Courting Claudia

by Robyn DeHart

A dutiful woman, a desirable man ... An artist with a keen eye for the beauty surrounding her -- yet none for her own -- duty-bound Claudia is resigned to marrying the man of her domineering father's choosing. First, though, she must resign the job she has held in secret as society illustrator "C. J. Prattley." But dashing newspaper owner Derrick Middleton is instantly captivated by Claudia's talent, wit, and sweet nature -- and the passionate inner fire she unknowingly possesses. He has other plans for this extraordinary woman. Until Claudia first entered his London office, Derrick cared for only his paper and the wild bachelor life he has long enjoyed. Now saving Claudia from a dismal marriage -- and winning her for himself -- becomes his main concern. But courting a woman like Claudia will not be an easy undertaking for a handsome cynic who has always believed true love is not for him -- especially after they succumb to an indiscretion that could lead two hearts to ruin ... of a most delicious variety.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Victorian, Regency, Regency Romance, Ebooks

370 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

National Bestselling author, Robyn DeHart’s novels have appeared in the top bestselling romance and historical romance lists. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages. Her historical romantic adventure series, The Legend Hunters, were not only bestsellers, but also award-winners, snagging a Reader’s Crown and a Reviewer’s Choice award. She had three releases in 2013 and 2014 will see four more, all set in the popular historical romance Regency and Victorian eras.

Known for her “strong dialogue and characters that leap off the page” (RT Bookclub) and her “sizzling romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been featured in USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. A popular writing instructor, she has given speeches at writing conferences in Los Angeles, DC, New York, Dallas, Nashville and Toronto, among many others.

When not writing, you can find Robyn hanging out with her family, husband (The Professor) a university professor of Political Science and their two ridiculously beautiful and smart daughters, Busybee and Babybee as well as two spoiled-rotten cats. They live in the hill country of Texas where it’s hot eight months of the year, but those big blue skies make it worth it.

You can find Robyn online in a variety of places.
Sign up for Robyn’s newsletter www.robyndehart.com/newsletter/
Robyn’s website www.robyndehart.com
Robyn on Twitter twitter.com/RobynDeHart
Robyn on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Robyn-DeHart-H...
Robyn on Goodreads www.goodreads.com/author/show/288853....

What others say about Robyn’s books.
“Robyn DeHart’s vibrant characters sweep the reader into a clever and sensual romp that is not to be missed.” – Julia London, NYT Bestselling Author
“Robyn DeHart proves that falling in love is the greatest adventure of all.” – Teresa Medeiros, NYT Bestselling Author
“Sizzling romance…DeHart makes the romance believable and enticing.” - Publishers Weekly
“DeHart is a genuine treasure.” – Booklist
“Robyn DeHart has become one of my favorite authors…where she shines is in creating character…. DeHart’s romances are tender and adventurous, and funny enough you may laugh your nethers off.” – FreshFiction
“One of the best historical romance authors writing today.” - Shana Galen, National Bestselling Author

Reviews

[Donnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet romance. I liked it!

[HÜLYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hic ummadigim kadar zevkli bir okuma oldu.

[JudyAnnLovesBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars ⭐️

I really enjoyed this historical romance novel. It had just enough intrigue and mystery and was also sweet and sexy.

Quick, easy, enjoyable.

*I read a free copy that I received from a newsletter that contained formatting end editing errors. I’m assuming that the final/original is different.

[Funda41 · Rating 4 out of 5]

İtaatkâr bir kadın, çekici bir erkek…
İşte tehlikeli bir karışım.

Etrafındaki güzelliklere karşı -henüz kendi güzelliğinden habersiz- keskin bir sanatçı gözüne sahip Claudia, kendini babasına adamış bir evlat olarak onun seçtiği erkekle evlenmek zorundadır. Ancak önce, “C.J.
Prattley” adıyla sosyete partilerini gizlice resmettiği işinden ayrılmalıdır. Fakat havalı gazete patronu Derrick Middleton, onun üstün yeteneği, zekâsı ve tatlı mizacıyla adeta büyülenir -ve Claudia’nın kendisinin bile haberdar olmadığı kor gibi yanan tutkudan… Derrick’in bu olağanüstü varlık hakkında başka planları vardır.

Claudia, Londra’daki ofisinden içeri girene kadar Derrick’in hayatında önemsediği iki şey vardır: gazetesi ve uzun zamandır tadını çıkardığı hovarda yaşamı. Ama Claudia’yı yapacağı zorunlu izdivaçtan kurtarmak -ve onu kazanmak- yegâne amacı haline gelir. Elbette gerçek aşkın asla kendisine uygun olmadığını düşünen arsız bir yakışıklı için Claudia gibi bir kadınla flört etmek hiç kolay olmayacaktır. Özellikle de iki kalp en tatlı günaha yenik düştüklerinde…

[ஐ฿υκєτஐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Şu anda bütün yorumlara canıgönülden katılıyorum.Pek bi beklentim olmadan başlamıştım kitaba.İyikide öyle başlamışım.Vasat bir kitaptı çünkü.Aksi olsaydı hayal kırıklığım daha büyük olurdu.Okunamaz diyemem kitap için ama ben olsam merak ettiğim ve almak istediğim diğer kitaplara yönelirdim.

Allahtan da tek kitap.Seri olsaydı biraz zorlama olarak okunur ve biterdi benim tarafımdan:)

[Ewa]

I cannot rate it because I stopped reading it after few pages.

I like curvy heroines but I have to the draw the line somewhere and "apple-round cheeks with just a hint of an extra chin" is just not the way I wanna picture the leading lady.

Come on romance authors, write about a H with a beer belly. I dare you.

[Erica Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet love story. As a debut novel there are a few rough spots but overall DeHart's voice is engaging. I fell in love with Derrick and Claudia and enjoyed reading. DeHart navigates the changes in her hero and heroine well.

[Diane Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this debut book from Robyn Dehart. It was a cute story with a touch of intrigue. The dialogue between the H and h was cute, sweet and sometimes touching. Super great H, likeable and realistic h. There were some minor flaws, but a very likeable book.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5 but not higher. The book was slow and boring until the last 120 pages which isn't very good when there are 370. I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Deb Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courting Claudia is an outstanding historical romance by Robyn DeHart. Ms. DeHart has provided readers with a well-written book populated with a fantastic cast of characters. Claudia was hired to do drawings for London's Illustrated Times without informing the owner that she was female. Derrick is suprised when a woman comes to his office to hand in her resignation in person, as he didn't remember hiring her. Claudia is being forced to marry a man of her father's choice. Derrick can't help but throw his hat into the ring anyway. Claudia and Derrick's story is packed with drama, humor, sizzle, action and a little suspense. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Robyn DeHart in the future.

I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this book that I received from Bookfunnel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Diandra Fernandes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Por mais clichês e previsíveis que esses romances de banca sejam me divirto muito com eles. Fast food literário kkkk
Derrick é sedutor... muito por sinal. Cláudia é bastante insegura e sem atitude, mas como culpar alguém que só recebeu críticas e nenhum amor? Não dá. Mas ela melhora muito depois. Achei diferente o quesito aparência (a mocinha é cheinha). Derrick fez a "corte" que muitas sonham rsrs.

[Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5. The best way to describe this book is muddled. The characters, the plot, the romance, all muddled. I think the story had good bones, and maybe with a different author, or a more developed author, could have been quite strong. Unfortunately this just didn't have it.
The third act picked up slightly, and it would have been better if we'd had some of that intrigue earlier in the book.
Back to Lifeline with this book.

[JessaRoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess I have read this book several times. It is not an extravagant plot driven story but it’s such a comfort read for me. I relate a lot to Claudia in the lack of self confidence aspect. The book I have is well worn and I will keep rereading it til it falls apart most likely. ☺️

[Kay Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.

[Naruto]

Probably skipped some pages.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and well written romance. I enjoyed the story and the characters.

[ѕєяєηιтι · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerçekten beğendim kitabı karakterleri de çok sevdim özellikle tabii Derrick sevilmeyecek gibi değildi:)

Kızımızda bildiğimiz mükemmel çok güzel bayan karakterlerden biri değildi fiziksel kusurları olan(ufak defek kusurlar tabii) bu kusurlarıda bence biraz fazla takmış bir karakterdi ama yinede sevdim hele Derrick'in onun kusurlarını görmeyen hallerine bittim kızımızı çekici olduğuna ikna etmesi biraz zaman alsada sonunda halleşiyorlar:))

kısacası konudan bahsedersem

Yıl 1848 Kızımız Claudia'nın çalıştığı gazetenin sahibine istifa mektubunu direk elden vermeye gitmesiyle başlıyor ve Derrick'le ilk kez bu şekilde karşılaşıyorlar ki Derrick gazatenin sahibi yakışıklı kendi çapında zengin erkeğimiz:) Claudia moda sayfasında illüsratör olarak çalışıyormuş ama Derrick aslında onun bayan olduğunu bilmiyor isminin kısaltmasını C.J Prattley olarak geçtiği için erkek sanıyor kızımız polisitk bir öneme sahip bir vikontun kızı sosyete tabakasından tabii haliyle paralı bir işte bayanların çalışmaları uygunsuz olduğundan kızımızda gizlice bu işe giriyor fakat babası artık evlenmesi için baskı yapmaya başlayınca işi bırakmaya ve babasına uygun bir evlat olmaya karar veriyor ama Derrick'in kızımızı bırakmaya niyeti yok evlenene kadar çalışması için ikna ediyor ve kendisi ona kur yapmaya başlıyor ve olaylar gelişiyor geçmişten gelen sorunlarda vardı kızın babası ve Derrick arasında olan onlarıda çözüyoruz..

Kısacası sevimli bir hikaye yormuyor çok fazla sevdim bu tarzı başka kitaplarıda çıkarsa okurum yazarımızın

[Sally Kinane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to get interested for the first half of the book but the last half was good. Don't know if I will read anymore from this author. Guess I am getting tired of all the passion overriding a good plot.

[Hanna B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a heroine who is not perfect. Refreshing change.

[Marya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, actually.

[Mystique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story. I loved it.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting, so suspenseful and romantic. I hated to book down. I just wanted to keep reading.
I loved all the drama that went on.
I highly recommend it and will read again