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Englefield #2
Lessons After Dark
For years, Gareth St. John put his supernatural talent for healing in service to the British Army. Now he's the doctor at a very unusual new school that helps people with special "talents" learn how to hone their abilities.
Olivia Brightmore became a fake medium to support herself after her husband died, but she never expected to discover real magic as the school's newest teacher. Olivia tries to keep the handsome doctor at arm's length, but she can't resist the urge to get under his skin. He's no proper gentleman, but she's No Honest Woman.
Olivia Brightmore became a fake medium to support herself after her husband died, but she never expected to discover real magic as the school's newest teacher. Olivia tries to keep the handsome doctor at arm's length, but she can't resist the urge to get under his skin. He's no proper gentleman, but she's No Honest Woman.
349 pages, ebook
First published April 1, 2012
23 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Cooper
23 books163 followersIsabel Cooper lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her boyfriend and a houseplant she's managed to keep alive for over a year now—a personal best. By day, she's a mild-mannered editor at a legal publishing company. By night, she's really quite a geek: polyhedral dice, video games, and everything. She only travels through time the normal direction, and has never fought any kind of demon, unless you count younger sisters. She can waltz, though.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
June 11, 2012
While most of this book has interesting points, mischievous magical children, and demons waiting to break through to the human world, what it lacks is hero and heroine interaction to make the romance between them the mainstay of the story.
And that’s even more frustrating when Olivia and Gareth are actually in scenes together, because they do have a chemistry that works, even when Gareth is suspicious and doesn’t like Olivia all that much because of her past. That frustration grows even more when they’ve become intimate. Those are some of the best scenes in the book, and by the time they’re working together to prevent demons from entering their world, it’s nearly too little too late.
Olivia has taken a position at a new school for students of magic. She’s a widow with a questionable past, so she’s looking at this opportunity as a new start. Upon arriving she finds the master and lady of the house out, so it’s Dr. Gareth St. John who welcomes her. After some thought, he realizes he’s seen her before years ago when she was a con artist. Gareth’s first impressions of her are instant and lacking any amicable feelings.
The doctor is just not able to get past the fact Olivia conned people out of their money. But he’s little by little attracted to her. He has to admire her calm when teaching and dealing with the students, however. Even after they’ve been intimate, he still doubts her. What I didn’t like about that is even after the second round of lovemaking, he never asks Olivia any questions about her past to see what actually happened to her. He’s more concerned with apologizing and getting out of the room. Olivia is having none of that, though. She flat out tells him not to apologize, they’re adults, so let it go. Of course, it’s easier said than done letting guilt go.
In between all of this are the students who are usually in one state of trouble or another. Out-of-control levitation, unpredictable weather, and demon calling are just a few of the issues Olivia has to deal with with these kids. For me, there’s too much interaction with the students and their problems. It all takes away from the romance in the story. Half of what’s there could have been told, giving more time to Gareth and Olivia, and you’d still get the idea of what they all have to overcome in everyday life at the school.
It’s actually not until the school’s master comes home with a very active curse making its way through his body that the story becomes really interesting and moves along nicely. Gareth and Olivia work together to beat the evil back, and this is the turning point in their relationship. Gareth finally begins to look past what he thinks he knows of Olivia. She eventually does tell him about her circumstances at the time and why she chose the path she did. While he feels those circumstances aren’t an excuse for those choices, at least he begins to look at her differently.
Near the end when they come together again to fight the demon brought forth by the students, again, these scenes are some of the best with Gareth and Olivia together. They aren’t romantic, but you can see how their working together bodes well for their future. I just want more romance between them. More pillow talk, if you will. More understanding sooner to make way for more lovemaking. These two characters are very dynamic when together and more of that is needed. Everything in the story is just too slow throughout when there’s less romance like this.
But despite this issue for me, I will try Ms. Cooper again. Her storytelling is nicely done, as are her story ideas. If any of her other books are completely like the last quarter of this book, that’s more than worth the time to read.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
And that’s even more frustrating when Olivia and Gareth are actually in scenes together, because they do have a chemistry that works, even when Gareth is suspicious and doesn’t like Olivia all that much because of her past. That frustration grows even more when they’ve become intimate. Those are some of the best scenes in the book, and by the time they’re working together to prevent demons from entering their world, it’s nearly too little too late.
Olivia has taken a position at a new school for students of magic. She’s a widow with a questionable past, so she’s looking at this opportunity as a new start. Upon arriving she finds the master and lady of the house out, so it’s Dr. Gareth St. John who welcomes her. After some thought, he realizes he’s seen her before years ago when she was a con artist. Gareth’s first impressions of her are instant and lacking any amicable feelings.
The doctor is just not able to get past the fact Olivia conned people out of their money. But he’s little by little attracted to her. He has to admire her calm when teaching and dealing with the students, however. Even after they’ve been intimate, he still doubts her. What I didn’t like about that is even after the second round of lovemaking, he never asks Olivia any questions about her past to see what actually happened to her. He’s more concerned with apologizing and getting out of the room. Olivia is having none of that, though. She flat out tells him not to apologize, they’re adults, so let it go. Of course, it’s easier said than done letting guilt go.
In between all of this are the students who are usually in one state of trouble or another. Out-of-control levitation, unpredictable weather, and demon calling are just a few of the issues Olivia has to deal with with these kids. For me, there’s too much interaction with the students and their problems. It all takes away from the romance in the story. Half of what’s there could have been told, giving more time to Gareth and Olivia, and you’d still get the idea of what they all have to overcome in everyday life at the school.
It’s actually not until the school’s master comes home with a very active curse making its way through his body that the story becomes really interesting and moves along nicely. Gareth and Olivia work together to beat the evil back, and this is the turning point in their relationship. Gareth finally begins to look past what he thinks he knows of Olivia. She eventually does tell him about her circumstances at the time and why she chose the path she did. While he feels those circumstances aren’t an excuse for those choices, at least he begins to look at her differently.
Near the end when they come together again to fight the demon brought forth by the students, again, these scenes are some of the best with Gareth and Olivia together. They aren’t romantic, but you can see how their working together bodes well for their future. I just want more romance between them. More pillow talk, if you will. More understanding sooner to make way for more lovemaking. These two characters are very dynamic when together and more of that is needed. Everything in the story is just too slow throughout when there’s less romance like this.
But despite this issue for me, I will try Ms. Cooper again. Her storytelling is nicely done, as are her story ideas. If any of her other books are completely like the last quarter of this book, that’s more than worth the time to read.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
March 10, 2012
After reading Isabel Cooper's first book, No Proper Lady, I was delighted to get an advance readers copy through netgalley. This is a very different book however, more in the line of historical romance with paranormal elements. It was not at all the full-out adventure with a kick-ass heroine and strong, supporting leading man that I was expecting, although it is set in the same world.
Olivia Brightmore, a young widow who has been supporting herself for several years as a medium, discovers that she actually does have magical powers. She has taken a position teaching magically gifted children run by Simon and Joan from No Proper Lady. Also acting as the school's physician is Gareth St. John, who has used his magical healing powers in service to the British Army until being invalided out. Unfortunately, Gareth recognizes Olivia for the fraudulent medium she had been several years ago and sets out to try to expose her as such. No matter what she does he can not get over her past.
This is where I run into problems of personal taste with the story line. I found Gareth to be simply insufferable, rude and pompous. No matter what Olivia does, he just can't get over his own prejudices, except when he has an overwhelming urge to bed her(several times). Olivia proves herself to be a careful and honest teacher and a real lady besides. The whole back and forth between Gareth and Olivia tends to bog down the story despite several mishaps with the children's magic and a serious threat to Simon's life. By the time Gareth finally decides to get over himself and be a help to Olivia in order to avert a disaster to the school we are well into the last quarter of the book.
That being said, Isabel Cooper writes a well crafted and imaginative story. No doubt I will want to read the next book in the series. The basic idea of the series is a good one with lots of potential. I just liked Lessons after Dark but I did not love it.
Olivia Brightmore, a young widow who has been supporting herself for several years as a medium, discovers that she actually does have magical powers. She has taken a position teaching magically gifted children run by Simon and Joan from No Proper Lady. Also acting as the school's physician is Gareth St. John, who has used his magical healing powers in service to the British Army until being invalided out. Unfortunately, Gareth recognizes Olivia for the fraudulent medium she had been several years ago and sets out to try to expose her as such. No matter what she does he can not get over her past.
This is where I run into problems of personal taste with the story line. I found Gareth to be simply insufferable, rude and pompous. No matter what Olivia does, he just can't get over his own prejudices, except when he has an overwhelming urge to bed her(several times). Olivia proves herself to be a careful and honest teacher and a real lady besides. The whole back and forth between Gareth and Olivia tends to bog down the story despite several mishaps with the children's magic and a serious threat to Simon's life. By the time Gareth finally decides to get over himself and be a help to Olivia in order to avert a disaster to the school we are well into the last quarter of the book.
That being said, Isabel Cooper writes a well crafted and imaginative story. No doubt I will want to read the next book in the series. The basic idea of the series is a good one with lots of potential. I just liked Lessons after Dark but I did not love it.
August 25, 2016
24/5 - This was just so-so. The sex was ok, but their relationship seemed pretty dysfunctional. There was very little romance. Neither seemed to feel particularly romantic toward the other - there was lust but I felt absolutely no love (even when they matter of factly announced it to each other). If this had been set today they could have been friends with occasional benefits because they didn't appear to have any everlasting feelings for each other that would necessitate marriage (not that that was actually mentioned by either). They could easily have gone on the way they were, one dropping by the other's bedroom at midnight and taking advantage of an empty library (or maybe music room) every so often. She has the added benefit of being able to prevent pregnancy through magical means, so there goes that impediment to a casual relationship based solely on sex.
The supernatural aspects were even less impressive. There was no feeling of impending danger from the magical threat, I just felt like "'yawn', demons coming through a portal created by a pair of unskilled child-magicians, but don't worry because they're not really evil demons, they're not likely to destroy the planet because it amuses them". And it was a given that something else came through when the child-magicians opened the portal. I don't know if I'll read another book from this series, maybe if I see it on the library shelves and I don't have anything better to read (highly unlikely, but anything's possible).
The supernatural aspects were even less impressive. There was no feeling of impending danger from the magical threat, I just felt like "'yawn', demons coming through a portal created by a pair of unskilled child-magicians, but don't worry because they're not really evil demons, they're not likely to destroy the planet because it amuses them". And it was a given that something else came through when the child-magicians opened the portal. I don't know if I'll read another book from this series, maybe if I see it on the library shelves and I don't have anything better to read (highly unlikely, but anything's possible).
April 6, 2012
A sexy Victorian romance that is sure to bewitch you!
After her husband's death, Olivia Brightmore has had to earn a living for herself by using her gift and posing as a medium, something she's not exactly proud of. When she receives an offer to teach at a school for children with "special abilities" Olivia accepts in hope of starting over. What she didn't expect was to be in the presence of real magic at the school or to fall for the school's resident doctor, the well reserved Gareth St. John who despises her one minute and desires her the next. As a healer, Gareth has some special talents of his own but sees Olivia as just another charlatan and will stop at nothing to expose her secret, even when she proves to be the "real deal." When a dark force in the forest threatens the safety of the students and staff, Olivia and Gareth must put aside their differences and work together to prevent evil from crossing over to their world.
In Lessons After Dark, Isabel Cooper triumphs in writing a fascinating paranormal novel with Victorian flare and complex protagonists. Our leading lady Olivia is head-strong, smart and sweet. She's looking for a fresh start and finds her niche as a teacher almost instantly, you can't help but admire her tenacity. Gareth St. John is not the kind of hero you instantly love, he starts off arrogant and a bit rude when it comes to Olivia, but halfway through the book he redeems himself and won me over. Gareth goes from grouch to gentleman and the ongoing sexual tension between him and Olivia keeps you turning the pages thinking: When will they get to it already?! I especially commend our heroine for standing her ground and not turning into sobbing mess when things get complicated.
Lessons After Dark can best be described as X-Men meets the Victorian Era. With an unlikely but sexy coupling and dangers lurking in the shadows, there's never a dull moment. The supernatural elements are perfectly intertwined and the excitement of the developing romance, combined with suspense, make this a real page-turner. Ms. Cooper's world is enticing and magical, this is one author you'll want to add to your shelves!
{ebook courtesy of NetGalley for review.}
Original Romancing the Darkside Review:
http://romancingthedarkside.blogspot....
After her husband's death, Olivia Brightmore has had to earn a living for herself by using her gift and posing as a medium, something she's not exactly proud of. When she receives an offer to teach at a school for children with "special abilities" Olivia accepts in hope of starting over. What she didn't expect was to be in the presence of real magic at the school or to fall for the school's resident doctor, the well reserved Gareth St. John who despises her one minute and desires her the next. As a healer, Gareth has some special talents of his own but sees Olivia as just another charlatan and will stop at nothing to expose her secret, even when she proves to be the "real deal." When a dark force in the forest threatens the safety of the students and staff, Olivia and Gareth must put aside their differences and work together to prevent evil from crossing over to their world.
In Lessons After Dark, Isabel Cooper triumphs in writing a fascinating paranormal novel with Victorian flare and complex protagonists. Our leading lady Olivia is head-strong, smart and sweet. She's looking for a fresh start and finds her niche as a teacher almost instantly, you can't help but admire her tenacity. Gareth St. John is not the kind of hero you instantly love, he starts off arrogant and a bit rude when it comes to Olivia, but halfway through the book he redeems himself and won me over. Gareth goes from grouch to gentleman and the ongoing sexual tension between him and Olivia keeps you turning the pages thinking: When will they get to it already?! I especially commend our heroine for standing her ground and not turning into sobbing mess when things get complicated.
Lessons After Dark can best be described as X-Men meets the Victorian Era. With an unlikely but sexy coupling and dangers lurking in the shadows, there's never a dull moment. The supernatural elements are perfectly intertwined and the excitement of the developing romance, combined with suspense, make this a real page-turner. Ms. Cooper's world is enticing and magical, this is one author you'll want to add to your shelves!
{ebook courtesy of NetGalley for review.}
Original Romancing the Darkside Review:
http://romancingthedarkside.blogspot....
February 28, 2012
Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
Olivia knew the job she was taking on was unusual. She didn’t know exactly what a school for “gifted” children meant, but she knew it wasn’t going to be for common everyday gifts. She was a bit amazed though when she arrived and had to help a young girl afloat by the ceiling find a way to get back to the floor…
Isabel Cooper writes a very good story. Her words flow well, the storyline is interesting and she mixes danger and love together in active quest to stop a demon. There are no boring parts in this story.
The main female character, Olivia, married young, lost her husband, and sustained herself by playing at being a fake medium. As she matured, she found a mentor who actually trained her in areas of magic. It was this knowledge that got her the job.
The leading male character is Gareth. He was injured in the war, knew of her charlatan role, and works as a doctor. He has no respect for her.
The author makes the sparks fly between the two. He can’t keep his hands off her and she wants him just as badly. Even though they end up in bed, they can’t tolerate each other. This part of the story is one my favorite parts. Ms. Cooper has Olivia give as a good as she gets and easily shows how hard it is for them to pretend they don’t care.
Throw in a demon who lives in the woods, wanting to take over the school, and the plot speeds right up. It gets very exciting when he begins to break the portal between his world and theirs. The drama and tension worked into the story as the war begins between human and demon is well expressed by the author. As they learn how their powers work and try to save the students and perhaps the world, you won’t want to leave your chair until you’ve reached the end.
This one is going in my personal library as a keeper. If you enjoy a good read with a bit of paranormal influence, you’ll like this book. Why not give it a try yourself?
Olivia knew the job she was taking on was unusual. She didn’t know exactly what a school for “gifted” children meant, but she knew it wasn’t going to be for common everyday gifts. She was a bit amazed though when she arrived and had to help a young girl afloat by the ceiling find a way to get back to the floor…
Isabel Cooper writes a very good story. Her words flow well, the storyline is interesting and she mixes danger and love together in active quest to stop a demon. There are no boring parts in this story.
The main female character, Olivia, married young, lost her husband, and sustained herself by playing at being a fake medium. As she matured, she found a mentor who actually trained her in areas of magic. It was this knowledge that got her the job.
The leading male character is Gareth. He was injured in the war, knew of her charlatan role, and works as a doctor. He has no respect for her.
The author makes the sparks fly between the two. He can’t keep his hands off her and she wants him just as badly. Even though they end up in bed, they can’t tolerate each other. This part of the story is one my favorite parts. Ms. Cooper has Olivia give as a good as she gets and easily shows how hard it is for them to pretend they don’t care.
Throw in a demon who lives in the woods, wanting to take over the school, and the plot speeds right up. It gets very exciting when he begins to break the portal between his world and theirs. The drama and tension worked into the story as the war begins between human and demon is well expressed by the author. As they learn how their powers work and try to save the students and perhaps the world, you won’t want to leave your chair until you’ve reached the end.
This one is going in my personal library as a keeper. If you enjoy a good read with a bit of paranormal influence, you’ll like this book. Why not give it a try yourself?
May 8, 2012
A follow-up to No Proper Lady, this book features the staff of the school Joan and Simon founded. A nice blend of paranormal and Regency romances, it delivers on its promises--there's some rogue demons, hidden pasts, a magical siege, and sizzling love scenes.
The two protagonists are fairly likeable, and their banter generally works. Their reasons for staying apart, on the other hand, wear thin after awhile. Gareth looks down on Olivia--it's a combination of classicism (eww, she pretended to be a medium, how gauche) and conviction that she's a bad person for lying to desperate people. She starts off unapologetic--she'd been widowed and had no way of supporting herself, and she never did anyone any direct harm. Most of her audiences got exactly what they wanted. She eventually feels kinda bad that by convincing people she was real she may have led them on to darker things. He never explicitly admits he was wrong, she feels guilty but without any proof that she actually did something wrong--it's frustrating. I'd really expected there to be some kind of dark secret, since he's somewhat oblique in his memories. Maybe one of the friends he went to see the medium with before shipping out to a horrible tour in Egypt was adversely affected by her reading, or maybe he learned the perils of fortune-telling in some traumatic incident while deployed, or something that gives him a reason to be such a jerk and gives her a reason to feel bad for him and comfort him. But he doesn't actually have anything.
But the main plot works fairly well, the chemistry is undeniable, and the setting promises more such shenanigans with more pairs. (I'm going to guess one of the older boys and the new teacher they discuss bringing on.) This book was less uneven than the first one--hopefully, this trend will continue.
(Disclosure: I'm Internet-acquaintances with the author.)
The two protagonists are fairly likeable, and their banter generally works. Their reasons for staying apart, on the other hand, wear thin after awhile. Gareth looks down on Olivia--it's a combination of classicism (eww, she pretended to be a medium, how gauche) and conviction that she's a bad person for lying to desperate people. She starts off unapologetic--she'd been widowed and had no way of supporting herself, and she never did anyone any direct harm. Most of her audiences got exactly what they wanted. She eventually feels kinda bad that by convincing people she was real she may have led them on to darker things. He never explicitly admits he was wrong, she feels guilty but without any proof that she actually did something wrong--it's frustrating. I'd really expected there to be some kind of dark secret, since he's somewhat oblique in his memories. Maybe one of the friends he went to see the medium with before shipping out to a horrible tour in Egypt was adversely affected by her reading, or maybe he learned the perils of fortune-telling in some traumatic incident while deployed, or something that gives him a reason to be such a jerk and gives her a reason to feel bad for him and comfort him. But he doesn't actually have anything.
But the main plot works fairly well, the chemistry is undeniable, and the setting promises more such shenanigans with more pairs. (I'm going to guess one of the older boys and the new teacher they discuss bringing on.) This book was less uneven than the first one--hopefully, this trend will continue.
(Disclosure: I'm Internet-acquaintances with the author.)
April 7, 2025
Hoping for a restart in life, the heroine takes everything she owns and accepts employment as a teacher at a school for gifted children-gifted like herself. There she meets the less than welcoming gruff doctor. She's horrified to find out he recognizes her from her previous employment as a medium. He makes it perfectly clear that he's disgusted with her as a person and the idea that she's a teacher to young impressionable minds. But not only is she's not the fraud he thinks she is- she's in fact a very capable witch. She has a level head and is calm and cool in every situation that arises and- much to the hero's displeasure-he admires her for it.
In fact, he spends the entire book divided between his stubborn ignorant judgment of who he thinks she is and his growing admiration and attraction towards her. The heroine is just waiting for him to decide whether he actually likes her or not. As soon as he begins to laugh with heroine they begin to develop a connection-he has to say something or do something to screw it up. He ran hot and cold like nobody’s business and she was just along for the ride. But I loved her character. She had such confidence which radiated from her so that even if she was hurting from some smart comment he made or worrying about the safety of a student-she never let them see her sweet. It made you strongly dislike the hero as a person. He was ignorant and so stubborn in his treatment of a woman he really knew nothing about. This was a home run as far as story line went. I found it to be slow paced and it often dragged. There wasn't much of a conflict other than a demon which showed up more than halfway through the book. But I enjoyed-in a way-the slow burn and realistic love affair between the two characters-though in honest I much prefer a passionate dramatic love story.
In fact, he spends the entire book divided between his stubborn ignorant judgment of who he thinks she is and his growing admiration and attraction towards her. The heroine is just waiting for him to decide whether he actually likes her or not. As soon as he begins to laugh with heroine they begin to develop a connection-he has to say something or do something to screw it up. He ran hot and cold like nobody’s business and she was just along for the ride. But I loved her character. She had such confidence which radiated from her so that even if she was hurting from some smart comment he made or worrying about the safety of a student-she never let them see her sweet. It made you strongly dislike the hero as a person. He was ignorant and so stubborn in his treatment of a woman he really knew nothing about. This was a home run as far as story line went. I found it to be slow paced and it often dragged. There wasn't much of a conflict other than a demon which showed up more than halfway through the book. But I enjoyed-in a way-the slow burn and realistic love affair between the two characters-though in honest I much prefer a passionate dramatic love story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2012
Paranormal Romance
I loved No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper and loved the story so when I saw Lessons After Dark, the second book in the series, on NetGalley I had to request an eARC. I enjoyed seeing Simon and Joan again. Lessons After Dark is set at their home in the country where they have started a school for children who have special talents. The two main characters in the book are both new teachers at the school
What the above does not say is that Gareth saw Olivia when she was doing the fake medium act and does not like or trust her. That is one of the main conflicts in Lessons After Dark. The second conflict comes when one of the students releases a dark destructive force on the world and that force has to be found and sent back.
I liked the book. I did't think the story was as powerful as No Proper Lady. Gareth and Olivia were both strong characters but I found Gareth to be a little too unforgiving. Olivia was a much nicer person and deserved better from Gareth. Lessons After Dark was a nice second book in the series. It can stand-alone but read No Proper Lady first.
Sourcebooks Casablanca published Lessons After Dark by Isabel Cooper in 2012.
I loved No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper and loved the story so when I saw Lessons After Dark, the second book in the series, on NetGalley I had to request an eARC. I enjoyed seeing Simon and Joan again. Lessons After Dark is set at their home in the country where they have started a school for children who have special talents. The two main characters in the book are both new teachers at the school
What the above does not say is that Gareth saw Olivia when she was doing the fake medium act and does not like or trust her. That is one of the main conflicts in Lessons After Dark. The second conflict comes when one of the students releases a dark destructive force on the world and that force has to be found and sent back.
I liked the book. I did't think the story was as powerful as No Proper Lady. Gareth and Olivia were both strong characters but I found Gareth to be a little too unforgiving. Olivia was a much nicer person and deserved better from Gareth. Lessons After Dark was a nice second book in the series. It can stand-alone but read No Proper Lady first.
Sourcebooks Casablanca published Lessons After Dark by Isabel Cooper in 2012.
April 26, 2012
I am kind of stumped with this review. I liked all of the characters. Especially the heroine and hero, Olivia and Gareth. But… Nothing happened. Olivia a former charlatan begins to find redemption teaching children magic. And Gareth begins to come out of his gloom and depression fog as a Doctor at the same school. My problem is there is hardly any magic or adventure, and most of the action takes place with other character’s and we the reader only get the experience the brief aftermath, in which the problem is quickly solved.
So if you want to read a book with character’s that you will like, but who don’t really do anything than I suggest this book. If not it read first book in the Engelfield Series No Proper Lady, which is supposed to be very good.
So if you want to read a book with character’s that you will like, but who don’t really do anything than I suggest this book. If not it read first book in the Engelfield Series No Proper Lady, which is supposed to be very good.
March 28, 2012
This was surprisingly good & worth buying the book!
Olivia a fake medium, gets a job teaching at a school for children with special gifts. She really did not expect the special gifts the students really had.
Gaereth is a healer. He and Olivia must save the children from the demon in the woods who is trying to break through to take over the school.
It was different than I expected. I expected boring, don't ask me why, & it was far from that! I stayed up late reading it!
Olivia a fake medium, gets a job teaching at a school for children with special gifts. She really did not expect the special gifts the students really had.
Gaereth is a healer. He and Olivia must save the children from the demon in the woods who is trying to break through to take over the school.
It was different than I expected. I expected boring, don't ask me why, & it was far from that! I stayed up late reading it!
April 21, 2019
I feel like you might have needed supernatural powers to read between the lines of this book. I waffled between two and three stars for quite a bit but rounded down due to disappointment with what the story could have been.
I have a feeling that the author is trying to do a whole story arch with multiple books, or maybe she really didn't have her world fleshed out, at all, but the whole cloak and daggars mission of the school got pretty old, pretty fast. I kept hoping something would be explained but the book ended and I had far more questions than answers. In no particular order and certainly a non-exhaustive list; Is there a specific supernatual threat the school is preparing the students for or a more general "just in case" scenario? What the hell did Jack the Ripper have to do with anything? What can't Gareth get over Olivia's past as Madame Marguerite (ie. how big is the stick he has shoved where the sun don't shine)?
The cast of characters was a little daunting as well, they were poorly introduced and the author alternated between referring to them but their first names and also by their last names, making it feel like there were twice as many people running around the house. I actually had to list the students out on on separate piece of paper because the boys, specifically Waite and... just a sec I have to consult my list, Fitzpatrick, were virtually indistinguishable from each other.
The chemistry between Olivia and Gareth in the bedroom was pretty spicy and I really appreciated it. Unfortunately, aside from when they were locking lips or dealing with an emergency they could barely act civilly toward each other, and not in a fun banter way, but more of a Gareth is a judgemental asshole way. I really, really, really wanted Olivia to tell him off. In fact, I was a little flummoxed at the end of the book that they, indeed, ended up together, it felt really forced.
I have a feeling that the author is trying to do a whole story arch with multiple books, or maybe she really didn't have her world fleshed out, at all, but the whole cloak and daggars mission of the school got pretty old, pretty fast. I kept hoping something would be explained but the book ended and I had far more questions than answers. In no particular order and certainly a non-exhaustive list; Is there a specific supernatual threat the school is preparing the students for or a more general "just in case" scenario? What the hell did Jack the Ripper have to do with anything? What can't Gareth get over Olivia's past as Madame Marguerite (ie. how big is the stick he has shoved where the sun don't shine)?
The cast of characters was a little daunting as well, they were poorly introduced and the author alternated between referring to them but their first names and also by their last names, making it feel like there were twice as many people running around the house. I actually had to list the students out on on separate piece of paper because the boys, specifically Waite and... just a sec I have to consult my list, Fitzpatrick, were virtually indistinguishable from each other.
The chemistry between Olivia and Gareth in the bedroom was pretty spicy and I really appreciated it. Unfortunately, aside from when they were locking lips or dealing with an emergency they could barely act civilly toward each other, and not in a fun banter way, but more of a Gareth is a judgemental asshole way. I really, really, really wanted Olivia to tell him off. In fact, I was a little flummoxed at the end of the book that they, indeed, ended up together, it felt really forced.
February 16, 2019
This second book of the Englefield series tells a complete story. It builds on the first story using those main characters as secondary characters.
Like the analogy I used for the first story, the roller coaster ride for this story is not too steep or deep. The dangers are intense for very short spans. I hated the romance story. See comments on the characters.
Olivia is another powerful female heroine. She is more a magic wielder than the fighter that Joan is. The story doesn't imply a depth of magical experience, but she proves herself adept when her magic skill is required. Gareth is a judgmental jerk. He condemns Olivia for her dishonest past. This is dealt with in-depth late in the story, so I won't spoil it except to say
So Gareth makes it clear he can't trust Olivia including some animosity. But this is a bodice ripper, so what happens?
I really would have liked to have seen Joan and Simon play more active roles, especially Joan. She was so cool in book 1.
Mature themes: There is fairly explicit sex. There is some fantasy violence.
Like the analogy I used for the first story, the roller coaster ride for this story is not too steep or deep. The dangers are intense for very short spans. I hated the romance story. See comments on the characters.
Olivia is another powerful female heroine. She is more a magic wielder than the fighter that Joan is. The story doesn't imply a depth of magical experience, but she proves herself adept when her magic skill is required. Gareth is a judgmental jerk. He condemns Olivia for her dishonest past. This is dealt with in-depth late in the story, so I won't spoil it except to say
So Gareth makes it clear he can't trust Olivia including some animosity. But this is a bodice ripper, so what happens?
I really would have liked to have seen Joan and Simon play more active roles, especially Joan. She was so cool in book 1.
Mature themes: There is fairly explicit sex. There is some fantasy violence.
June 19, 2012
A Subtle Romance in an Intriguing Magical World
Olivia Brightmore needed this teaching job and was desperately hoping she wouldn't get turned away at the door when she showed up at Englefield. The new school was special, important, and highly secretive. She was offered the position by the couple who had started this incredible venture and with so few options, Olivia knew she had to keep it if she had any hope of staying out of the poorhouse.
There was tragically little money left after all the bills from her now-deceased husband's care had been settled, and Olivia was far beyond being able to pose as a medium as she did when she was younger. Especially given what she now knows about real magic, and how she wields it.
Englefield, the school for specially gifted children who will one day serve as a force against an army of darkness and evil, is an opportunity and a chance to take an active role in saving humanity from things it is unprepared to handle. It meant everything to her, so if the school's doctor and fellow educator, Gareth St. John, looks at her with silent scorn and a challenge in his eyes, well, she'll deal with it. She isn't the same woman she was when their paths crossed so long ago, and she has earned her position. She's not responsible for his derision and disdain.
The searing weight of it only hurts a little.
Wounded serving crown and country, Gareth is a staid and steady man of quiet intensity, one with a unique gift for healing that serves him well in his role as a doctor. He knows exactly who Olivia is, or was, and is vocally opposed to her position at the school. No doubt a woman such as her will taint the children in her care. If his generous friends and benefactors can't see her for the morally bankrupt charlatan she is, then Gareth will assume the duty of watching her like a hawk. All the better to swoop down and snatch her away from her charges before she causes the trouble he knows is unavoidable.
The problem with that plan, however, is twofold. One, no matter how many of her classes he observes, or how narrow his focus on her every move, even Gareth can't argue her dedication to responsible teaching principles both magic and mundane, and her grasp on the paranormal. And two...well...he's oddly and irrevocably attracted to the woman, a fact that gains greater and greater significance the longer he observes her. Of course, allowing her to become aware of either of those problems would serve no purpose, and could very well end up coming back to bite him.
And given his surroundings and the gifted nature of the children and teachers there, that could very well be literal.
~*~
Without having read the first book in this interesting historical paranormal romance series, No Proper Lady, I can't say how well this serves as a followup. I can, though, say it read just fine for me as a stand-alone. And it came with its fair share of pleasant surprises.
With a subtle style and the feel of historical authenticity, this slow-moving but character-driven story had its share of delightful moments. The plot, however, doesn't have much in the way of significant external conflict, and the romance is the sort of low key that sparks and slowly builds in the shadowy conversational corners of dialogue subtext. I know that style can frustrate and even bore readers. There were parts of the narrative that bored me, and I'm not a huge fan of subtext (that's mostly because a lot of it goes over my head). Still, the romance worked for me in a way that reminded me of my favorite Victorian romance classics.
The narrative has plenty of dialogue and a fair amount of exposition, but there just never seemed to be much solid information clearly and plainly offered in it. I felt a little at a loss when it came to the world-building and mythos for the series. Not enough to cripple my ability to understand the events that occur in this story, or to hamper me from slotting the secondary and ancillary characters, as well as their abilities, into substantive roles, but enough that I did feel a loss of context for the idea and purpose of the school in the big picture.
The romantic dance between Gareth and Olivia, though, was delicate and deftly handled. I would have enjoyed a more thorough backstory for each character, but they both held a lot of appeal as individuals and the chemistry between them had a finely wrought, understated intensity. Both characters were wonderfully individual and had a force of personality unique to them. Olivia was the more flexible of the two, with a nurturing and caring nature, while Gareth tended to silently stew in his ideological passions, passions hidden behind of wall of steely control. They tiptoed around each other as their initial animosity churned to grudging, then mutual respect, slowly building to admiration neither would admit to, which steadily grew into affection despite themselves. It was quite lovely to read and provided my favorite moments of the story.
Parts of this book struck me as being purposely and frustratingly obtuse. Intelligently written, in some places brilliantly written, but occasionally hard to understand. The romance amused and delighted me, though, as Gareth and Olivia so politely danced around each other, and that's what made this read a winner for me.
I intend to continue with future books in the series, but the combination of my contentment with this book as a stand-alone and my anal obsession with reading in series timeline order prevents me from having any motivation to go back and read the first book. I do hope, however, that future books in the series provide a clearer understanding of the forces of darkness that the students of Englefield are being trained to battle and a greater explanation of the world of magic around them all.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca publisher Sourcebooks via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
Olivia Brightmore needed this teaching job and was desperately hoping she wouldn't get turned away at the door when she showed up at Englefield. The new school was special, important, and highly secretive. She was offered the position by the couple who had started this incredible venture and with so few options, Olivia knew she had to keep it if she had any hope of staying out of the poorhouse.
There was tragically little money left after all the bills from her now-deceased husband's care had been settled, and Olivia was far beyond being able to pose as a medium as she did when she was younger. Especially given what she now knows about real magic, and how she wields it.
Englefield, the school for specially gifted children who will one day serve as a force against an army of darkness and evil, is an opportunity and a chance to take an active role in saving humanity from things it is unprepared to handle. It meant everything to her, so if the school's doctor and fellow educator, Gareth St. John, looks at her with silent scorn and a challenge in his eyes, well, she'll deal with it. She isn't the same woman she was when their paths crossed so long ago, and she has earned her position. She's not responsible for his derision and disdain.
The searing weight of it only hurts a little.
Wounded serving crown and country, Gareth is a staid and steady man of quiet intensity, one with a unique gift for healing that serves him well in his role as a doctor. He knows exactly who Olivia is, or was, and is vocally opposed to her position at the school. No doubt a woman such as her will taint the children in her care. If his generous friends and benefactors can't see her for the morally bankrupt charlatan she is, then Gareth will assume the duty of watching her like a hawk. All the better to swoop down and snatch her away from her charges before she causes the trouble he knows is unavoidable.
The problem with that plan, however, is twofold. One, no matter how many of her classes he observes, or how narrow his focus on her every move, even Gareth can't argue her dedication to responsible teaching principles both magic and mundane, and her grasp on the paranormal. And two...well...he's oddly and irrevocably attracted to the woman, a fact that gains greater and greater significance the longer he observes her. Of course, allowing her to become aware of either of those problems would serve no purpose, and could very well end up coming back to bite him.
And given his surroundings and the gifted nature of the children and teachers there, that could very well be literal.
~*~
Without having read the first book in this interesting historical paranormal romance series, No Proper Lady, I can't say how well this serves as a followup. I can, though, say it read just fine for me as a stand-alone. And it came with its fair share of pleasant surprises.
With a subtle style and the feel of historical authenticity, this slow-moving but character-driven story had its share of delightful moments. The plot, however, doesn't have much in the way of significant external conflict, and the romance is the sort of low key that sparks and slowly builds in the shadowy conversational corners of dialogue subtext. I know that style can frustrate and even bore readers. There were parts of the narrative that bored me, and I'm not a huge fan of subtext (that's mostly because a lot of it goes over my head). Still, the romance worked for me in a way that reminded me of my favorite Victorian romance classics.
The narrative has plenty of dialogue and a fair amount of exposition, but there just never seemed to be much solid information clearly and plainly offered in it. I felt a little at a loss when it came to the world-building and mythos for the series. Not enough to cripple my ability to understand the events that occur in this story, or to hamper me from slotting the secondary and ancillary characters, as well as their abilities, into substantive roles, but enough that I did feel a loss of context for the idea and purpose of the school in the big picture.
The romantic dance between Gareth and Olivia, though, was delicate and deftly handled. I would have enjoyed a more thorough backstory for each character, but they both held a lot of appeal as individuals and the chemistry between them had a finely wrought, understated intensity. Both characters were wonderfully individual and had a force of personality unique to them. Olivia was the more flexible of the two, with a nurturing and caring nature, while Gareth tended to silently stew in his ideological passions, passions hidden behind of wall of steely control. They tiptoed around each other as their initial animosity churned to grudging, then mutual respect, slowly building to admiration neither would admit to, which steadily grew into affection despite themselves. It was quite lovely to read and provided my favorite moments of the story.
Parts of this book struck me as being purposely and frustratingly obtuse. Intelligently written, in some places brilliantly written, but occasionally hard to understand. The romance amused and delighted me, though, as Gareth and Olivia so politely danced around each other, and that's what made this read a winner for me.
I intend to continue with future books in the series, but the combination of my contentment with this book as a stand-alone and my anal obsession with reading in series timeline order prevents me from having any motivation to go back and read the first book. I do hope, however, that future books in the series provide a clearer understanding of the forces of darkness that the students of Englefield are being trained to battle and a greater explanation of the world of magic around them all.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca publisher Sourcebooks via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
December 17, 2017
Enjoyable read. I have to admit that right now I’m reading anything that can distract me from the world, and this series is working admirably. I liked the characters of Olivia and Gareth, although there were times I wanted to bop Gareth up the side of the head. It was so much harder for women to make a living if they were single back then—if I’d been in Olivia’s shoes I would have done the same thing. Her reasoning was sound as well. Giving people some comfort about their relatives, etc. in the afterlife is a type of kindness. Who knows what exactly happens when you die (she knew more at the time she was talking to Gareth about it). He was _such_ a cynic and so overly righteous from what he’d seen, even as a doctor it seems he would have recognized there were worse things than what she’d done. And who was he to set up standards she was supposed to live up to? Okay, so Gareth did get on my nerves some. Which is good, because it means his character worked. Olivia is very powerful. She pretty much kicked demon butt. The students are realistic in their mischievousness and trying to do things they shouldn’t. They don’t _get_ how serious it all is.
August 25, 2021
This book was super disappointing to me. The paranormal mystery/drama was boring and the romance was so poorly plotted that i ended the book thinking that this couple sucked.
Gareth was a fuddy duddy grump with a personality that tended towards dickishness and Olivia was a half baked con woman who had no backbone. Enemies to lovers isn’t one of my favorite tropes, in part because i truly do not understand having sexual tension with an asshole man. Like if a dude is a dick to me, I’m just not hot for him. And gareth was a petty little bitch to Olivia. She let him treat her like crap and the story pretended she stood up for herself but she just didn’t. I get that he's "moral" and had some kind of extra issue with her because he saw her right before he left for war? But I didn't really buy it because I felt like it wasn't explored really. Plus I have automatic sympathy for a woman doing illegal things to make money because during that time period what kind of options does she have?
Idk I’ll try one more book by Cooper and if it’s like the rest, i think I’ll put this author in my do not read shelf
Gareth was a fuddy duddy grump with a personality that tended towards dickishness and Olivia was a half baked con woman who had no backbone. Enemies to lovers isn’t one of my favorite tropes, in part because i truly do not understand having sexual tension with an asshole man. Like if a dude is a dick to me, I’m just not hot for him. And gareth was a petty little bitch to Olivia. She let him treat her like crap and the story pretended she stood up for herself but she just didn’t. I get that he's "moral" and had some kind of extra issue with her because he saw her right before he left for war? But I didn't really buy it because I felt like it wasn't explored really. Plus I have automatic sympathy for a woman doing illegal things to make money because during that time period what kind of options does she have?
Idk I’ll try one more book by Cooper and if it’s like the rest, i think I’ll put this author in my do not read shelf
August 19, 2018
I wanted to like this book more than I did, because I did like many of the elements and the MCs are exactly the type of characters I love. Everything about it is pretty great....except for how the romance falls completely flat for me. The romantic leads are just kind of flung at each other and there's an exhausting cycle of snarking hurtfully at each other, making out because they happen to be in the same room, flinging themselves as far away as they can until Events push them into working together. It doesn't seem like they like each other very much, but the sex isn't written as hatesex at all, and so the declaration of love and deciding to Be A Couple feels out of left field.
Love the concept, the entire cast of characters, and the worldbuilding/magical theory though.
Love the concept, the entire cast of characters, and the worldbuilding/magical theory though.
April 9, 2018
DNF
If you pick this book up on the basis of No Proper Lady, the first book in the series, you will be sorely disappointed. It's as if it were written by another author, or maybe Isabel Cooper as a 16 year old. There is little plot and I basically never even knew,who was who, much less cared about them among the students. The hero is particularly unpleasant and unlikable. I loved the first book so much I'm going to try the Highland Dragon series, but don't waste your time with this one!
If you pick this book up on the basis of No Proper Lady, the first book in the series, you will be sorely disappointed. It's as if it were written by another author, or maybe Isabel Cooper as a 16 year old. There is little plot and I basically never even knew,who was who, much less cared about them among the students. The hero is particularly unpleasant and unlikable. I loved the first book so much I'm going to try the Highland Dragon series, but don't waste your time with this one!
October 27, 2017
I would never have read this book if I had to carry around that cover in real life. Thank goodness for Kindles. Like the first, it is not nearly as smutty or romance-focused as the cover would lead you to believe. I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as the first one. Olivia isn't as fun as Joan to read. But I will certainly be looking up Cooper's other books.
September 24, 2017
In my library this was listed as a romance but I would probably put it under fantasy. It was a lot of fun to read. It is like Harry Potter but only in reverse where the focus is more on the teachers than on the students.
June 25, 2019
Not good. The romance isn't really there, but the sex scenes are pretty good. The banter is kind of annoying. The speech doesn't match with the time period. Throwing in a "rather" here and there just wasn't cutting it.
October 22, 2019
Fun paranormal historical. I liked all the characters, the sex was hot, and it was fun seeing Joan and Simon again after book 1. I thought Gareth's reasons for disliking Olivia dragged on a little too long, making their declarations of love too abrupt, but otherwise I enjoyed the book.
September 2, 2017
Disjointed and disappointing. Lots of potential with the characters and story that was not close to being met. I don't even call it much of a romance
January 30, 2018
Looking forward to the next book in this series.
February 26, 2018
So apparently this was book two, which explains a few things. Worked okay as a standalone, but it does rather dump you into the world if you haven't read book one.
maybe
May 18, 2018Previous book reviews:
✦ No Proper Lady (Englefield, #1)
✦ No Proper Lady (Englefield, #1)
October 11, 2018
School for magical children
I enjoyed the main story idea, some parts dragged on in some places it felt a little junior high level
I enjoyed the main story idea, some parts dragged on in some places it felt a little junior high level
December 20, 2019
Review posted here: https://courtneyreadsromancesite.word...
October 17, 2023
I don't think I got far in this one at all. Could be totally just on me and my head space. I don't remember it being super grabby, but I didn't give it long.
April 24, 2012
My thoughts: I had no idea from the description that this story took place in a historical setting, but luckily I had no problem with it. It's set in one of my favourite time periods - late 1800s England. Olivia turns up at the school not really sure what to expect, but knowing she doesn't really have much choice in her current circumstances, and that it could be the lifeline she needs to a respectable, more stable life.
Whatever else it might be, her new job certainly isn't normal, as Olivia spends her first afternoon coaxing a young girl down from the ceiling, where she's floated to and got stuck. Unfortunately while she impresses the pupils and the couple who run the little 'school', Olivia's early meetings with Gareth don't go very well, and he is convinced she's a fraud because of her previous job.
As the story unfolds, Gareth and Olivia gradually come to trust each other, and despite wanting to shake each of them a couple of times, their relationship was realistic as it developed and they worked through things both individually together. It was really interesting to see the various magical abilities that the children had, too. The world building was very believable, and although there are some magical elements, they are carefully fitted in to the world of the late 1800s, kept quiet for the most part.
Although this is the second book in the series, it was fine to pick up without having read the first one. I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely look for the other books in the series as they are written. I would definitely recommend this book, and I give it 8 out of 10.
~Ailsa
[Originally posted by me at The Book Bundle.]
Whatever else it might be, her new job certainly isn't normal, as Olivia spends her first afternoon coaxing a young girl down from the ceiling, where she's floated to and got stuck. Unfortunately while she impresses the pupils and the couple who run the little 'school', Olivia's early meetings with Gareth don't go very well, and he is convinced she's a fraud because of her previous job.
As the story unfolds, Gareth and Olivia gradually come to trust each other, and despite wanting to shake each of them a couple of times, their relationship was realistic as it developed and they worked through things both individually together. It was really interesting to see the various magical abilities that the children had, too. The world building was very believable, and although there are some magical elements, they are carefully fitted in to the world of the late 1800s, kept quiet for the most part.
Although this is the second book in the series, it was fine to pick up without having read the first one. I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely look for the other books in the series as they are written. I would definitely recommend this book, and I give it 8 out of 10.
~Ailsa
[Originally posted by me at The Book Bundle.]
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