Masquerade: Can a street-girl fool a lord?

by Joanna Taylor

A street-girl and a lord? London is poised for scandal ... Bestselling author Joanna Taylor delivers captivating historical romance.

Can a street-girl fool Regency London?

Lizzy Ward never meant to end up working the streets of Piccadilly. So when a mysterious lord pursues her, it seems her fortunes are changing.
But Lord Hays wants feisty Lizzy for more than a night. He needs her to masquerade as his companion.

So can a street-girl navigate the fashion and faux pas of London society? And will Lizzy’s wild heart be too much temptation for Lord Hays?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Ebooks, Adult, Regency

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 2014

About the author

Joanna Taylor is a bestselling author, with sales totalling over 200,000 books. She teams fiction writing with a successful and award-winning journalism career, working for The Times and the Mirror in London, UK. Her first adult romance, Spotlight, became an Amazon bestseller, and Joanna ranks in the top ten adult-romance writers on Amazon.
As CS Quinn, she is also the author of the bestselling historical thriller The Thief Taker.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joanna Taylor brings Regency London very much to life with her vivid descriptions, but the storyline just didn't do anything for me personally. It's clear that the author does have talent, but the plot felt too familiar, having parallels with other books I've read previously.

* I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest unbiased review.*

[Magdalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lizzy Warden, a fallen woman meets Lord Hayes and he hires her to be his companion for a week after spending a night together. She is looking for a way out of her situation and he wants a female companion while he makes business in London to stop every matchmaking women to find him a wife.

While Lizzy is pretending to be Hayes companion is she also learning how to be a proper lady. But as the week goes by they seem to come to care a great deal about each other. But Lizzy has sworn never to be a married man's mistress and she knows that they are not a match made in heaven. Will the social obstacles be too much for them?

I loved the cover. I loved its simplicity and its beauty and I'm really grateful that it's not one of those couple covers with a man with an open shirt and a woman in his arms. It's so gorgeous, I could frame it and hang it on my wall.

Another thing I really loved with the book was that there are no graphic sex scenes in it. There are sex scenes, of course, Lord Hayes has hired Lizzy for a week and not only for going to events with. But not four pages of detailed sex. It's more like let's go to bed and then everything fades to black. I was so pleased about that, it made the reading experience so much better. I

Masquerade is like a mix of Pygmalion and Pretty Woman. A fallen woman that is getting a chance to act as a proper lady and gets a happy ending.

I liked the relationship between Lizzy and Lord Hayes. Lizzy was not an innocent little girl, she is a street girl, her life ruined by a man that promised her a good life and then destroyed it and she had to face the fact that she would never be a proper married woman. Lord Hayes is a man who grew up with a brutal father and a loving mother and he has had to try to be the man his father never was. He is trying very hard to take care of his mother and his property and should in the end chose a wealthy girl to marry. But then Lizzy came into his life and as the week goes by they seem to care more and more for each other.

The drawback for me while reading the book was that it was predictable, but that can be nice also if that is what you want. I personally like my romance books to have some elements of surprise in them. But that's me.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good historical romance!

Thank you Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

[Calypso · Rating 4 out of 5]

"O Baile de Máscaras" foi o meu romance de estreia com a autora Joanna Taylor. Não foi um livro que fizesse parte das minhas listas, na verdade nem sabia da sua existência até que o vi à venda e como andava à procura de um romance e a capa era bastante apelativa resolvi enveredar por esta aventura.

A história prendeu-me de imediato e o livro acabou por me surpreender quando não se tornou um daqueles livros em que existem várias cenas de sexo, tendo em conta a sinopse pensei que pudesse sê-lo. Gostei igualmente dos protagonistas e da forma como a história deles nos foi sendo contada.

É sem duvida uma boa leitura de verão!

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cliché, mas tão cliché....
Não passa de um romance fofinho ;)

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Masquerade by Joanna Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Summary (from Goodreads):

A street-girl and a lord? London is poised for scandal ... Bestselling author Joanna Taylor delivers captivating historical romance.

Can a street-girl fool Regency London?

Lizzy Ward never meant to end up working the streets of Piccadilly. So when a mysterious lord pursues her, it seems her fortunes are changing.

But Lord Hays wants feisty Lizzy for more than a night. He needs her to masquerade as his companion.

So can a street-girl navigate the fashion and faux pas of London society? And will Lizzy’s wild heart be too much temptation for Lord Hays?

What I Liked:

This book was so cute! Cute is probably the best way to describe it. I knew it wasn't going to be the bodice-ripping types, like we get from Avon (imprint of HarperCollins). This is a UK-published book, so it's also not too well-known here in the States. Still, I saw it on NetGalley, asked my LB UK contact about it, and certainly enjoyed the book!

Lizzy is a former girl for hire at Mrs. Wilkes house. She hated working in this whorehouse, and ran away with two other girls. Now free, she is very poor, and simply looking to secure the protection of a wealthy lord, so that she won't have to search for opportunities from different men. When a chance with the Lord Hayes comes up, Lizzy does not hesitate. She'll please him in whatever way he wants for fifty guineas. A week of masquerading as his lady companion? No problem! Street girl and former girl at Mrs. Wilkes meets high society London in this fun and startlingly deep historical romance novel.

One of the things that surprised me and delighted me was the protagonist - Lizzy is a former girl at the well-known whorehouse of Mrs. Wilkes. She was ruined by a gentleman, who then took her to Mrs. Wilkes house, where she would do her duty and sleep with the men paying for a girl. It's rare that you read a historical romance novel featuring a prostitute, girl for hire, whore, whatever you want to call her. But the thing is, Lizzy OWNS her profession. She is in total control, and doesn't feel sorry for herself, or heartbroken. She is shameless, and will do what she needs to in order to pay bills and debts. Lizzy has no fear or shame, and is good at the freelance type of work she's doing, now that she is free of Mrs. Wilkes.

Nevertheless, Lizzy shows an outward and inner strength of character that is uncommon in historical romance novels. She is already so different from highborn ladies, as she was a country girl before she was ruined, and now she is a street girl. She takes Lord Hays' offer to be his companion for a week, and learns much about society during this time. But fancy dresses and jewels won't make her forget her former life, who she is.

I really like Edward. He is a thoughtful, careful, kind man. He is out to save his family's fortune, to make trade deals and buy a ship to trade guns. He hires Lizzy to be his companion (for good reason), but soon he grows to care about her. She is brash and brazen and outspoken, no matter that he is paying her. She attends to his needs but never worries about her own. She takes care of him, yet he takes care of her. The two of them are a great pair, as he is rational and calm, and she is wild and boisterous.

The setting is very authentic! Very historical, in terms of location, time period, treatment of women and women's rights, class differences, societal norms. There are so many historical aspects that Taylor captured very well!

As the story goes on, more is revealed about Lizzy and her past, as well as more about Edward's life. The week passes, and Lizzy and Edward have decisions to make. Their relationship grows beautifully, and they have grown to care for each other a lot. The ending of the story was unexpected, but quite satisfying. I don't think I could have seen that ending exactly as it is, but I couldn't have it any other way.

What I Did Not Like:

This book didn't get nearly into the chemistry side of the romance as I'd hoped. I am well aware that this is an Alyssa problem and really has not much to do with what the author wrote, but I was totally expecting more from the romance. Don't get me wrong, Edward and Lizzy are intimate pretty often. It's just not explicitly told, which bothers me. As a historical romance junkie, I love steamy scenes between the couple. It's all part of the allure of an ADULT historical romance novel, no? This book didn't have that allure. While I still very much enjoyed the book, I expected something else.

This book was really lighthearted, but also to the point where it seemed like there was a layer or two missing. Everything was on the surface, laid out in front of you. One thing after the other, like a string of episodes on a sitcom. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but it felt a little underdeveloped.

I expected a little more resolution from Lizzy's friend Kitty. It seemed like the debt collector in the beginning of the book would come back into the plot at some point, maybe the climax. That plot device was not employed, which was kind of sad, because I expected that. It would have made sense to bring that back into the plot. I think?

Would I Recommend It:

This is a really "clean" historical romance novel, if that makes sense. It's also pretty lighthearted, on-the-surface kind of story. Not much depth, and again, not much steamy stuff explicitly written out. So, if you're new to the historical romance game, and want something light to start out with, I'd recommend this one! But if you're like me, a die-hard historical romance novel fan, this probably isn't the best selection for you.

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. But really, it should be 3.5 stars. I liked this novel! I'm glad I had the chance to read it. I'll be interested in more of Taylor's historical romance novels in the future.

[Tempo de Ler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inspirado no filme Pretty Woman, O Baile de Máscaras é um daqueles livros que serve exclusivamente para passar o tempo - pouco profundo, pouco desafiante...e não há nada de mal nisso, até porque sabe muito bem, pelo menos de vez em quando, ler algo apenas por puro entretenimento, mas este livro é tão previsível que se torna aborrecido.

Considero que a escritora, Joanna Taylor, faz uma boa homenagem ao filme, moldando as circunstâncias à época histórica que escolheu; também gostei dos protagonistas, especialmente Elizabeth, uma jovem genuína e simples no meio de uma sociedade que só liga às aparências. No entanto, para além da previsibilidade que já referi, Taylor centra a narrativa quase exclusivamente no casal protagonista, o que a torna muito monótona, e opta por aprofundar mais a história pessoal de Edward do que a de Elizabeth quando a que me interessava mais era precisamente a da jovem.

Não pretendo deixar aqui uma lista de «defeitos» do livro até porque identifico nele elementos que poderão agradar a muitas leitoras, mas honestamente senti-me entediada durante grande parte da leitura e não gostei da maneira como Taylor escolheu terminar a história.

[Joana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2* e com muita sorte
http://pepitamagica.blogspot.pt/2016/...

Comprei este livro e senti-me algo enganada – talvez não devesse, mas a verdade é que fez sentir assim. Na capa diz o seguinte “Um «Pretty Woman» da Regência Inglesa, que as fãs de Julia Quinn vão adorar». Ora isto parece mesmo o meu género de livro, certo? Sim, não fosse ser quase literalmente IGUAL ao Pretty Woman, que até é um filme de que gosto bastante e que vi várias vezes.

Para verem o quanto o livro me começou a irritar logo nas primeiras páginas, cheguei a fazer uma tabela bastante completa com tudo o que era igual no filme no livro, mas nem sequer a vou por aqui pois não quero dedicar mais tempo que o estritamente necessário a este livro. Só para terem alguns exemplos: várias personagens com exactamente os mesmos nome (como o Edward, ou a Kit, aqui tratada mais como Kitty, que outra coisa), os problemas pelos quais as personagens passam são praticamente os mesmos, a maneira como as duas personagens principais se conhecem é igual, com a pequena mudança de um Lexus difícil de conduzir para um garanhão difícil de controlar, entre muitas outras coisas. Não me percebam mal, eu gosto de autores que pegam em contos e outras histórias e dão o seu toque (veja-se a quantidade de livros que são novas versões de contos como a Cinderela – e muitos dos quais eu gostei), mas isto para mim não foi isso, foi praticamente plágio!

Das poucas coisas que posso dizer bem, é que a escrita não é má de todo e acaba por nos prender apenas o suficiente para querermos saber se o resto do livro é todo igual ao filme ou não, o que pelo menos fez com que eu o lesse até ao fim. Acho que o livro poderia ter sido muito mais apelativo se não fosse tão colado ao filme e se a autora se tivesse dado ao trabalho de incluir algum trabalho original. Sei que estou a ser um pouco brusca, mas é para verem o quanto me decepcionou o livro.

Não tendo nada melhor para dizer sobre o livro, acabo aqui esta crítica (e acrescento apenas que a pontuação pensada tem vindo a diminuir cada vez mais).

[Carina Carvalho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um pretty woman passado nos tempos da regência inglesa. Um livre leve e romântico que nos entretém e nos faz sorrir.

[Benedita Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Titinha Scaeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fraquinho... Levou 3* com boa vontade... Tem alguns pontos interessantes mas... mais nada!

[Elisabete Cunha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acabei de ler Baile de Máscaras e fiquei completamente encantada. Já tinha saudades de me perder num romance de época, e este livro foi o regresso perfeito a esse género, especialmente com a partilha da leitura no grupo da querida Filipa.
A história acompanha Lizzy, uma jovem que, devido às duras circunstâncias da vida em Londres durante a época, acabou por trabalhar nas ruas de Piccadilly. A vida nunca lhe tinha sido generosa e os seus sonhos de infância pareciam agora inalcançáveis. Mas a sorte de Lizzy muda quando conhece Lord Edward, que lhe propõe uma oferta inesperada: acompanhá-lo a bailes e jantares, mostrando toda a sua elegância e charme. O que ambos não esperavam é que este acordo viesse a transformar as suas vidas.
Lizzy uma protagonista forte e realista. Que apesar das adversidades e da vida difícil que levou, nunca se vitimizou. Pelo contrário, manteve a sua dignidade e orgulho, aproveitando qualquer oportunidade para melhorar a sua situação. Edward, aparenta ser um homem de negócios frio, mas depressa se revela doce, nobre e genuinamente interessado em Lizzy. A química entre os dois é palpável desde o início, e a evolução da sua relação é ao mesmo tempo encantadora e divertida, com aquele toque de tensão que nos faz torcer por eles a cada página.
A narrativa é leve, fluida e muito envolvente, combinando momentos de romance, humor e aventura com uma descrição vívida da sociedade londrina da época. É também um livro que nos mostra as desigualdades entre classes e a luta pela sobrevivência de quem menos teve sorte na vida, o que torna a história ainda mais rica e humana. Adorei a forma como a autora recriou a época de 1786, desde os vestidos deslumbrantes e os penteados altíssimos, até às carruagens e mansões londrinas. É impossível não visualizar as ruas de Londres.
A história de Lizzy e Edward é completamente cativante. A autora consegue equilibrar o romance com um retrato realista da vida na época, tornando cada página uma viagem apaixonante pelo passado. Um romance histórico leve, divertido, doce e envolvente. Perfeito para todos os fãs de romances de época e a quem procura uma leitura divertida e cativante.

[Tania Martins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Demasiado colado ao filme do “Pretty Woman”, Edward e Kitty, a melhor amiga dela que não queria sair da prostituição, uma semana para acompanha-lo. Só mesmo o facto de ser passado na época da Regência o altera e mesmo o final também...não fiquei fã!

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was way out of my comfort zone. I don't generally read historical romances (this is only my second to date) but when I was asked to read it as part of a tour, I thought 'well, why not?'

I don't want to hash over the story, I'd rather review in a way that expresses my feelings as I read the book. I read it at a time in my life where I was VERY busy, so I admit it took me a long time to get through. This was in part to me being so very busy, but also because I did find it took me a long time to really get in to the book. The language, of course, is very.. old? Historical? I don't know what you want me to call it LOL, and I admit it took me a while to get my head around it and be able to freely read the story. Once I did though, I was able to zoom through.

The story itself is, somehow, both familiar and different to anything I have read before. Similar because there is a story of a woman falling in love with an unlikely man. Different because it involved a street girl, falling for a Lord. When have I ever read a book about Lords and Lady's? I couldn't tell you, but I certainly don't regret reading it.

I like to be taken out of my comfort zone at times and this book was a great way for me to do that. Had I read the book in a time in my life where I wasn't so busy, I probably would have read it much quicker because I did eventually get in to the book, wanting to read it more nd more, I just didn't have the time.

I'm not sure if I will purposely seek out historical romances again, but maybe given a tour opportunity, I would certainly think about it.

*Reviewing for The Hopeless Romantics Book Blog as part of the 'Masquerade' blog tour.*

[Celia {Hiatus until August} · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma sinopse que chama a atenção, uma capa bonita, no entanto...
Desilusão.
Estava a ler um livro que me recordava constantemente o filme pretty woman.
Não gostei.
Cópia de um filme romântico dos tempos moderno transformado em romance de época.
Mesmo assim, 3 estrelas. Gostei da escrita.
Peca pela falta de originalidade, até o nome de alguma das personagens foram os mesmos.
Se não tivesse visto o filme, talvez o tivesse apreciado doutra forma.

[Leonor Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para quem não ficou indiferente ao filme 'Um sonho de mulher ', vai gostar de certeza deste livro. A história é muito semelhante, mas transportada para um romance épico.
Gostei bastante e recomendo.

[Gizella Tóth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just LOVED it! How could I not? It's Pretty Woman in Regency London. :)
* * *
My review in Hungarian.

[Nélia Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

um romance leve para descontrair

[authorsrikandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried and laughed and everything in between. The ending is done superbly and i cannot stop turning the pages!

[Isabel Amaral · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5💫

[Estefania Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

um romance muito "pretty woman". gostei imenso.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In ‘Masquerade’ we meet Lizzy Ward. Lizzy is a street girl, working on the streets of Piccadilly in London. Lizzy never planned her life to go this way. Ending up as a prostitute wasn’t her childhood dream. But life is hard in Regency London, and life has hardened Lizzy.
One evening, Lizzy’s luck seems to change when a handsome Lord offers her a great deal. All Lizzy has to do is accompany Lord Hays ‘Edward’, to balls and dinners looking as pretty as she can. They both didn’t expect this deal to change everything.

This book was clearly inspired upon a famous movie. It took me until the second chapter, to realize this… The difference is this book takes place in Regency London. So there are a lot more etiquettes then in modern life, especially in being a Lord and his ‘friend’. But boy did I love this story!!
The movie that this book inspired on, is one of my all-time favorite movies. I must have watched that movie at least fifty times. Historical Romance novels are one of my favorite books to read. So obviously this book must have been written for me!! (LOL)

I loved the two main characters Lizzy and Edward. Lizzy was this tough-on-the-outside, but sweet woman who’s life got messed up due to a wrong decision she made when she was just in her teens. Lizzy always had these dreams growing up, now life has made her think dreams never do come true. I just loved Lizzy’s character. I could easily imagine her dancing in one of her new gorgeous looking dresses. And she was really funny!
Edward seems to be a hard-core business man, but when Lizzy enters his life, you get to see the reason for his determination to become an even richer man than he is right now. But most of all we get to see a sweet and caring guy, who didn’t have love in his life.

For those of you who couldn’t guess it, I completely loved this book. It was such a fun read and I really loved how it took place in Regency London. I could totally imagine all those pretty gowns and beautiful houses and mansions. I especially loved how this book took place in London, since I just visited London in May for the first time. I could easily imagine Lizzy and Edward wondering through the streets of London.

This book easily gets five, bookworms a.k.a. stars, from me. It’s an awesome read for Regency Romance lovers like myself. I think it’s time to update my TBR list, since I obviously need to read the other books by Joanna Taylor now too!!

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Masquerade' was a quick, easy and engrossing read, and I probably would've given it another star if it wasn't for the fact that it was so heavily reliant on the plot of Pretty Woman that it was near enough derivative. I don't mean that it had a similar premise: prostitute is hired to give companionship to rich man for a week (just set in Regancy London). My problem with the book was that during the first half of the novel, the similarities were so astounding that it was ridiculous. For example, you know how in the movie when the two leads meet, he's driving a car he doesn't really know how to drive, but she does? And she like offers to give him directions and ends up driving the car for him? Well, substitute a car for a horse and you have the way Elizabeth and Lord Hays meet in this novel.

Instead of the women that refuse to sell clothes to Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, you have a policeman that refuses to help Elizabeth to find a dressmaker, and tells her prostitutes aren't welcome in Mayfair (she shows the policeman up later while on the arm of Lord Hays). Instead of the Hotel Manager warning Julia Roberts about the hotel's reputation but eventually warming to her and giving her advice, you have Lord Hays' housekeeper.

I hope you see what I'm getting at. It's not that the novel has a similar premise - hell, all novels are pretty similar once you boil it down to the major plot points. That, I don't take issue with. It's the fact that this novel takes Pretty Woman, sets it in Regency London, tweaks the characters a bit so they fit with the times and then tells the exact same story. Half way through, I felt the novel came into its own a little bit more, and strayed from the movie a little. But not enough. Even the characters have very similar personalities and traits.

The writing in this book is okay. At the beginning I felt it was a little stilted, but it warmed up after a few chapters. As I said - it was fun and fast and easy to read - and I would've liked it way more had the author not all but ripped off Pretty Woman.

[Please Pass the Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the descriptions are vivid and the plot is engaging, the beginning of Masquerade is just Pretty Woman set in the Regency era...even down to the dress shopping scene. At first I thought the parallels were cute, but after a while it really, really felt like it bordered so much on fan fiction that it might be construed as piracy. Following the dress shopping scene, the author did find her own voice but by that point I was already bothered by the story. I think if the author is actually writing fan fiction, it should be clearly stated in an introduction as opposed to being placed after the acknowledgements almost as an afterthought in the back (where it isn't actually declared, but teased about with, "Joanna Taylor took her inspiration for Masquerade from one of her favourite films. Can you guess what it is?").

This is an author with talent and that is evident from her colorful descriptions, pacing, and interesting plot—which would warrant AT LEAST four stars—if she had written her own story and done so in a convincing story line. Unfortunately, the book is let down by unbelievable character interactions. Namely, a highly respected Lord parading a street-prostitute around the Pantheon and Vauxhall Gardens where she screeches and embraces another courtesan in view of all. I am not a stickler for authenticity, but a story does have to be believable. The author is gifted with description and I think if the parts that pilfer from Pretty Woman are edited and more attention is paid to behavioral and dialogue detail (particularly in the parts where Lizzy is in public with Lord Hays), it would lend to the credibility and integrity of the book and the time period it is set in, and be worthy of five stars. As it stands, I can only give it three.

I'd like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book on a read-to-review basis.

[Zee Monodee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I jumped on this book when I got the opportunity to review it. Started reading...and some things were looking a bit like Deja vu - I seemed to have seen this plot somewhere. Went online, to see if other reviewers have picked up on this...and it turns out they had. I would discover this same thing when I reached the ending, when Ms. Taylor mentions that this story was inspired by one of her favourite movies.

Spoiler alert - the name of the movie isn't mentioned in the book but it didn't take much to figure out that the movie in question was Pretty Woman.

And suddenly, the heroine made sense. Oh, well, it all made sense, though the heroine did leave a bit to be desired to my taste, For, you see, she was just too good. She struck me as way too Mary Sue and she's inherently good but all bad things befall her, just like the Julia Roberts character. But here's the thing: I'm pretty sure you can take a historical story and adapt it to modern times - how many times have we seen modern retellings of Pride and Prejudice or Emma? - but seems to me this doesn't really work the other way round, especially in a world driven by conventions, mores, tradition, and strict etiquette. So some things that happen in the story - heroine sees someone she knows from the demi-monde in the park and calls out to her - goodness, this just would not fly in historical times! Gotta admit things like this stuck in my throat and took away significantly from my enjoyment of the story.

Still, if you like historicals, a down-trodden heroine, a heroic hero (pun intended!), and can suspend disbelief that society would really allow everything as it happens in the story to happen, then you might be in for a very pleasurable moment.

Sadly, it didn't really work for me.

[Charlotte (Escapades of a Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviews can also be found on my blog Escapades of a Bookworm

This was an unexpectedly excellent book, I have to admit that when I started reading this book my expectations were extremely low, but that is the great thing about books with low expectations they invariably become little treasures.

It was so easy to get into this book and even though I had started reading it late at night I found myself unable to stop reading and devoured it in one sitting.

Also as it was teased in the acknowledgements that this book was based on Joanna’s favourite film (and such a good film – you need to read to fine out as in my opinion the answer would be too spoilery) this book is the perfect type to while your time away – a little romance, a touch of class and kindness and a great ending. There’s really not much more to ask for! Basically if you are in the mood for a light, fun teasing read then this is the book for you.

This was an absolute joy to read and I highly recommend it to all you historical romance fans out there!

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romance fofinho e levezinho, mas tão leve, tão leve que lhe falta alguma consistência na criação das personagens, no desenrolar da história. Mas lê-se bem :)

[Merq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can a street-girl fool a lord?
Yes she can.

Lizzy Ward is a witty, funny, strong and smart small-town-born girl who earns her living as a street prostitute in London. She's used to hard life until she meets a fascinating young Lord Hays who's nothing like Lizzy has seen before - handsome, polite, brave and caring.. and with a huge fortune and high social hierarchy.

When Lord Hays asks Lizzy to have a contract with him and act like a real lady, Lizzy sees no other options than to sign the rich deal and take all benefits out of it. But as time flows and Lizzy gets sucked into the prosperious life of a lady, her relationship with Lord Hays starts to get a very serious twists.. Lizzy realizes that she's about to make the biggest mistake that a girl in her boots can make - she starts to get feelings.

I have to say it: I loved the story. It was like a Pretty Woman back in the old days. When Lizzy meets Lord Hays, there's an instant sparkle and things get really hilarious when big-mouth Lizzy lands herself in the big house of Lord Hays and drops the jaws of the staff members with her personality. Relationship between Lizzy and Lord Hays develops realistically with time but of course, romantic gestures sweeten the air all the time. At times Hays acted a bit too perfect but that's alright - I loved Lizzy and she deserved every part of it.

The biggest fumes of excitement from the start and middle part were carried away when the book came close to the end; it started to remind a bit too much of typical romance novels with not-surprising dialogues and plots.
But the end.. It would be a good ending for a movie. Sigh. Emotions rose high as a.. bird.

Go ahead a give a chance to this one. It gave a smile on my lips and entertainment for darkening evenings and what else can a girl want.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu juro que tive todo o livro à espera de descobrir que afinal os pais de Lizzy não eram aqueles e ela era realmente uma Lady (porque é mesmo tão raro a protagonista quando é pobre e sem títulos não se revelar na realidade extremamente respeitável). Mas não, Lizzy é mundana e fica presa entre o mundo dos ricos e dos pobres. Ao mesmo tempo conhecemos a história de outras prostitutas que se cruzaram com Lizzy, algumas tornaram se amantes, outras cortesãs famosas. O livro tem uma abordagem interessante, pela protagonista, mas ao mesmo tempo estranha (achei estranho a rapidez com que Lizzy conquista, por exemplo, alguns empregados de Edward, já que as prostitutas eram tão desdenhadas, principalmente por outras mulheres, ou como Lizzy, sendo supostamente uma parente de Edward solteira não é vitima das leis de ter de andar com ele com acompanhantes) pequenos pormenores nesta linha que lançam alguma incoerência com a época em questão.

No fundo é uma ideia original mas que podia ter sido mais bem conseguida (talvez alguma falta de maturidade na escrita e no desenvolvimento das personagens?).

Gostei do final. Bem mais plausível e realista que simplesmente converter a Lizzy numa Lady que toda a gente aceita.

[Mariana Guedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baile de máscaras é um livro que já foi publicado há alguns anos e que conta a história e Izzy e Edward muito ao estilo do filme Pretty Woman, que quem é da minha geração conhece de certeza.

Toda a história é narrada por ela, o que na minha ótica foi pena, porque senti aqui falta da perspectiva de Edward, nomeadamente em um e outro ponto da história.

Izzy é uma mulher forte, que depois de a vida lhe ter trocado as voltas e a ter levado por um caminho que nem ousava pensar, nunca perdeu o seu bom temperamento, desejando apenas conquistar a sua independência e assim ser livre derradeiramente.

A sociedade londrina de 1786 era bastante rígida e cruel. Cheia de protocolos e regras que tinham de ser seguidas à risca, caso contrário arriscavam perder tudo, principalmente a credibilidade. Uma cidade suja, onde muitos lutam pela sobrevivência diária, pertencer a aristocracia era, à partida, uma benesse, mas que na realidade, era ter de lidar com pessoas ocas e sem objetivos, em que o mais importante era manter o status, nem que para isso fosse preciso vender a alma dos filhos.

Gostei particularmente deste livro porque apesar de ser um romance não deixou de mostrar a realidade das ruas de Londres da época, que tantas vezes é camuflado neste tipo de livros.

[Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

So first up, this is a late Georgian Pretty Woman adaptation. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was when Julia Roberts, I mean Lizzy, asks Edward (yep same name as the movie) if he trades in slaves, he says no, then says he buys ships and literally goes on to describe triangular trade. Bro, if your economic model, relies on kidnapping, transporting and selling other humans as chattel, you are in the slave trade. I get that he needed to be a scummy businessman but this is beyond the pale.
Now, he gives this up in the end because of Lizzy’s impassioned speech where she basically says “I though slaves were subhuman but then when I saw women and girls sold into prostitution I realised that slavery is bad”. JFC are you kidding me? This is the extreme version of those white women who never cared about politics until it impacted them.
I just can’t with this one.