur is forced to examine that she did something wrong in marrying without love and at the same time trying to scrape together money for the paintings. But in this lie is also discovered.
And thats all I can say. A LOT of thing happens in this book.Its a rollecoaster but somehow its all kept together.
Neither the heroine or hero are perfect,wich is quite an understatement to say the least they both have their flaws and insecurities.Some could even say crippling psychological tendencies.
The heroine played a big part in the discord in their marriage being emotionally shut off and idolizing her dead husband.The hero was raised by a cold mother and liking to be in control of things.
And these examples are just the tip of iceberg.
Yes the hero cheats in this book,I usually hate when they do that but in this case there were some factors that mitigated this. Strange as it sounds.
It has some hint of a bodice ripper romance in some racy sex scenes but in the end what truly takes the centerstage is the hero and heroines emotional interaction. The first chapter is in the heros viewpoint and the rest is written from the heroines in first person.So we are as clueless as Fleur about Anthonys actions.
I am not sure I can explain clearly what captivated me about this book,but in the end I think it was how it dares to be unusual.Sadly this was the only book the author ever wrote.
The reason why its not a 5 star review is because at times I just wanted to bang some sense into the couple.And also a sex scene that was very emotional but a bit too exotic for my tastes.
This is not a book for someone who want a light uncomplicated read but if you want something a bit darker and moving (and very racy)this is the book for you.
If you like this bok I would also recommend:
The Portrait
To Love An Earl
Melissa.[
[book:The Duke of Shadows|3112394]
To Love An Earl
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2014
2.5 stars
A very uneven book this one, as the first 150 pages were too slow, too descriptive with little to no dialogue and then the mood changes completely as passion, lust, pride and anger fill the pages with passionate arguments and some quite naughty and unusual (for such an old HR) sex scenes.
Basically, the slightly flowery language and lack of dialogues for the first half were a big turn off for me, while my disapproval of the heroine's actions in general sealed my dislike for the book. I got tired of her stupid, cowardish behavior (and I do not include the decision to marry Anthony as one, because I did find it logical at the time), her constant change of mind (saying "No, I will not to this" and then giving in in the next page), as well as her letting her lust guide her for most of the second part. I thought Anthony was better, but he also proved me wrong near the end with the revelations about the early days of marriage coming out. In short, it was a very melodramatic but well written story between two people set out to hurt each other, without reason or point, just for the angst of it. Had I liked them better I'd probably ended up loving the book, but as Fleur was far from my ideal heroine, I just couldn't come to care for her and her woos. They were some parts that were very passionate though and angsty and for these I do not regret reading it.
A very uneven book this one, as the first 150 pages were too slow, too descriptive with little to no dialogue and then the mood changes completely as passion, lust, pride and anger fill the pages with passionate arguments and some quite naughty and unusual (for such an old HR) sex scenes.
Basically, the slightly flowery language and lack of dialogues for the first half were a big turn off for me, while my disapproval of the heroine's actions in general sealed my dislike for the book. I got tired of her stupid, cowardish behavior (and I do not include the decision to marry Anthony as one, because I did find it logical at the time), her constant change of mind (saying "No, I will not to this" and then giving in in the next page), as well as her letting her lust guide her for most of the second part. I thought Anthony was better, but he also proved me wrong near the end with the revelations about the early days of marriage coming out. In short, it was a very melodramatic but well written story between two people set out to hurt each other, without reason or point, just for the angst of it. Had I liked them better I'd probably ended up loving the book, but as Fleur was far from my ideal heroine, I just couldn't come to care for her and her woos. They were some parts that were very passionate though and angsty and for these I do not regret reading it.
July 26, 2008
Pretty good book. Fleur Book is married to a famous painter.
Anthony Camwell sees her while having dinner with a friend in Paris and is enchanted with her.
She has a miscarriage at 6 months and goes into a deep depression and her husband along with her. Her husband is in debt and sells 5 paintings of hers (the kind of paintings that no one was ever supposed to see) and pays off his debts and then drowns that same day.
Anthony comes back into her life and starts courting her. She starts to feel as though she has feelings for him but feels guilty for it, when the guy her dead husband sold the paintings to blackmails her.
She accepts Anthony's marriage proposal so she can get the $ she needs to pay the blackmailer, but because of the guilt she cannot be happy with Anthony's touches and the marriage goes down hill.
Finally he finds out about the blackmail and buys the paintings, but this time he is unhappy that he blackmails her into giving him sex in exchange for buying the paintings and also doing anything he wants.....but this leads to more unhappiness...
Finally she leaves and gets her head on straight realizing that she does indeed love him.
Good book although it thought she was alittle over the top in her grief for her dead husband and it took way to long for her realize that she did indeed love Tony.
Anthony Camwell sees her while having dinner with a friend in Paris and is enchanted with her.
She has a miscarriage at 6 months and goes into a deep depression and her husband along with her. Her husband is in debt and sells 5 paintings of hers (the kind of paintings that no one was ever supposed to see) and pays off his debts and then drowns that same day.
Anthony comes back into her life and starts courting her. She starts to feel as though she has feelings for him but feels guilty for it, when the guy her dead husband sold the paintings to blackmails her.
She accepts Anthony's marriage proposal so she can get the $ she needs to pay the blackmailer, but because of the guilt she cannot be happy with Anthony's touches and the marriage goes down hill.
Finally he finds out about the blackmail and buys the paintings, but this time he is unhappy that he blackmails her into giving him sex in exchange for buying the paintings and also doing anything he wants.....but this leads to more unhappiness...
Finally she leaves and gets her head on straight realizing that she does indeed love him.
Good book although it thought she was alittle over the top in her grief for her dead husband and it took way to long for her realize that she did indeed love Tony.
April 1, 2025
2025 reread: brb collecting myself.
2024 review: This book! Stressed! Me! Out! It has been a while since characters frustrated me so much I wanted to scream and toss my book at a wall and then chase after my book to find my place so I can read what happens next. After the prologue, the switch to single person POV for the rest of the book took me a while to get into. Also, it was a bit slow-moving for a good chunk and then it picks up. And frustration never ceases! Not until the very end.
The Painted Lady is about a recently widowed Englishwoman living in France who becomes acquaintances with an English Lord (and from-afar admirer). Fleur finds herself in desperate times due to some circumstances of her deceased husband (who was an artist) and some private paintings he made of her. Fleur accepts a proposal from Anthony - he is deeply in love with her, she tolerates him - and everything goes downhill after the wedding.
I became interested in this book due to a negative review that said, "If you're a fan of endless angst in a similar vein to Sherry Thomas, Cecilia Grant, or Judith Ivory's Bliss, knock yourself out." I love all of those authors so it made sense to me to order a physical copy of this book from a reseller since there is no ebook available to borrow. To be clear: this book does not reach the literary heights of those authors mentioned in the negative review, and yet! I am glad I was able to read it - it's unlike any other romance I've read recently.
The single person POV (minus a brief passage from Anthony's pov in the prologue) did enhance the terrible feeling of suspense, however I do think a few POV shifts would have moved the story along without sacrificing angst. Anthony was so inconsistent (at once extremely kind and then utterly cruel; cautious and then thoughtless at the drop of a hat) - it was difficult to tell if that was because he was intentionally written that way or because the author didn't develop him. I don't even think we needed a 50/50 split, even a 90/10 would have worked!
4 stars for shaking me up a little even if this is more like a 3 star read. Again, this book stressed me out! But I'm glad I read it. I'd love to read more books like this one, sadly I think this is the only book by the author!
2024 review: This book! Stressed! Me! Out! It has been a while since characters frustrated me so much I wanted to scream and toss my book at a wall and then chase after my book to find my place so I can read what happens next. After the prologue, the switch to single person POV for the rest of the book took me a while to get into. Also, it was a bit slow-moving for a good chunk and then it picks up. And frustration never ceases! Not until the very end.
The Painted Lady is about a recently widowed Englishwoman living in France who becomes acquaintances with an English Lord (and from-afar admirer). Fleur finds herself in desperate times due to some circumstances of her deceased husband (who was an artist) and some private paintings he made of her. Fleur accepts a proposal from Anthony - he is deeply in love with her, she tolerates him - and everything goes downhill after the wedding.
I became interested in this book due to a negative review that said, "If you're a fan of endless angst in a similar vein to Sherry Thomas, Cecilia Grant, or Judith Ivory's Bliss, knock yourself out." I love all of those authors so it made sense to me to order a physical copy of this book from a reseller since there is no ebook available to borrow. To be clear: this book does not reach the literary heights of those authors mentioned in the negative review, and yet! I am glad I was able to read it - it's unlike any other romance I've read recently.
The single person POV (minus a brief passage from Anthony's pov in the prologue) did enhance the terrible feeling of suspense, however I do think a few POV shifts would have moved the story along without sacrificing angst. Anthony was so inconsistent (at once extremely kind and then utterly cruel; cautious and then thoughtless at the drop of a hat) - it was difficult to tell if that was because he was intentionally written that way or because the author didn't develop him. I don't even think we needed a 50/50 split, even a 90/10 would have worked!
4 stars for shaking me up a little even if this is more like a 3 star read. Again, this book stressed me out! But I'm glad I read it. I'd love to read more books like this one, sadly I think this is the only book by the author!
September 7, 2019
It's been such a long time since I last read this book, to be honest I don't even know if they have it in digital version considering how it doesn't have a lot of reviews. I read this book, but I also didn't place a review because I couldn't be bothered, I was fairly new to goodreads so I wanted to add as many books I had already read on here before I forgot about it or gave the books away. I was doing some moving, and I found this on my shelves I can barely reach, and I remembered how great this book was! It gave me some vibes of a current Korean Drama I've been wanting to watch that became available in the country (in case my future self forgets, it's with Yoo Seung Ho hehe.... 'I Miss You'). We have Anthony the main character who falls in love at first sight with the h Fleur, sadly, she's already married. But hers is not a happy marriage and she soon becomes a widow. Anthony pursues her and makes her agree to marry him. They're somewhat happy, Anthony definitely is, but not Fleur because she is being blackmailed. She starts acting sometimes indiferent towards her husband and he just doesn't understand, he just thinks she's being cold towards him on purpose and he sets out to make her love him back as much as he loved her...
I suppose now is a good time to make the similarities between the drama and this book more noticeable. It's not apparent at first, in fact they're completely different stories, and the plots are very different, but character wise, I feel that Anthony and Harry Borrison have a lot in common that they both loved the h so much they would do anything for her, but when she shows her indifference or starts loving another man (which Anthony believes to be the case) that's when they turn from loving, to evil creatures. I may have already read this book, but I'm going back and re-reading everything properly so I can make a more thorough review on this book. And possibly this drama hahaha
I suppose now is a good time to make the similarities between the drama and this book more noticeable. It's not apparent at first, in fact they're completely different stories, and the plots are very different, but character wise, I feel that Anthony and Harry Borrison have a lot in common that they both loved the h so much they would do anything for her, but when she shows her indifference or starts loving another man (which Anthony believes to be the case) that's when they turn from loving, to evil creatures. I may have already read this book, but I'm going back and re-reading everything properly so I can make a more thorough review on this book. And possibly this drama hahaha
September 22, 2015
As I'm a big fan of gorgeous writing and drawn-out emotional angst, this older romance (1993) was right up my alley. In the prologue, we see Sir Anthony Camwell drawn inexplicably to the married wife of a newly famous painter that he'd come to Paris in hopes of patronizing. And leaving without meeting them, knowing it would be unwise to tempt himself and his own passions. That same night, the wife, Fleur Brooks, miscarries her child at six months, which we later learn throws her into a two-year depression. At the start of the book proper, we encounter Fleur again, now a widow, when her friend, Sir Anthony's cousin, introduces the two. From the prologue, we know that the quiet, apparently ennui-filled Anthony is really set on a long-term campaign for winning Fleur's love.
But Anthony ends up rushing his fences, proposing to Fleur before he's entirely sure of her regard. And at a particularly bad time—when Fleur has just been approached by a blackmailer. Knowing that her pin $ as wife of the rich Sir Anthony will appease her blackmailer, Fleur agrees to wed him, even telling him that she loves him. But is so guilt-ridden and emotionally frozen that she can't experience any sexual pleasure with her new husband. And when he discovers her lies, he in turn grows bitter and unforgiving, seeking to punish her by drawing out what he now knows is her passionate by nature desire without giving in to his own. For it turns out that the cold, still sexual waters of Sir Anthony run very, very deep.
The long, delicious thwarting of sexual desire is the pleasure here. If longing, rather than sexual satisfaction, is your cup of tea, then you'll be well-satisfied by this late 19th century-set love story.
But Anthony ends up rushing his fences, proposing to Fleur before he's entirely sure of her regard. And at a particularly bad time—when Fleur has just been approached by a blackmailer. Knowing that her pin $ as wife of the rich Sir Anthony will appease her blackmailer, Fleur agrees to wed him, even telling him that she loves him. But is so guilt-ridden and emotionally frozen that she can't experience any sexual pleasure with her new husband. And when he discovers her lies, he in turn grows bitter and unforgiving, seeking to punish her by drawing out what he now knows is her passionate by nature desire without giving in to his own. For it turns out that the cold, still sexual waters of Sir Anthony run very, very deep.
The long, delicious thwarting of sexual desire is the pleasure here. If longing, rather than sexual satisfaction, is your cup of tea, then you'll be well-satisfied by this late 19th century-set love story.
August 25, 2013
No sé qué decir de este libro... muy bien escrito siendo el debut literario de la escritora y el único hasta la fecha. Si el monólogo interno de la protagonista hubiera sido menos irritante y las acciones del "héroe" hubiesen sido más creíbles en sus actos a causa de su decepción podría haberle dado 5 estrellas. Muy bien escrito, buena trama pero desgraciadamente el tema de la infidelidad si no está bien ejecutado y justificado en una historia es imposible que me atraiga. Cuando a un lector le desagradan los protagonistas o uno de ellos al menos, es casi improbable que terminemos satisfechos con el libro...
June 7, 2020
What an unfaithful goat of a hero. To think the novel started with him mentally criticising the heroine's first husband for being in a cafe with other ladies while he could have been with his wife, then for the hero to go off just weeks into their marriage to break his vows.
This novel tries to paint his adultery in an acceptable light. It is not. He says he only started sleeping with others the day after he realised she wanted a placid relationship. The fucking day after. So what, the next time they have a fight or disagree, he'll take himself off to another woman just the day after?
What happened to forsaking all others. Fucking hypocrite. He coveted her when he was another man's but when she was his, he couldn't be bothered fighting for her. Frederick was a much better hero than Anthony. I wish Frederick could have come back to life or hell the heroine should have slept with other men.
This novel tries to paint his adultery in an acceptable light. It is not. He says he only started sleeping with others the day after he realised she wanted a placid relationship. The fucking day after. So what, the next time they have a fight or disagree, he'll take himself off to another woman just the day after?
What happened to forsaking all others. Fucking hypocrite. He coveted her when he was another man's but when she was his, he couldn't be bothered fighting for her. Frederick was a much better hero than Anthony. I wish Frederick could have come back to life or hell the heroine should have slept with other men.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2013
mind-blowing, very very intense..fabulous one ! it had the same impact, intensity as whitney my love. very poignant one n dark at times. so many conflicting emotions involved ! hats off 2 u mrs grahame ! it was a definite 5 star. however i removed 1 star as i never understood the logic of how fleur was no longer cold, i mean cud have sex wid anthony after he found out the truth. did she like rough sex or degrading kind ? what was it !?
June 8, 2009
These characters would have driven me up a wall if I did not understand, avec d'amour, that they are tres francais! They just have different sensibilities. An intriguing story, and very well-written. Another great recommendation from Susie (Thanks!)
December 5, 2016
This was so rough and angsty, rife with miscommunication that could have been avoided. That being said, I was riveted, and I found this book through a cheating book list sooo I got what I came for.
April 3, 2019
You know when you hear about those relationships when it's all about unresolved misunderstandings and miscommunications, and you are hoping that a remorseful apology would solve everything....but it doesn't... and these two really great people turn into the nastiest people alive to one another and they just can't stop...well this is it.
Fleur, the widow of a once famous painter, accepts maybe unwisely, the marriage proposal of Lord Anthony. Lord Anthony is in desperate love with Fleur, has been for years, starting with the paintings made famous by her dead husband. Fleur is now poor but also being blackmailed because of naked pictures her late husband sold to pay off their tremendous debt. She is also emotionally vulnerable, having just lost a loving husband and only recovering from major after depression from the death of her unborn child. So what we have is Lord Anthony, vastly rich, noble and in love with a poor widow who does not love him.
Fleur, knowing full well that she is using Lord Anthony to pay off the blackmailer, also doesn't want to love Lord Anthony, and therefore all the friendliness and companionship that had slowly evolved between them, almost completely disappears and only a cold, unhappy and withdrawn Fleur enters the marriage and the marriage bed. It gets so bad that Fleur insinuates that she can't stand his touch and barely talks to him even he begs for her to talk to him.him
So it begins.
Eventually Lord Anthony finds out about the blackmail and Fleur, whose worse fear was that he would abandon her in ruin once he finds out, should be relieved. But that's not happen. Lord Anthony is upset, more like enraged, knowing he has been used and is not in the living and caring relationship he imagined his marriage could potentially be, does not forgive Fleur. But surprisingly not even for the blakcmail, but for not coming to him for help intially and marrying him under false pretenses.
By this point, I really wished Fleur showed some type of remorse or act like she did something bad, but she already felt too much of a victim, doesn't want to seem vulnerable to her prideful husband and of course react with sarcasm.
So what does a rich and prideful man who thought he married for love, does not believe in divorce and finds he was lied to, do?
Gets revenge.
By this point in the story I feel terrible for Fleur and Anthony. They both make impossible choices for pride and do and say awful things to each other because of hurt feelings.
Don't want to ruin it...but at least there is a happy ending!
Fleur, the widow of a once famous painter, accepts maybe unwisely, the marriage proposal of Lord Anthony. Lord Anthony is in desperate love with Fleur, has been for years, starting with the paintings made famous by her dead husband. Fleur is now poor but also being blackmailed because of naked pictures her late husband sold to pay off their tremendous debt. She is also emotionally vulnerable, having just lost a loving husband and only recovering from major after depression from the death of her unborn child. So what we have is Lord Anthony, vastly rich, noble and in love with a poor widow who does not love him.
Fleur, knowing full well that she is using Lord Anthony to pay off the blackmailer, also doesn't want to love Lord Anthony, and therefore all the friendliness and companionship that had slowly evolved between them, almost completely disappears and only a cold, unhappy and withdrawn Fleur enters the marriage and the marriage bed. It gets so bad that Fleur insinuates that she can't stand his touch and barely talks to him even he begs for her to talk to him.him
So it begins.
Eventually Lord Anthony finds out about the blackmail and Fleur, whose worse fear was that he would abandon her in ruin once he finds out, should be relieved. But that's not happen. Lord Anthony is upset, more like enraged, knowing he has been used and is not in the living and caring relationship he imagined his marriage could potentially be, does not forgive Fleur. But surprisingly not even for the blakcmail, but for not coming to him for help intially and marrying him under false pretenses.
By this point, I really wished Fleur showed some type of remorse or act like she did something bad, but she already felt too much of a victim, doesn't want to seem vulnerable to her prideful husband and of course react with sarcasm.
So what does a rich and prideful man who thought he married for love, does not believe in divorce and finds he was lied to, do?
Gets revenge.
By this point in the story I feel terrible for Fleur and Anthony. They both make impossible choices for pride and do and say awful things to each other because of hurt feelings.
Don't want to ruin it...but at least there is a happy ending!
August 29, 2018
The opinions are clearly mixed for this title. But I rather liked it.
August 12, 2013
The historical background about art and the early 20th Century is fabulous, but that's pretty much the extent of it.
I couldn't relate to or even like the heroine. She is weak and stupid. I can't believe that she sells herself into a marriage because she is being blackmailed. All she had to do was tell Anthony her predicament, and he would have solved it in a flash. The end.
However, it didn't happen that way. So, the majority of the book is spent between Fleur and Anthony hurting one another once Anthony finds out her motive for marrying him.
Anthony was really sweet and the wronged party up until the point where he cheats on Fleur when they are married with tons of whores. It doesn't make it better that they all reassembled her. I thought he was supposed to have really loved her. I guess not if sex was all he wanted.
The ending was too forced and unrealistic. After months apart, Anthony comes to her when she has inherited tons of money. They realize they love each other and forgive everything that has happened. Barf!
I couldn't relate to or even like the heroine. She is weak and stupid. I can't believe that she sells herself into a marriage because she is being blackmailed. All she had to do was tell Anthony her predicament, and he would have solved it in a flash. The end.
However, it didn't happen that way. So, the majority of the book is spent between Fleur and Anthony hurting one another once Anthony finds out her motive for marrying him.
Anthony was really sweet and the wronged party up until the point where he cheats on Fleur when they are married with tons of whores. It doesn't make it better that they all reassembled her. I thought he was supposed to have really loved her. I guess not if sex was all he wanted.
The ending was too forced and unrealistic. After months apart, Anthony comes to her when she has inherited tons of money. They realize they love each other and forgive everything that has happened. Barf!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2025
Earlier this year, I re-read this book, returning to it after more than 10 years, and I love what the benefit of age and experience has done for me because I love and appreciate the story even more this-go around. I mean, I loved it the first time I read it, so this is even more of a bonus for me.
Ms Grahame has written a tale that feels truer to the historical time it's set in than many, many historical romances. Even though it's narrated in the first person, all the characters come across as full and well-rounded.
I absolutely adored the two protagonists and their love story, and how masterfully Ms Grahame navigates several themes - infidelity, unrequited love, poor communication, noble idiocy - tropes that usually drive me up the wall, but in this author's hands, I didn't even care, she wove everything so exquisitely.
I am so glad I rediscovered this novel, and it's now probably going into my memory as one of my favorite historical romances ever.
Ms Grahame has written a tale that feels truer to the historical time it's set in than many, many historical romances. Even though it's narrated in the first person, all the characters come across as full and well-rounded.
I absolutely adored the two protagonists and their love story, and how masterfully Ms Grahame navigates several themes - infidelity, unrequited love, poor communication, noble idiocy - tropes that usually drive me up the wall, but in this author's hands, I didn't even care, she wove everything so exquisitely.
I am so glad I rediscovered this novel, and it's now probably going into my memory as one of my favorite historical romances ever.
January 29, 2013
This book starts off real slow...but don't let it fool you. It picks up an intensity half way through and the remaining read is thoroughly enjoyable.
I started the book pinning Anthony to a bland, a bit too aloof, detached character. (Like the other time when I'd been gifted Pride and Prejudice book in my 5th standard and I'd put it off thinking it was a story about birds cause it had a peacock on the cover. But boredom acted the saviour and nudged me to read it anyway) Well, I was wrong, wasn't I? Anthony Camwell is anything but all the above.
Fleur, I didn't feel that connected to her though. She had her own space in the book, but somehow the space took more than it gave.
The ending again, I've to be honest, fell a little flat.
Overlooking all that though...It was good read.
I started the book pinning Anthony to a bland, a bit too aloof, detached character. (Like the other time when I'd been gifted Pride and Prejudice book in my 5th standard and I'd put it off thinking it was a story about birds cause it had a peacock on the cover. But boredom acted the saviour and nudged me to read it anyway) Well, I was wrong, wasn't I? Anthony Camwell is anything but all the above.
Fleur, I didn't feel that connected to her though. She had her own space in the book, but somehow the space took more than it gave.
The ending again, I've to be honest, fell a little flat.
Overlooking all that though...It was good read.
August 16, 2010
And ANOTHER downer! I am on a roll!
June 9, 2018
I felt they were on the verge of a much needed confrontation several times and it didn't happen and then the end came about in a rather underwhelming fashion... It might improve on a second read so maybe I'll come back to it later...
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