Brains and Beauty

by Jeanette Watts

The last thing a proper Victorian lady says – is what she’s really thinking.

Regina Waring seems to have it all. A loving husband, a successful business, and the most expensive wardrobe in town. But nothing is what it appears to be. Her husband is critical and demanding, the business teeters on ruin, even the opulent wardrobe is a clever illusion.

Regina’s life is one long tiptoe through a minefield; one wrong step and her entire life is going to blow up and destroy her. Attempting to hold it all together, she appeases the husband, dresses the part, and never, never says what she is really thinking. That would get in the way of getting things done. And, if there’s one thing Regina did really well, it was getting things done.

Enter Thomas Baldwin. Young and handsome and completely off limits, Regina is smitten at first sight. Then, to her great astonishment, he slowly becomes her best friend. He’s the one person in her life who never lets her down. Torn between her fascination with him and her desire not to ruin a marvelous friendship, she tries to enjoy each moment with him as it comes.

If only that were enough.

Genres: Historical Fiction

450 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2015

About the author

Jeanette Watts is a writer, dancer, seamstress, actress, fencer, video producer, and teacher. There aren't enough hours in the day to fit it all in. But she tries.

Reviews

[Nina Maether · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed both books in this series. Reading the same story from Regina’s point of view was quite interesting, especially since she would disappear for long periods of time in book 1.

I don’t think this works well as a stand alone book. There were many more details about historical events in book 1 that were merely glossed over in book 2. I also feel that the relationship between Regina and Thomas is described much better in book 1. However, I found them both to pair together nicely and was happy to get the closure we so desperately wanted from book 1.

[Frances Clary]

Regina Waring is a woman ahead of her time, both beautiful and intelligent. Her life isn't as other women of the time, she went to college and has a real gift for business. She is in a loveless marriage and her husband is her business partner. She meets Thomas Baldwin, a younger man, and develops a crush on him. Over the years this crush turns to friendship, they become business partners and spend a lot of time together, her feelings for him continue to grow to love.
This is a historical love story, very well written, very detailed look at Victorian life. Regina is not the typical woman of her time and her story sweeps you along with her.
Reviewer for Romance Authors That Rock.
5 out of 5 diamonds

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy successor to "Wealth and Privilege," this has the interesting premise of covering essentially the same events/relationship as the first book, but told from Regina's point of view rather than Thomas's. But it's not just a retelling of those events; in fact, the author skirts around or sketches some of them briefly, so it's not repetitive--although since many of those events were major emotional movements, that flattened the romantic sweep of this book for me.

However, Regina's perspective and apprehension of people is often deeper than Thomas's was in the first book, and there are developments about which Thomas knows nothing. In fact, several favorably portrayed characters from the first book are not so likeable in this one--so that was quite interesting! There are a few loose ends (a certain mysterious financial dealings were not explained sufficiently, to my mind), and Regina's muted reaction to some big things (particularly a certain relationship) were surprising to me; but those are minor quibbles. Perhaps the author was trying to avoid being over-dramatic.

I would have liked the denouement of the Regina-Thomas relationship to have been in the first book, but at least it does finally arrive!, and the lead-up is fascinating. Like the first book, there's a lot of interesting, well-researched history; and hearing the point of view of a businesswoman at that male-dominated time is intriguing. Regina is a very rich character.

I will definitely check out the author's third book!

[Zara Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brains and Beauty is an elegant and emotionally charged sequel that pulls you right into the glittering yet fragile world of upper class Pittsburgh. Jeanette Watts crafts Regina’s story with such grace and depth you feel her struggle to maintain appearances while her world quietly crumbles. The tension between duty and desire is palpable, and Thomas Baldwin adds just the right touch of forbidden romance. It’s smart, beautifully written, and full of heart. A perfect read for anyone who loves historical fiction with strong, complex women at its core.

[Kathi Faust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

Love Jeanette Watts writing. If you read book one, you will love book two. I hope for a book three.

[Liz Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*.
So if I’m honest about it I need to confess I would rate it 4.5 if I could but rounded it to 5 because my reasons for not rating it 5 are too personal and might apply to other potential readers. Moreover, I don’t like spoilers so forgive me for not giving many specifics below.
For starters, I prefer my reads to have steamy scenes between the protagonists and Brains and Beauty falls short on those. However that doesn’t mean it is dull. It’s just less X-rated than my favorite kind of books. LOL
I also didn’t agree with a few of Regina’s choices or the way she conducted some very personal businesses because the conflicts resulting from her attitudes ended up seeming a bit artificial (remember I don’t do spoilers so this is vague on purpose). On the other hand, many people may not agree with me when they read the book, which I encourage them to do by the way.
At this point you must be wondering why I recommend Brains and Beauty. Aside from personal differences of opinion between the main characters and I the book is very good. Jeanette Watts did an awesome job with characters’ creation not only with the main ones but mainly with the secondary characters, which makes a story richer and better. My favorite ones were Anthra and Bit, the Labrador Retrievers. LOL She also went to great lengths to research the time period the story is set in, which contributes both to a more complex pot and detailed background story.
Finally, I have to say that Regina Waring reminded me of Scarlet O’Hara while I read the book mainly due to her business acumen and forward thinking but also because of her nasty habit of making wrong decisions in her personal life as I mentioned above. In spite of that I love Scarlet just as I liked Regina very much.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brains and Beauty is the companion book to Jeanette Watt's first book Wealth and Privilege The timeline is the same, but the point of view has shifted from Thomas Baldwin to Regina Waring. I have to admit, I found Regina to be a much more likable character than Thomas (as seen by Thomas). Regina, of course, has a different view of Thomas. Although appearances may often be deceiving, Regina at her core is the woman that she appears to be and the woman that Thomas believes her to be. I doubt that Regina thinks of herself as a feminist, but that's exactly what she is--navigating the male world of 19th century business, influencing politics, establishing a market for her products in her world travels, setting up a clandestine operation to provide young women with family planning information, confident that men of the industrial age like Andrew Carnegie and George Westinghouse accept her for her ideas, all while unashamedly owning her sexuality. Regina's desire for the younger and unattainable Thomas Baldwin appealed to the "cougar" in myself.

I think the only things lacking in this book are sketches of the dresses. Ms. Watts describes Regina's fabulous wardrobe in rich detail. As a seamstress that has created countless period costumes herself, a few illustrations of the dresses Jeanette designed for Regina would add an extra dimension to the reading experience.

Having read the books in the order in which they were published, I think it would be fascinating to re-read them side-by-side. That just might be my recommendation for new readers! But always read from Thomas (Wealth and Privilege) to Regina (Brains and Beauty) and not the other way around.

[Mave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and loved Wealth and Privilege, I could not wait to read another book by Jeanette Watts. I very much enjoyed also this second chapter in the story of Regina and Thomas.
Regina is tired of her marriage and especially of her husband. She's a beautiful woman but also very intelligent and hates not be considered by her husband. They are business partners but he made some wrong investments without consulting her and has endangered their wellbeing. Luckily she had put her money in other banks of which he is not aware. When she meets Thomas understands what it means to fall in love at first sight. But they are both married....
It's a great, lovable, fast-paced book, the author takes you deep inside the story and leaves you on the edge of your seat. I loved her writing: her historical reconstructions are so rich in detail, vivid, well described that really seems to be in Pittsburgh at the end of 1800. The plot is well constructed and believable. It's a great historical romance with a wonderful love story and an extraordinary heroine.
I recommend it to anyone who loves historical romance.

[Cynthia Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting premise, a woman taking over the family business when her husband died and growing the companies to huge international success, all in an era when women could not vote, and relinquished their possessions to their husband when they married. Social/ cultural details interesting. Exciting conclusion at the Johnstown Flood disaster and the improbable aftermath. Writing was not particularly well done but the background was worth the time of finishing the book, but not being excited by it.

[C. Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pittsburgh... in the 1800's. 2 things about this. Number 1, I was not born in that era, obviously. Number 2, I've never even been to Pittsburgh in my own time.

1 important things after reading this novel... I felt like I knew what it was like to be in Pittsburgh in the 1800's. True testament of a Historical writers ability to convey the period she is writing about.

I was honestly engrossed in this novel. It was the perfect getaway from me and I could hardly put it down.

[Jeanette Watts]

I had no intention of writing this book. But my readers threatened my life after finishing Wealth and Privilege. I took a cue from the unfinished Twilight book showing events from Edward's point of view, and I learned all sorts of things about my characters that I hadn't known before!

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As engaging as her first novel with a wonderful change in perspective. Bravo Jeanette!