Bella

by Jilly Cooper, Ruth Urquhart (Narrator)

Bella Parkinson is the most promising actress in London, bright, sexy...and hopelessly scatterbrained.

Rupert Henriques is dashingly handsome and wealthy enough to buy her every theatre in London if she wanted it; he cannot wait to marry her. But Bella has a secret from her past - and the one man who knows it is about to come back into her life again....

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Dame Jilly Cooper, OBE (born February 21, 1937) was an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She was most famous for writing the six blockbuster novels the Rutshire Chronicles.

Reviews

[Jessica Gilmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally I love Cooper and I have such fond memories of her name books - but I don't recall this one at all, and I wonder if that's because I was just as cool first time round and so didn't reread it throughout my teens like I did the rest? Hopefully Harriet, which is next on my reread list, will be just as lush as I remember.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story surprised me. I was expecting a trashy, light romance, but it ended up being more than that with a major, unexpected twist. I wanted to read ahead to see what happened at the end. A good summer read.

[Gauri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Practically,this book can be perfectly described in just two words--STUPID BOOK.And if you are clever enough,don't bother to read it.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sassy and 'grown-up'. Bella is lovable and interesting and the near-ending is great!

[caty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was certainly different from the Rutshire Chronicles I’m so fond of. At first I thought it was going to be like a Harlequin/Mills&Boon romance. It was all lovey dovey man woos woman, they go on dates, she’s all shy, so he proposes. I was surprised at the lack of sex scenes. There really wasn’t anything raunchy at all. But then all of a sudden it turned into a human interest story. And it’s still primarily a love story, the girl will end up with the man of her dreams, but it was much more than expected. May try another one of these. I was pleasantly surprised to see my local library had most of them.

[Leanne Hunt]

This was a very average read. I found the characters very two-dimensional and the setting hard to relate to. Although the plot took an unexpected turn halfway through, I found the gangster section quite long and drawn out. In the end, I didn't really care that the heroine got her man because it was enough that I could put the book aside and go onto something with more substance.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of Jilly Cooper when I was a young teenager and learned an awful lot from her! I loved it at the time and think its about time I read them all again!

[Tasneem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooper is superb. I adored Bella. Her need for love is so strong and she does make mistakes. But she's human and it shows.

[Kim Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how irritating Bella can be... Still love this cheesy easy to read book tho :-)

[Georgia Tromans]

“Hell being a woman isnt it? It’s just not your century.”

[Aiga Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, now that I read it after all this time, it seems very cheesy, but I still can remember what I liked about it when I read it the first time as a teenager.

[Gill McKinlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun!! I love this author. She makes me want wine gums and cadburys while figuring out which way to look before crossing the street.

[Hayley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've enjoyed the other Jilly Cooper books I've read from this sequence but this one was really poor.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has been left untouched for the last twenty-plus-years, but I thought I'd have one last read before I made a decision on whether to send them to a charity shop or not. "Emily" - see here - didn't go down overly well & I'm sorry to say "Bella" fared even worse.

Once again the attitudes seemed very dated. That's not so much a problem times change after all but , even for someone who has lived through the non-PC seventies, this was a bit near the knuckle in parts.

I recall Cooper's characters being beautiful, sexy & a bit ditsy -as Bella's a stage actress wouldn't you expect a bit of glam & glitz from her? Nah.. she was just irritating, childish & downright annoying! Would any woman go out to a posh dinner to entertain guests wearing a pair of shorts & a borrowed T-shirt? Remarks such as "I practically let you rape me", "Any moment he'd be raping her & she didn't care" just don't sit well. Bella also recalled that sex with Steve had.. "..her head threshing back & forth like a meningitis victim"..c'mon, why on earth chose that as a metaphor? Not appropriate at all in my view.

To be honest I'm wishing I hadn't bothered re-reading it. It's only got two stars for old-times sake & I guess somethings are better left in the past....

[Hannah Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bella has always had a slightly different feel than Cooper's other books in this series; there's less romance and more violence as the plot veers off in a strange, yet exciting direction.

Bella Parkinson is a beautiful, successful actress with a dark past, a past she is very secretive about. One night, she meets the infamous Rupert Henriques and things soon get serious. The Henriques family though are very cliquey and don't like outsiders, (almost Targaryen levels of closeness) and they make sure Bella knows it.

Bella then reconnects with an old flame who wants her back, leaving her feeling torn between the two men.

Things change from here, first Bella is arrested after one of the Henriques family makes a false accusation against her and soon after she's released, she's kidnapped.

A large chunk of the book is about Bella's kidnapping and who is behind it amongst other things. In true, Cooper fashion, Bella realises that the man she loves is the man who has been driving her round the bend ever since they met. I do enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, and this is probably the best and most satisfying in Cooper's repertoire.

The plot is engaging, but a little bit clumsy. I think the book should've been longer, it feels like too much has been crammed into such a short book and it affects the flow.

Bella also comes across as a bit bratty at times, but Lazlo is an interesting character, which makes up for it.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It certainly takes a turn with a wild twist that had me engaged (towards the end).

One thing I must say, since I have been spending some time in Jilly Cooper’s bibliography this year… she mis uses the word “R@p3d”. She is somewhat racist, and why are the men always slapping or hitting the women, in the strangest circumstances, and yet calling it love?!

I know these books were written thirty+ years ago but it’s shocking as hell to read the prejudices, racism and toxic masculinity within the pages.

[Karen Croan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun romance that’s very evocative of the seventies although now a little dated. Bella is talented, spoilt and hiding a secret which she believes will bring her promising career to an abrupt end. The Henriques family is rich, well connected, snobbish and definitely don’t see Bella as a viable prospect for their son.

[Amanda's · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bella herself seemed a bit of a re-run of Octavia. The beautiful, superficially bitchy but hurt underneath heroine. Which I wouldn't mind too much, but I didn't fancy Lazlo, the hero. I was also a uneasy about the scene in which he (in Bella's words) "almost raped her". And I found the ending a bit far-fetched. So... I doubt I'd read it again.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in need of something quick to read, non-demanding and enjoyable and this fit the bill perfectly; the thriller aspect something if a pleasant surprise. (It must be ~ 40 years since I last read any of this set of named books)

[Sam Merrett-Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Jilly Cooper as a young adult & absolutely loved her books.
However, I was really disappointed by this short read.
I guess I was looking for a short, fun, sexy romance - & this just fell short on every level (apart from the short aspect).

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Struggled to get through the first half of the book as I found Bella jarring, but the last half I started to understand her personality and started to see it more as a fun read, nothing too deep or meaningful and I enjoyed it much more!

[Michelle Ohara · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable tosh. I blame Backreads Podcast

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable but dated romance from Jilly Cooper. An actress, rich South Americans, a kidnapping. This one got quite dark during the kidnapping.

[Tambra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book and story interesting to read one from someone who lives out of the Usa.

[Sharlene Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noty usual pick but was a good listen

[Franziska Self Fisken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining , light and witty

[Julie Tasker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Gripping story line excellent for a short read you will not want to put the book down another good read by Jilly Cooper