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The Masqueraders #3
Beguiled
SHE'D SCANDALIZED POLITE SOCIETY. NOW SHE SOUGHT REVENGE.
In a cold fury Miss Philadelphia Hunt stood before the throng of former friends and took over the auction of her precious family gems. With burning topaz eyes and incorruptible beauty, she challenged them to buy her disgraced father's estate. Then she left, penniless, Chicago society's castoff, vowing to find and destroy the man who drove her father to ruin. That was when the dark, commanding stranger strode into her life with a proposition she couldn't refuse.
He said she was magnificent, the woman he needed to sell the jewels from his mines in Brazil. Together, in disguise, they would cut a swath through New York's upper crust, where she, posing as a mysterious, impoverished French aristocrat, would wear her "fabled family jewels" and increase their value beyond measure. Tall, dark, devastating Eduardo Tavares swept her into a world of danger and desire, of deadly secrets and flashfire passion...even as she wondered who he was and why they seemed fated to meet....
In a cold fury Miss Philadelphia Hunt stood before the throng of former friends and took over the auction of her precious family gems. With burning topaz eyes and incorruptible beauty, she challenged them to buy her disgraced father's estate. Then she left, penniless, Chicago society's castoff, vowing to find and destroy the man who drove her father to ruin. That was when the dark, commanding stranger strode into her life with a proposition she couldn't refuse.
He said she was magnificent, the woman he needed to sell the jewels from his mines in Brazil. Together, in disguise, they would cut a swath through New York's upper crust, where she, posing as a mysterious, impoverished French aristocrat, would wear her "fabled family jewels" and increase their value beyond measure. Tall, dark, devastating Eduardo Tavares swept her into a world of danger and desire, of deadly secrets and flashfire passion...even as she wondered who he was and why they seemed fated to meet....
10 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
6 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Laura Castoro
7 books39 followersAKA Laura Parker
Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Laura Castoro grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and lived for many years with her husband and three children in the Dallas, Texas, area. Recently, she moved back to her hometown. She enjoys reading, traveling (she's been to Australia, several European countries, Canada and Mexico), theater, movies and listening to R&B and classical music.
Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Laura Castoro grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and lived for many years with her husband and three children in the Dallas, Texas, area. Recently, she moved back to her hometown. She enjoys reading, traveling (she's been to Australia, several European countries, Canada and Mexico), theater, movies and listening to R&B and classical music.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 2, 2015
"She was a Hunt, representing three generations of Chicago Hunts. Let them look and whisper."
This bit of the blurb pretty much sums up the basic storyline better than I could, so I'll use it instead of rehashing it. "In the darkest hours of her life, disgraced heiress Philadelphia Hunt is approached by a handsome stranger, a Brazilian jewel-miner named Eduardo Tavares. He makes an outrageous proposition—disguise herself and join him in a devious con to swindle America’s upper crust out of their riches. Philadelphia is desperate, and intrigued, by both this enchanting stranger and his promises of her return to high society."
As you'll see from the book listing at GR, this is the third in a series called The Masqueraders, but as I understand it from reviews, each book stands alone, it's just the masquerade theme that ties them together, so you're safe to pick them up in any order.
"In her place would be Mademoiselle Felise de Ronsard, aristocratic French orphan and heir to a lost fortune."
This was such a fun blend of romance and mystery as our pair take on New York society and try to pull off their little flim-flam scheme (loved 'Ahkbar'!). Loved the older, bored widow who took 'Felise' under her wing. Loved the chemistry between the two, the slow build up of sexual tension and sheltered Philadelphia's introduction to the sensual side of herself. Well done.
" She was no longer Miss Philadelphia Hunt, the young socialite who wore lovely gowns and garlands of violets in her hair. She was only a young woman dancing beneath the stars in her slippers and nightgown, and she had never been more beautiful in his eyes."
Oh, that guitar playing outside her window...
*fans self*
Oh but, there's the little problem of a vendetta against her now dead father and Philadelphia's reaction when she discovers who is behind it all, plus a deliciously nasty villain to come between them just when you think everything's going to come up roses...
All in all a very good read and one that was hard to put down. The sex might be a bit much for those who prefer it behind closed doors, but I felt it was more tastefully done than you see in some of these older romances, and these two did steam up the pages. My only quibble is at the end a certain villain made an odd turn in character that I didn't quite understand, but that's splitting hairs. One of the more enjoyable Kindle freebies I've picked up over the years.
This bit of the blurb pretty much sums up the basic storyline better than I could, so I'll use it instead of rehashing it. "In the darkest hours of her life, disgraced heiress Philadelphia Hunt is approached by a handsome stranger, a Brazilian jewel-miner named Eduardo Tavares. He makes an outrageous proposition—disguise herself and join him in a devious con to swindle America’s upper crust out of their riches. Philadelphia is desperate, and intrigued, by both this enchanting stranger and his promises of her return to high society."
As you'll see from the book listing at GR, this is the third in a series called The Masqueraders, but as I understand it from reviews, each book stands alone, it's just the masquerade theme that ties them together, so you're safe to pick them up in any order.
"In her place would be Mademoiselle Felise de Ronsard, aristocratic French orphan and heir to a lost fortune."
This was such a fun blend of romance and mystery as our pair take on New York society and try to pull off their little flim-flam scheme (loved 'Ahkbar'!). Loved the older, bored widow who took 'Felise' under her wing. Loved the chemistry between the two, the slow build up of sexual tension and sheltered Philadelphia's introduction to the sensual side of herself. Well done.
" She was no longer Miss Philadelphia Hunt, the young socialite who wore lovely gowns and garlands of violets in her hair. She was only a young woman dancing beneath the stars in her slippers and nightgown, and she had never been more beautiful in his eyes."
Oh, that guitar playing outside her window...
*fans self*
Oh but, there's the little problem of a vendetta against her now dead father and Philadelphia's reaction when she discovers who is behind it all, plus a deliciously nasty villain to come between them just when you think everything's going to come up roses...
All in all a very good read and one that was hard to put down. The sex might be a bit much for those who prefer it behind closed doors, but I felt it was more tastefully done than you see in some of these older romances, and these two did steam up the pages. My only quibble is at the end a certain villain made an odd turn in character that I didn't quite understand, but that's splitting hairs. One of the more enjoyable Kindle freebies I've picked up over the years.
November 18, 2013
Strong characters, high adventure, passionate whispers in the night, and more than a little bit of mischief and cunning make Beguiled by Laura Parker a most exciting and enjoyable read. Set in 1875, the story follows Philadelphia Hunt, the daughter of a wealthy bank owner who, in the midst of scandal and debt, has recently committed suicide. Convinced that someone had set out to deliberately ruin her father, the lovely and strong-willed Philadelphia teams up with the charismatic and very handsome Eduardo Tavares, who promises her enough money to pay off her father's debts if she helps him sell sell jewelry crafted from his own personal mines. So begins a fun and passion filled journey of disguises, secrets, and a beautiful romance that neither expects, especially since Eduardo knows something more about the late Wendall Hunt than he's willing to let on. I must admit, although I love a good love story and a handsome man with an accent, my favorite character throughout the entire book was Mrs. Hedda Ormstead, the rich and eccentric old woman who doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks of her, and who can't, for the life of her, be bothered to remember her nephew Henry's name! If you enjoy a good romance, secrets, deception, and adventure, than this book is for you!
dnf
March 22, 2017DNF - I just didn't care about any of the characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews