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The Royal Rewards #1
Fortune Favors the Wicked
In the game of seduction, everyone wins…
INDECENTLY LUCKY
As a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, Benedict Frost had the respect of every man on board—and the adoration of the women in every port. When injury ends his naval career, the silver-tongued libertine can hardly stomach the boredom. Not after everything—and everyone—he’s experienced. Good thing a new adventure has just fallen into his lap…
When courtesan Charlotte Perry learns the Royal Mint is offering a reward for finding a cache of stolen gold coins, she seizes the chance to build a new life for herself. As the treasure hunt begins, she realizes her tenacity is matched only by Benedict’s—and that sometimes adversaries can make the best allies. But when the search for treasure becomes a discovery of pleasure, they’ll be forced to decide if they can sacrifice the lives they’ve always dreamed of for a love they’ve never known…
INDECENTLY LUCKY
As a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, Benedict Frost had the respect of every man on board—and the adoration of the women in every port. When injury ends his naval career, the silver-tongued libertine can hardly stomach the boredom. Not after everything—and everyone—he’s experienced. Good thing a new adventure has just fallen into his lap…
When courtesan Charlotte Perry learns the Royal Mint is offering a reward for finding a cache of stolen gold coins, she seizes the chance to build a new life for herself. As the treasure hunt begins, she realizes her tenacity is matched only by Benedict’s—and that sometimes adversaries can make the best allies. But when the search for treasure becomes a discovery of pleasure, they’ll be forced to decide if they can sacrifice the lives they’ve always dreamed of for a love they’ve never known…
298 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 29, 2016
103 people are currently reading
1670 people want to read
About the author
Theresa Romain
41 books661 followersTheresa Romain is the bestselling author of more than 20 historical romances, including the Holiday Pleasures series, the Matchmaker trilogy, the Royal Rewards series, and the Romance of the Turf series. Praised as “one of the rising stars of Regency historical romance” (Booklist), her books have finaled for the RITA® award, received starred reviews from Booklist, and been named to the Best Books of the Year list by NPR. Theresa is hard at work on her next book from her home in the Midwestern USA.
To keep up with all her book-release news, please visit her online at theresaromain.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, or find her on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/authors/there....
To keep up with all her book-release news, please visit her online at theresaromain.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, or find her on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/authors/there....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
February 28, 2016
3.5 stars
So, this book was really hard for me to rate. Why, you ask? Well, this is one of those rare occasions where you love the characters,the story is very interesting and original and there's a lot of girl power but when you mix it all together...it's just doesn't "click" the way you thought it would. My main problem was the writing. I just didn't like it and it simply felt jumbled. I loved the main character Charlotte and her fierceness:
There is a bit of mystery,as well, which I definitely liked. And I really liked the supporting characters. Even though we only got to see a bit of Georgette, I am happy that she's getting her own book. She seems like an awesome girl.
Overall, this is a really nice book that has a lot of potential but wasn't a winner for me, unfortunately.
*E-copy provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.*
So, this book was really hard for me to rate. Why, you ask? Well, this is one of those rare occasions where you love the characters,the story is very interesting and original and there's a lot of girl power but when you mix it all together...it's just doesn't "click" the way you thought it would. My main problem was the writing. I just didn't like it and it simply felt jumbled. I loved the main character Charlotte and her fierceness:
"You can't hide and pretend to be someone you're not,Pearl. You can never belong to anyone else."
She set her jaw, refusing to flinch or look away. "Anyone besides myself, you mean? That's true. Though it was always true."
There is a bit of mystery,as well, which I definitely liked. And I really liked the supporting characters. Even though we only got to see a bit of Georgette, I am happy that she's getting her own book. She seems like an awesome girl.
Overall, this is a really nice book that has a lot of potential but wasn't a winner for me, unfortunately.
*E-copy provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.*
February 10, 2017
I read this for the Love square for Romance Bingo.
Benedict Frost currently lives on half pay after being forced out of the Navy due to an illness that caused his blindness. With a sister to help support, getting the reward put up by the Royal Mint for a cache of coins stolen would go a long way to solving some of his problems.
Charlotte Perry has lived the life of a vicar's daughter and a courtesan but has only ever wanted to be free and happy. With rumor of the stolen gold coins in her home town, she sees an opportunity to fund her escape.
Benedict and Charlotte are both after the coin treasure but they might find a different treasure worth more than they could imagine.
Fortune Favors the Wicked is first in the Royal Rewards Duo but the next in the series, Fortune Favors the Bold, coming out February 28th, looks to be about Benedict's sister and be concurrently happening. We get a little look at Georgette and Benedict's friend Hugo and how their adventure starts here. I'm so looking forward to their story and how Georgette is going to ruffle Hugo's feathers. While I thought the search for the gold coins was mostly shoved to the side here and felt more like a colorful reason/device to get our couple together, I think the sense of adventure I missed in this one will shine brighter in the next.
"You are brave, Miss Perry."
"I am what I have had to be, Mr. Frost." Her hand turned beneath his, and for a second they were palm against palm. "As are you."
While I missed some of the adventure I thought would be more prevalent in this one, I was blown away with how emotionally engaging Benedict and Charlotte were. The quote:
“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
feels completely about this couple. The natural way Charlotte and Benedict interacted and came together reminded me greatly of Grace Burrowes' couples and the tone felt a lot like Marrying the Captain by Carla Kelly. Benedict was a lieutenant in the Navy and Charlotte a courtesan, not typical romance hero and heroine fare. I loved how the author had Benedict's blindness a part of him instead of a defining characteristic, it was simply who he was, not something that made him special. In a little bit of a different way, the author pulled off Charlotte being a courtesan the same direction, it didn't define her. These two were fully fleshed out characters that have me almost talking about them like they were real people and I find myself wanting to type I missed seeing more of their backstory lives, but it probably is my selfish need just wanting more of them.
In a room with a man who had ruined her and man who wanted revenge on her, there had also been a man who took her part.
Quite frankly, I could sit and listen to this couple read the phone book to each other. I savored their sexual teasing, humor, friendship, and love that radiated from their conversations. Benedict and Charlotte made this book for me.
I felt a little bit in the middle the story slowed somewhat and I think that was due to me wanting more searching or adventure in regards to the missing coins, it seemed that storyline was muddled and couldn't find a way to work into the story even when it was supposed to be the catalyst for it. I do think if you look at it as more of a stepping stone to the next book coming out, you won't look for it the same way I did. I also thought the villain of this piece was not needed or needed to be more involved, the whole thing came off a bit obvious mechanism. With such a powerful connection between the leads, the usual romancelandia flare of treasure and villains maybe could have been replaced with more of Charlotte's parents' relationship issues, which were only able to be hinted at (who couldn't help but feel for anxious Mr. Perry and lonely Mrs. Perry). Although, I'm sure that kind of category romance would be harder to sell as I myself was drawn in by the lure of treasure.
This author is someone who only keeps improving for me and if you like Burrowes or Kelly, you'll definitely want to pick this one up. I can't wait for the next in the duo to be released.
Benedict Frost currently lives on half pay after being forced out of the Navy due to an illness that caused his blindness. With a sister to help support, getting the reward put up by the Royal Mint for a cache of coins stolen would go a long way to solving some of his problems.
Charlotte Perry has lived the life of a vicar's daughter and a courtesan but has only ever wanted to be free and happy. With rumor of the stolen gold coins in her home town, she sees an opportunity to fund her escape.
Benedict and Charlotte are both after the coin treasure but they might find a different treasure worth more than they could imagine.
Fortune Favors the Wicked is first in the Royal Rewards Duo but the next in the series, Fortune Favors the Bold, coming out February 28th, looks to be about Benedict's sister and be concurrently happening. We get a little look at Georgette and Benedict's friend Hugo and how their adventure starts here. I'm so looking forward to their story and how Georgette is going to ruffle Hugo's feathers. While I thought the search for the gold coins was mostly shoved to the side here and felt more like a colorful reason/device to get our couple together, I think the sense of adventure I missed in this one will shine brighter in the next.
"You are brave, Miss Perry."
"I am what I have had to be, Mr. Frost." Her hand turned beneath his, and for a second they were palm against palm. "As are you."
While I missed some of the adventure I thought would be more prevalent in this one, I was blown away with how emotionally engaging Benedict and Charlotte were. The quote:
“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
feels completely about this couple. The natural way Charlotte and Benedict interacted and came together reminded me greatly of Grace Burrowes' couples and the tone felt a lot like Marrying the Captain by Carla Kelly. Benedict was a lieutenant in the Navy and Charlotte a courtesan, not typical romance hero and heroine fare. I loved how the author had Benedict's blindness a part of him instead of a defining characteristic, it was simply who he was, not something that made him special. In a little bit of a different way, the author pulled off Charlotte being a courtesan the same direction, it didn't define her. These two were fully fleshed out characters that have me almost talking about them like they were real people and I find myself wanting to type I missed seeing more of their backstory lives, but it probably is my selfish need just wanting more of them.
In a room with a man who had ruined her and man who wanted revenge on her, there had also been a man who took her part.
Quite frankly, I could sit and listen to this couple read the phone book to each other. I savored their sexual teasing, humor, friendship, and love that radiated from their conversations. Benedict and Charlotte made this book for me.
I felt a little bit in the middle the story slowed somewhat and I think that was due to me wanting more searching or adventure in regards to the missing coins, it seemed that storyline was muddled and couldn't find a way to work into the story even when it was supposed to be the catalyst for it. I do think if you look at it as more of a stepping stone to the next book coming out, you won't look for it the same way I did. I also thought the villain of this piece was not needed or needed to be more involved, the whole thing came off a bit obvious mechanism. With such a powerful connection between the leads, the usual romancelandia flare of treasure and villains maybe could have been replaced with more of Charlotte's parents' relationship issues, which were only able to be hinted at (who couldn't help but feel for anxious Mr. Perry and lonely Mrs. Perry). Although, I'm sure that kind of category romance would be harder to sell as I myself was drawn in by the lure of treasure.
This author is someone who only keeps improving for me and if you like Burrowes or Kelly, you'll definitely want to pick this one up. I can't wait for the next in the duo to be released.
May 25, 2017
Buddy read with Lacey! Check out her review!
Lacey and I have been reading a good deal of Romain's books. We've come to love her mature characters, and her unique and relatively drama-free stories, and this one certainly didn't disappoint.
Benedict Frost, a Lieutenant retired from the Navy after he lost his sight, and Charlotte Perry, a former courtesan, meet while on the hunt for stolen coins which promises a substantial reward.
What I loved most about this book were the main characters: neither clung to the past or spend any time wallowing in self-pity. Instead they have both decided not to be defined by their past, and I loved that!
The only thing that bothered me a tiny little bit was the pacing: In the beginning, Benedict and Charlotte focus on the treasure hunt, when real life and a whole lot of issues intrude and the search for the gold becomes almost forgotten. Then the drama that seemed to threaten to overshadow everything else just gets resolved very maturely (which I loved, but it just felt a bit off to me to introduce an Evil villain who slashes faces in anger and stuff only so he can just disappear when he's not convenient anymore). And then... Well to me the story seemed to lose focus a bit. I didn't enjoy the last few chapters as much as I loved the beginning.
But still. This was awesome. I loved the unique storyline, the main characters, and I can't wait to read something else by this awesome author.
Lacey and I have been reading a good deal of Romain's books. We've come to love her mature characters, and her unique and relatively drama-free stories, and this one certainly didn't disappoint.
Benedict Frost, a Lieutenant retired from the Navy after he lost his sight, and Charlotte Perry, a former courtesan, meet while on the hunt for stolen coins which promises a substantial reward.
What I loved most about this book were the main characters: neither clung to the past or spend any time wallowing in self-pity. Instead they have both decided not to be defined by their past, and I loved that!
The only thing that bothered me a tiny little bit was the pacing: In the beginning, Benedict and Charlotte focus on the treasure hunt, when real life and a whole lot of issues intrude and the search for the gold becomes almost forgotten. Then the drama that seemed to threaten to overshadow everything else just gets resolved very maturely (which I loved, but it just felt a bit off to me to introduce an Evil villain who slashes faces in anger and stuff only so he can just disappear when he's not convenient anymore). And then... Well to me the story seemed to lose focus a bit. I didn't enjoy the last few chapters as much as I loved the beginning.
But still. This was awesome. I loved the unique storyline, the main characters, and I can't wait to read something else by this awesome author.
April 1, 2016
4.5 stars
Theresa Romain is a busy lady right now, having not one, but TWO historical romance series on the go. The first full-length novel in her Romance of the Turf series was released a couple of months ago (A Gentleman's Game), and now comes Fortune Favors the Wicked, book one in the Royal Rewards series.
I, for one, am only too pleased, because Ms Romain has become an auto-buy author for me over the past couple of years, so I’m certainly not going to say “no” to more of the warm, witty and clever stories which are her trademark. When I pick up one of her books, I know I’m going to get a well-written story that features strongly-drawn, attractive characters that I can come to care about, and in which the romance is kept to the fore even as she makes good use of whatever background she has chosen to use.
Fortune Favors the Wicked sees a former courtesan and a blind ex-naval officer team up in order to try to discover the whereabouts of six trunks of newly-minted gold sovereigns that were recently stolen from the Royal Mint. Rumours have drawn them both to Derbyshire and to a village near the home of Charlotte Perry, daughter of the local vicar. Ten years earlier, Charlotte was ruined by the young man with whom she believed herself in love, and left with no other options, removed herself to London where she carved herself out a life as La Perle, a high-flying courtesan. But now, she has had enough of that life and is determined to leave it behind forever – hence her desire to find the missing coins and claim the reward, which she plans to use to look after her family.
Lieutenant Benedict Frost joined the Navy when he was twelve and travelled the world, but a severe illness four years ago left him blinded and unable to continue in his career. He now lives on half-pay and a pension in cramped apartments at Windsor Castle as a Naval Knight, but this has the downside of meaning he can never leave or get married, as if he does he will lose his home and his pension. He has worked extremely hard at learning to function without his sight, and, unlike the typically beastly, self-pitying, blind heroes so often found within the pages of romance novels, is charming, witty, sexy and completely adorable. Like Charlotte, he has family to take care of, in his case a younger sister for whom he wants to provide a decent dowry.
Benedict’s good friend, Lord Hugo Starling, is also a friend of the Reverend Perry and has arranged for Benedict to stay at the vicarage while he is searching for the gold. This naturally throws him and Charlotte together and they agree to seek the treasure together – which has the added advantage of enabling them to explore the mutual attraction that sparks between them. Each can contribute different things to their endeavour; Benedict may not be able to see, but he is extremely intelligent, logical and notices practically everything, while Charlotte is equally clever, strong and very determined.
The search for the coins is an intriguing plot device, but is most definitely secondary to the romance between Charlotte and Benedict, which unfolds at a good pace and which is by turns funny, sexy and sweet. Benedict is refreshingly good-natured and open, and although I’m not normally a fan of courtesan heroines, there is something about Charlotte’s underlying vulnerability that drew me to her. I also appreciated that she’s a sexually active heroine who is not completely anachronistic. Both she and Benedict are very likeable and so wonderfully normal as to be rather extraordinary in a genre that is full of extremes; and their problems feel very real. Charlotte has been dogged by guilt for the past ten years; Benedict feels purposeless, but as they grow together they help each other to see that perhaps their perspectives are skewed and to find a way forward.
Fortune Favors the Wicked is a truly delightful novel and one I have no hesitation in recommending. It’s beautifully written and perfectly paced; full of gentle humour, some not-so-subtle innuendo and a couple of truly engaging protagonists, it’s the sort of book you want to cuddle up with and hug.
This review originally appeared at Romantic Historical Reviews.
Theresa Romain is a busy lady right now, having not one, but TWO historical romance series on the go. The first full-length novel in her Romance of the Turf series was released a couple of months ago (A Gentleman's Game), and now comes Fortune Favors the Wicked, book one in the Royal Rewards series.
I, for one, am only too pleased, because Ms Romain has become an auto-buy author for me over the past couple of years, so I’m certainly not going to say “no” to more of the warm, witty and clever stories which are her trademark. When I pick up one of her books, I know I’m going to get a well-written story that features strongly-drawn, attractive characters that I can come to care about, and in which the romance is kept to the fore even as she makes good use of whatever background she has chosen to use.
Fortune Favors the Wicked sees a former courtesan and a blind ex-naval officer team up in order to try to discover the whereabouts of six trunks of newly-minted gold sovereigns that were recently stolen from the Royal Mint. Rumours have drawn them both to Derbyshire and to a village near the home of Charlotte Perry, daughter of the local vicar. Ten years earlier, Charlotte was ruined by the young man with whom she believed herself in love, and left with no other options, removed herself to London where she carved herself out a life as La Perle, a high-flying courtesan. But now, she has had enough of that life and is determined to leave it behind forever – hence her desire to find the missing coins and claim the reward, which she plans to use to look after her family.
Lieutenant Benedict Frost joined the Navy when he was twelve and travelled the world, but a severe illness four years ago left him blinded and unable to continue in his career. He now lives on half-pay and a pension in cramped apartments at Windsor Castle as a Naval Knight, but this has the downside of meaning he can never leave or get married, as if he does he will lose his home and his pension. He has worked extremely hard at learning to function without his sight, and, unlike the typically beastly, self-pitying, blind heroes so often found within the pages of romance novels, is charming, witty, sexy and completely adorable. Like Charlotte, he has family to take care of, in his case a younger sister for whom he wants to provide a decent dowry.
Benedict’s good friend, Lord Hugo Starling, is also a friend of the Reverend Perry and has arranged for Benedict to stay at the vicarage while he is searching for the gold. This naturally throws him and Charlotte together and they agree to seek the treasure together – which has the added advantage of enabling them to explore the mutual attraction that sparks between them. Each can contribute different things to their endeavour; Benedict may not be able to see, but he is extremely intelligent, logical and notices practically everything, while Charlotte is equally clever, strong and very determined.
The search for the coins is an intriguing plot device, but is most definitely secondary to the romance between Charlotte and Benedict, which unfolds at a good pace and which is by turns funny, sexy and sweet. Benedict is refreshingly good-natured and open, and although I’m not normally a fan of courtesan heroines, there is something about Charlotte’s underlying vulnerability that drew me to her. I also appreciated that she’s a sexually active heroine who is not completely anachronistic. Both she and Benedict are very likeable and so wonderfully normal as to be rather extraordinary in a genre that is full of extremes; and their problems feel very real. Charlotte has been dogged by guilt for the past ten years; Benedict feels purposeless, but as they grow together they help each other to see that perhaps their perspectives are skewed and to find a way forward.
Fortune Favors the Wicked is a truly delightful novel and one I have no hesitation in recommending. It’s beautifully written and perfectly paced; full of gentle humour, some not-so-subtle innuendo and a couple of truly engaging protagonists, it’s the sort of book you want to cuddle up with and hug.
This review originally appeared at Romantic Historical Reviews.
February 11, 2019
Super sweet, unexpectedly lovely and very engaging.
Too tired for any more of a review.
Too tired for any more of a review.
unfinished
November 8, 2020I'm dnf'ing at about a fifth in because I can't take the anxiety. It doesn't help that we get some PoV from the bad guys and that they are very bad. But they also have a real power advantage in both privilege and resources and I don't want to go through the thrash that our main characters will have to endure to get to the happy ending promised by the genre.
I'm tempted to rate this down because I have a hard time taking Frost's blindness seriously. Navigating a crowded pub without bumping into anything, detecting that she's the only one at her table and finding a chair all in such a way that she doesn't really suspect he can't see until much smaller clues later on. I feel like I've fallen into a historical rerender of Daredevil. He even talks about listening to echoes to get a feel for room dimensions.
But I won't rate after all. Because the rest of this is very lovely. I liked them both tremendously and really enjoyed their interactions. It is shaping up to be a very good romance and I'm sure that if I could take the anxiety, I'd like it very much. So I'll settle into no rating and this dnf note.
I'm tempted to rate this down because I have a hard time taking Frost's blindness seriously. Navigating a crowded pub without bumping into anything, detecting that she's the only one at her table and finding a chair all in such a way that she doesn't really suspect he can't see until much smaller clues later on. I feel like I've fallen into a historical rerender of Daredevil. He even talks about listening to echoes to get a feel for room dimensions.
But I won't rate after all. Because the rest of this is very lovely. I liked them both tremendously and really enjoyed their interactions. It is shaping up to be a very good romance and I'm sure that if I could take the anxiety, I'd like it very much. So I'll settle into no rating and this dnf note.
November 7, 2018
Love this author's writing, love the hero, love a lot of individual lines...but somehow these promising individual aspects of the book didn't add up to a great overall read for me. The story had issues with plot, structure and flow, and I couldn't connect with the heroine as much as I wanted to (which, to be fair, is probably my fault---I tend not to be a huge fan of current and former courtesans as heroines for whatever weird reason).
December 31, 2016
I read this months ago and don't know why I didn't review it at the time because it deserved a contemporaneous review of all my thoughts. I glommed the whole thing in short order and, honestly, thought it was brilliant. A blind hero and a properly former courtesan heroine, which I normally dislike but here it worked. The writing was lovely and lyrical and beautiful, for example: "... silence drew out, long and soft, a woollen yarn of quiet." (46%). The characterisation was top-notch with some great secondary characters, including a non-annoying child. The story packed some serious emotional punch whilst maintaining a pleasing lightness. What dropped the rating down was the treasure plot line which I just sort of wish wasn't there at all and the sex which in the context of the story and the writing (and what I know Romain is capable of) was a bit of a disappointment. Nonetheless, this was great and I am eagerly anticipating book number two in this series.
February 26, 2016
I read the free Chapter 1 excerpt for this novel and knew that I couldn't wait to read this novel. I was not disappointed!
As I have said in previous reviews of Theresa Romain's books, Romain has a unique writing style that she has honed in the course of her Matchmaker series and now perfected here. Romain's characters are normal. This is not a bad thing; in fact, it is the furthest from it. I love that her characters are so refreshing, fun, and easy to connect with. This talent for creating such characters is on full display in Fortune Favors the Wicked.
The set up for this novel is a treasure hunt. Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? :)
Charlotte has returned home upon fleeing her latest "protector," a marquess with an overly possessive, violent streak. As you can probably gather from the previous sentence, Charlotte is a courtesan known as Le Perle and has been a rather successful one for the past 10 years. Now returned home, she is simply Charlotte Perry, vicar's daughter, and pursuer of the treasure stolen from the Royal mint. She is desperate for the reward money in order to start fresh and take care of her family.
Benedict Frost is blind. However, unlike the stereotype in romance land, he is not beastly; rather he is polite, witty, and all around delightful. He has some really funny one-liners and I adored him. He is observant and deliberate in order to navigate life with his disability. Like Charlotte, he is also seeking the reward money in order take care of his family.
Benedict comes to see the vicar (an acquaintance of a mutual friend) for a place to stay while he pursues the treasure. With both Charlotte and Benedict under the same roof, they slowly grow to know one another. Their relationship is a slow burn. Benedict is a balm to Charlotte's soul and the guilt she has carried around for 10 years begins to dissolve. They were very sweet together.
For the first half of the book, the treasure hunt takes a back seat. As Charlotte and Benedict team up, the mystery picks up. For those who are expecting an exhilarating ride, you won't find it here. The mystery wraps up quickly and neatly without a lot of drama. The novel is focused instead on the growth of the relationship between Benedict and Charlotte and their discovery of what they truly wanted out of life.
This was a comfort read for me. It wasn't fast paced, dramatic, or intensely sensual. It was adorable, steady, and gently humorous. Theresa Romain excels at creating playful stories with a lot of heart. She handles life's hardships with grace and understanding, and has you cheering for her characters as though you are their friends.
This was an excellent, character driven novel. I can't wait to read the second book in this duet.
As I have said in previous reviews of Theresa Romain's books, Romain has a unique writing style that she has honed in the course of her Matchmaker series and now perfected here. Romain's characters are normal. This is not a bad thing; in fact, it is the furthest from it. I love that her characters are so refreshing, fun, and easy to connect with. This talent for creating such characters is on full display in Fortune Favors the Wicked.
The set up for this novel is a treasure hunt. Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? :)
Charlotte has returned home upon fleeing her latest "protector," a marquess with an overly possessive, violent streak. As you can probably gather from the previous sentence, Charlotte is a courtesan known as Le Perle and has been a rather successful one for the past 10 years. Now returned home, she is simply Charlotte Perry, vicar's daughter, and pursuer of the treasure stolen from the Royal mint. She is desperate for the reward money in order to start fresh and take care of her family.
Benedict Frost is blind. However, unlike the stereotype in romance land, he is not beastly; rather he is polite, witty, and all around delightful. He has some really funny one-liners and I adored him. He is observant and deliberate in order to navigate life with his disability. Like Charlotte, he is also seeking the reward money in order take care of his family.
Benedict comes to see the vicar (an acquaintance of a mutual friend) for a place to stay while he pursues the treasure. With both Charlotte and Benedict under the same roof, they slowly grow to know one another. Their relationship is a slow burn. Benedict is a balm to Charlotte's soul and the guilt she has carried around for 10 years begins to dissolve. They were very sweet together.
For the first half of the book, the treasure hunt takes a back seat. As Charlotte and Benedict team up, the mystery picks up. For those who are expecting an exhilarating ride, you won't find it here. The mystery wraps up quickly and neatly without a lot of drama. The novel is focused instead on the growth of the relationship between Benedict and Charlotte and their discovery of what they truly wanted out of life.
This was a comfort read for me. It wasn't fast paced, dramatic, or intensely sensual. It was adorable, steady, and gently humorous. Theresa Romain excels at creating playful stories with a lot of heart. She handles life's hardships with grace and understanding, and has you cheering for her characters as though you are their friends.
This was an excellent, character driven novel. I can't wait to read the second book in this duet.
February 18, 2016
This story is quite interesting both in plot and in characterization (both the prior and end occupations). There are some complex elements that really make the story alive, instead of resolving things with a neat ribbon that modern historical romance often does...rather, I would say the conflict solutions are very contemporary of our time, and, well, made this reviewer really analyze a book for the first time in a while.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
April 26, 2018
I received an eARC, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
When you see Theresa Romain name you know that you are getting a different Historical Romance Read and that she will take you to different reading emotions.
Charlotte Perry wants to start a new life... to start fresh. So when she finds out that the Royal Mint is offering a reward for finding a cache of stolen gold coins, she goes forward to do just that. When the money she can do what she wants to with her life.
Royal Navy, Benedict Frost has been injured and this has hurt naval career. But then they both meet and become in twined in the stolen coins and each other.
When you see Theresa Romain name you know that you are getting a different Historical Romance Read and that she will take you to different reading emotions.
Charlotte Perry wants to start a new life... to start fresh. So when she finds out that the Royal Mint is offering a reward for finding a cache of stolen gold coins, she goes forward to do just that. When the money she can do what she wants to with her life.
Royal Navy, Benedict Frost has been injured and this has hurt naval career. But then they both meet and become in twined in the stolen coins and each other.
January 2, 2018
As I already wrote, possibly bet book blurb evah. Delightful, original characters. Witty and amusing. A fifth star honoring that Romain evidently recognizes there is more to sex than just the missionary position. Everything about this book was just delightful.
July 7, 2024
Review from 2016
B+ for both narration and content - 4.5 stars.
I’m a big fan of Theresa Romain’s historical romances and am a bit disappointed that so few of them are available in audio format. So naturally, when I saw that her latest book – Fortune Favors the Wicked – was going to be available as an audiobook, I jumped at the chance to listen to and review it. The story is just a little bit quirky, but at its heart is a well-written, tender and funny character-driven romance between a pair of slightly unusual but very likeable protagonists who team up to hunt for six trunks of gold sovereigns that have been recently stolen from the Royal Mint.
Charlotte Perry is the daughter of a country vicar who has, for the last ten years, made her living as a high-flying courtesan in London. Ruined at just seventeen and not wanting her family to suffer because of her, she opted to leave in order to make life easier for everyone. But now, she has returned to her small Derbyshire village, partly to escape the attentions of her most recent but abusive protector, and partly because she wants to secure the reward that has been posted for information leading to the recovery of the stolen gold. She plans to use the money to help her family, provide for her young daughter and, she hopes, to make a new life for herself away from London.
Benedict Frost joined the Navy aged twelve and lived most of his life at sea until a virulent illness four years earlier robbed him of his sight. He has worked hard to learn to function in the world and does so extremely well, continuing to travel and even, with the help of a device called a noctograph, writing a book about his most recent journey.** He has a publisher lined up and intends to use the profits from his writing to provide his younger sister with a dowry – but when the publisher refuses to publish Benedict’s book as a work of non-fiction because he can’t believe a blind man could possibly have written a travelogue, Benedict needs to find another way to secure the money he needs. Hearing about the recent theft, he determines to find the sovereigns and claim the reward.
Armed with a letter of introduction to the vicar of Strawfield, Benedict travels to Derbyshire, following the stories which have reached London of a possible clue to the whereabouts of the gold. Nearing his destination, he stops off at a lively tavern where the serving maid is enthusiastically relating the story of her encounter with a man who paid her with a gold sovereign. Staying to listen to the tale, Benedict strikes up a conversation with a young woman who calls herself Mrs. Smith. He likes the sound of the smile in her rich voice, even though he doesn’t believe for a moment that her name is really Smith – but decides that his best chance of obtaining useful information is to continue to the vicarage to see what the Reverend Perry and his wife can tell him.
Charlotte is surprised to discover that the guest her father is expecting is none other than the handsome, blind naval officer she had met earlier, and very quickly sets Benedict straight as to her identity when he arrives. Their initial exchanges are gently flirtatious and set the tone for the relationship to follow, which is funny, sexy and sweet by turns. Both Benedict and Charlotte have excellent and unselfish reasons for wanting to claim the reward, but agree to team up and search for it together. This has the added benefit of allowing them to explore the attraction that has sparked between them from the moment they met and their romance is very well developed. Both characters are in their late twenties and have been buffeted around by life; and I liked that they don’t try to deny their sexual attraction and aren’t afraid to act on it. There is a maturity to their interactions, and the author has created real sense of equality between them, showing us that they are equal partners in both their relationship and their joint endeavour to find the missing coins.
They are attractive and engaging protagonists, and their different skills and attributes are truly complementary. Benedict might not be able to see, but he is highly intelligent, logical and notices everything, and Charlotte is shrewd and determined. I admit that I’m not normally a big fan of courtesan heroines, but there is something about her underlying vulnerability, her sense of humour and her absolute devotion to the people she loves that really drew me to her. Benedict is simply lovely and a complete change from so many of the other blind romantic heroes I’ve come across, who are usually full of self-pity and act like bears with the proverbial sore heads. Benedict is sexy, funny, charming and utterly adorable; and like Charlotte, he is at a crossroads in his life. Through their friendship and love for each other they are able to find purpose and direction and their dilemmas and emotions feel very real.
Beverley A. Crick seems to be Tantor Audio’s Narrator of Choice when it comes to historical romances right now, as I’ve listened to her several times lately and will be doing so again in the near future. It’s just as well, then, that I generally enjoy her performances, which, in spite of some weaknesses, are good all-round and particularly strong when it comes to her portrayal of the emotional content of the books she narrates. My principal criticism of the performances I have so far listened to is that there is not enough variation in her male voices. In this story, for example, Benedict and the nasty marquess who is searching for Charlotte sound quite similar, and even though they don’t appear together in more than a scene or two, it’s nonetheless a little jarring to hear an unpleasant character speaking in ‘Benedict’s voice’. It wasn’t something that spoiled my overall enjoyment, though, and in all other aspects Ms Crick’s performance is very good. She uses timbre and accent to good effect to differentiate all the secondary characters, her pacing is excellent and she once again proves herself a very accomplished vocal actress in the way she is so good at observing the little details the author provides.
Fortune Favors the Wicked is a charming and entertaining historical romance and Ms Crick delivers another engaging performance. All in all, it’s an audiobook I’m happy to recommend.
**The “you couldn’t make it up!” moment: Benedict Frost is based on a real historical figure named James Holman. He was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who lost his sight as the result of a mysterious illness, was given a pension and then went on to study medicine, travel the world and write books about his experiences.
B+ for both narration and content - 4.5 stars.
I’m a big fan of Theresa Romain’s historical romances and am a bit disappointed that so few of them are available in audio format. So naturally, when I saw that her latest book – Fortune Favors the Wicked – was going to be available as an audiobook, I jumped at the chance to listen to and review it. The story is just a little bit quirky, but at its heart is a well-written, tender and funny character-driven romance between a pair of slightly unusual but very likeable protagonists who team up to hunt for six trunks of gold sovereigns that have been recently stolen from the Royal Mint.
Charlotte Perry is the daughter of a country vicar who has, for the last ten years, made her living as a high-flying courtesan in London. Ruined at just seventeen and not wanting her family to suffer because of her, she opted to leave in order to make life easier for everyone. But now, she has returned to her small Derbyshire village, partly to escape the attentions of her most recent but abusive protector, and partly because she wants to secure the reward that has been posted for information leading to the recovery of the stolen gold. She plans to use the money to help her family, provide for her young daughter and, she hopes, to make a new life for herself away from London.
Benedict Frost joined the Navy aged twelve and lived most of his life at sea until a virulent illness four years earlier robbed him of his sight. He has worked hard to learn to function in the world and does so extremely well, continuing to travel and even, with the help of a device called a noctograph, writing a book about his most recent journey.** He has a publisher lined up and intends to use the profits from his writing to provide his younger sister with a dowry – but when the publisher refuses to publish Benedict’s book as a work of non-fiction because he can’t believe a blind man could possibly have written a travelogue, Benedict needs to find another way to secure the money he needs. Hearing about the recent theft, he determines to find the sovereigns and claim the reward.
Armed with a letter of introduction to the vicar of Strawfield, Benedict travels to Derbyshire, following the stories which have reached London of a possible clue to the whereabouts of the gold. Nearing his destination, he stops off at a lively tavern where the serving maid is enthusiastically relating the story of her encounter with a man who paid her with a gold sovereign. Staying to listen to the tale, Benedict strikes up a conversation with a young woman who calls herself Mrs. Smith. He likes the sound of the smile in her rich voice, even though he doesn’t believe for a moment that her name is really Smith – but decides that his best chance of obtaining useful information is to continue to the vicarage to see what the Reverend Perry and his wife can tell him.
Charlotte is surprised to discover that the guest her father is expecting is none other than the handsome, blind naval officer she had met earlier, and very quickly sets Benedict straight as to her identity when he arrives. Their initial exchanges are gently flirtatious and set the tone for the relationship to follow, which is funny, sexy and sweet by turns. Both Benedict and Charlotte have excellent and unselfish reasons for wanting to claim the reward, but agree to team up and search for it together. This has the added benefit of allowing them to explore the attraction that has sparked between them from the moment they met and their romance is very well developed. Both characters are in their late twenties and have been buffeted around by life; and I liked that they don’t try to deny their sexual attraction and aren’t afraid to act on it. There is a maturity to their interactions, and the author has created real sense of equality between them, showing us that they are equal partners in both their relationship and their joint endeavour to find the missing coins.
They are attractive and engaging protagonists, and their different skills and attributes are truly complementary. Benedict might not be able to see, but he is highly intelligent, logical and notices everything, and Charlotte is shrewd and determined. I admit that I’m not normally a big fan of courtesan heroines, but there is something about her underlying vulnerability, her sense of humour and her absolute devotion to the people she loves that really drew me to her. Benedict is simply lovely and a complete change from so many of the other blind romantic heroes I’ve come across, who are usually full of self-pity and act like bears with the proverbial sore heads. Benedict is sexy, funny, charming and utterly adorable; and like Charlotte, he is at a crossroads in his life. Through their friendship and love for each other they are able to find purpose and direction and their dilemmas and emotions feel very real.
Beverley A. Crick seems to be Tantor Audio’s Narrator of Choice when it comes to historical romances right now, as I’ve listened to her several times lately and will be doing so again in the near future. It’s just as well, then, that I generally enjoy her performances, which, in spite of some weaknesses, are good all-round and particularly strong when it comes to her portrayal of the emotional content of the books she narrates. My principal criticism of the performances I have so far listened to is that there is not enough variation in her male voices. In this story, for example, Benedict and the nasty marquess who is searching for Charlotte sound quite similar, and even though they don’t appear together in more than a scene or two, it’s nonetheless a little jarring to hear an unpleasant character speaking in ‘Benedict’s voice’. It wasn’t something that spoiled my overall enjoyment, though, and in all other aspects Ms Crick’s performance is very good. She uses timbre and accent to good effect to differentiate all the secondary characters, her pacing is excellent and she once again proves herself a very accomplished vocal actress in the way she is so good at observing the little details the author provides.
Fortune Favors the Wicked is a charming and entertaining historical romance and Ms Crick delivers another engaging performance. All in all, it’s an audiobook I’m happy to recommend.
**The “you couldn’t make it up!” moment: Benedict Frost is based on a real historical figure named James Holman. He was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who lost his sight as the result of a mysterious illness, was given a pension and then went on to study medicine, travel the world and write books about his experiences.
Read
March 17, 2016Copy received courtesy of NetGalley
A sexy Regency with far better period detail than most of the ones I’ve explored lately—the only oopsies had to do with the Royal Navy, and with the intricacies of booksellers vs printers vs copyright (and how, at that time, nobody would have cared if a blind man could have actually experienced the travels he wrote about or not; a great many travel books were fictionalized).
Romain gives us a courtesan, Charlotte, who has given up the life for reasons that are slowly disclosed, and Benedict Frost, a blind ex-Naval lieutenant, who meet in Charlotte’s tiny hamlet, both intending to earn the reward for discovering who had stolen six trunks of golden sovereigns stolen recently from the Royal Mint.
The bare bones plot is similar to one of Georgette Heyer’s less popular romances. I liked the main characters of this one better—Frost and Charlotte won me over with their banter, and I liked the way Romain developed their chemistry without constantly hammering the reader with it on every page, as if the hero’s and heroine’s constant state of arousal is the most important part of story.
Some fun side characters help flesh out the plot, including a Bow Street Runner who does not talk like a Pierce Egan character, unlike most of Heyer’s Bow Street Runners. The Heyerian touch was there (in ton being used frequently, and other small points) but this story follows its own path rather than being a cardboard cutout of Heyer characteristic plots.
I loved the resolution, and the characterization of Charlotte’s family was a high point for me. One character especially won my heart, so that the last line gained extra poignancy.
A sexy Regency with far better period detail than most of the ones I’ve explored lately—the only oopsies had to do with the Royal Navy, and with the intricacies of booksellers vs printers vs copyright (and how, at that time, nobody would have cared if a blind man could have actually experienced the travels he wrote about or not; a great many travel books were fictionalized).
Romain gives us a courtesan, Charlotte, who has given up the life for reasons that are slowly disclosed, and Benedict Frost, a blind ex-Naval lieutenant, who meet in Charlotte’s tiny hamlet, both intending to earn the reward for discovering who had stolen six trunks of golden sovereigns stolen recently from the Royal Mint.
The bare bones plot is similar to one of Georgette Heyer’s less popular romances. I liked the main characters of this one better—Frost and Charlotte won me over with their banter, and I liked the way Romain developed their chemistry without constantly hammering the reader with it on every page, as if the hero’s and heroine’s constant state of arousal is the most important part of story.
Some fun side characters help flesh out the plot, including a Bow Street Runner who does not talk like a Pierce Egan character, unlike most of Heyer’s Bow Street Runners. The Heyerian touch was there (in ton being used frequently, and other small points) but this story follows its own path rather than being a cardboard cutout of Heyer characteristic plots.
I loved the resolution, and the characterization of Charlotte’s family was a high point for me. One character especially won my heart, so that the last line gained extra poignancy.
April 9, 2016
“No, but I’ve run my hands over the most famous statues in Paris, and they do not come close to the beauty of your form.”
...“When you say such ridiculous, kind, flirtatious things to me, I cannot think what to tell you next.”
“So don’t tell me anything. ... I’ll tell you more of the—what did you call them? ‘Ridiculous and kind’ . . . no, I really can’t allow that, Miss Perry. ‘Truthful and truthful,’ maybe.”
I'm not sure exactly how to rate this. It's not really a favourite of mine (and would qualify more as an "okay" read for me), but there were several things about it that I liked.
Benedict, a lieutenant of the Royal Navy, joins the fray of fortune seekers because he needs to up his sister's dowry in order to entice suitors for her. He'd originally planned on doing so after selling off his memoir, but the publisher refused to publish it as anything but a fictional novel, unable to believe that a blind man could've experienced all the adventures that Benedict had detailed in it.
Benedict is also a former-manwhore H, which I usually wouldn't bother with, former or not, but I was fine with it here. One, the heroine is no virgin and probably has an equal amount of experience, being a courtesan and all. And two, Romain has previously written a virgin H, so it's not as if manwhores are all she writes. (And recently, too, because To Charm a Naughty Countess was published in 2014. I ain't gonna count that for an author who writes manwhore after manwhore now, but happened to have written a virgin H like two decades ago.)
Another aspect of Benedict's character is that he has dyslexia, which is what prompted him to leave England in the first place at the age of twelve. His parents owned a bookstore, which was hard for him because he had difficulty with the words on the page (which surrounded him because they lived above the bookstore). His parents didn't understand that and just thought he wasn't applying himself enough. Although with his blindness (which was due to an illness four years ago) he can't read now, it's quite an accomplishment that he's able to write an entire memoir (with the use of a noctograph).
There were several aspects of how the author handled Benedict's blindness that I liked. For one, this isn't one of those ableist books in which the blind character miraculously gets their vision back. She also showed how Benedict has to deal with people treating him as simply a blind man and nothing more.
So followed hours of raucous, determined cheer, as strange voices overlapped and thickened with drink. Toasts to Nance, toasts to success in the hunt for the stolen sovereigns. Toasts to Mr. and Mrs. Potter; to the Bow Street Runner, Stephen Lilac, sent by the Royal Mint; to the coroner; to the vicar’s blind guest, even.
No amount of liquor could have made Benedict raise a glass to this last toast. “The vicar’s guest is a writer,” he protested. “A lieutenant. A physician.”
But he wasn’t really any of those things; all were half-tried or abandoned. And so he had to accept the claps on the back, the slurred welcomes and I don’t know how you manage its. It had been rather horrible, smiling and laughing through such an evening.
Now people (only) see his blindness before they see anything else about him (and that's if they ever do, that is), overlooking all that he is and his achievements while zeroing on that single aspect of him. (Charlotte, however, notices more about him. And while she accommodates his blindness, taking the time to describe things to him and giving him exact directions when needed or asked, she never overburdens or babies him because of his blindness.)
And although he has difficulty establishing himself as a person and not simply as a blind man, he's also mostly come to terms with that aspect of himself.
He placed his hands atop the smooth-worn wood of the worktable. “In my dreams sometimes I can see. Then when I open my eyes, ready for morning light, and there is nothing but blank, I wish I had not awoken. I wish it had never happened, that my life had never taken such a turn.”
She took one of his hands—then flipped it over and placed a slice of warm bread on his palm. “What do you do, then?”
“I get up and try to make my life take another turn. The alternative is passing time; wasting it. Waiting for death.” He lifted the bread to his lips. “That seems a terrible waste of such a handsome man who has learned so much.”
Although, like I mentioned above, he has to deal with people simply seeing his blindness and not him, he's also come to terms with that part of himself. It's not as if he can change it or make it better, so he tries to make the best of it. I liked his attitude (cocky or otherwise). It's nice to read an H who doesn't wallow away in self-pity because of some things that have happened to him. It's not that I don't think a person is allowed to mourn a loss in their life (and do so within their own time), but I'm so tired of the broody, emo asses whose fish died, so now they're forever angsty and angry, and hateful and mistrustful of the world (especially women). It's nice to read an H who, yes, is affected by his loss, but he hasn't let that single thing become an all-consuming force in his life. (And this is not to shit on depression or disregard it and those who suffer with it and other issues, but those Hs are not written to be suffering from depression or some other disorder, so that's an entirely different conversation, imo.)
Then there's Charlotte. I thought Charlotte was pretty badass. In the beginning, I was afraid she was going to be a damsel in distress character, needing to be rescued by the hero.
With her free hand, she pulled the penknife from her left sleeve and pressed it to the heel of the man’s hand. “Do you like your thumb?” she said sweetly. “One of us is going to keep it. If you want it to be you, you’d best move your hand away at once.”
He tightened his grip, and a thread of blood appeared across his knuckle. “You bitch!” He gaped, releasing her to suck at his wound. “You bitch! You cut me!”
“You cut yourself when you tightened your grasp.” She looked at the knife in some disgust, then wiped the drop from its blade onto her sleeve and stowed it again. Thank goodness she’d worn her dark blue serge. “It’s a poor excuse for a man who blames a woman for his own faults.”
“Bitch whore,” he spat.
“Bitch courtesan,” she muttered. “It’s a completely different occupation.”
When he started to rise to his feet, reaching within his coat—for a blade of his own?—she declined to educate him further in the niceties of kept-woman vocabulary. Tossing a few coins on the table, she turned on her heel and left.
As I mentioned, I was afraid that when she was being accosted here, Benedict would immediately return and save her. But she saved herself. In fact, barring one occasion, she does so throughout the book. There aren't many situations in which she needs rescuing, but she doesn't need Benedict to come to her aid and protect her from all the evils of the world. (The one time she is rescued by Benedict is .) She has a knife and a sharp tongue and a quick mind, so she's more than capable of caring for herself.
Like I mentioned above, she's not a virgin. She's a true courtesan who's been in the game for the last ten years (not a pretend or new courtesan or other fake BS). She became a courtesan after losing her virginity at 18
What I really loved about the whole courtesan aspect was that she wasn't shamed by the author or by Benedict for her past, even a little bit. She made mistakes when she was much younger, giving in after being flattered by someone who was of a greater status than her. She's made something of herself in the years since. Like Benedict, she made the best of her situation. And I liked that the author wrote such a sex-positive portrayal of her. When she asks Benedict if he dislikes her having been with other men, he says no.
And then, in a rush, she blurted, “I was a courtesan in London for ten years.”
“All right.” He raised his head to kiss her. “That makes sense. I didn’t really think you’d been a traveling missionary.”
She permitted a quick press of lips, then pulled her face back. “That’s . . . does that not matter to you?”
“Does it matter to me that you are intelligent and intriguing enough to earn a living by fascinating men?” He let his head fall heavily to the mattress. “I admit, it does. I think it is rather wonderful.”
And later on, it's brought up again...
She stood too, and Captain gave a whine of neglect. “Benedict, please recall to whom you are talking. I made my own fortune—and before you shudder with disgust, not entirely on my back.”
“I am not disgusted by anything you do. Or have done.” This was perfectly true, and he hoped she would believe him.
And I loved this. This is from his POV, so I loved that it's not just lip service on his behalf while his thoughts tell the reader otherwise. He doesn't hesitate in his response, nor does it go through his mind to feel sad or anything. And I absolutely adored that the author wrote it like this, especially since it's coming from a guy who was rather promiscuous himself. (I absolutely hate when manwhore Hs feel relief or happiness when they realize the h hasn't been with others. Or when they feel sadness if she has. FUCK YOU.) Benedict doesn't care that she's been with others. And that's that. She did what she had to do to make the best of a bad situation, and I loved that she's not shamed for doing so. Like I said, the sex-positive portrayal was great.
Her not-virgin status also opened things up for her to be openly dirty-minded when it came to exchanges with Benedict, which I really liked, as well. Too many of the "maidenly" characters flinch at the utterance of a bad word, so expecting something like this from those characters is out of the question:
“The coverlet is patchwork, pieced in floral patterns and pale silks. The frame is the same dark walnut as the washstand, but in better condition. The knobs in here often get polished.”
He had to work to keep a straight face. “Of the bedstead, you mean. Of course.”
“Why, what else could I possibly mean?”
And...
“I was not in a panic,” grumbled Benedict. “I was moving with an understandable amount of speed, considering the circumstances.”
“I also saw Mr. Frost’s stiletto,” Charlotte said, setting Benedict to choking again. “This is not the blade he was accustomed to keeping about his person.”
“I should say not,” he murmured, and she had to elbow him and hide her smile.
As long as it's not overdone, I love when characters use double entendres. I find the sexual innuendo-laced exchanges to be super hilarious, especially when it's the woman who's throwing them out there.
While I loved that the heroine was a courtesan and that she wasn't shamed for having been so, it also led into a disappointment for me. For anyone who hates mentions of sexual pasts, this may be a book to skip. There are mentions for both of them not only having experience, but subtle mentions of said experiences. I didn't mind it that too much because they were both equal here.
However, two of Charlotte's past lovers do make an appearance in the book. Randolph, who's a marquess and her latest protector, and the man she's on the run from, is one, and Edward Selwyn, the man who , also make appearances. (Edward is a local in the small town, after all.) My irritation here had to do with the fact that, even though , they were shadows over the book throughout much of it. The reason Charlotte is even after the royal reward is because she's run away from Randolph and is leaving the courtesan business. So of course he's mentioned time and again. And because Edward is , he's mentioned over and over again, too. And I hated that they were such a BIG part of the story.
I also don't get how, near the end,
In the end,
Anyway, a spoiler (sort of?) for the next book's pairing: So I'm looking forward to that and I'm excited to see where that goes.
(Oh, one final thing...if animal deaths bother you, I'd avoid this book. )
February 13, 2017
From this point on, I am officially dubbing Theresa Romain the Queen of the slow burn. Oh this was so good. Theresa knows exactly how to get to me and my feels and Fortune Favors the Wicked was no exception.
Charlotte was a fascinating heroine: a reluctant fallen woman who was ruined at eighteen by a man she had loved, bore a child out of wedlock and soon afterward left for London to become a notorious courtesan. Whew! I know. It’s a lot and in anyone else’s hands I think it would have been TOO MUCH. However it wasn’t Charlotte’s history that was important, but the emotions that guided the choices she made and how they ultimately shaped her as a person. I liked that she was a bit of a misfit. She always felt out of place as the second daughter of a humble country vicar and his distant scholary wife and even her life in London offered no reprieve from the emptiness she felt inside. The forced, but necessary separation from her young daughter cut her the most deeply.
One of the reasons why Charlotte and Benedict’s relationship worked so well I think was how, for perhaps the first time in her life, Charlotte found someone with whom she could relax and be herself with. No masks. No alter egos. With Benedict, she didn’t have to be Charlotte Perry, the virtuous preacher’s daughter, or Charlotte Pearl, the courtesan or even ‘Mrs. Smith’, the veiled mystery lady; she could simply be Charlotte and that meant everything. And it went both ways because Charlotte never once judged Benedict inferior or passed him over because of his blindness. They both accepted each other unconditionally for exactly who they were deep down, where it counted. It was lovely. Did I also mention that their banter was EPIC or how hot their love scenes (ones that involved Benedict’s traveling trunk and a waterfall!!!) were? Yeah, well, now I have. You’re welcome.
Oooh and I haven’t gushed about Benedict yet have I? Now while I did not find Benedict Frost’s (FANTASTIC name by the way) emotional journey as rich with depth as Charlotte’s, he was still a great character in his own right. Especially given the whole blind sailor/doctor/explorer/writer *PANTS* thing, and beyond ALL THAT, he was just plain darling. I adored his wit, bravery, kindness and devotion to his sister, Georgette. And that by helping build a bridge between Charlotte and her family, Benedict learned that by running away from the places that so suffocated him, he in effect isolated any bonds he could have forged with those he cared about most and he didn’t want to do that anymore. To quote a Barbie movie, “Sometimes being free means choosing not to go, but to stay.”
There really wasn’t much that I didn’t love about this book. My only gripe would probably be that I wish there had been more actual treasure hunting going on. This also didn’t didn’t feature the speediest of plots, but it was to be expected because that’s Theresa Romain. I always know what I’m getting from her: stories that are driven by beautifully flawed characters featuring a rollercoaster of emotions and feels galore, with a side of sexy times in out of the norm locations.
I loved, loved, LOVED the epilogue and any scene that featured sassy bookish Georgette (who dresses as a man at one point, a girl after my own heart!), starchy scholar Lord Hugo Starling and bearded Bow Street Runner Stephen Lilac. All the dudes in this book have the best names EVER, am I right?
I cannot wait to read Georgette and Hugo’s story next but apparently I WILL have to wait; UNTIL 2017
Charlotte was a fascinating heroine: a reluctant fallen woman who was ruined at eighteen by a man she had loved, bore a child out of wedlock and soon afterward left for London to become a notorious courtesan. Whew! I know. It’s a lot and in anyone else’s hands I think it would have been TOO MUCH. However it wasn’t Charlotte’s history that was important, but the emotions that guided the choices she made and how they ultimately shaped her as a person. I liked that she was a bit of a misfit. She always felt out of place as the second daughter of a humble country vicar and his distant scholary wife and even her life in London offered no reprieve from the emptiness she felt inside. The forced, but necessary separation from her young daughter cut her the most deeply.
One of the reasons why Charlotte and Benedict’s relationship worked so well I think was how, for perhaps the first time in her life, Charlotte found someone with whom she could relax and be herself with. No masks. No alter egos. With Benedict, she didn’t have to be Charlotte Perry, the virtuous preacher’s daughter, or Charlotte Pearl, the courtesan or even ‘Mrs. Smith’, the veiled mystery lady; she could simply be Charlotte and that meant everything. And it went both ways because Charlotte never once judged Benedict inferior or passed him over because of his blindness. They both accepted each other unconditionally for exactly who they were deep down, where it counted. It was lovely. Did I also mention that their banter was EPIC or how hot their love scenes (ones that involved Benedict’s traveling trunk and a waterfall!!!) were? Yeah, well, now I have. You’re welcome.
Oooh and I haven’t gushed about Benedict yet have I? Now while I did not find Benedict Frost’s (FANTASTIC name by the way) emotional journey as rich with depth as Charlotte’s, he was still a great character in his own right. Especially given the whole blind sailor/doctor/explorer/writer *PANTS* thing, and beyond ALL THAT, he was just plain darling. I adored his wit, bravery, kindness and devotion to his sister, Georgette. And that by helping build a bridge between Charlotte and her family, Benedict learned that by running away from the places that so suffocated him, he in effect isolated any bonds he could have forged with those he cared about most and he didn’t want to do that anymore. To quote a Barbie movie, “Sometimes being free means choosing not to go, but to stay.”
There really wasn’t much that I didn’t love about this book. My only gripe would probably be that I wish there had been more actual treasure hunting going on. This also didn’t didn’t feature the speediest of plots, but it was to be expected because that’s Theresa Romain. I always know what I’m getting from her: stories that are driven by beautifully flawed characters featuring a rollercoaster of emotions and feels galore, with a side of sexy times in out of the norm locations.
I loved, loved, LOVED the epilogue and any scene that featured sassy bookish Georgette (who dresses as a man at one point, a girl after my own heart!), starchy scholar Lord Hugo Starling and bearded Bow Street Runner Stephen Lilac. All the dudes in this book have the best names EVER, am I right?
I cannot wait to read Georgette and Hugo’s story next but apparently I WILL have to wait; UNTIL 2017
April 1, 2024
Fortune Favors the Wicked
4 Stars
The small village of Strawfield becomes the center of attention when a coin from a cache of gold stolen from the Royal Mint is discovered in the possession of a bar maid. Amongst the treasure seekers who descend on the community are Benedict Frost, a former navel officer whose career ended following a devastating affliction, and Charlotte Perry, a vicar's daughter and retired courtesan with a troubling secret. As Benedict and Charlotte form an shaky alliance, others in the village are just as determined to beat them, with violence and murder if necessary…
Romain's writing and dialogue capture the nuances of the time period so well, and the pages simply fly by.
Each damaged in their own way, Benedict and Charlotte are very appealing characters and their banter makes for very entertaining reading. Their romance is sweet and charming without the silly misunderstandings and annoying secret keeping that might otherwise occur with this plot premise.
The treasure hunting/murder mystery plot is weaker than the romance, but still enjoyable. Some of the elements feel very contrived and the revelation of the culprit and the discovery of the treasure are anti-climactic. Moreover, the is an unnecessary and distracting addition, and the resolution is not all that satisfactory as .
All in all, a very well written and engaging romance and the hints at the love/hate relationship between the couple in the next make have me eager to read it.
4 Stars
The small village of Strawfield becomes the center of attention when a coin from a cache of gold stolen from the Royal Mint is discovered in the possession of a bar maid. Amongst the treasure seekers who descend on the community are Benedict Frost, a former navel officer whose career ended following a devastating affliction, and Charlotte Perry, a vicar's daughter and retired courtesan with a troubling secret. As Benedict and Charlotte form an shaky alliance, others in the village are just as determined to beat them, with violence and murder if necessary…
Romain's writing and dialogue capture the nuances of the time period so well, and the pages simply fly by.
Each damaged in their own way, Benedict and Charlotte are very appealing characters and their banter makes for very entertaining reading. Their romance is sweet and charming without the silly misunderstandings and annoying secret keeping that might otherwise occur with this plot premise.
The treasure hunting/murder mystery plot is weaker than the romance, but still enjoyable. Some of the elements feel very contrived and the revelation of the culprit and the discovery of the treasure are anti-climactic. Moreover, the is an unnecessary and distracting addition, and the resolution is not all that satisfactory as .
All in all, a very well written and engaging romance and the hints at the love/hate relationship between the couple in the next make have me eager to read it.
April 6, 2016
What to say about Theresa Romain that I haven't in the other review? I just LOVED this book.
I'm full of FEELS right now, so the most I can say is that I loved/adored/crushed on Benedict so hard. If Joss was a sweetheart then Benedict was a marshmallow. He and Charlotte were just perfect for each other and I enjoyed their interactions from the first page. Even when they had to be apart it didn't feel forced or like noble idiocy. This book wasn't as bittersweet but it still tug at my heartstrings. It just what Theresa does, I guess ^^
There is so much more that should be said about this book. How the heroine was a courtesan but the hero, not only didn't make a big deal, but also joked about it. How Charlotte didn't give a damn that Benedict was blind or didn't have a penny to his name. IT WAS JUST, UGH, PERFECT! GO READ IT!
Ps: I seriously cannot wait for the second book. That first chapter made want it so bad!
I'm full of FEELS right now, so the most I can say is that I loved/adored/crushed on Benedict so hard. If Joss was a sweetheart then Benedict was a marshmallow. He and Charlotte were just perfect for each other and I enjoyed their interactions from the first page. Even when they had to be apart it didn't feel forced or like noble idiocy. This book wasn't as bittersweet but it still tug at my heartstrings. It just what Theresa does, I guess ^^
There is so much more that should be said about this book. How the heroine was a courtesan but the hero, not only didn't make a big deal, but also joked about it. How Charlotte didn't give a damn that Benedict was blind or didn't have a penny to his name. IT WAS JUST, UGH, PERFECT! GO READ IT!
Ps: I seriously cannot wait for the second book. That first chapter made want it so bad!
October 22, 2017
My first book by this author and I quite enjoyed it. Right away, before we fully get into the meat of the story, I was pleased by how Romain writes stylistically.
Benedict and Charlotte were great characters who meet and decide to work together to gain the reward offered by the Royal Mint for the recovery of some stolen coins. Their strength and self reliance were admirable. Both characters had faced significant adversity which they dealt with in mature ways, with a total absence of self pity. Benedict was blinded by illness as a young man in the Navy, and needs to recover the missing coins to supplement his pension and help support his sister as his publisher has rejected his travel memoir because he doesn't believe a blind man could be so well traveled and adventurous. Charlotte, a vicar's daughter, is a former courtesan seeking to leave the life forced upon due to being "ruined" by a dalliance as a young woman. Her sense of duty and shame over potentially sullying her family's reputation made her flee her small town for London. When the book starts she has returned home to flee an abusive protector and pursue the reward money.
The characters are so sensible and compatible there's not a lot of interpersonal drama or tension between them, so if you're looking for a complicated romance with a lot of angst and melodrama and "I hate you, no I love you, now I hate you again" waffling this is not the book for you. However, if you want to read about interesting, likable people coming together under unusual circumstances and forging a very charming relationship, full of good banter and real connection, this will definitely hit the spot. Benedict and Charlotte fit together so well, and their relationship develops so naturally and organically. I feel like the treasure hunting plotline didn't have quite the heft I expected but the romance was more than strong enough to sustain the story and make this a pleasurable read. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Benedict and Charlotte were great characters who meet and decide to work together to gain the reward offered by the Royal Mint for the recovery of some stolen coins. Their strength and self reliance were admirable. Both characters had faced significant adversity which they dealt with in mature ways, with a total absence of self pity. Benedict was blinded by illness as a young man in the Navy, and needs to recover the missing coins to supplement his pension and help support his sister as his publisher has rejected his travel memoir because he doesn't believe a blind man could be so well traveled and adventurous. Charlotte, a vicar's daughter, is a former courtesan seeking to leave the life forced upon due to being "ruined" by a dalliance as a young woman. Her sense of duty and shame over potentially sullying her family's reputation made her flee her small town for London. When the book starts she has returned home to flee an abusive protector and pursue the reward money.
The characters are so sensible and compatible there's not a lot of interpersonal drama or tension between them, so if you're looking for a complicated romance with a lot of angst and melodrama and "I hate you, no I love you, now I hate you again" waffling this is not the book for you. However, if you want to read about interesting, likable people coming together under unusual circumstances and forging a very charming relationship, full of good banter and real connection, this will definitely hit the spot. Benedict and Charlotte fit together so well, and their relationship develops so naturally and organically. I feel like the treasure hunting plotline didn't have quite the heft I expected but the romance was more than strong enough to sustain the story and make this a pleasurable read. I look forward to reading more by this author.
October 4, 2022
3 stars. This book had so much potential, but ultimately the characters and their relationships didn’t feel developed enough. The ending was also very abrupt and the mystery solved too easily. I was shocked to see that I was nearing the end of the book, when I felt there could have still been half a book to go. This isn’t one I would recommend.
Safety: heroine was a courtesan for 10 years with many clients, but quit right before the start of this book. Hero was a manwhore. I felt it was an appropriate matchup. There are some mild details of both of their past liaisons. No scenes with OM/OW, no cheating, no OW drama, some OM drama.
Safety: heroine was a courtesan for 10 years with many clients, but quit right before the start of this book. Hero was a manwhore. I felt it was an appropriate matchup. There are some mild details of both of their past liaisons. No scenes with OM/OW, no cheating, no OW drama, some OM drama.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2017
Buddy read with Andrea!
So, I loved this book at the beginning and I started loosing interest when I got to the middle BUT not too much that I wanted to stop reading it.
It's well written, the characters are great and witty. I really loved their conversations. this is my third book by this author, and once again she writes beautiful dialogues and establishes a real relationship between the main characters based on trust, acceptance and common interests and that's really one of the things I really like about this author and why I'll continue reading her books.
The treasure hunt theme wasn't very present IMO. This book concetrates more on the issues that the main characters have to face and the h's past. They did look for the treasure and found some clues, but in the end they kind of found it accidentally. However, this did not bother me.
Anyway, it was a great read and I'll definitly read the next book in the series :)
So, I loved this book at the beginning and I started loosing interest when I got to the middle BUT not too much that I wanted to stop reading it.
It's well written, the characters are great and witty. I really loved their conversations. this is my third book by this author, and once again she writes beautiful dialogues and establishes a real relationship between the main characters based on trust, acceptance and common interests and that's really one of the things I really like about this author and why I'll continue reading her books.
The treasure hunt theme wasn't very present IMO. This book concetrates more on the issues that the main characters have to face and the h's past. They did look for the treasure and found some clues, but in the end they kind of found it accidentally. However, this did not bother me.
Anyway, it was a great read and I'll definitly read the next book in the series :)
March 29, 2016
What happens when a vicar's daughter, who is also a courtesan, teams up with a blind sailor to hunt for stolen treasure? A wonderful story where they find so much more than the gold, is what happens.
Charlotte Perry is home searching for some stolen gold. She needs it to start over, again, because she's known in London as Charlotte Pearl, a courtesan. She meets Benedict Frost, a blind sailor who is also searching for the gold so that he can provide a better life for his sister.
I loved that we got to see Charlotte and Benedict fall in love. He was so uncaring that she had a sordid past and she was not upset by the fact that he couldn't see. I LOVED her describing things to him. And I loved his sassy attitude while protecting Charlotte. They were so good together. Neither thought they deserved better than what they had and were scared to ask for more.
*ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley*
Charlotte Perry is home searching for some stolen gold. She needs it to start over, again, because she's known in London as Charlotte Pearl, a courtesan. She meets Benedict Frost, a blind sailor who is also searching for the gold so that he can provide a better life for his sister.
I loved that we got to see Charlotte and Benedict fall in love. He was so uncaring that she had a sordid past and she was not upset by the fact that he couldn't see. I LOVED her describing things to him. And I loved his sassy attitude while protecting Charlotte. They were so good together. Neither thought they deserved better than what they had and were scared to ask for more.
*ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley*
August 11, 2016
I can't really say that I adore starting a new Romain romance. Often, the ponderous h/h backstories leave me with the DNF-ing blues. But, if I persist, then they reward with a sensitively rendered romance and sympathetic hero and heroine. Fortune Favors the Wicked runs to type. There is nothing wicked in Romain's Benedict and Charlotte, except in how "thinking makes it so". Benedict doesn't SEE; blind, he considers himself physically compromised. Charlotte, on the other hand, naively believed in love and the neighbouring aristocrat. He left her pregnant and leaving her father's vicarage for a courtesan's life in London. She sees herself as morally compromised. I really liked how Romain allows these two to discover what very fine people they are: how loving and generous and justly rewarded with an HEA. There's a lot to the plot, a meandering plot, that I didn't enjoy as much as the characterization. If you'd like to read a more extensive review, please follow the link:
https://missbatesreadsromance.com/201...
I received an e-ARC of Fortune Favors the Wicked from Zebra Books (Kensington Publishing), via Netgalley.
https://missbatesreadsromance.com/201...
I received an e-ARC of Fortune Favors the Wicked from Zebra Books (Kensington Publishing), via Netgalley.
July 16, 2017
This was a good, solid read. I enjoyed the characters, plot and writing. It was delightfully low angst. The love story was a slow build, revolving around an intriguing search-for-stolen-gold plot. Both main characters were compelling, and this was a well-balanced story with neither main character stealing the show.
Charlotte, the leading lady, is a former courtesan and vicar's daughter. She was a bit of quandary for much of the novel to me. I found it a bit incredulous, her double-life, but it all comes to a head in this novel, which worked IMO. Benedict is a blind sailor who wrote memoirs only to have the publisher say his memoirs would make a great novel and there was no way a blind man could have done those things. I felt a little like the publisher at times because he did seem overly capable at times, but then I read the Author's Note. Turns out he is based on a real person, so that's my bad.
Overall, this was a sweet, charming read. This was my first by this author. I will definitely read more, not only due to the planned Buddy Read for book 2.
P.S. I like her book titles in this series. They sound like the names of Soap Operas. I keep hearing in my head a deep-voiced announcer say "In another episode of (drop an octave) Fortune Favors the Wicked".
Charlotte, the leading lady, is a former courtesan and vicar's daughter. She was a bit of quandary for much of the novel to me. I found it a bit incredulous, her double-life, but it all comes to a head in this novel, which worked IMO. Benedict is a blind sailor who wrote memoirs only to have the publisher say his memoirs would make a great novel and there was no way a blind man could have done those things. I felt a little like the publisher at times because he did seem overly capable at times, but then I read the Author's Note. Turns out he is based on a real person, so that's my bad.
Overall, this was a sweet, charming read. This was my first by this author. I will definitely read more, not only due to the planned Buddy Read for book 2.
P.S. I like her book titles in this series. They sound like the names of Soap Operas. I keep hearing in my head a deep-voiced announcer say "In another episode of (drop an octave) Fortune Favors the Wicked".
August 9, 2018
This was a book that I read in small bites between other books. I always liked coming back to it, but there was no urgency. I finally finished it today. It is a story without surprises, but the hero, who is a writer, a traveler, and also blind, was great.
Like the heroine in A Lily Among Thorns the female main character is a former courtesan. The approach to this is very different. „Lily“ is certainly more gritty, and I was much more drawn into that story, and believed more in it. But it is probably unkind of me to compare the two books.
The story of the heroes‘ sister, who has her own book, takes up some part of this one. It was kind of strange to have those chapters thrown in. It feels unfinished to me now, so maybe I’ll have to read that book later on.
Like the heroine in A Lily Among Thorns the female main character is a former courtesan. The approach to this is very different. „Lily“ is certainly more gritty, and I was much more drawn into that story, and believed more in it. But it is probably unkind of me to compare the two books.
The story of the heroes‘ sister, who has her own book, takes up some part of this one. It was kind of strange to have those chapters thrown in. It feels unfinished to me now, so maybe I’ll have to read that book later on.
July 27, 2020
If I had a “Renae Approved” stamp to put on the covers of books, I would absolutely put it on this book. Fortune Favors the Wicked was a highly on-brand historical romance for me, on that hit all the right notes and satisfied all of my cravings. Just the other day I was complaining that there was a sad lack of Regency romances that featured working-class, untitled, or otherwise not fabulously wealthy characters. And lo and behold, here came this book—a romance whose protagonists are far from aristocratic, for whom money is a real and pressing concern. I mean, this is the book I’ve been dreaming of!
The first thing I noticed and appreciated about this book is that it’s far from a dreaded “Wallpaper Historical.” Yay! Theresa Romain sets the story during the Great Recoinage of 1816 (thank you, Wikipedia), when the British government switched from guineas to sovereigns. Apparently during all the hubbub, somebody stole several chests of gold sovereigns from the royal mint, and now the government is offering a reward to whoever finds them. When one of the of the missing coins surfaces in a small inn in Derbyshire, the treasure hunt is on.
Enter Benedict Frost and Charlotte Perry.
I’m only going to mention this once because it’s actually not important to the plot: the male lead, Benedict, is blind after contracting a mysterious fever in South America. That’s it, though. His disability is not a major plot point, is not a source of “woe is me” angst. I love this. More books about disabled characters where we don’t have to hear endlessly about how they do things “in spite of” their disability—that’s ableist af. And now, moving on!
Benedict, a former navy officer-turned-physician-turned-writer visits Derbyshire to seek the reward money, which he wants to use to help his younger sister live comfortably without relying on their rather poor cousins. So he goes to the inn where the sovereign surfaced, and sits around listening to the locals. While there, he runs into Charlotte.
Charlotte is a courtesan. She grew up in Derbyshire but left after tangling herself in scandal. Now she’s back, hoping to use the reward money to help finance her parents’ retirement, since she feels guilty for abandoning them and generally being a “bad” daughter.
Oh, also, Benedict’s best friend has wrangled things so that he’s staying at the vicarage where Charlotte grew up and where her parents still live. Shenanigans!
I wouldn’t really say that treasure hunt plots are my most favorite, but Fortune Favors the Wicked did it really well, and I have no complaints. There is intrigue, there are dark family secrets, and there are villainous villains. None of its gets into the real of over-the-top cheesy drama, so it’s all interesting, thrilling, and a little bit fun. My favorite!
The developing relationship between Benedict and Charlotte is is sweet and mature and just a little sexy. These are two people who know what they like (in bed and out of it) and who are 100% sure of who they are as individuals. They’re honest with each other when asked the hard questions, and Romain doesn’t push the Big Misunderstanding into unbelievable territory. For all that it’s a treasure hunt / mystery romance, it’s also a laidback, realistic romance, too.
Adding into that sense of authenticity was the pitch-perfect focus of family and family relationships. The bulk of the book takes place at Charlotte’s parents’ house, and I loved the realism of the messy dynamics that can happen after a trauma and a long separation. Also, Charlotte’s childhood dog, Captain, was there and I loved her (yes, Captain is a girl-dog).
Checking things off the list, Fortune Favors the Wicked is a wonderful Regency romance that features: middle-class protagonists, a blind hero, a treasure hunt, and family dynamics. It was perfect and utterly satisfying. What a great book.
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The first thing I noticed and appreciated about this book is that it’s far from a dreaded “Wallpaper Historical.” Yay! Theresa Romain sets the story during the Great Recoinage of 1816 (thank you, Wikipedia), when the British government switched from guineas to sovereigns. Apparently during all the hubbub, somebody stole several chests of gold sovereigns from the royal mint, and now the government is offering a reward to whoever finds them. When one of the of the missing coins surfaces in a small inn in Derbyshire, the treasure hunt is on.
Enter Benedict Frost and Charlotte Perry.
I’m only going to mention this once because it’s actually not important to the plot: the male lead, Benedict, is blind after contracting a mysterious fever in South America. That’s it, though. His disability is not a major plot point, is not a source of “woe is me” angst. I love this. More books about disabled characters where we don’t have to hear endlessly about how they do things “in spite of” their disability—that’s ableist af. And now, moving on!
Benedict, a former navy officer-turned-physician-turned-writer visits Derbyshire to seek the reward money, which he wants to use to help his younger sister live comfortably without relying on their rather poor cousins. So he goes to the inn where the sovereign surfaced, and sits around listening to the locals. While there, he runs into Charlotte.
Charlotte is a courtesan. She grew up in Derbyshire but left after tangling herself in scandal. Now she’s back, hoping to use the reward money to help finance her parents’ retirement, since she feels guilty for abandoning them and generally being a “bad” daughter.
Oh, also, Benedict’s best friend has wrangled things so that he’s staying at the vicarage where Charlotte grew up and where her parents still live. Shenanigans!
I wouldn’t really say that treasure hunt plots are my most favorite, but Fortune Favors the Wicked did it really well, and I have no complaints. There is intrigue, there are dark family secrets, and there are villainous villains. None of its gets into the real of over-the-top cheesy drama, so it’s all interesting, thrilling, and a little bit fun. My favorite!
The developing relationship between Benedict and Charlotte is is sweet and mature and just a little sexy. These are two people who know what they like (in bed and out of it) and who are 100% sure of who they are as individuals. They’re honest with each other when asked the hard questions, and Romain doesn’t push the Big Misunderstanding into unbelievable territory. For all that it’s a treasure hunt / mystery romance, it’s also a laidback, realistic romance, too.
Adding into that sense of authenticity was the pitch-perfect focus of family and family relationships. The bulk of the book takes place at Charlotte’s parents’ house, and I loved the realism of the messy dynamics that can happen after a trauma and a long separation. Also, Charlotte’s childhood dog, Captain, was there and I loved her (yes, Captain is a girl-dog).
Checking things off the list, Fortune Favors the Wicked is a wonderful Regency romance that features: middle-class protagonists, a blind hero, a treasure hunt, and family dynamics. It was perfect and utterly satisfying. What a great book.
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February 25, 2016
In October of last year, I reviewed another of Theresa Romain's books, The Sport of Baronets because of hearing so much positive feedback from reviewers whom I respect. I was underwhelmed, but still on the edge of a decision regarding whether I liked the writing style and characterizations or not. At the end of the review, I had decided that I needed to read another book by Romain to form a more complete opinion.
When reading The Sport of Baronets, I did not like that the plot was basically "Silver Blaze" subtracting Sherlock Holmes, and adding two angsty Romeo and Juliet wannabees. True, in the author's own words, the story is 'loosely inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story “Silver Blaze.”' I prefer more original plots, with perhaps a nod to another story.
In this story, I find that the main plot is not borrowed from Arthur Conan Doyle, but rather it has been taken from Georgette Heyer's The Toll-Gate. Because these two titles are the only ones that I have read by Theresa Romain, I am not sure if every story written has been based on another, much older plot. At this point, because of my personal preferences, I do not want to read any more to find out.
Again, angsty characters take the stage. Both hero and heroine face insurmountable barriers against their happiness which are well described but end up ringing hollow and false after being resolved through making a quick decision. Again they immediately find their perfect matches, then progress quickly into lusty relations and shared intimacies.
Some of the passages are written quite beautifully, and I enjoyed those parts more than the story, and more than I liked the characters. I would love a book by the author containing a story of her own making, filled with her gorgeously descriptive sentences, without glum or angsty characters. However, judging from her loyal following and glowing reviews, I doubt Theresa Romain needs to change a thing to maintain her success!
**eARC Netgalley**
When reading The Sport of Baronets, I did not like that the plot was basically "Silver Blaze" subtracting Sherlock Holmes, and adding two angsty Romeo and Juliet wannabees. True, in the author's own words, the story is 'loosely inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s story “Silver Blaze.”' I prefer more original plots, with perhaps a nod to another story.
In this story, I find that the main plot is not borrowed from Arthur Conan Doyle, but rather it has been taken from Georgette Heyer's The Toll-Gate. Because these two titles are the only ones that I have read by Theresa Romain, I am not sure if every story written has been based on another, much older plot. At this point, because of my personal preferences, I do not want to read any more to find out.
Again, angsty characters take the stage. Both hero and heroine face insurmountable barriers against their happiness which are well described but end up ringing hollow and false after being resolved through making a quick decision. Again they immediately find their perfect matches, then progress quickly into lusty relations and shared intimacies.
Some of the passages are written quite beautifully, and I enjoyed those parts more than the story, and more than I liked the characters. I would love a book by the author containing a story of her own making, filled with her gorgeously descriptive sentences, without glum or angsty characters. However, judging from her loyal following and glowing reviews, I doubt Theresa Romain needs to change a thing to maintain her success!
**eARC Netgalley**
March 10, 2016
** I received an ARC of this book in return for my honest review **
I love Theresa Romain's writing style as well as her characters and how she develops them. This is an excellent book and I think you'll enjoy it.
The characters in this book are so real. They are just ordinary people with an extraordinary story to tell. Neither is titled nor related to anyone who is. They are just two people doing their best with the hands life has dealt them.
Benedict Frost is a navy lieutenant on half-pay and a small pension because he is now blind. He's very independent and has taught himself to get along in the world - even though he's never felt he belonged anywhere. He can never marry because if he does, he has to give up his half-pay and his pension -- leaving him destitute. He's traveled the world - both before and after his blindness - and has written a book about those travels.
Charlotte Perry is a courtesan who has fled London to escape a vengeful protector. Charlotte is a vicar's daughter who was always a free spirit - and fancied herself in love with the son of the local squire. When she let's him paint her (in the nude) and then seduce her, she finds she is expecting. He won't marry her, so she gets her sister to take the child and raise it as her own. Left with no options, Charlotte becomes a courtesan.
Both Benedict and Charlotte end up in the same place -- looking for coins that have been stolen from the mint. There is a tidy reward for the finder of the coins. Both of them end up staying at the vicarage of Charlotte's father.
They find that with the restrictions each have, it is better for them to work together. As they learn more about each other, they fall more and more in love. However -- the bad folks want to destroy them and do a pretty good job of it. But -- in the end -- the discover how strong they both are.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I know you will too!
I love Theresa Romain's writing style as well as her characters and how she develops them. This is an excellent book and I think you'll enjoy it.
The characters in this book are so real. They are just ordinary people with an extraordinary story to tell. Neither is titled nor related to anyone who is. They are just two people doing their best with the hands life has dealt them.
Benedict Frost is a navy lieutenant on half-pay and a small pension because he is now blind. He's very independent and has taught himself to get along in the world - even though he's never felt he belonged anywhere. He can never marry because if he does, he has to give up his half-pay and his pension -- leaving him destitute. He's traveled the world - both before and after his blindness - and has written a book about those travels.
Charlotte Perry is a courtesan who has fled London to escape a vengeful protector. Charlotte is a vicar's daughter who was always a free spirit - and fancied herself in love with the son of the local squire. When she let's him paint her (in the nude) and then seduce her, she finds she is expecting. He won't marry her, so she gets her sister to take the child and raise it as her own. Left with no options, Charlotte becomes a courtesan.
Both Benedict and Charlotte end up in the same place -- looking for coins that have been stolen from the mint. There is a tidy reward for the finder of the coins. Both of them end up staying at the vicarage of Charlotte's father.
They find that with the restrictions each have, it is better for them to work together. As they learn more about each other, they fall more and more in love. However -- the bad folks want to destroy them and do a pretty good job of it. But -- in the end -- the discover how strong they both are.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I know you will too!
February 21, 2016
I asked netgalley for an ARC of this book because it's the first in a series and a good reader friend likes this author. It's my first book by Theresa Romain and I will read others, especially the next book in this series. 3.5 rounded to 4 stars
Benedict Frost served in His Majesty's navy since he was 12. His career ended due to an illness but he still sails to foreign lands. He has written a book about his travels and has a publisher lined up. He needs the money the book will make for his younger sister, Georgette, who is about to lose her home. As he returns to London he hears about the theft of some newly minted gold sovereigns. When the publisher refuses his book, he decides to search for the coins and collect the reward.
Minister's daughter turned courtesan, Charlotte Perry, has come home to find the coins also. She has left that life and needs the reward. She meets Benedict in the village inn where a serving girl was given one of the sovereigns. To her surprise, he later shows up at the vicarage. His friend, Lord Hugo, has asked her parents to host him while he is in town. They decide to work together to find the coins and who is behind the things that keep happening to them.
For the rest of the story, read the book. I do not write plot spoilers. I had a hard time getting into this book. I like that the hero and heroine were not aristocrats. The first couple of chapters seemed slow and didn't hold my interest. Then it got very interesting, more complicated and I couldn't put it down. I had to know the outcome. There are some good secondary characters, especially Charlotte's niece, Maggie. Ben's sister Georgette has a chapter in this and it appears she will have a very good story of her own in the next book. The last line in the book was my favorite.
Thanks to Kensington and netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC. This book will be released on March 29th.
Benedict Frost served in His Majesty's navy since he was 12. His career ended due to an illness but he still sails to foreign lands. He has written a book about his travels and has a publisher lined up. He needs the money the book will make for his younger sister, Georgette, who is about to lose her home. As he returns to London he hears about the theft of some newly minted gold sovereigns. When the publisher refuses his book, he decides to search for the coins and collect the reward.
Minister's daughter turned courtesan, Charlotte Perry, has come home to find the coins also. She has left that life and needs the reward. She meets Benedict in the village inn where a serving girl was given one of the sovereigns. To her surprise, he later shows up at the vicarage. His friend, Lord Hugo, has asked her parents to host him while he is in town. They decide to work together to find the coins and who is behind the things that keep happening to them.
For the rest of the story, read the book. I do not write plot spoilers. I had a hard time getting into this book. I like that the hero and heroine were not aristocrats. The first couple of chapters seemed slow and didn't hold my interest. Then it got very interesting, more complicated and I couldn't put it down. I had to know the outcome. There are some good secondary characters, especially Charlotte's niece, Maggie. Ben's sister Georgette has a chapter in this and it appears she will have a very good story of her own in the next book. The last line in the book was my favorite.
Thanks to Kensington and netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC. This book will be released on March 29th.
May 27, 2016
Interesting story, on the surface a mystery about a huge robbery of freshly-minted gold sovereigns from the Royal Mint, but actually a very nice character-driven love story with two wonderful protagonists. The hero Benedict is just delicious - one of the best I've encountered - a blind former sailor who has written a book about his travels with the Royal Navy. The heroine Charlotte is a woman with a past - in London she was a courtesan, a career choice she was forced to make when she was ruined by the local squire's son, but her father is a country vicar and apparently unaware of how Charlotte supports herself. Now she has left London and her career because her last protector abused her and slashed her face, and she decides to join in the search for the coins, in hopes of helping her family and maybe figuring out what to do with herself.
On the negative side - the book has a few too many side plots which are unrelated to either the coin mystery or the love story, and are not fully resolved, especially the subplot about Charlotte's abusive protector and the harm he does to her family - I don't think he got the comeuppance he deserved. One entire chapter is devoted to Benedict's sister as she decides to join the search for the coins, but ultimately this has no connection to Benedict's and Charlotte's story and looks mostly like sequel bait (but I'll take it!) So - 4 stars for a flawed but well-told story.
On the negative side - the book has a few too many side plots which are unrelated to either the coin mystery or the love story, and are not fully resolved, especially the subplot about Charlotte's abusive protector and the harm he does to her family - I don't think he got the comeuppance he deserved. One entire chapter is devoted to Benedict's sister as she decides to join the search for the coins, but ultimately this has no connection to Benedict's and Charlotte's story and looks mostly like sequel bait (but I'll take it!) So - 4 stars for a flawed but well-told story.
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