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School for Brides #1
The School for Brides
Cheryl Ann Smith debuts a sensual new series starring a beautiful spinster who rescues ladies of the night from lonely fates. But then the tables are turned as night brings a surprise she never imagined—and a proposition she can't refuse...
Miss Eva Black spent her life concealing her mother's past as a courtesan. Now a spinster, her beauty hidden away under a dour disguise, Eva spends her days schooling courtesans to be suitable wives. But one vengeful duke does not appreciate Eva stealing his mistress and transforming her into a lady. His vengeance won't be satisfied until he seduces Eva into becoming what she detests most: a courtesan.
Nicholas, the Duke of Stanfield, is furious with this woman who frees courtesans from bondage. His revenge? Upend Eva's world by buying her debts and striking a scandalous bargain: She must serve as his mistress' replacement. But he doesn't expect her to be a woman of such beauty and secrets—or to have a past that not only endangers Eva herself, but everyone whose life she has so intimately touched.
Miss Eva Black spent her life concealing her mother's past as a courtesan. Now a spinster, her beauty hidden away under a dour disguise, Eva spends her days schooling courtesans to be suitable wives. But one vengeful duke does not appreciate Eva stealing his mistress and transforming her into a lady. His vengeance won't be satisfied until he seduces Eva into becoming what she detests most: a courtesan.
Nicholas, the Duke of Stanfield, is furious with this woman who frees courtesans from bondage. His revenge? Upend Eva's world by buying her debts and striking a scandalous bargain: She must serve as his mistress' replacement. But he doesn't expect her to be a woman of such beauty and secrets—or to have a past that not only endangers Eva herself, but everyone whose life she has so intimately touched.
284 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 5, 2011
33 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Ann Smith
19 books202 followersA fan of historical romance fiction, author Cheryl Ann Smith combines a love of history and all things English to create stories that link both passions.
She lives in Michigan with her family, two cats and a very hairy dog. She enjoys outdoor adventures and traveling, when she has the time, and hopes to make her first visit to England in the very near future.
She lives in Michigan with her family, two cats and a very hairy dog. She enjoys outdoor adventures and traveling, when she has the time, and hopes to make her first visit to England in the very near future.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
May 12, 2011
***Warning***
This review contains spoilers.
I really liked the very beginning of this book. We learned about Eva’s school, designed to help mistresses find someone to marry after they had grown tired of the life or become a bit long in the tooth. That sounds pretty hokey and Disney-ish, but I thought it was presented well. The mistresses were told flat out that the marriages would not be guaranteed love matches and that there would be no matches with the nobility offered up. They needed to keep their goals realistic. And the reason for the men being interested in gaining a wife like that—and with that sort of background—actually made sense.
So that seemed pretty promising. I was kind of nervous about the heroine coming off as unnaturally feminist and modern, but I was willing to go with it. Surprisingly, I was so irritated by other things in this book that the school and Eva’s authentic attitude, or lack thereof, had no impact on me.
The hero bursts into Eva’s life demanding the return of his “property”. His property is, of course, his wayward mistress. She disappeared and left all his gifts to her, completely ignoring the fact that she was “his”. Nicholas hires an investigator and finally tracks her to Eva’s school. He blames Eva, personally, for stealing his perfect mistress after she tells him that said mistress is already married and out of his reach. Nicholas plots to ruin her life to make her suffer the way he’s suffering.
The author flirts with some serious issues in this book, but never gives them the weight they would have needed to actually pull it off. Nicholas bought a large chunk of Eva’s mother’s debt and is calling it in as due. He also got the other creditors to start pushing to be paid immediately as well. His terms were: A new mistress given to him from the bunch she's trying to teach at the moment, her becoming his mistress, or her forfeiting her house to cover the debt. He didn’t even actually desire these things, he just wanted to twist the knife and make her beg for mercy.
Eva doesn't own any of those women, so she can't give them to him--and wouldn't if she could. She can't give up the house because her she needs it to continue taking care of her sick mother, so all that leaves is her body. That right there is forced consent and it takes a deft hand to pull that off without making you want scrub yourself clean after reading it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think the author pulled it off at all. She basically just ignored the issue. She made Eva attracted to the hero for no good reason, considering the circumstances, and left it at that, like that solved the issue. If the issue wasn’t going to be treated seriously I wish it would have been skipped all together. Although I don’t enjoy most of the bodice rippers of old, even I can admit that the authors usually did a good job of providing some spark to fascinate the reader enough to pull them into the hero, even while his actions repelled them. That depth and spark was much needed here.
Nicholas was presented as a douche and he stayed a douche. He seemed to genuinely disdain women, and that is an incredibly hard thing to overcome in my eyes. He acted like a spoiled child and threw a tantrum to punish people who really weren’t to blame. The only reason he didn’t go through with his plan to torment the heroine and financially ruin her was because he discovered that there might be something attractive under her disguise. That’s when he started groping her and pushing her to own up to her end of the deal so he wouldn’t ruin her. It’s pretty hard for me to get behind a guy like that. On top of that, the only reason he started to feel bad about having sex with her was when he found out that she was related to nobility as well!
The heroine was no better than the hero. He was a piece of crap, but she was pathetic. Her actions didn’t fit with her beginning characterization, and by the end of the book I didn’t even recognize her. To excuse the hero’s actions in the beginning, Eva was portrayed as captivated by his touch. He threatened her and groped her and yet somehow she still found the time to admire how hot he was. Right… She practically came in her pants every time he looked at her. I found the way she was portrayed and the way she thought incredibly disturbing.
I almost DNF’ed this book many times, but I stuck with it because I really wanted to see if there would be some repentance or even a slight acknowledgment of the wrong that was committed. There wasn’t. By the end the hero and heroine were even playfully joking about him forcing her into his bed. It was disappointing, to say the least.
By the end the book had become rather ridiculous. Nicholas and his mother were cheerfully chatting about his mistress, and various high ranking people were blatantly scheming to get the hero and heroine married. Way too cutesy for me.
Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen.
This review contains spoilers.
I really liked the very beginning of this book. We learned about Eva’s school, designed to help mistresses find someone to marry after they had grown tired of the life or become a bit long in the tooth. That sounds pretty hokey and Disney-ish, but I thought it was presented well. The mistresses were told flat out that the marriages would not be guaranteed love matches and that there would be no matches with the nobility offered up. They needed to keep their goals realistic. And the reason for the men being interested in gaining a wife like that—and with that sort of background—actually made sense.
So that seemed pretty promising. I was kind of nervous about the heroine coming off as unnaturally feminist and modern, but I was willing to go with it. Surprisingly, I was so irritated by other things in this book that the school and Eva’s authentic attitude, or lack thereof, had no impact on me.
The hero bursts into Eva’s life demanding the return of his “property”. His property is, of course, his wayward mistress. She disappeared and left all his gifts to her, completely ignoring the fact that she was “his”. Nicholas hires an investigator and finally tracks her to Eva’s school. He blames Eva, personally, for stealing his perfect mistress after she tells him that said mistress is already married and out of his reach. Nicholas plots to ruin her life to make her suffer the way he’s suffering.
The author flirts with some serious issues in this book, but never gives them the weight they would have needed to actually pull it off. Nicholas bought a large chunk of Eva’s mother’s debt and is calling it in as due. He also got the other creditors to start pushing to be paid immediately as well. His terms were: A new mistress given to him from the bunch she's trying to teach at the moment, her becoming his mistress, or her forfeiting her house to cover the debt. He didn’t even actually desire these things, he just wanted to twist the knife and make her beg for mercy.
Eva doesn't own any of those women, so she can't give them to him--and wouldn't if she could. She can't give up the house because her she needs it to continue taking care of her sick mother, so all that leaves is her body. That right there is forced consent and it takes a deft hand to pull that off without making you want scrub yourself clean after reading it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think the author pulled it off at all. She basically just ignored the issue. She made Eva attracted to the hero for no good reason, considering the circumstances, and left it at that, like that solved the issue. If the issue wasn’t going to be treated seriously I wish it would have been skipped all together. Although I don’t enjoy most of the bodice rippers of old, even I can admit that the authors usually did a good job of providing some spark to fascinate the reader enough to pull them into the hero, even while his actions repelled them. That depth and spark was much needed here.
Nicholas was presented as a douche and he stayed a douche. He seemed to genuinely disdain women, and that is an incredibly hard thing to overcome in my eyes. He acted like a spoiled child and threw a tantrum to punish people who really weren’t to blame. The only reason he didn’t go through with his plan to torment the heroine and financially ruin her was because he discovered that there might be something attractive under her disguise. That’s when he started groping her and pushing her to own up to her end of the deal so he wouldn’t ruin her. It’s pretty hard for me to get behind a guy like that. On top of that, the only reason he started to feel bad about having sex with her was when he found out that she was related to nobility as well!
He'd known Eva was the by-blow of a lord, but Crawford had been unable to discover the connection before Nicholas had abruptly ended the investigation.What a prince, eh?
Now he knew her late father was the late Lord Seymour, an earl of high standing and a peer. He had bedded Eva knowing her mother had been a courtesan. To know half of her bloodline was as old as his own settled a stone in his stomach.
The heroine was no better than the hero. He was a piece of crap, but she was pathetic. Her actions didn’t fit with her beginning characterization, and by the end of the book I didn’t even recognize her. To excuse the hero’s actions in the beginning, Eva was portrayed as captivated by his touch. He threatened her and groped her and yet somehow she still found the time to admire how hot he was. Right… She practically came in her pants every time he looked at her. I found the way she was portrayed and the way she thought incredibly disturbing.
Though she wanted to believe she'd gone to his bed under force and fear of her future, there wasn't a requirement in the arrangement that she'd actually find pleasure in his arms.
Her pleasure was his gift to her.
She hated His Grace with all of her being--if he were crushed beneath a mail coach, she'd not shed a tear--so why did her body not recoil at his touch?
Worse yet, in the moments after she fled from him and plodded home on Muffin, she'd envied the year Arabella had spent in his bed.
I almost DNF’ed this book many times, but I stuck with it because I really wanted to see if there would be some repentance or even a slight acknowledgment of the wrong that was committed. There wasn’t. By the end the hero and heroine were even playfully joking about him forcing her into his bed. It was disappointing, to say the least.
By the end the book had become rather ridiculous. Nicholas and his mother were cheerfully chatting about his mistress, and various high ranking people were blatantly scheming to get the hero and heroine married. Way too cutesy for me.
Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen.
September 2, 2011
hal pertama yg membuatku tertarik pengen baca nih buku adl covernya yg menarik
baju yg dipake ceweq di cover bagus banget.....
ternyata begitu ku baca ceritanya pun bagus kok & sangat cepat dibaca
yg terpenting bahasanya tidak rumit, gaya berceritanya pun tidak berbelit2.
karakter2 tokohnya pun kuat bahkan tokoh ceweqnya pun tidak lemah & tertindas begitu saja.
becerita ttg miss eva black, yg membuka sekolah bagi para mantan courtesan untuk dapat belajar menjadi seorang lady & mendapat suami yg layak, bukan saja menjadi mistress bagi para lord.
eva tidak ingin apa yg terjadi pd ibunya terjadi pada courtesan yg lain.
eva hidup di 2 dunia.
sbg miss eva black & evangeline winfield, a bastard daughter of charlotte winfield, seorang courtesan terkenal yg sangat cantik dengan earl of seymore.
eva sangat melindungi ibunya yg sejak kematian sang ayah menjadi lepas kendali.
untung mereka mempunyai rumah peninggalan sang ayah yg tidak bisa direbut oleh countess seymore, istri resmi sang ayah.
hidup eva tidak bisa lebih sempurna lagi.
well, sampai tiba2 bom dijatuhkan. tiba2 saja pengacara yg selama ini mengurus urusan mereka datang & memberikan note tagihan utang sang ibu yg dimasa tidak sadarnya membeli kalung yg eva tidak tau dengan menggadaikan rumah mereka.
akibatnya mereka terancam terusir dari rumah.
tanpa perlu disebutkan eva sudah tau siapa yg sekarang memegang nasib mereka.
nicholas drake, the duke of stanfield.
arogan keras kepala yg menganggap courtesannya spt propertinya.
nicholas sangat marah saat mengetahui his mistress kesayangannya tiba2 menghilang.
berbulan2 mencari hingga nicholas tau eva lah yg bertanggung jwb atas kepergian corutesannya.
nicholas menuntut eva mengembalikan tp masalahnya sang courtesan ternyata sudah menikah & akan segera mempunyai anak.
jengkel dengan eva yg dianggap menginjak2 harga dirinya juga telah menghancurkan rencana masa depannya membuat nicholas menyewa seseorang untuk mencari tau masa lalu miss eva black.
hingga akhirnya nicholas tau ttg hutang itu & memanfaatkannya.
sekarang eva hanya punya 2 pilihan :
1. memilih 1 diantara para murid eva untuk dijadikan courtesan baru nicholas
2. eva sendiri yg menjadi courtesan nicholas.
nicholas yakin eva pasti akan memilih yg ke 2. tp yg manapun sih buat nicholas tidak masalah...yah walo mau ga mau nicholas juga lebih suka pilihan yg ke 2.
karna walo eva suka banget berdebat & menghinanya juga menentangnya apalagi gaya berpakaian eva yg sangat puritan entah kenapa nicholas sangat tertarik pd miss eva black.
nicholas mengira eva tidak virgin lagi. yahhh anak seorang courtesan mana mungkin masih virgin khan??
eva kelabakan.
dia tidak mungkin mengorbankan salah 1 muridnya untuk masa depan eva & ibunya tp eva pun tidak sudi menjadi courtesan nicholas.
eva tidak ingin menjadi spt sang ibu.
tp apa yg bisa dilakukannya??? nicholas jelas tidak mungkin melepaskan eva begitu saja.
eva hanya bisa pasrah menyerahkan dirinya pada nicholas.
tp sejak awal eva sudah memberitahukan dgn jelas pd nicholas kalo walaupun eva menyerahkan diri pd nicholas tp eva TIDAK AKAN PERNAH menjadi mistress nicholas. sampai kapanpun.
nicholas jelas jengkel tp mendapat eva ternyata masih virgin membuat nicholas merasakan emosi yg tidak pernah dirasakannya.
niat membalas dendamnya hilang sudah.
nicholas ingin memiliki eva & tidak akan membiarkan pria manapun menyentuh eva hanya masalahnya bagimana membuat eva menyerah & menerima tawarannya??
sementara nicholas bingung cara meyakinkan eva, eva sendiri bingung cara melindungi hatinya eh tiba2 seorang lady datang ke rumah.
lady noelle seymore, kakak tiri eva. 2 tahun lebih tua dari eva. bertekad untuk dekat dengan sang adik.
bertahun2 ingin mengenal adik 1 ayahnya tp ditentang oleh countess seymore, sang ibu.
tp sekarang tidak ada yg bisa melarang noelle untuk mengenal eva.
noelle tidak membenci eva & charlotte yg sudah merebut ayahnya karna noelle tau ibunya adl orang yg sangat susah dicintai & pernikahan ayah & ibunya sangat tidak bahagia.
setidaknya sang ayah bahagia bersama charlotte & tetap menganggap ke 3 putrinya sbg hartanya yg tak ternilai.
hanya sayang yahhh earl of seymore meninggal mendadak tanpa sempat mengatur dowry untuk eva. harusnya sih sejak awal dipikirkan ya jadi eva tidak kesulitan sendiri. bayangkan sejak umur 13 tahun harus bertanggung jawab mengatur rumah juga menjaga ibunya yg tidak bisa apa2 lagi.
noelle bahkan bertekad mengenalkan eva pd kalangan atas society. yahh memang tidak bisa lalu membuka jati diri eva sebenarnya tp noelle bisa mengatakan eva adl sepupu-nya dari pihak ayahnya bukan???
eva sendiri tidak bisa menolak noelle.
noelle bukanlah orang yg bisa diabaikan bgt saja. apalagi eva suka pada noelle yg ramah & hangat juga sangat blak2an ^_^
kedatangan eva di ball kalangan bangsawan jelas membuat nicholas naik pitam.
nicholas yg hanya tau eva adl putri seorang courtesan marah besar pd eva apalagi eva terlihat sangat menawan & lgs memiliki para pengagum.
jelas nicholas langsung pusing 7 keliling saat tau eva bukanlah putri seorg courtesan biasa.
charlotte, ibu eva, adl putri tunggal count & countess.....dari france yg meninggal mendadak.
charlotte sempat hidup bersama walinya, lady..... yg meninggal tanpa meninggalkan apa2 untuk charlotte membuat charlotte tiba2 mengumumkan ingin mencari seorang protector.
charlotte winfield yg jelita jelas membuat semua orang ingin memilikinya termasuk duke of stanfield terdahulu namun charlotte menjatuhkan pilihan pada earl seymore & sejak itu charlotte spt menghilang dari muka bumi.
yg artinya eva adl putri seorg earl, cucu seorg count & adik seorg lady yg marah besar & menuduh nicholas memanfaatkan eva & menuntut nicholas untuk menikahi adiknya.
noelle bahkan bekerjasama dengan duchess of stanfield, ibunda nicholas, untuk membuat nicholas & eva bersatu.
nicholas cenut2 xixixixixixi. semua rencananya hancur berantakan bahkan sebelum dia sempat menjalankannya.
tampaknya memang nicholas harus menikahi eva nih.
lha ibunya sudah setuju. apalagi nicholas memang pd dasarnya ingin memiliki eva sedang eva tidak sudi menjadi courtesan nicholas.
tp sebelum membujuk eva menikahinya terlebih dahulu nicholas harus bisa melindungi eva.
eva yg ga kenal takut sama sekali seorang diri ke scotland mendatangi earl of....., pemilik yvette terdahulu.
yvette ini adl salah 1 murid eva yg tiba2 menghilang bbrp hari yg lalu.
berkat bantuan nicholas eva tau keberadaan yvette, tp eva tidak sabar menunggu nicholas jd eva datang sendiri menolong yvette.
tapiiiiii ternyata para muridnya serta noelle malah menyusul.
jadilah para perempuan menyelamatkan yvette. memang nih pada ga ada takutnya sama sekali.
saat keadaan kritis untuk nicholas datang menyelamatkan mereka.
nicholas udah curiga dengan sikap eva yg kalem menerima perintah nicholas untuk tidak melakukan sesuatu yg bodoh eh bener khan ternyata si eva udah ngacir jadi penyelamat duluan.
untung nicholas lgs nyusul. walo akhirnya tertembah sihhhhh.
dengan tertembaknya nicholas semua rahasia terbongkar.
abigai, salah 1 murid courtesannya ternyata adl kakak sulung eva yg menyamar untuk dapat mengenal eva.
harold, orang kepercayaannya yg dikira bukan siapa2 ternyata adl baron..... yg disuruh menjadi mata2 oleh countess seymore.
harold juga ternyata adl kekasih margaret.
hhhhhhhhhhhhh bener2 penuh dengan rahasia nih novel.
tapi aq cekikikan waktu duchess stanfield berkonspirasi dengan noelle & margareth sengaja mengurung eva ber 2 dengan nicholas jd nicholas bisa membujuk eva untuk menerima lamarannya.
bener2 deh semua pada maunya ikut campurrrrr aja.
nicholas sih seneng2 aja secara dia juga ga bisa ngapa2in jd seneng donk ada eva yg nemenin.
tp xixixixixixi waktu eva bantu nicholas make celana eh tiba2 pada masuk dengan posisi eva yg mencurigakan.
wakakakakakaka lgs merah padamlah si eva.
novel ini sangat simple sekali jd tidak akan membutuhkan waktu banyak untuk dibaca.
para tokohnya pun membuat orang jatuh cinta.
terutama lady noelle seymore.
ngomong2 penasaran bangat aq pengen baca cerita noelle... sepintas baca kayaknya seru nih.
secara noelle masuk diam2 ke rumah earl of seabrook bahkan saat tertangkap eh dia pura2 jadi courtesan.
ih ihn ih membuat orang penasaran aja.....
ngomong2 earl of seabrook jg sepintas disebutkan di novel ini.
courtesan earl of seabrook adl salah 1 murid eva.
baju yg dipake ceweq di cover bagus banget.....
ternyata begitu ku baca ceritanya pun bagus kok & sangat cepat dibaca
yg terpenting bahasanya tidak rumit, gaya berceritanya pun tidak berbelit2.
karakter2 tokohnya pun kuat bahkan tokoh ceweqnya pun tidak lemah & tertindas begitu saja.
becerita ttg miss eva black, yg membuka sekolah bagi para mantan courtesan untuk dapat belajar menjadi seorang lady & mendapat suami yg layak, bukan saja menjadi mistress bagi para lord.
eva tidak ingin apa yg terjadi pd ibunya terjadi pada courtesan yg lain.
eva hidup di 2 dunia.
sbg miss eva black & evangeline winfield, a bastard daughter of charlotte winfield, seorang courtesan terkenal yg sangat cantik dengan earl of seymore.
eva sangat melindungi ibunya yg sejak kematian sang ayah menjadi lepas kendali.
untung mereka mempunyai rumah peninggalan sang ayah yg tidak bisa direbut oleh countess seymore, istri resmi sang ayah.
hidup eva tidak bisa lebih sempurna lagi.
well, sampai tiba2 bom dijatuhkan. tiba2 saja pengacara yg selama ini mengurus urusan mereka datang & memberikan note tagihan utang sang ibu yg dimasa tidak sadarnya membeli kalung yg eva tidak tau dengan menggadaikan rumah mereka.
akibatnya mereka terancam terusir dari rumah.
tanpa perlu disebutkan eva sudah tau siapa yg sekarang memegang nasib mereka.
nicholas drake, the duke of stanfield.
arogan keras kepala yg menganggap courtesannya spt propertinya.
nicholas sangat marah saat mengetahui his mistress kesayangannya tiba2 menghilang.
berbulan2 mencari hingga nicholas tau eva lah yg bertanggung jwb atas kepergian corutesannya.
nicholas menuntut eva mengembalikan tp masalahnya sang courtesan ternyata sudah menikah & akan segera mempunyai anak.
jengkel dengan eva yg dianggap menginjak2 harga dirinya juga telah menghancurkan rencana masa depannya membuat nicholas menyewa seseorang untuk mencari tau masa lalu miss eva black.
hingga akhirnya nicholas tau ttg hutang itu & memanfaatkannya.
sekarang eva hanya punya 2 pilihan :
1. memilih 1 diantara para murid eva untuk dijadikan courtesan baru nicholas
2. eva sendiri yg menjadi courtesan nicholas.
nicholas yakin eva pasti akan memilih yg ke 2. tp yg manapun sih buat nicholas tidak masalah...yah walo mau ga mau nicholas juga lebih suka pilihan yg ke 2.
karna walo eva suka banget berdebat & menghinanya juga menentangnya apalagi gaya berpakaian eva yg sangat puritan entah kenapa nicholas sangat tertarik pd miss eva black.
nicholas mengira eva tidak virgin lagi. yahhh anak seorang courtesan mana mungkin masih virgin khan??
eva kelabakan.
dia tidak mungkin mengorbankan salah 1 muridnya untuk masa depan eva & ibunya tp eva pun tidak sudi menjadi courtesan nicholas.
eva tidak ingin menjadi spt sang ibu.
tp apa yg bisa dilakukannya??? nicholas jelas tidak mungkin melepaskan eva begitu saja.
eva hanya bisa pasrah menyerahkan dirinya pada nicholas.
tp sejak awal eva sudah memberitahukan dgn jelas pd nicholas kalo walaupun eva menyerahkan diri pd nicholas tp eva TIDAK AKAN PERNAH menjadi mistress nicholas. sampai kapanpun.
nicholas jelas jengkel tp mendapat eva ternyata masih virgin membuat nicholas merasakan emosi yg tidak pernah dirasakannya.
niat membalas dendamnya hilang sudah.
nicholas ingin memiliki eva & tidak akan membiarkan pria manapun menyentuh eva hanya masalahnya bagimana membuat eva menyerah & menerima tawarannya??
sementara nicholas bingung cara meyakinkan eva, eva sendiri bingung cara melindungi hatinya eh tiba2 seorang lady datang ke rumah.
lady noelle seymore, kakak tiri eva. 2 tahun lebih tua dari eva. bertekad untuk dekat dengan sang adik.
bertahun2 ingin mengenal adik 1 ayahnya tp ditentang oleh countess seymore, sang ibu.
tp sekarang tidak ada yg bisa melarang noelle untuk mengenal eva.
noelle tidak membenci eva & charlotte yg sudah merebut ayahnya karna noelle tau ibunya adl orang yg sangat susah dicintai & pernikahan ayah & ibunya sangat tidak bahagia.
setidaknya sang ayah bahagia bersama charlotte & tetap menganggap ke 3 putrinya sbg hartanya yg tak ternilai.
hanya sayang yahhh earl of seymore meninggal mendadak tanpa sempat mengatur dowry untuk eva. harusnya sih sejak awal dipikirkan ya jadi eva tidak kesulitan sendiri. bayangkan sejak umur 13 tahun harus bertanggung jawab mengatur rumah juga menjaga ibunya yg tidak bisa apa2 lagi.
noelle bahkan bertekad mengenalkan eva pd kalangan atas society. yahh memang tidak bisa lalu membuka jati diri eva sebenarnya tp noelle bisa mengatakan eva adl sepupu-nya dari pihak ayahnya bukan???
eva sendiri tidak bisa menolak noelle.
noelle bukanlah orang yg bisa diabaikan bgt saja. apalagi eva suka pada noelle yg ramah & hangat juga sangat blak2an ^_^
kedatangan eva di ball kalangan bangsawan jelas membuat nicholas naik pitam.
nicholas yg hanya tau eva adl putri seorang courtesan marah besar pd eva apalagi eva terlihat sangat menawan & lgs memiliki para pengagum.
jelas nicholas langsung pusing 7 keliling saat tau eva bukanlah putri seorg courtesan biasa.
charlotte, ibu eva, adl putri tunggal count & countess.....dari france yg meninggal mendadak.
charlotte sempat hidup bersama walinya, lady..... yg meninggal tanpa meninggalkan apa2 untuk charlotte membuat charlotte tiba2 mengumumkan ingin mencari seorang protector.
charlotte winfield yg jelita jelas membuat semua orang ingin memilikinya termasuk duke of stanfield terdahulu namun charlotte menjatuhkan pilihan pada earl seymore & sejak itu charlotte spt menghilang dari muka bumi.
yg artinya eva adl putri seorg earl, cucu seorg count & adik seorg lady yg marah besar & menuduh nicholas memanfaatkan eva & menuntut nicholas untuk menikahi adiknya.
noelle bahkan bekerjasama dengan duchess of stanfield, ibunda nicholas, untuk membuat nicholas & eva bersatu.
nicholas cenut2 xixixixixixi. semua rencananya hancur berantakan bahkan sebelum dia sempat menjalankannya.
tampaknya memang nicholas harus menikahi eva nih.
lha ibunya sudah setuju. apalagi nicholas memang pd dasarnya ingin memiliki eva sedang eva tidak sudi menjadi courtesan nicholas.
tp sebelum membujuk eva menikahinya terlebih dahulu nicholas harus bisa melindungi eva.
eva yg ga kenal takut sama sekali seorang diri ke scotland mendatangi earl of....., pemilik yvette terdahulu.
yvette ini adl salah 1 murid eva yg tiba2 menghilang bbrp hari yg lalu.
berkat bantuan nicholas eva tau keberadaan yvette, tp eva tidak sabar menunggu nicholas jd eva datang sendiri menolong yvette.
tapiiiiii ternyata para muridnya serta noelle malah menyusul.
jadilah para perempuan menyelamatkan yvette. memang nih pada ga ada takutnya sama sekali.
saat keadaan kritis untuk nicholas datang menyelamatkan mereka.
nicholas udah curiga dengan sikap eva yg kalem menerima perintah nicholas untuk tidak melakukan sesuatu yg bodoh eh bener khan ternyata si eva udah ngacir jadi penyelamat duluan.
untung nicholas lgs nyusul. walo akhirnya tertembah sihhhhh.
dengan tertembaknya nicholas semua rahasia terbongkar.
abigai, salah 1 murid courtesannya ternyata adl kakak sulung eva yg menyamar untuk dapat mengenal eva.
harold, orang kepercayaannya yg dikira bukan siapa2 ternyata adl baron..... yg disuruh menjadi mata2 oleh countess seymore.
harold juga ternyata adl kekasih margaret.
hhhhhhhhhhhhh bener2 penuh dengan rahasia nih novel.
tapi aq cekikikan waktu duchess stanfield berkonspirasi dengan noelle & margareth sengaja mengurung eva ber 2 dengan nicholas jd nicholas bisa membujuk eva untuk menerima lamarannya.
bener2 deh semua pada maunya ikut campurrrrr aja.
nicholas sih seneng2 aja secara dia juga ga bisa ngapa2in jd seneng donk ada eva yg nemenin.
tp xixixixixixi waktu eva bantu nicholas make celana eh tiba2 pada masuk dengan posisi eva yg mencurigakan.
wakakakakakaka lgs merah padamlah si eva.
novel ini sangat simple sekali jd tidak akan membutuhkan waktu banyak untuk dibaca.
para tokohnya pun membuat orang jatuh cinta.
terutama lady noelle seymore.
ngomong2 penasaran bangat aq pengen baca cerita noelle... sepintas baca kayaknya seru nih.
secara noelle masuk diam2 ke rumah earl of seabrook bahkan saat tertangkap eh dia pura2 jadi courtesan.
ih ihn ih membuat orang penasaran aja.....
ngomong2 earl of seabrook jg sepintas disebutkan di novel ini.
courtesan earl of seabrook adl salah 1 murid eva.
April 16, 2011
Early spoilers ahoy.
I saw this in the bookstore and thought it looked like an interesting premise: a duke in pursuit of his former courtesan comes across the woman who helped her leave that life and becomes attracted to her. Well, I probably should have skimmed a little bit more before purchasing this, as I've stopped reading it and don't foresee picking it up in the near future.
I read a fair amount of romance, and while the power differentials between couples occasionally verge on the problematic, I usually forgive them when an author goes to the trouble of creating a compelling character. However, Nicholas, insofar as I've seen him, is an unrepetant, manipulative bastard, and a boring one at that. I'm sorry, but while I like my bad boys with a heart of gold (or more accurately, boys that merely appear bad and just like to flout societal conventions while still being total teddy bears underneath), Nicholas can not qualify. For one thing, he's a spoiled brat who has no respect for bodily autonomy, and the only reason the heroine even has anything to do with him is because he extorts her. He pretty much out and out demands that she either give up one of the girls she's training or give herself over to be his replacement courtesan. Nothing about him has spoken of a soft heart or hidden depths. He's only softened towards Eva at all, because he's got a secret suspicion that she's hotter than she looks under her disguise. I suppose if she was the dried up spinster he first assumes her to be, he'd continue to torture her because that's how gets his kicks.
Anyway, this author lost me somewhere in the first sexual encounter because hello, not really consensual by any meaningful standard. And the characterisation of Eva, interesting at first, started losing me when she can't stop thinking about Nicolas after he gropes her. I found myself getting more and more irritated, if not outright upset at the way the plot was asking me to elide Nicolas's stalkery and controlling behaviour because he's just too damn hot. Um, not so much.
Interesting points with some potential: The actual school for brides--I would have enjoyed seeing more of that, and there may be more. There was an interesting set-up there, but I feel the execution has been bungled.
The author's prose is decent enough, and readable, so just to be clear, I was driven off by the unlikeable "hero" and the pressures he brings to bear on the heroine. Maybe the book gets better, and maybe the "hero" improves, but why I should stick around while the prose tries to justify sexual extortion is beyond me.
One big ugh. I'm not going to be able to finish this one, I think, which is rare for me.
(BTW, I've read waaaay more graphic. The thing that bugs me is that I'm asked to think that the "hero" is all that and a bag of chips while he sexually pressures somebody he has under his financial control.)
I saw this in the bookstore and thought it looked like an interesting premise: a duke in pursuit of his former courtesan comes across the woman who helped her leave that life and becomes attracted to her. Well, I probably should have skimmed a little bit more before purchasing this, as I've stopped reading it and don't foresee picking it up in the near future.
I read a fair amount of romance, and while the power differentials between couples occasionally verge on the problematic, I usually forgive them when an author goes to the trouble of creating a compelling character. However, Nicholas, insofar as I've seen him, is an unrepetant, manipulative bastard, and a boring one at that. I'm sorry, but while I like my bad boys with a heart of gold (or more accurately, boys that merely appear bad and just like to flout societal conventions while still being total teddy bears underneath), Nicholas can not qualify. For one thing, he's a spoiled brat who has no respect for bodily autonomy, and the only reason the heroine even has anything to do with him is because he extorts her. He pretty much out and out demands that she either give up one of the girls she's training or give herself over to be his replacement courtesan. Nothing about him has spoken of a soft heart or hidden depths. He's only softened towards Eva at all, because he's got a secret suspicion that she's hotter than she looks under her disguise. I suppose if she was the dried up spinster he first assumes her to be, he'd continue to torture her because that's how gets his kicks.
Anyway, this author lost me somewhere in the first sexual encounter because hello, not really consensual by any meaningful standard. And the characterisation of Eva, interesting at first, started losing me when she can't stop thinking about Nicolas after he gropes her. I found myself getting more and more irritated, if not outright upset at the way the plot was asking me to elide Nicolas's stalkery and controlling behaviour because he's just too damn hot. Um, not so much.
Interesting points with some potential: The actual school for brides--I would have enjoyed seeing more of that, and there may be more. There was an interesting set-up there, but I feel the execution has been bungled.
The author's prose is decent enough, and readable, so just to be clear, I was driven off by the unlikeable "hero" and the pressures he brings to bear on the heroine. Maybe the book gets better, and maybe the "hero" improves, but why I should stick around while the prose tries to justify sexual extortion is beyond me.
One big ugh. I'm not going to be able to finish this one, I think, which is rare for me.
(BTW, I've read waaaay more graphic. The thing that bugs me is that I'm asked to think that the "hero" is all that and a bag of chips while he sexually pressures somebody he has under his financial control.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2011
I bought this book largely because the author was in the store doing a signing while I was there. I thought the premise sounded fun, and I decided to give the book a shot. The fact that it had won a RITA for best debut novel helped, too.
Overall, this was a fun, light read. It took a while for me to get into it, as the male lead was extremely irritating as the book opened.
The story is this: Eva, the daughter of a courtesan, runs a school teaching courtesans how to properly behave so that they can be matched with husbands. The women come to her willingly, having realized that their time as a courtesan is coming to an end (basically, they've "aged out") or their experiences have been unpleasant. None of her students know her true name or her mother's history. One day, a duke shows up, furious that his Arabella had left him. He tracked her to Eva's school, and talks of the woman as if she were a possession. Eva is pleased to tell him that Arabella is out of his reach--she's married and an expectant mother. (It had taken some time for our duke to find Eva.)
Irrationally irritated, the duke decides to research Eva and punish her. He does this by buying her debt and explaining that the debts could be waived if she supplies him with another courtesan. Unwilling to pimp her students, Eva finally decides to take on the role herself.
The consent issues in the book are murky. Smith would like to play with the idea of forced consent, but she also works very hard to explain that Eva desires the duke and makes the choice of her own free will.
The setting is murky as well. There are no clear recognitions of time; the cover would indicate that the book takes place in the Regency period, but the social work with Fallen Women movement is a later Victorian attitude. In Smith's London, every well born man seems to keep a mistress--or courtesan, I should say--in addition to his wife. Few people object to the practice, and our duke is even able to talk with his mother about his missing courtesan, Arabella. Obviously, many of the wives hate the practice, and Eva's father's widow is especially vitriolic. However, it's an accepted social practice, and no men are shunned for keeping a courtesan. Women actually seem to compete for the role, which also complicates the issue.
This book is the first in a trilogy, and I'm not sure that I'll continue with it. While the sex was fun, the ahistorical nature of this historical romance bugs me. I also don't like the idea that Smith is trying to invoke the old fashioned rape fantasy without addressing its baggage. Overall, this is a fun read but not one that you'll want to think about deeply.
Overall, this was a fun, light read. It took a while for me to get into it, as the male lead was extremely irritating as the book opened.
The story is this: Eva, the daughter of a courtesan, runs a school teaching courtesans how to properly behave so that they can be matched with husbands. The women come to her willingly, having realized that their time as a courtesan is coming to an end (basically, they've "aged out") or their experiences have been unpleasant. None of her students know her true name or her mother's history. One day, a duke shows up, furious that his Arabella had left him. He tracked her to Eva's school, and talks of the woman as if she were a possession. Eva is pleased to tell him that Arabella is out of his reach--she's married and an expectant mother. (It had taken some time for our duke to find Eva.)
Irrationally irritated, the duke decides to research Eva and punish her. He does this by buying her debt and explaining that the debts could be waived if she supplies him with another courtesan. Unwilling to pimp her students, Eva finally decides to take on the role herself.
The consent issues in the book are murky. Smith would like to play with the idea of forced consent, but she also works very hard to explain that Eva desires the duke and makes the choice of her own free will.
The setting is murky as well. There are no clear recognitions of time; the cover would indicate that the book takes place in the Regency period, but the social work with Fallen Women movement is a later Victorian attitude. In Smith's London, every well born man seems to keep a mistress--or courtesan, I should say--in addition to his wife. Few people object to the practice, and our duke is even able to talk with his mother about his missing courtesan, Arabella. Obviously, many of the wives hate the practice, and Eva's father's widow is especially vitriolic. However, it's an accepted social practice, and no men are shunned for keeping a courtesan. Women actually seem to compete for the role, which also complicates the issue.
This book is the first in a trilogy, and I'm not sure that I'll continue with it. While the sex was fun, the ahistorical nature of this historical romance bugs me. I also don't like the idea that Smith is trying to invoke the old fashioned rape fantasy without addressing its baggage. Overall, this is a fun read but not one that you'll want to think about deeply.
April 19, 2011
I read and I read and I read but I could not finish this book. The hero, Nicholas, introduced himself to the novel by demanding the return of his "property" - his former courtesan - who left him. On and on and on he ranted about how he wanted his property back. So upset was he that he had to a) take a break from courting the woman he wanted to wed and b) punish Eva Black, the heroine who runs a matchmaking/finishing school for courtesans who want husbands. Fortunately for him, Eva is smitten by his manly charms and enjoys bedding him. Yay for Nicholas. Now he can resume the courtship of the woman he wants to marry.
While I enjoyed the premise of the book and the writing, the characters were mostly TSTL. Especially the courtesans in Eva's school.
It's a romance so I'm sure that Nicholas and Eva fall in love and get married but at almost 3/4 of the way through the book I had no interest in either of them. Eva is a martyr who doesn't like herself very much. And Nicholas is a jerk who doesn't respect women that much. I wish them happy ever after together but sadly, I won't be around to read it.
While I enjoyed the premise of the book and the writing, the characters were mostly TSTL. Especially the courtesans in Eva's school.
It's a romance so I'm sure that Nicholas and Eva fall in love and get married but at almost 3/4 of the way through the book I had no interest in either of them. Eva is a martyr who doesn't like herself very much. And Nicholas is a jerk who doesn't respect women that much. I wish them happy ever after together but sadly, I won't be around to read it.
April 12, 2011
Miss Eva Black has worked hard to conceal her mothers past life as a courtesan and it has led her to open a school for courtesans who want to give up that lifestyle and settle down and be married. Eva keeps her life, personal and professional, very quiet and is quite surprised one stormy night to have an angry duke appear on her doorstep. Nicholas, Duke of Stanfield, is furious with this plain looking spinster for "stealing" his mistress and he wants her back, after all....he "owns" her. Needless to say, that gets Evas back even straighter than it already is and she tells Nicholas she is gone and married and happy. He is not happy with this turn of events, after all it took weeks to even locate Eva, and plans to get revenge on Eva by either having one of her current courtesans replace his lost one or Eva herself. As he finds the key to getting her to accept his proposal, he learns all of Evas secrets she has worked so hard to protect and she is forced to agree as she refuses to send one of her girls to him.
I really don't want to say much more about the story because it has quite a few surprises that I think are best read for yourself and enjoying in the moment. I will say though, that I really enjoyed this story. I liked the premise of it and I enjoyed Evas feisty and somewhat bold nature and Nicholas' deep desire for her and to protect her and their hot love scenes. I liked that both Eva and Nicholas had good relationships with their mothers. I liked all the little twists that popped up throughout, I just wished the ending would not have had so many within a short period of time. Overall, is this book going to wow you? Probably not. Is it something that will help pass away the time and help you forget a stressful day? It certainly could. I thought the characters were written well and the author did a good job with the storyline, even if the ending had a bit too much happening at the end. I know I will be picking up her next book, The Accidental Courtesan when it releases in October and I look forward to more from this author! 3 1/2 stars
I really don't want to say much more about the story because it has quite a few surprises that I think are best read for yourself and enjoying in the moment. I will say though, that I really enjoyed this story. I liked the premise of it and I enjoyed Evas feisty and somewhat bold nature and Nicholas' deep desire for her and to protect her and their hot love scenes. I liked that both Eva and Nicholas had good relationships with their mothers. I liked all the little twists that popped up throughout, I just wished the ending would not have had so many within a short period of time. Overall, is this book going to wow you? Probably not. Is it something that will help pass away the time and help you forget a stressful day? It certainly could. I thought the characters were written well and the author did a good job with the storyline, even if the ending had a bit too much happening at the end. I know I will be picking up her next book, The Accidental Courtesan when it releases in October and I look forward to more from this author! 3 1/2 stars
January 8, 2012
This is definitely not working for me. The characterization seems forced so that it can fit in with a plot premise that I was willing to go along with, but let's face it, is not distinguished by a high degree of realism. To be blunt, the plot premise is rather silly.
However, I could live with that, if the characters had any appeal. They do not. The "hero" is fairly psycho, trying to destroy a woman because she helped his mistress attain a happy and respectable life. The heroine, who is obsessive about respectability and being proper, throws her clothes off and hops into bed with the hero at the first opportunity. There's no build up of tension, no establishing of motives that are congruent with other aspects of character, no reason to keep reading this book.
However, I could live with that, if the characters had any appeal. They do not. The "hero" is fairly psycho, trying to destroy a woman because she helped his mistress attain a happy and respectable life. The heroine, who is obsessive about respectability and being proper, throws her clothes off and hops into bed with the hero at the first opportunity. There's no build up of tension, no establishing of motives that are congruent with other aspects of character, no reason to keep reading this book.
July 30, 2011
I'm not a fan of revenge plots but the premise in the School for Brides intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a try.
Evangeline Winfield is a woman with secrets. Her alias is Miss Eva Black, a dowdy spinster who runs a school for mistresses. She teaches them proper etiquette, polite conversation, how to dress respectably, and so on, in order to find a good husband. Evangeline Winfield, her real self, was forced through necessity to create Miss Black. Eva is responsible for her and her mother. Her mother was an earl's mistress and they loved each other - Eva has very fond memories of her father, he preferred Eva and her mother to his own wife. And he died tragically on his way to visit his preferred family. But he didn't forget about them in his will, so Eva and her mother have a small stipend, which she supports with what she earns from her school.
So this is Miss Black's life, and things are going well, if a bit boring, until the Duke of Stanfield accuses her of stealing his mistress away. Nicholas is very upset over the loss of his mistress. She was the perfect companion, someone to balance out the dull but beneficial marriage he was going to make to some empty-headed virginal chit. Now he'll have to find a new mistress and he'll have to hold off on his courtship. So inconvenient, losing his mistress!
Nicholas lays all his frustration at the feet of Eva. She's to blame for his mistress deserting him and she's responsible to bring her back. When Eva explains that this is impossible, that his mistress has actually married, Eva believes this is the last she's seen of the duke. But like any little boy who's favorite toy is stolen, he throws a tantrum and coldly collects all of Eva's debts and holds them over her head. He needs a new shiny toy and she has a bevy of beauties and she can give him one. Eva is freaked out because there's no way she can pay all the debts at once and there's no way in hell she'll hand over one of her courtesans to the duke. So the duke has another plan...Eva can take his mistress' place in his bed. Yes, even despite Eva's spinster disguise, the duke wants her.
This is a debut novel by Cheryl Ann Smith and as such, I was looking for something new and refreshing. Unfortunately, I did not get that. I got a hero who had some attitudes that I had some issues with and a heroine who's character was a bit back and forth.
First is Eva. She wants to rescue courtesans from her mother's fate. She has this sense of responsibility and she's very stubborn. She also doesn't want to end up like her mother - brokenhearted over a man. This would almost make me think that she would be a bit of a prude. But Eva is anything but. When she realizes she has to give into the duke's demands, she's all for it. This is an example of how her character was not consistently written.
And the duke - he told himself that he would stop the charade (of forcing her to prostitute herself to repay her debts) when she put up a genuine fight or appeared fearful. So he follows through with his 'seduction' because she seemed willing? That made me very uncomfortable. I was also very disappointed with Nicholas' internal thoughts about women. Here's an example:
As if it was possible to change the essence of a woman, a courtesan, and make her a proper wife. A foolish notion it was. That was why most men didn't make their mistresses their wives. Their nature lacked the moral discipline to keep faithful to one man. A man should know with absolute certainty that he was the father of his own children.
I found his distaste for women very surprising. Although Nicholas doesn't have much use for his mom, he did see her unhappily married to his man-whore of a father. You'd think that would set him up to be somewhat sympathetic to the plight of women and how they don't really have a say in their lives. But nope, he uses that to his advantage...he doesn't appear to have much compassion towards women. Also, even once he does become involved with Eva, I feel like he still held Eva's efforts with her courtesans in contempt.
There are a few other things I had issues with, but I don't want to continue on in this negative vein. Just know that this debut effort didn't work for me. I couldn't get over the characters. The School for Brides gets a 2.5 out of 5 from me. It was just ok.
This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Ames.
Evangeline Winfield is a woman with secrets. Her alias is Miss Eva Black, a dowdy spinster who runs a school for mistresses. She teaches them proper etiquette, polite conversation, how to dress respectably, and so on, in order to find a good husband. Evangeline Winfield, her real self, was forced through necessity to create Miss Black. Eva is responsible for her and her mother. Her mother was an earl's mistress and they loved each other - Eva has very fond memories of her father, he preferred Eva and her mother to his own wife. And he died tragically on his way to visit his preferred family. But he didn't forget about them in his will, so Eva and her mother have a small stipend, which she supports with what she earns from her school.
So this is Miss Black's life, and things are going well, if a bit boring, until the Duke of Stanfield accuses her of stealing his mistress away. Nicholas is very upset over the loss of his mistress. She was the perfect companion, someone to balance out the dull but beneficial marriage he was going to make to some empty-headed virginal chit. Now he'll have to find a new mistress and he'll have to hold off on his courtship. So inconvenient, losing his mistress!
Nicholas lays all his frustration at the feet of Eva. She's to blame for his mistress deserting him and she's responsible to bring her back. When Eva explains that this is impossible, that his mistress has actually married, Eva believes this is the last she's seen of the duke. But like any little boy who's favorite toy is stolen, he throws a tantrum and coldly collects all of Eva's debts and holds them over her head. He needs a new shiny toy and she has a bevy of beauties and she can give him one. Eva is freaked out because there's no way she can pay all the debts at once and there's no way in hell she'll hand over one of her courtesans to the duke. So the duke has another plan...Eva can take his mistress' place in his bed. Yes, even despite Eva's spinster disguise, the duke wants her.
This is a debut novel by Cheryl Ann Smith and as such, I was looking for something new and refreshing. Unfortunately, I did not get that. I got a hero who had some attitudes that I had some issues with and a heroine who's character was a bit back and forth.
First is Eva. She wants to rescue courtesans from her mother's fate. She has this sense of responsibility and she's very stubborn. She also doesn't want to end up like her mother - brokenhearted over a man. This would almost make me think that she would be a bit of a prude. But Eva is anything but. When she realizes she has to give into the duke's demands, she's all for it. This is an example of how her character was not consistently written.
And the duke - he told himself that he would stop the charade (of forcing her to prostitute herself to repay her debts) when she put up a genuine fight or appeared fearful. So he follows through with his 'seduction' because she seemed willing? That made me very uncomfortable. I was also very disappointed with Nicholas' internal thoughts about women. Here's an example:
As if it was possible to change the essence of a woman, a courtesan, and make her a proper wife. A foolish notion it was. That was why most men didn't make their mistresses their wives. Their nature lacked the moral discipline to keep faithful to one man. A man should know with absolute certainty that he was the father of his own children.
I found his distaste for women very surprising. Although Nicholas doesn't have much use for his mom, he did see her unhappily married to his man-whore of a father. You'd think that would set him up to be somewhat sympathetic to the plight of women and how they don't really have a say in their lives. But nope, he uses that to his advantage...he doesn't appear to have much compassion towards women. Also, even once he does become involved with Eva, I feel like he still held Eva's efforts with her courtesans in contempt.
There are a few other things I had issues with, but I don't want to continue on in this negative vein. Just know that this debut effort didn't work for me. I couldn't get over the characters. The School for Brides gets a 2.5 out of 5 from me. It was just ok.
This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Ames.
April 3, 2011
The School for Brides by Cheryl Ann Smith
Historical Romance – April 5th, 2011
3 1/2 stars
To the outside world, Miss Eva Black is a mousy spinster who seeks to aid former courtesans/mistresses gain respectability and a secure future. But she had a double identity, as Evangeline Winfield. Who is a beautiful respectable young lady who lives with her ailing mother.
Eva is content with her two worlds and was resigned to a lonely existence. For she knew that no gently bred man would want to marry the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and an ex-courtesan. And it didn’t help that she also associated with courtesans. But her peaceful life is disrupted when she helps the mistress of the Duke of Stanfield escape. Seeking revenge, the Duke swears to uncover all Eva’s secrets and make her pay for interfering in his life. He plant to trap Eva and proposes an outrageous bargain to her - get one of her courtesans to serve as a replacement or replace his former mistress with herself!
I have to confess that the highly unusual plot intrigued me. Unlike other romantic heroes, Nicholas, the Duke of Stanfield seems like an abominable, unlikable villain. This is, unfortunately quite true. By the time I got the end, I still don’t like him even though he did redeem himself. To me, there’s no rhyme or reason for his cruelty in the beginning, which makes it difficult for me to believe his transformation. Eva is, also, a little bit unconvincing. For a person who was coerced to sleeping with the enemy, she warmed up to him a little too quickly, in my opinion. But other than that, this was a solid read with interesting twists in the end.
If you are looking for an original plot and enjoy Regency romance, you should definitely give The School for Brides a read!
Reviewed by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Club
Historical Romance – April 5th, 2011
3 1/2 stars
To the outside world, Miss Eva Black is a mousy spinster who seeks to aid former courtesans/mistresses gain respectability and a secure future. But she had a double identity, as Evangeline Winfield. Who is a beautiful respectable young lady who lives with her ailing mother.
Eva is content with her two worlds and was resigned to a lonely existence. For she knew that no gently bred man would want to marry the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and an ex-courtesan. And it didn’t help that she also associated with courtesans. But her peaceful life is disrupted when she helps the mistress of the Duke of Stanfield escape. Seeking revenge, the Duke swears to uncover all Eva’s secrets and make her pay for interfering in his life. He plant to trap Eva and proposes an outrageous bargain to her - get one of her courtesans to serve as a replacement or replace his former mistress with herself!
I have to confess that the highly unusual plot intrigued me. Unlike other romantic heroes, Nicholas, the Duke of Stanfield seems like an abominable, unlikable villain. This is, unfortunately quite true. By the time I got the end, I still don’t like him even though he did redeem himself. To me, there’s no rhyme or reason for his cruelty in the beginning, which makes it difficult for me to believe his transformation. Eva is, also, a little bit unconvincing. For a person who was coerced to sleeping with the enemy, she warmed up to him a little too quickly, in my opinion. But other than that, this was a solid read with interesting twists in the end.
If you are looking for an original plot and enjoy Regency romance, you should definitely give The School for Brides a read!
Reviewed by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Club
October 1, 2012
Hmmmm....what to say.....I have no idea why I liked this book because there were so many things NOT to like LoL. It really makes no sense. I liked Eva. She has difficult circumstances & even though she doesn't really have a moral problem with courtesans, she does realize society's view on them. Nicholas was eh. I really, really did NOT like him at first & even when he began to be likable I just couldn't shake how he was at the beginning of the story. He viewed his mistress as property, was manipulative, & blackmailing her. Sex through coercion...not really an endearing quality in my opinion. He says he was never going to fully go through with it, that he just wanted her to suffer a little. If he would have stopped & told her that & given her a choice before they had sex, I would really like his character but that's not what happened. Another thing that irked me was the OVER use of the word courtesan. Courtesan & mistress were used interchangeably which aren't really the same thing but that's just me nitpicking. I still ended up enjoying the story. The twists & turns were interesting & held my attention. While there were many things that bothered me, I enjoyed it enough to continue & read the rest of the series. If you want a quick, enjoyable read this is a good book for that.
October 28, 2011
setelah beberapa minggu jenuh membaca, buku ini membuatku segar kembali :)
yang bikin gemes dibuku ini bukan Nicholas, sang duke yang arogan, ini sih biasa. tapi Miss Evangeline Winfield yang tiap deketan ama si duke bilang bencilah, dia jadi victim lah, tapi tiap habis dicium Nicholas malah dia yang jadi agresif. halah...halah..halah.. [image error]
yang bikin gemes dibuku ini bukan Nicholas, sang duke yang arogan, ini sih biasa. tapi Miss Evangeline Winfield yang tiap deketan ama si duke bilang bencilah, dia jadi victim lah, tapi tiap habis dicium Nicholas malah dia yang jadi agresif. halah...halah..halah.. [image error]
October 3, 2011
gw bacanya karen rekomendasi si netha dan krn netha juga pinter nulis ripiu...jadi gw gak nulis ripiu lagi ya....
kalo ada yang mau baca..silahkan intip ripiu si netha di : http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
jangan lupa klik "like' ya after baca ripiu nya...
buku ini dijamin bagus sekali ^^
May 16, 2011
This is such a great book great debut. Filled with lots of twists and turns throughout the story lots of great secondary characters and of course a great hero Nicholas and Heroine Eva. Loved it
December 1, 2017
Although I am sure that I have read worse books, I can’t seem to think of them now. This book took a fun, though unlikely premise (Eva, the daughter of a courtesan creating a reform program for current courtesans) and did almost nothing with it. We don’t spend very much time with Eva or her students, and when we do, almost all of their activities are told to us rather than shown, which is a shame, because there could have been a lot of funny and touching scenes built off of that premise. In fact, I would say that everything in this book is “telling” not “showing.” Eva and the courtesans are supposedly friends, but all of their bonding occurs in scenes that don’t exist.
This telling and not showing is particularly true of the characters. Eva is supposed to be feisty, but all she does is pout and protest that she isn’t into Nicholas, the man who blackmails her into sleeping with him. As for Nicholas, he is reportedly charming, but you would never know it from his actions or dialogue. His internal monologue tells us that he would never REALLY force Eva into sleeping with him… but everything that we have seen him do suggests that he would. With main characters this undeveloped, the rest of the cast little better than names with vague emotions attached to them. They are all forgettable and interchangeable from page to page.
Since we all know what to expect from a romance- namely that the two leads will overcome the obstacles to be together- the pleasure in reading comes from finding out how this happens and through emotional attachments to the characters. Since the characters were so poorly drawn, it was imperative for the plot to be well done. It was not. The main action revolves around the disappearance of one of Eva’s students. However, she goes missing off screen and when it is brought up, all I thought was “who?”
Other complaints: It is almost like there was a prize the author was trying to get by using the word courtesan as many times as possible. It was grating, as well as the endless and repetitive internal monologues that both of the main characters go over and over. Eva says over and over how much she doesn’t want to live a life like her mother, but it really rings hollow. Her actions do not match her refrain.
Final thoughts: fun concept but boring and repetitive execution with a forgettable cast and uninspired leads
This telling and not showing is particularly true of the characters. Eva is supposed to be feisty, but all she does is pout and protest that she isn’t into Nicholas, the man who blackmails her into sleeping with him. As for Nicholas, he is reportedly charming, but you would never know it from his actions or dialogue. His internal monologue tells us that he would never REALLY force Eva into sleeping with him… but everything that we have seen him do suggests that he would. With main characters this undeveloped, the rest of the cast little better than names with vague emotions attached to them. They are all forgettable and interchangeable from page to page.
Since we all know what to expect from a romance- namely that the two leads will overcome the obstacles to be together- the pleasure in reading comes from finding out how this happens and through emotional attachments to the characters. Since the characters were so poorly drawn, it was imperative for the plot to be well done. It was not. The main action revolves around the disappearance of one of Eva’s students. However, she goes missing off screen and when it is brought up, all I thought was “who?”
Other complaints: It is almost like there was a prize the author was trying to get by using the word courtesan as many times as possible. It was grating, as well as the endless and repetitive internal monologues that both of the main characters go over and over. Eva says over and over how much she doesn’t want to live a life like her mother, but it really rings hollow. Her actions do not match her refrain.
Final thoughts: fun concept but boring and repetitive execution with a forgettable cast and uninspired leads
May 13, 2012
love... love.. this book ;)
Finally finish reading this book, love it ;)
To be honest, in ealier stories, i want to strangle nicholas for what he did to eva, fortunately, he change and make a good and lovely thing so i change too and feeling adore with him =)
cerita yang disajikan oleh cheryl dibuku ini sedikit berbeda dari buku-buku HR lainnya.
kisah diawali tentang eva black, yg terlahir dr seorang lady yang berprofesi sbg courtesan (krn org tuanya miskin dan tdk ada yg menjadi walinya) dan seorang bangsawan yg membuatnya merasa rendah diri dan overprotective thdp kehidupannya terutama dlm menutupi skandal ibunya dimasa lalu sbg seorg courtesan ditmbh lg saat itu ibunya sedang sakit.
eva pun memutuskan menjadi seorg pengajar bagi para courtesan agar meninggalkan profesi mereka dan menjadi seorang proper wife bahkan uniknya dia menutupi dirinya dengan menyamar sebagai wanita yg sgt tdk menarik dgn memakai wig, kacamata dan pakaian yg sgt suram/jelek
Sampai suatu hari seorg duke bernama Nicholas, mendatangi eva bahkan mengancam akan menahan eva jk dia tdk mau menemuinya. Nicholas merasa marah dan dendam karena menganggap eva sdh mencuri courtesannya yg ternyata adalah anak murid eva yg telah berhasil menikah dan hidup bahagia dgn seorang kapten kapal laut.
dan Nicholas pun mengancam akan membalas apa yg telah dilakukan eva dgn membuat courtesannya lari darinya --> apaan si ni cowok, pdhl spt kt eva, dgn tampangnya, tinggi tubuhnya dan kekayaan yg dimilikinya, dia bisa memiliki wanita manapun hny dgn menjentikkan ujung jarinya, ini ni yg awalnya bt kesel T_T
Nicholas pun mulai mengutus serorang detektif (istilah kerennya saat ini) utk mencari semua data tentang eva dan akhirnya mendapati bahwa ibu eva telah membeli sebuah kalung dan tdk sanggup membayar tagihan tsb, dan mrk berhutang kepada nicholas. mk nicholas pun mengirim penagih hutang kermh eva agar dia segera membyr hutangnya atau eva dan ibunya harus keluar dr rumah yg mrk tempati
Namun syarat untuk melunasi hutang tsb sgt aneh, nicholas memberikan 2 pilhan kpd eva : mencarikan seorang courtesan atau menjadikan eva courtesannya (walaupun awalnya Nicholas tdk begitu senang dgn pemikiran tsb, dikrnkan dandan eva)
eva tentu saja tdk bersedia mengirimkan courtesannya ataupun menjadi courtesan tp akhirnya dgn berat hati menyerahkan dirinya kpd nicholas namun tetap bersikeras mengatakan kepada Nicholas bahwa dia bkn courtesannya dan dr sana br diketahui penyamaran eva, yg ternyata adalah seorg wanita yg sgt cantik.
kedatangan kakak tiri eva (Noelle), benar-2 membuat eva merasa heran dan smpt berpikiran bhw kakaknya dtg utk menghina keluarga mrk, tp ternyata kakaknya ingin mengenal eva dan bahkan menawarkan utk membawa eva menghadiri pesta2 yg hny blh dihadiri oleh pria dan wanita terhormat
kehadirannya disana membuat nicholas terkejut terutama krn anak seorg courtesan tdk sehrsnya berada disana namun dr sana nicholas mulai menyadari bahwa dia tdk bs menikah dgn lady yg mnrt awal rencananya yg jg merupakan syarat bhw seorg duke hrs memiliki istri dr wanita terhormat sbg duchessnya yg berhak memberikan keturunan dan menjadi nyonya rmhnya sementara eva menjadi courtesannya
ketika seorg anak murid eva hilang, eva yg sdh menetapkan hati utk mengakhiri hubungannya dgn Nicholas (krn statusnya yg anak haram) akhirnya hrs menemui Nicholas utk meminta bantuannya yg akhirnya malah membuat dia, kakaknya dan anak murid lainnya (ada 4 org) bahu membahu dlm menyelamatkan murid tsb yg ternyata di culik oleh lord (yg menjadikan anak muridnya courtesannya) tp lord ini sgt kejam, sk memukul, namun mengantikan kekejamannya dgn membelikan brg2 mewah. (untung akhirnya tewas terkena tembakan anak buahnya sndr). Nicholas ikut andil jg dlm penyelamatan tsb dan hampir tewas krn terkena tembakan jg.
Stlh anak muridnya diselamatkan, giliran Nicholas dan eva menyelesaikan mslh mrk dan akhirnya Nicholas melamar eva yg tentunya di tolak oleh eva
Yg mengejutkan lg ternyata slh satu courtesannya eva adalah kakaknya (Abigail) eva jg, yg menyamar atas keinginaan Noelle utk mengenal eva, walaupun awalnya Abigail tdk setuju krn kebencian ibunya thdp eva dan ibunya sdkt mempengaruhi dirinya namun stlh mengenal eva, dia pun mulai menyayangi eva spt halnya Noelle
Tentu saja akhir crita selalu happy ending (tipikal cerita2 HR), eva akhirnya menerima lamaran Nicholas dan yg mengejutkan ibu Nicholas malah menyetujui pernikahan mrk (meskipun status eva anak haram) dan masing2 para courtesan mendapatkan pasangan mereka bahkan Abigail akhirnya menikah dgn Harold (kaki tangan eva) yg ternyata adalah seorg baron, hanya tinggal Sophia (slh satu murid eva) dan Noelle (akan diceritakan di buku ke dua)
Suka dengan crita ini dan yg plg di sukai adalah :
- Nicholas melupakan kemarahannya thdp eva krn membuat lari courtesannya bahkan menganggap lunas hutang eva dan memberikan rumah yg ditempati selama ini oleh eva dan ibunya kpd eva dan mengganti kepemilikan rmh atas nama eva
- Ketika Nicholas mengetahui bahwa eva sempat mengagumi kediaman lord yg kejam (yg herannya memiliki kediaman yg sgt mewah dan cantik), wkt menyelamatkan anak muridnya, membelikan kediaman tsb utk eva, blm lg ibunya sudah berada di rumah tsb dan merasa bahagia.
- Bahkan Nicholas tdk perduli kalau namanya tercemar dan digosipkan kalau menikah dgn eva dan bersedia mengasingkan diri
- Tetap mengizinkan eva meneruskan sekolah utk courtesanya, yg awalnya sgt di bencinya
Finally finish reading this book, love it ;)
To be honest, in ealier stories, i want to strangle nicholas for what he did to eva, fortunately, he change and make a good and lovely thing so i change too and feeling adore with him =)
cerita yang disajikan oleh cheryl dibuku ini sedikit berbeda dari buku-buku HR lainnya.
kisah diawali tentang eva black, yg terlahir dr seorang lady yang berprofesi sbg courtesan (krn org tuanya miskin dan tdk ada yg menjadi walinya) dan seorang bangsawan yg membuatnya merasa rendah diri dan overprotective thdp kehidupannya terutama dlm menutupi skandal ibunya dimasa lalu sbg seorg courtesan ditmbh lg saat itu ibunya sedang sakit.
eva pun memutuskan menjadi seorg pengajar bagi para courtesan agar meninggalkan profesi mereka dan menjadi seorang proper wife bahkan uniknya dia menutupi dirinya dengan menyamar sebagai wanita yg sgt tdk menarik dgn memakai wig, kacamata dan pakaian yg sgt suram/jelek
Sampai suatu hari seorg duke bernama Nicholas, mendatangi eva bahkan mengancam akan menahan eva jk dia tdk mau menemuinya. Nicholas merasa marah dan dendam karena menganggap eva sdh mencuri courtesannya yg ternyata adalah anak murid eva yg telah berhasil menikah dan hidup bahagia dgn seorang kapten kapal laut.
dan Nicholas pun mengancam akan membalas apa yg telah dilakukan eva dgn membuat courtesannya lari darinya --> apaan si ni cowok, pdhl spt kt eva, dgn tampangnya, tinggi tubuhnya dan kekayaan yg dimilikinya, dia bisa memiliki wanita manapun hny dgn menjentikkan ujung jarinya, ini ni yg awalnya bt kesel T_T
Nicholas pun mulai mengutus serorang detektif (istilah kerennya saat ini) utk mencari semua data tentang eva dan akhirnya mendapati bahwa ibu eva telah membeli sebuah kalung dan tdk sanggup membayar tagihan tsb, dan mrk berhutang kepada nicholas. mk nicholas pun mengirim penagih hutang kermh eva agar dia segera membyr hutangnya atau eva dan ibunya harus keluar dr rumah yg mrk tempati
Namun syarat untuk melunasi hutang tsb sgt aneh, nicholas memberikan 2 pilhan kpd eva : mencarikan seorang courtesan atau menjadikan eva courtesannya (walaupun awalnya Nicholas tdk begitu senang dgn pemikiran tsb, dikrnkan dandan eva)
eva tentu saja tdk bersedia mengirimkan courtesannya ataupun menjadi courtesan tp akhirnya dgn berat hati menyerahkan dirinya kpd nicholas namun tetap bersikeras mengatakan kepada Nicholas bahwa dia bkn courtesannya dan dr sana br diketahui penyamaran eva, yg ternyata adalah seorg wanita yg sgt cantik.
kedatangan kakak tiri eva (Noelle), benar-2 membuat eva merasa heran dan smpt berpikiran bhw kakaknya dtg utk menghina keluarga mrk, tp ternyata kakaknya ingin mengenal eva dan bahkan menawarkan utk membawa eva menghadiri pesta2 yg hny blh dihadiri oleh pria dan wanita terhormat
kehadirannya disana membuat nicholas terkejut terutama krn anak seorg courtesan tdk sehrsnya berada disana namun dr sana nicholas mulai menyadari bahwa dia tdk bs menikah dgn lady yg mnrt awal rencananya yg jg merupakan syarat bhw seorg duke hrs memiliki istri dr wanita terhormat sbg duchessnya yg berhak memberikan keturunan dan menjadi nyonya rmhnya sementara eva menjadi courtesannya
ketika seorg anak murid eva hilang, eva yg sdh menetapkan hati utk mengakhiri hubungannya dgn Nicholas (krn statusnya yg anak haram) akhirnya hrs menemui Nicholas utk meminta bantuannya yg akhirnya malah membuat dia, kakaknya dan anak murid lainnya (ada 4 org) bahu membahu dlm menyelamatkan murid tsb yg ternyata di culik oleh lord (yg menjadikan anak muridnya courtesannya) tp lord ini sgt kejam, sk memukul, namun mengantikan kekejamannya dgn membelikan brg2 mewah. (untung akhirnya tewas terkena tembakan anak buahnya sndr). Nicholas ikut andil jg dlm penyelamatan tsb dan hampir tewas krn terkena tembakan jg.
Stlh anak muridnya diselamatkan, giliran Nicholas dan eva menyelesaikan mslh mrk dan akhirnya Nicholas melamar eva yg tentunya di tolak oleh eva
Yg mengejutkan lg ternyata slh satu courtesannya eva adalah kakaknya (Abigail) eva jg, yg menyamar atas keinginaan Noelle utk mengenal eva, walaupun awalnya Abigail tdk setuju krn kebencian ibunya thdp eva dan ibunya sdkt mempengaruhi dirinya namun stlh mengenal eva, dia pun mulai menyayangi eva spt halnya Noelle
Tentu saja akhir crita selalu happy ending (tipikal cerita2 HR), eva akhirnya menerima lamaran Nicholas dan yg mengejutkan ibu Nicholas malah menyetujui pernikahan mrk (meskipun status eva anak haram) dan masing2 para courtesan mendapatkan pasangan mereka bahkan Abigail akhirnya menikah dgn Harold (kaki tangan eva) yg ternyata adalah seorg baron, hanya tinggal Sophia (slh satu murid eva) dan Noelle (akan diceritakan di buku ke dua)
Suka dengan crita ini dan yg plg di sukai adalah :
- Nicholas melupakan kemarahannya thdp eva krn membuat lari courtesannya bahkan menganggap lunas hutang eva dan memberikan rumah yg ditempati selama ini oleh eva dan ibunya kpd eva dan mengganti kepemilikan rmh atas nama eva
- Ketika Nicholas mengetahui bahwa eva sempat mengagumi kediaman lord yg kejam (yg herannya memiliki kediaman yg sgt mewah dan cantik), wkt menyelamatkan anak muridnya, membelikan kediaman tsb utk eva, blm lg ibunya sudah berada di rumah tsb dan merasa bahagia.
- Bahkan Nicholas tdk perduli kalau namanya tercemar dan digosipkan kalau menikah dgn eva dan bersedia mengasingkan diri
- Tetap mengizinkan eva meneruskan sekolah utk courtesanya, yg awalnya sgt di bencinya
April 6, 2021
I should've known, when I started checking how many pages were left with greater frequency, that this would be a tough book to finish. It kind of got worse and worse as it went. Intriguing premise, not so great characters. And by the last third, new story points kept being thrown in, as if to get to a requisite page count, without really improving the quality of the book. Probably should've set it down sooner.
October 24, 2017
A great start the the courtesans series! Eva stated a school to assist courtesans who want to leave the profession and become wives and mothers. When she helps a Dukes mistress find love, marry and is expecting the Duke is furious and seeks revenge. Such a good hearted read! A bastard daughter falling in love with a cynical Duke.
April 5, 2020
The premise was interesting, but the hero started out a real jerk and I continued disliking him, the insta-lust was annoying, the heroine was TSTL because of her pantsfeelings for the hero, and the latter half of the book packed too much plot into the page count.
July 21, 2019
Battle of true love
She fight with Duke who threatens her reputation to be reveal. Will she surrender to him? Read and find out the hot fight to true love!
She fight with Duke who threatens her reputation to be reveal. Will she surrender to him? Read and find out the hot fight to true love!
March 9, 2021
So much potential on this book yet it wasn't explored or written well for it to merit anything higher than a 3-star. With a bit more polish it would have been a great read. It was fun though.
November 22, 2016
DNF. Horrible characters. Lack of consent. Poor history.
June 19, 2011
Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)
Book 1 in the School for Courtesans Series
First of all, a great cast of supporting characters. Secondly, His Grace could’ve been really annoying. In fact, he tried really hard to be really annoying. Sometimes he succeeded – like with his overly possessive, anger-management-issues behavior that occasionally flared up. His desire for revenge I thought was actually fairly realistic for a duke of the day, whom I often imagine to be spoiled, arrogant, rich brats. That’s how Nicholas Drake, His Grace, comes off at first (especially with his temper tantrum. Jeez, man, get a grip). But throughout the story, Eva Winfield/Black (our heroine) works her way under his skin and brings out the better side of Nicholas – his spontaneity, his desire to be loved, and his singular wit and charm. When that happened I found myself falling for his pleasant charm about as quickly as Eva did (not quite as quickly, but close).
Eva had one really unique point in her favor – as far as historical romance heroines go, she was spunky. She didn’t make a big deal about her virginity, which I thought made for a beautiful scene when Nicholas found out. Equally refreshing was that he did not insist they be married after deflowering her. Thank you, Cheryl Ann Smith, for breaking convention! The other things that made her spunky: she runs a school for courtesans and wears a costume so she looks more spinster like. Hm. Interesting. The only thing that bothered me about her was how quickly she fell for his touches. I felt as though she might have held out a little longer than she did, given how determined she seemed to resist. She had a backbone of steel when talking to him, but he touches her and she pretty much melted. Sketchy.
The unfortunate thing about this book, I thought, was that the plot was pretty silly. I mean, silly in a stupid, ridiculous way not silly in a fun way. There were simply too many coincidences and unimportant plot twists that detracted from what could have been a decent plot line. The stuff about Margaret-Abigail at the end we really could’ve nixed without losing any value and it made the story seem a little too fake. Also, when the women go to rescue Yvette and sneak into the abbey I wanted to scream in frustration at the unrealistic, idiotic nature of it. I have an imagination, however there is a realm of believability that I adhere strictly too. Like Judge Judy says, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining". But anyways, the romance blossomed so I happily waded through a sucky plot to get to the happy ending. And what a happy ending it was. J
“Sexy”ness rating: Bring on the Water! We’re Smokin!
Overall Rating: B-
Bottom Line: This was not the best historical novel I’ve ever read – but it was far from the worst and better than average. The characters were interesting even if the plot was silly, and I found the book, for the most part, refreshingly light. Cheryl Ann Smith, what a wonderful debut. I’m looking forward to the next one!
Book 1 in the School for Courtesans Series
First of all, a great cast of supporting characters. Secondly, His Grace could’ve been really annoying. In fact, he tried really hard to be really annoying. Sometimes he succeeded – like with his overly possessive, anger-management-issues behavior that occasionally flared up. His desire for revenge I thought was actually fairly realistic for a duke of the day, whom I often imagine to be spoiled, arrogant, rich brats. That’s how Nicholas Drake, His Grace, comes off at first (especially with his temper tantrum. Jeez, man, get a grip). But throughout the story, Eva Winfield/Black (our heroine) works her way under his skin and brings out the better side of Nicholas – his spontaneity, his desire to be loved, and his singular wit and charm. When that happened I found myself falling for his pleasant charm about as quickly as Eva did (not quite as quickly, but close).
Eva had one really unique point in her favor – as far as historical romance heroines go, she was spunky. She didn’t make a big deal about her virginity, which I thought made for a beautiful scene when Nicholas found out. Equally refreshing was that he did not insist they be married after deflowering her. Thank you, Cheryl Ann Smith, for breaking convention! The other things that made her spunky: she runs a school for courtesans and wears a costume so she looks more spinster like. Hm. Interesting. The only thing that bothered me about her was how quickly she fell for his touches. I felt as though she might have held out a little longer than she did, given how determined she seemed to resist. She had a backbone of steel when talking to him, but he touches her and she pretty much melted. Sketchy.
The unfortunate thing about this book, I thought, was that the plot was pretty silly. I mean, silly in a stupid, ridiculous way not silly in a fun way. There were simply too many coincidences and unimportant plot twists that detracted from what could have been a decent plot line. The stuff about Margaret-Abigail at the end we really could’ve nixed without losing any value and it made the story seem a little too fake. Also, when the women go to rescue Yvette and sneak into the abbey I wanted to scream in frustration at the unrealistic, idiotic nature of it. I have an imagination, however there is a realm of believability that I adhere strictly too. Like Judge Judy says, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining". But anyways, the romance blossomed so I happily waded through a sucky plot to get to the happy ending. And what a happy ending it was. J
“Sexy”ness rating: Bring on the Water! We’re Smokin!
Overall Rating: B-
Bottom Line: This was not the best historical novel I’ve ever read – but it was far from the worst and better than average. The characters were interesting even if the plot was silly, and I found the book, for the most part, refreshingly light. Cheryl Ann Smith, what a wonderful debut. I’m looking forward to the next one!
January 6, 2014
This was the 2nd book where drama-llama had an important role, they were even one after the other. When reading historicals there is the expectation of suspending disbelief, but with this book… let’s just say that my suspending wasn’t enough.
After reading the title you start asking yourself what this could be about: young debutants maybe? Well, it couldn’t be more beside the truth. The story is about a spinster daughter of one of the most renowned courtesans teaching them about how to become respectable ladies so they can marry, she even presents them with suitors. She is a match-maker who gives deportment lessons(I know, right?). One of the ladies was the mistress of our hero, and he, feeling cheated, comes looking for her. You can’t imagine his surprise when he finds out what happened. He is a duke who doesn’t know the meaning of the word no so he blackmails our virginal heroine into taking the place of now-married ex-mistress.
The book could have been a great romantic comedy, unfortunately there were some overdone parts. Eva, our heroine, protest too much and then from one minute to the next becomes a whole new person. The scene that portraits this the best is where she(she even had multiple clothing layers and chemises) goes to his townhouse and insults him and tries to be as obnoxious as possible to make him change his mind; the moment when he kisses her(yes, in the middle of arguing) she becomes a new person, she almost strips herself and throws herself into his bed(she doesn’t, but there wasn’t much more till that).
Besides the undecided heroine, we have the asshole hero. Everyone knows I like an asshole that changes, or not, but I like the type who puts the heroine first and listens to her, not the type that’s charming with everyone else and is a heel to the heroine and wants her only for sex. Our Nicholas was in the 2nd category. Case in point: there was a part where Eva came to him for help and he couldn’t even bother to pay attention to her, he just imagined fucking her on every available surface!
The writing was good, I liked how the author set the scenes and her character descriptions, I just didn’t like the main characters :D The secondary ones were better… I would have rated it higher if there wasn’t such a big lack of communication. Everyone had a hidden motive in this book! I felt most of those were there just to add more drama.
In the end it was ok, but not one book that I will ever re-read.
After reading the title you start asking yourself what this could be about: young debutants maybe? Well, it couldn’t be more beside the truth. The story is about a spinster daughter of one of the most renowned courtesans teaching them about how to become respectable ladies so they can marry, she even presents them with suitors. She is a match-maker who gives deportment lessons(I know, right?). One of the ladies was the mistress of our hero, and he, feeling cheated, comes looking for her. You can’t imagine his surprise when he finds out what happened. He is a duke who doesn’t know the meaning of the word no so he blackmails our virginal heroine into taking the place of now-married ex-mistress.
The book could have been a great romantic comedy, unfortunately there were some overdone parts. Eva, our heroine, protest too much and then from one minute to the next becomes a whole new person. The scene that portraits this the best is where she(she even had multiple clothing layers and chemises) goes to his townhouse and insults him and tries to be as obnoxious as possible to make him change his mind; the moment when he kisses her(yes, in the middle of arguing) she becomes a new person, she almost strips herself and throws herself into his bed(she doesn’t, but there wasn’t much more till that).
Besides the undecided heroine, we have the asshole hero. Everyone knows I like an asshole that changes, or not, but I like the type who puts the heroine first and listens to her, not the type that’s charming with everyone else and is a heel to the heroine and wants her only for sex. Our Nicholas was in the 2nd category. Case in point: there was a part where Eva came to him for help and he couldn’t even bother to pay attention to her, he just imagined fucking her on every available surface!
The writing was good, I liked how the author set the scenes and her character descriptions, I just didn’t like the main characters :D The secondary ones were better… I would have rated it higher if there wasn’t such a big lack of communication. Everyone had a hidden motive in this book! I felt most of those were there just to add more drama.
In the end it was ok, but not one book that I will ever re-read.
May 20, 2011
(RATING:4.5)THE SCHOOL FOR BRIDES by Cheryl Ann Smith is an interesting historical romance set in Regency England. It is well written with depth and detail.The characters are charming,witty,demanding,strong willed,feisty,sexy and all around a great cast that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. Eva Black has spent her life concealing her mother's past as a courtesan and her father's secret.He fathered a bastard child twenty some years ago. Eva disguises herself,does not go to balls or social events,stays close to home and runs a school for ex-courtesan's.Eva intends to give them a other way of life and a husband they can count on.She is a courtesan matchmaker of sorts. Nicholas,the Duke of Stanfield,is sexy handsome,a man to reckon with when crossed and unfortunately or maybe not Eva has crossed him.She has helped his ex courtesan found happiness in anther's arms,married,left the England for America and is with her husband's child.Nicholas is furious and decides to found out all and everything he can about Eva and he does.So he seeks his revenge,Eva will become is her mistress/courtesan or he will call in all her mother's debts, and improvise them.Eva can't have that,she has been protecting her mother since her father's untimely death. What Nicholas does not expect is to become so attracted to Eva she becomes a distraction and he to Eva also.Eva becomes something she despires, to protect her family,and her school for courtesan's.She will become Nicholas' courtesan for a while anyway.When they get caught up in the disappear ace of one of Eva's courtesan's,together they must learn that they are deeply in love.Although,Eva refuses Nicholas' marriage proposal,Nicholas decides she will accept one way or another.For to him she is no mistress or courtesan but his true love.Their mothers becomes involved and everyone knows when the mothers are involved there is no stopping them.This is a funny,cute,quick read full of witty banter,serious issues,sacrifice,family,secrets,sweet sensuality,romance and of course the power of true love.A great historical romance read with a twist. This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher and details can be found at Berkley Sensation,a division of the Penguin Group,USA,Inc. and My Book Addiction Reviews.
June 17, 2016
Ugh...it took me forever to finish! I picked up this book because it sounded interesting. However, I found the description of the book to be very misleading.
For example, in the description, it says "But then the tables are turned as night brings a surprise she never imagined—and a proposition she can't refuse...". She literally cannot refuse him because to do so would mean that she and her mother would be cast out on the street. While I like the heroine, Evangaline, I despise the hero for coercing her to have sex with him because he feels that she stole away his mistress.
I was hoping what would happen was that the "hero" would actually be the villain and she would be rescued by someone else. However, because it is a "romance", she falls in love with him. I don't understand how that could happen! She goes to him for help in finding one of her courtesans and he seduces her...again! He doesn't respect her at all until the end of the book when she calls herself a "whore" and he threatens to beat her if he ever hears her talk about herself like that again!
I do like the other characters in the book, the courtesans and her half-sister Noelle. I even like Eva who is an extremely strong-willed and feminist character. I respect that she is teaching the courtesans actual skills so that they can find someone to be with who is from the middle class, i.e. bankers, solicitors, etc.
I got the e-book edition and I read the preview for the next book and I don't think I'll read it. It just sounds as bad this one. I might read it if I get stuck without a book, but unlike this one, if I don't like it, I won't finish it.
For example, in the description, it says "But then the tables are turned as night brings a surprise she never imagined—and a proposition she can't refuse...". She literally cannot refuse him because to do so would mean that she and her mother would be cast out on the street. While I like the heroine, Evangaline, I despise the hero for coercing her to have sex with him because he feels that she stole away his mistress.
I was hoping what would happen was that the "hero" would actually be the villain and she would be rescued by someone else. However, because it is a "romance", she falls in love with him. I don't understand how that could happen! She goes to him for help in finding one of her courtesans and he seduces her...again! He doesn't respect her at all until the end of the book when she calls herself a "whore" and he threatens to beat her if he ever hears her talk about herself like that again!
I do like the other characters in the book, the courtesans and her half-sister Noelle. I even like Eva who is an extremely strong-willed and feminist character. I respect that she is teaching the courtesans actual skills so that they can find someone to be with who is from the middle class, i.e. bankers, solicitors, etc.
I got the e-book edition and I read the preview for the next book and I don't think I'll read it. It just sounds as bad this one. I might read it if I get stuck without a book, but unlike this one, if I don't like it, I won't finish it.
July 28, 2011
You know, I should have put this down when the Duke stormed into the school for husband-hunting courtesans who had recently jumped ship on their old career (okay, maybe I should have gotten the message around the 'school for husband-hunting courtesans' point) demanding his property be returned, 'property' being a courtesan of his who abandoned him in the night, but I plowed through it anyway. The heroine is well-meaning if very foolish and naive. The hero is a great flaming [redacted] who decides to torment the heroine (who he blames for the loss of his mistress,) by calling in her debts and threatening to toss her and her ailing mother into the street if she doesn't become his mistress. What the freakin' heck is this, 1977? That kind of hero isn't in vogue any more in Romancelandia. There's a sequel in the works, but I'm not going to be reading it. Not recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2016
Ceritanya lumayan unik nih. Jadi heroinenya, Eva, punya sekolah khusus para courtesan atau mistress atau wanita simpanan yang misinya untuk 'mengembalikan mereka ke jalan yang benar', bersuami pria baik-baik dan berkeluarga. Nah, suatu ketika ada seorang Duke yang datang marah-marah ke Eva karena mistressnya meninggalkan dia utk menikahi & berkeluarga. Nasi udah jadi bubur, akhirnya Nicholas atau Duke of Stanfield pun mencari cara untuk membalas dendam ke Eva. Dicarilah kelemahannya dia dan barulah ketahuan kalau si Eva ini ternyata anak dari seorang Courtesan & punya hutang menumpuk. Pastinya udah bisa nebak dong apa yang diinginkan Nicholas. Yup, dia pengen Eva menggantikan Mistressnya, atau kalo Eva gak mau ya murid-muridnya aja yang ngegantiin. Licik ya. Hahaha...
Overall, menurut saya lumayan enggaging ceritanya. Bintang 3,5 cukup lah.
Overall, menurut saya lumayan enggaging ceritanya. Bintang 3,5 cukup lah.
December 1, 2011
The writing for this was good, but the characters were pretty bad. Eva was inconsistent - she didn't want to become like her mother, but kept jumping at the chance to do so. Nicolas was an asshole. I guess he improved, at least toward Eva, but he didn't change his mind towards women as a whole. The character development in this was just rather flawed. Don't get me wrong, I like bad alpha hero who's a jerk, but Ms. Smith just didn't pull it off. If you want a great example of that kind of hero, read the House of Rohan series by Anne Stuart.
I may read the next one, but only if I get through the library and if the characters are better.
I may read the next one, but only if I get through the library and if the characters are better.
August 25, 2011
An interesting premise that had lots of promise, but instead of focusing on character development, quickly turned into a game of secrets. Towards the end, I found all of the unraveling secrets to be much, and I didn't care for hero too much. A common new author mistake, add more plot points and hope the book stays interesting instead of developing well thought out character arcs, but I don't mind so much. At least this book had a different premise than most of the others that I've read.
October 31, 2011
I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't finish it. I was willing to give the hero some time to justify his "owning" perception of former mistress (and why he couldn't just get a new one if any old lady will do): if he ended up justifying it, the justification was well after I gave up on the book. Also, the former courtesans bothered me. While I believe some of them would've been ditzes, not every aristocrat in London would be willing to put up with a dumb lay.
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