Conquistar a un seductor

Courtship Wars #4

by Nicole Jordan

Eleanor Pierce rompió su compromiso con Damon Stafford, vizconde de Wrexham, cuando lo sorprendió paseando con su amante. Han pasado dos años desde entonces, y ella está a punto de rehacer su vida junto a un príncipe italiano. Pero Damon ha vuelto a la ciudad y está dispuesto a todo con tal de reconquistarla. Eleanor no está dispuesta a que la historia se repita, y en su afán de venganza decide darle una lección a su antiguo prometido: lo seducirá y lo abandonará justo antes de que sus apasionados besos hagan renacer en ella los rescoldos del amor. ¿Conseguirá la bella joven vencer a todo un seductor como Damon?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Second Chance

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Nicole Jordan spins delightful tales that simmer with passion and sensuality. In her former life, Nicole grew up as an Army brat, moving frequently and attending high school in Germany. She later earned a civil engineering degree from Georgia Tech and spent eight years as a manufacturing manager making disposable diapers and toilet tissue! Currently Nicole lives in the Rocky Mountains of Utah with her real-life hero (her husband) and beloved kids (her horses).

With over two-dozen historical romances to her credit and four million books in print, set in numerous eras and locales, Nicole now enjoys chronicling the sparks that fly when Regency lovers play the matrimonial mating game.

One of her novels had the dubious honor of being humorously spotlighted by Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show." On a more serious note, Nicole's romances regularly appear on numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today, and have earned such honors as RITA finalist, RWA's Favorite Book of the Year, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance, and the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence, presented by a group of over one hundred romance reviewers.

Reviews

[Rachel (BAVR) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suppose I should have known this book wouldn't be my cup of tea. The formulaic title (To Verb a/an Adjective Noun is Regency's new Wicked Peer of the English Realm) was warning enough, but still, like The Monkees before me, I'm a Believer. Admittedly, I have a weakness for these "second chance at love" stories, and they never turn out well, mainly because there's a valid reason that the couple was incompatible in the first place. In the case of To Romance a Charming Rogue, I read the blurb, plucked the proverbial apple off the tree, and then ended up choking on the damn poison fruit for two days. Will I ever learn?

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Screw you, Ariel. There's no reason to be so freaking chipper about it.

SUMMARY:
When Damon Stafford, Viscount Wrexham, returns to London from a two-year trip on the continent, Eleanor Pierce would like nothing better than to avoid his company altogether. Two years prior, they were engaged, and Eleanor was deeply in love with the handsome lord. But then, horror of horrors, she witnessed Damon gallivanting in Hyde Park with his dirty, filthy mistress! Engagement aborted! Heartbreak eternal! Of course, when Damon returns to London, he can't keep his selfish hands off of Eleanor, even though she's attempting to gain a betrothal with a prince and keeps saying she wants nothing to do with Damon. Very quickly, Damon decides that even though he's sworn never to love, he doesn't want anyone else loving / not loving Eleanor in his place. So like a perfectly sane person, he pursues the living daylights out of the unwilling lady. Luckily for Damon, Eleanor isn't as unwilling as she acts. Once she realizes she can't shake her love for Damon, she decides to win his love in the most normal, period appropriate way: She enlists the advice of a famous courtesan! Will Lord Her-Mouth-Says-No-But-Her-Eyes-Say-Yes come to heel over Clever Miss Thang's seductive machinations, or will both of them perish in a tragic hot-air balloon accident? (Believe it or not, dying in a hot-air balloon crash is a plot option in this book.)

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Don't fall, Pooh.

WHY IT ALL FEELS WRONG:
The main characters are the story's greatest flaw. It's been a long time since I've hated the hero and heroine equally, but Nicole Jordan probably shouldn't be proud of this particular accomplishment. Damon and Eleanor are irrational, selfish, and weak of character. Let's start with fucking Damon because this guy's a real treat.

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Thank you, Twilight, for making stalkers acceptable in mainstream romance again. Where would Damon Stafford be without you?

Sometimes, I wish that romance authors would just allow their asshat heroes to remain asshats. Or at least give them incentive to change and become better people. Alas, Damon is just another case of a "tortured" hero haunted by a twagic past. His twin brother died of consumption when Damon was 16, shortly followed by both of his parents in a boating accident. Since grief apparently made Damon feel too many feelings, he's adopted the #1 Romance Hero Cliche Motivation - swearing never to love again. Just ... ugh! A grown man shutting himself off from an emotion that people can't control because of some (admittedly) sad deaths from 15+ years ago doesn't make sense. How can I take a character seriously when he mistreats a woman and refuses to love her just 'cause? It's painfully evident from the beginning that Damon is in Romance Novel Love with Eleanor. In real life, his Romance Novel Love would actually translate to Unhealthy Obsession and Aggression, but whatevs, I'll allow him to be in love in this context.

The most frustrating aspect of Damon's behavior, though, is his disregard for Eleanor's very clear wants and needs. Eleanor insists that she wants to marry for love. Damon admits that he can / will never love her, but he wants her anyway. So he gets her in as many compromising positions as he can and basically kisses the argument out of her. It all seems very heartless, especially when it's brought to light that Damon intentionally got caught with his mistress (no hanky-panky really happened, of course) to push Eleanor into breaking off the engagement because he fucking knew he would never love her and didn't want to hurt her! So why is dragging her into his loveless life two years later okay? Did Damon receive a lobotomy while he was on the continent?

And then there's Eleanor - poor, stupid, silly Eleanor. She's assertive enough about staying away from Damon for all of 15 or so pages, but then she's suddenly making out with him the night of his return. So right away, it's incredibly difficult to take Eleanor's proclamations of wanting him to go away seriously. Because she doesn't want him to go away. She wants to ride that pathetic stallion to a happily-ever-after. As a result of this, I skimmed through page after page of Eleanor's tedious and repetitive inner-monologue. It went like this: "Damon's sexy and hot and his kisses make me super horny, but he can't LOVE me. And if the man I LOVE can't LOVE me, then I'll surely DIE in a LOVELESS marriage to him. So I will continue to pursue the plot device - er - prince, who might come to love me someday even though I clearly don't care for him. Also: I read an unrealistic book by an unrealistic courtesan about capturing a husband. This makes me daring and clever and stuff." Imagine this inane babble over and over again on a loop, and you have fucking Eleanor.

What the hell do courtesans know about marriage anyway? In Regency times, I'm assuming those ladies would have married if they could. So WHY would anyone take advice from an unmarried woman who accepts money and trinkets for sex? In addition, what well-respected lady of the ton would associate with a known courtesan like they're just regular old tea buddies? Lots is said about Eleanor's strict aunt and chaperon, so I can't believe the old biddy would allow her niece to take off on weekly visits with a whore. Logic broke down some time ago, I think.

The writing is not that good. Sure, I've read worse, but the repetition is unforgivable. Jordan definitely passed her limit on the amount of times Eleanor could think or say something like this:

But it is not a love match, Eleanor's heart wanted to protest.

Yes, apparently, Eleanor's heart has the ability to form angsty statements of woe. Sentient hearts are all the rage in Regency England. Then there are love scene quotes that made me guffaw:

"That is better," he said with satisfaction. "Your body has prepared itself for my entry. You're wet with your own honey."

Is Damon a 747 trying to land in Eleanor's vagina? And if her vagina is covered in honey, you're going to have a MAJOR ant problem, sir. Oh, and of course there's the customary anguished declaration of tortured lust by Damon when Eleanor tries out her first blowjob:

Then abruptly he grasped her shoulders and compelled Eleanor to raise her head.

His jaw was knotted tightly, his voice hoarse when he ground out one word: "Enough."

You know, just once I wish one of these heroines would reply to "Enough" with "I'll be done when I say I'm done, asshole. Now lay back and take it like a man."

I don't think I'll be picking up another Nicole Jordan book. My head aches from all the eye-rolling this text elicited from me. But at least I left you with some lovely quotes!

Oh! There's also sex in a hot-air balloon. The balloon isn't up in the air, though. That would be too interesting and deliciously dangerous. So despite my teaser in the summary, no one dies in a hot-air balloon accident. They just crash land and have sex in the basket. Disappointment is hard.

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story of a love lost, and found again.

[BJ Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read, but a weak ending to The Courtship Wars series, at least for me. The premise behind the broken engagement just didn't work for me - it should have, but it didn't. Here's the background: Damon and Eleanor had a whirlwind courtship, Damon proposed, Damon then tricked Elle into breaking the engagement and left for parts unknown. At this point, I thought 'Aha!' - he's been sent on a secret mission for the Crown, but no such thing. Turns out he has sworn never to give his heart, and marrying someone who could come to love him would (in his thinking) be disastrous, so he ran from it. Now it's 2 years later, and he's returned to keep Elle from marrying a man he's sure is wrong for her, but he himself still has no intention of marrying.

It just didn't work for me - his feelings about marriage were firmly entrenched, but he proposes marriage, then is seen in public with his former mistress so Elle will break off the engagement - and he does this so neither one of them will be hurt in a bad marriage. NO! NO! NO! If you don't ever plan on marrying, you don't ever propose! They weren't forced into it by society, he freely proposed, and then deliberately did something that he **knew** would hurt Elle, so he wouldn't end up hurting her later (ooh, my aching head).

It's not a bad story, just not as good as it could have been.

[Karla✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba un poco más de drama en la historia pero en si me gustó y me pondré a leer los demás libros de la serie por que me llamaron la atención ciertos personajes 🤩.

No se si haya libro sobre Isabella y el príncipe pero me gustaría leer esa historia también.

[Lady Darcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a wonderfuly story....elle and damon are such wonderful characters. I love the tension and the closeness that they share even though they dont want that to happen. I wish that happens in life...it would make it more interesting. lol

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído en mayo 2010

[Susy Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorei esta história em especial.
O casal Eleanor é Damon conquistaram-me. A amizade que surge no meio das palavras menos boas e o amor que daí nasce foi a dose certa para me encantar.

[Soraia Dias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conquistar um sedutor é o 4° volume da série Duelos de Sedução.
Eu li o primeiro e não morri de amores, mesmo assim continuei a ler porque a escrita da autora é bastante agradável. Adorei o volume 2 e o 3.
Mas infelizmente este 4 livro não me cativou. 😬😬

Acho que embirrei com as personagens e isso acabou por afectar a minha leitura.
Tinha ideia que Eleanor ia ser uma personagem carismática, com atitude e o que vi foi uma mulher demasiado presa a um amor do passado e cedeu facilmente à sedução de Damon.
Tendo em conta que ela há dois anos atrás rompeu o noivado com ele depois de o apanhar a passear com a sua amante, estava à espera de outra atitude da parte dela ao reencontrá-lo.
Pelo menos deveria ter exigido uma justificação para o que fez... Mas não... Ele andou ali a enrolar a enrolar...
Não gostei do rumo que a história levou.
Passou dois anos e só aí é que se preocupou que ela poderia cair nas mãos de um aproveitador de fortunas... Humm tá 🤔🤨

Para mim o melhor do livro foi sem dúvida as peripécias com o Príncipe que ela andava a tentar seduzir recorrendo ao livro de Fanny.

Comigo não funcionou, mas vou torcer para que o 5°livro da série me volte a conquistar.

A este dei 3.5⭐

[Daniela Cristóvão · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Estrelas!

Adorei!! Esta série só fica melhor, adorei os personagens e a forma como a autora desenvolveu a história e os seus traumas foi incrível!

Opinião completa em breve.

[Lisa Pineo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into reading this book wondering if it would be as good as the three previous with the Loring Sisters and I'm happy to say it was. This whole series has been great. I liked that Eleanor's character was the same as in previous books and didn't change because she was now in a romance. Damon's character, like the other previous male leads, was extremely arrogant and never took no for an answer which always pisses me off. He had the most change through the book though and I liked seeing these two characters come together in harmony at the end. 4.5 stars.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Eleanor Pierce’s story and I have to say a much more enjoyable read than the last book in this series. Eleanor is Marcus’ sister and we have seen her in the first three books. She is a lively and unconventional female. She is an expert horsewoman as well as being able to swim and fence and shoot a pistol. She is intelligent and compassionate and very charming. She is also very likable. Eleanor has been looking for a husband and a love match which are very rare in this time period. I loved how hard she tried to avoid Damon Stafford, Viscount Wrexham. She certainly leads him on a merry chase. I loved the scene where she steals his shoes.

Damon has some problems of his own that he must work out so he can be the man that Eleanor needs. He is determined to keep her from marrying an Italian prince. He wants Eleanor for his own he just can’t admit to himself why he wants her. Damon is a caring, loyal and honorable man that has suffered the loss of most of his family. I was delighted that he is related to Tess Blanchard who we first met in “To Pleasure a Lady”. Damon is not afraid to buck the system and he is a perfect match for Eleanor. He takes her teasing and challenges in stride never getting truly anger with her. I liked him very much

This story picks up just shortly after the wedding of Heath and Lily. There is a little bit of a mystery to the story and those that love this type of story will probably figure out who the culprit is fairly quickly. It is an enjoyable addition to the story and it never gets out of hand or over powers that mating dance of Eleanor and Damon. There are some wonderful secondary characters and some older characters are fleshed out a bit more, like Tess and the Earl of Haviland. This was a quick read for me which made me very happy since the last book seemed to drag on for too long. This is a very good example of the historical romance genre, specifically the regency period. So for those that are looking for this type of story you will probably love this book.

[Yesse · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[Shan ~A~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Nicole Jordan for a while, but for whatever reason I never got around to continuing on with this series. Now that I have decided to do just that I am glad this is where I needed to start.

I really liked this book, as you can see from the star rating. Damon and Eleanor has become one of my favorite couples. These two were so determined to not be together, even though it was obvious from the first scene they shared that they loved each other. That made the story a lot of fun to read. Another thing that I loved was the mystery behind who was trying to hurt the Prince. I hope that somewhere down the line we get to see how he fared in great detail. hint, hint. (If its not already written).

Anyway, this book is definitely worth the read. It's part of series, but it works well as a standalone, because she gives you just enough information about characters from the previous books to make you feel like you know them without giving away what happened in their stories.

[Maeghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Damon. He always made me laugh throughout the book.
.....
Now that I have reread the book years later I still loved it. However, I realized that I was frustrated with Eleanor throughout the first half. Not with her feelings towards Damon, because those are totally valid, but with her obsession with the Prince. I mean he was so clearly not right for her but she was just forcing the courtship purely because of Damon's presence. The second half of the book I was thoroughly frustrated with Damon. As much as I loved him I found it annoying that he spent so much effort to get her away from Prince Lazzaro and then to get her to marry him all so that he could essentially make her his mistress. I found the book funny and witty and the characters had great chemistry but those were the little things I noticed this time around.

[Nikole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first 3 books in the series years ago and was pleased to recently find that the series continued. Book #4 is Eleanor's book and I was curious about her story since she's called off 2 engagements when other women at that time were fighting for proposals. Damon comes off as a rogue as most of the male leads are in this series but we learn early on that all is not as it appears. Damon & Eleanor's relationship is volatile mostly because they are fighting what they feel for each other. In addition to their relationship, Eleanor is busy trying to woo an Italian prince who is being attacked in subtle but dangerous ways. By the end of the story, no one is as they appeared in the beginning of the book and it made for an even more enjoyable read.

[ChocoholicReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating- 4 Very good
Heat- 3 several scenes
Tropes- hero afraid of love, jealousy over competition

This was my favorite book in the series. Not only was Eleanor delightful but the hero was easy to love. Second chance romances are not usually my thing. Maybe I just enjoy reading about their first interactions, or maybe I just don’t like the idea of it not working out the first time. I don’t know. However, this second chance felt very natural. You could feel their connection leaping off the page from the moment they were together again. Because that connection was so strong, you could understand why the hero freaked out at first.

[Mandy Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Eleanor is being courted by Prince Lazzara, a handsome royal from the far reaches of Italy. And after two broken bethoral, she plans to find a love match. But what is she to do when her first betrothal (and first love) returns after two years??

I really loved this story between Eleanor and Damon because it starts out that they are still head over heels for each other. Even with the hard past of Damon's he has to face, the development of their relationship is amazing. I didn't feel like Nicole Jordan missed anything.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good plot from beginning to the end, pretty much predictable but pleasant nevertheless.
Hero is a handsome, tortured soul who still mourns his twin brother's deaths after so many years, declining to enjoy what life has to offer due to guilt. He has come to care for the heroine but is afraid to get hurt again.
Heroine is a beautiful, joyful, enigmatic lady who fell in love with the Hero but was hurt by his nonchalance. She attempts to find love and vows only to marry for love.

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry but I just wasn't feeling this one...Never have I been so glad to finish a book! The chemistry was off with the characters maybe...I don't really know. I wasn't that enthusiastic this time and it was a struggle to finish.

[Dottie Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story builds - good read

My first book by this author and wasn’t sure during first few chapters if it captured my attention- but shortly after it did and I finished the book in one sitting - enjoy, I did

[Alynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite.
Hero goes away for about 2 years and pretend to still be interested in the h when he very likely slept with other women when he was away (it's never denied). Some would say it's okay, but I like when things are explicitely said.
Anyway, it was still en enoyable read!

[Kashii · Rating 3 out of 5]

the hero and heroine annoyed tf out of me
But 2.5

[Rose Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

h21,H?

[Nightwitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much telling, not enough showing.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite in the series. Lots of valid conflict between H/h and I liked both characters.

[Inês · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable but not my favourite in the series.
4 stars

[Mary Grace Nakao · Rating 2 out of 5]

I FINALLY FINISHED IT.
I have long discovered that when it comes to HR, I have a very specific taste for slow burn romance, comedy, and witty bantering between the main characters. WHen ive read the summary at the back of the book, i thought it has all three.

I. WAS. WRONG.

You think Elle (the main protagonist) would be a whole lotta wary for Damon, but right from the start, she isn't. I mean, she says she is, but she doesnt act like it. As you may now can tell, that girl is a contradiction of her thoughts and actions. She is an unreliable pov because you cannot trust what she says (or is thinking?). I rolled my eyes countless of times and cringed way too much, i fear i may have strained my eyeballs. One time she was disappointed at this other guy because he kissed her gently, trying to be polite, as opposed to damon who keeps on forcing himself on her when she keeps on insisting him not to. And oh no, it dont think it counts as an harrasment though because although she's saying no, her thoughts are saying yes.

The other MC is Damon who is supposed to be a "rake", but he is not. Not since he met Elle and broken up with her. There really is nothing about him that is rakish, except that he is supposed to be very good at carnal activities. I did sympathies with him, but Ive read and seen to many tv series and movies with that kind of reasoning that it just fell flat for me. That or I didnt really care for them both

Honestly, this book drained me. it was more of a tell not show kind of thing. We know Elle is uh-mazing because the author tells us so, but i personally could not see what is so special about her.
But hey, at least I finished it :))

[Isabel Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

La historia ya había llamado mi atención desde varios libros atrás xq Eleanor es un personaje fresco y totalmente sacada de lo común, con eso de cargar a cuestas con dos compromisos rotos, tres si contamos el favor q le hizo a Heath.
Conocemos a Damon, el primer prometido echado con calabazas destempladas x atreverse a pasear con su amante x Hyde Park. Obviamente el paseo fue intencionado, para - como decimos por aquí, hacerse chutar. El caballero anduvo por el continente durante 2 años y ahora q volvió encuentra a Eleanor de cortejo con otro y se empeña en ponerle la vida de cuadritos. En sí misma la historia no es una novedad, pero tiene buenos momentos con Eleanor tratando con todas sus fuerzas de casarse x amor con otro y Damon tratando todavía más intensamente de impedirlo. En este caso y a diferencia de los 3 últimos libros, el traumado es el protagonista masculino. No le tiene alergia al matrimonio propiamente, solo al detalle del amor.
La trama es buena, con buenos dialogos y escenas interesantes. Muy buena pasión en la pareja y hasta inclusive tenemos un pequeño misterio q resolver. Pero vuelvo a lamentar q no han aparecido los personajes de los libros anteriores, con excepción de Fanny en una escena muy corta y sin q se resuelva todavía su situación personal; y también Marcus&Arabella, pero igualmente apenas media página y unas líneas de nada cada uno.
Aunq el conde de Haviland tuvo varias apariciones estelares y aparentemente habemos drama para el próximo...

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusto mucho la historia de Damon Stafford, vizconde de Wrexham y Eleanor, en el cual ellos estuvieron comprometidos hace dos años sin embargo Damon hace lo posible para romper el compromiso después de eso el se va a Italia inmediatamente, pasando los dos años regresa a Londres con la novedad que Eleanor la esta pretendiendo un príncipe sin embargo para él no cree que es la persona correcta para ella y trata de separarnos por el bien de Eleanor según él.

Que es lo que no me gusto que perdonara a Damon tan rápido por lo que le hizo y que todavía le hiciera caso en ciertas ocasiones, sin embargo cable recalcar que siempre estaban peleando tampoco se dejaba mucho pero me hubiese gustado que sufriera algo.

Me gusto el personaje de Eleanor pero me hubiese gustado que tuviera un poco más de carácter y respecto Damon él siendo él simplemente.

Algo que me llamo la atención y que me agrado que en este libro ella no le pedía perdón y si no que fue al revés, por que si me estaba hartando que aunque no tuvieran la culpa ellas pedían perdón al protagonista y fue por esta razón que deje de leer casi un año esta serie y aparte la que la novela pasada si me desespero demasiado.

Historia: 3.75 Estrellas Escenas + 18: 2 Estrellas

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was entertaining, but these characters just didn't do it for me.

There was a not like other girls vibe to the heroine and a hero that had some growing up to do.

If I truly think about it, these two had a whirlwind romance where they became engaged within two weeks, he is seen in public with his mistress after proposing so she ends the betrothal, then he leaves for a few years.

Within the first moment of being around her again he is wants to be with her and marry her again. There is all kinds of lust and sensual shenanigans. Yet, I didn't feel that he got to really know her at any one point. And she doesn't really know him.

There is her beauty and some events that happen in the story where she doesn't react like other women would (like maybe fainting or not taking charge), and that makes him adore her and fall for her. That's it. There really is no depth to these characters.

I looked ahead to reviews for the next two books and I have come to the decision not to continue this series.

2.5 stars