Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
52nd out of 72 books
—
26 voters
A Fool Again (Duchess Quartet #1.5)
by
Eloisa James (Goodreads Author)
A Fool Again is the story of Genevieve, who once made a dash to Gretna Greene to marry, but was caught by her father. Now, a few years later, she attends the funeral of her elderly husband (not the man she ran away to marry) and who does she see but The One Who Got Away! Can they make their love work this time around or will Genevieve be A Fool Again?
ebook, 87 pages
Published
April 26th 2011
by HarperCollins e-books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,370)
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this, and I love EJ's writing style, but the heroine came off as ditzy rather than cute. I also actually liked the rival Felton, and I thought he was the hero at first, so that might have skewed my view on him. Tobias was a great hero...with his head up his ass. He never quite understood til it was too late that he'd compromised Genevieve (not just her virtue) but he'd taken away her choice. He did eventually realize it, but I didn't like how no one quite understood what the o...more
I enjoyed this, and I love EJ's writing style, but the heroine came off as ditzy rather than cute. I also actually liked the rival Felton, and I thought he was the hero at first, so that might have skewed my view on him. Tobias was a great hero...with his head up his ass. He never quite understood til it was too late that he'd compromised Genevieve (not just her virtue) but he'd taken away her choice. He did eventually realize it, but I didn't like how no one quite understood what the o...more
3 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
Thank goodness this was a free download and I didn't actually pay for it. I typically enjoy Eloisa James' books, but this one did not do it for me at all. At first I thought it might be due to the fact that it's a short story, but honestly, it was the character of Genevieve. I just didn't like her. The story started out okay, we meet Genevieve who is a young widower. Her one true love got away when her father interrupted their elopement to Gretna Green and then forced her to marry a much older g...more
7 likes · like · see review
A Fool Again is about widow Genevieve who gets a condition in The Will that she's got to marry one of her dead husband business partners or she will be left without any income. Since she is attracted to one of them, it seems like it will not be such a tough task but then her first love re-appears willing to try again. Who will Genevieve choose?
A cute and short historical romance story with a couple of hot and romantic scenes. I like Eloisa James writing style, it's a little bit more modern and e...more
A cute and short historical romance story with a couple of hot and romantic scenes. I like Eloisa James writing style, it's a little bit more modern and e...more
This book should actually be listed as #2.5 of the Duchess Quartet (view spoiler).
It also links The Duchess Quartet with the Essex Sisters, and should probably be read before Much Ado About You.
This novella was okay for a fast read. I'm glad that there was already a history between Genevieve and both Felton and Darby, otherwise, in so short a medium, the story would have been rushed and less believable. As it was, I t...more
It also links The Duchess Quartet with the Essex Sisters, and should probably be read before Much Ado About You.
This novella was okay for a fast read. I'm glad that there was already a history between Genevieve and both Felton and Darby, otherwise, in so short a medium, the story would have been rushed and less believable. As it was, I t...more
I think this was a Kindle freebie — and it was offered for free with good results as I think I'll be buying other books from this author in the future. I really enjoyed the writing and characterization.
What I especially liked about this story was that I wasn't sure at first who the hero was. I thought I knew when I started reading the book, but I was proven wrong the further I read. It reminds me a little of when I first read Judith McNaught's Whitney, My Love —I was sure the hero was the good l...more
What I especially liked about this story was that I wasn't sure at first who the hero was. I thought I knew when I started reading the book, but I was proven wrong the further I read. It reminds me a little of when I first read Judith McNaught's Whitney, My Love —I was sure the hero was the good l...more
This was a free Nook download. I'm not a huge EJ fan. I've read a few of her books and enjoyed them, but not so much I find myself anxious to read more. This novella was sweet and simple. I enjoyed it for the most part, though I did have issues.
Genevieve was ready to marry the man of her dreams after only a few hours, but they were caught on their way to Gretna Green and she was forced to marry an old man instead. He has recently passed away and Genevieve has her cap set on marrying her late hu...more
Genevieve was ready to marry the man of her dreams after only a few hours, but they were caught on their way to Gretna Green and she was forced to marry an old man instead. He has recently passed away and Genevieve has her cap set on marrying her late hu...more
Short fluffy brain candy e-book that I read while sitting in the Central Jury Room, waiting and well, waiting. It's a very light Regency historical romance about Genevieve, who at a young age is separated from her true love. In the ensuing years, she's married off to a wealthy old man who later passes away and will only leave his fortune to her if she marries one of his business associates. Genevieve is intrigued by Felton, the younger of the associates, but can't quite get his attention. In the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a free book for Nook that I grabbed to try Eloisa James’ style.
Lady Genevieve Mulcaster, a widow, is in a precarious position, orchestrated by her deceased husband. Per his will, she is to remain in mourning for two years, and then, if she marries one of his two business partners, she will inherit his estate. Otherwise, the estate will go to the church, with a small amount coming to Genevieve.
Having been forced to marry an elderly man, by her father who caught her running off to Gretna...more
Lady Genevieve Mulcaster, a widow, is in a precarious position, orchestrated by her deceased husband. Per his will, she is to remain in mourning for two years, and then, if she marries one of his two business partners, she will inherit his estate. Otherwise, the estate will go to the church, with a small amount coming to Genevieve.
Having been forced to marry an elderly man, by her father who caught her running off to Gretna...more
1 like · like · see review
Genevieve is sweet but naive. This naivety employed reads as slightly dim-witted making her a hard character to love. She is most endearing and relatable when her passion and free-spirited true self goes unchecked. When Tobias returns the fun really begins. The best reading is when the young lovers are alone and their pent-up passions for each other ignite.
The male characters are strikingly different objects of affection. Felton is dark, dashing and dangerous. Tobias is untamed, overgrown and lu...more
The male characters are strikingly different objects of affection. Felton is dark, dashing and dangerous. Tobias is untamed, overgrown and lu...more
Dec 03, 2011
Lori McD
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
british-lit,
chick-lit,
easy-read,
fun-fluff,
guilty-pleasure,
regency,
romance,
series,
some-steam,
kindle-book,
2011_read,
favorite-author
So... I guess this story takes place long before "Much Ado About You", because Lucius Felton plays a role in it -- as a suitor, no less! I might have to go back to re-read at least the 1st of the Essex sisters book to discover if Tobias and Genevieve are mentioned... I don't remember that they are.
But this delightful story is about Genevieve, Toby (Tobias), and Lucius. In an impetuous moment, childhood friends Genevieve and Toby meet again at a country party and within 3 hours are on their way t...more
But this delightful story is about Genevieve, Toby (Tobias), and Lucius. In an impetuous moment, childhood friends Genevieve and Toby meet again at a country party and within 3 hours are on their way t...more
I've adored everything I've read by Eliosa James so far. She has a way with words, everything she writes, even Facebook posts, are so delightfully descriptive that I feel like I'm there. This is a story of a young lady who impulsively ran off to Gretna Green with an impetious young man, was caught by her father and even though she had been compromised in the carriage on the way, he married her off to a miserly older man and arranged for the young man to leave for India. Once her elderly husband...more
A young girl and a young boy run away to Gretna Green after knowing one another for 3 hours. They are caught by the girl's father and thus ends the elopement.
We go forward some years, the girl is now a widow and she is courting a not very enthusiastic man - she is courting because their marriage would be a good financial move, and he is about the best she can find.
The young boy, now a wealthy and passionate man, returns to London.
From there it gets difficult. There is attraction, there is compet...more
We go forward some years, the girl is now a widow and she is courting a not very enthusiastic man - she is courting because their marriage would be a good financial move, and he is about the best she can find.
The young boy, now a wealthy and passionate man, returns to London.
From there it gets difficult. There is attraction, there is compet...more
Set in a time period long past, when women were considered property and sold to the highest bidder for marriage, A Fool Again is a whimsical novella about a woman who's much older husband dies, leaving a rather controversial will that says she must marry one of his business partners after two years or lose his estate. Genevieve thinks herself in love with Lucius Felton, who pretty much just ignores her.
As her mourning comes to an end, Genevieve's former fiance has come back to England to claim...more
As her mourning comes to an end, Genevieve's former fiance has come back to England to claim...more
I can't believe I'm giving Ms. James a 3 star review, but this wasn't up to her standards. It is a novella that I got from free for my Nook, and it is very obvious that she is a novel writer. Anything less than a few hundred pages isn't enough for her talent to come through.
The story is nice, and actually had some depth to it, but the heroine wasn't fleshed out well enough to like. She seemed more flaky and immature than anything else. Tobias and Felton were also two dimensional although Tobias...more
The story is nice, and actually had some depth to it, but the heroine wasn't fleshed out well enough to like. She seemed more flaky and immature than anything else. Tobias and Felton were also two dimensional although Tobias...more
I just got a Kindle and have been reading anything I can get my hands on from the free kindle store. I had high hopes for this one. It was set in a time period and location that I love and couldn't wait to dive in. However, I was disappointed to see that this was just a trashy novel, which was heavy on the trash, short on the novel. I finished it, trying to give it a chance and paging through the predictable garbage looking for the story, but never really found much of one. Not great unless that...more
1 like · like · see review
I went into this with low expectations - this seemed to have lots of bad reviews so I wasn't expecting much. Yet, even with that I was dissapointed. The main protagonist acted like an immature 16 year old girl, not a 24 year old widow. Her choices seemed to lack reason and she seemed to lose her underwear at a moment's notice. I understand that short stories don't have the opportunity to develop the characters as well as a novel - but romance novels stem from the characters.
I'm giving this three...more
I'm giving this three...more
Not too bad for a freebie from the kindle store. I would call this a short story . I think novellas are supposed to be longer.
Genevieve eloped with Tobias. They consummate the "marriage " in the carriage. Before they can be legally wed, Genevieve 's father intercepts them. He promptly married her off to a miserly old man. When she is widowed, her husband leaves a strange demand in his will, forcing her to choose between two men he has decided she should marry. If she marries someone else, she w...more
Genevieve eloped with Tobias. They consummate the "marriage " in the carriage. Before they can be legally wed, Genevieve 's father intercepts them. He promptly married her off to a miserly old man. When she is widowed, her husband leaves a strange demand in his will, forcing her to choose between two men he has decided she should marry. If she marries someone else, she w...more
This book was a bit of a let down. I love love Eloisa James. Her books are on my instant buy list. I have read pretty much every thing she has ever written. And... this one just wasn't up to snuff.
It wasn't terrible or anything. The characters were enjoyable and the plot was believable. It just felt like the pacing was off or something. Everything happened too fast. Details were not fully fleshed out. And I didn't feel like I had enough time to really get to know the hero at all. *shrugs* I gue...more
It wasn't terrible or anything. The characters were enjoyable and the plot was believable. It just felt like the pacing was off or something. Everything happened too fast. Details were not fully fleshed out. And I didn't feel like I had enough time to really get to know the hero at all. *shrugs* I gue...more
Kobo free download 5/2/11
2.5 stars
This was a sweet short story about a young widow who must marry her husband's business partner in order to get her inheritance. I didn't really understand the attraction between Mr. Felton and Genvieve, it seemed rather contrived and proper. Even Felton's proposal seemed like a business transaction. Things look up for Genvieve when her first love returns from India. I liked Tobias' character and the way he is described makes him seem to be the more attractive ch...more
2.5 stars
This was a sweet short story about a young widow who must marry her husband's business partner in order to get her inheritance. I didn't really understand the attraction between Mr. Felton and Genvieve, it seemed rather contrived and proper. Even Felton's proposal seemed like a business transaction. Things look up for Genvieve when her first love returns from India. I liked Tobias' character and the way he is described makes him seem to be the more attractive ch...more
I definitely like Eloisa James' style of writing, and I've read a few of her novels to date that I've enjoyed, but I'm not sure if I liked "A Fool Again" in retrospect. I found myself having two major qualms with the story that made it a longer read than it should've been (I finished this in about two hours, admittedly, but that's not as quick as I finish novellas if I'm truly into them). I haven't read the series that this particular novella accompanies, but I found Genevieve to be a heroine th...more
Having grabbed this as a freebie for my Kindle I thought this would be a fairly decent quick read. However, as stated by reviewer Susan Robison on 5/2/11, "I was disappointed to see that this was just a trashy novel, which was heavy on the trash, short on the novel. I finished it, trying to give it a chance ...looking for the story, but never really found much of one..... Not great unless this is the type of book you are interested in. This was my first Eloisa James book and I won't be looking f...more
I dithered and dithered over whether to give this story three stars or four. Eloisa James knows how to tell a story. She knows how to make it from beginning to end a story that the reader needs to keep turning the pages to get to the oh so sweet Happily Ever After. It's well written as her books always are, but…
Genevieve. Oh Genevieve. She starts making mistakes by running off with Tobias then doesn't really change much. She marries another much older man once her father catches her. When the hu...more
Genevieve. Oh Genevieve. She starts making mistakes by running off with Tobias then doesn't really change much. She marries another much older man once her father catches her. When the hu...more
Eloisa James originally published A Fool Again as part of an anthology a few years ago, but it is worth the download and reread. Lady Genevieve Mulcaster is not at all upset at the death of her elderly husband…until she finds that his will leaves her virtually penniless unless she remarries. Faced with an uncertain future, the feisty Genevieve is determined to take control of her own destiny by pursuing one of her husband's former partners.
One of the things I like best about James is that her st...more
One of the things I like best about James is that her st...more
2 stars
Eh.
I'm not quite certain what I had expected from this novella. I had previously enjoyed this author's novels, and with that in mind, I wasn't afraid of disliking this book, exactly, nor did I. But it wasn't anything great either.
While I was initially a bit confused about what was going on, the information was revealed along the way which cleared up matters. I found it amusing that Erasmus sounded so much like Ebenezer Scrooge, and Lucius Felton like the Malfoys. I didn't quite understa...more
Eh.
I'm not quite certain what I had expected from this novella. I had previously enjoyed this author's novels, and with that in mind, I wasn't afraid of disliking this book, exactly, nor did I. But it wasn't anything great either.
While I was initially a bit confused about what was going on, the information was revealed along the way which cleared up matters. I found it amusing that Erasmus sounded so much like Ebenezer Scrooge, and Lucius Felton like the Malfoys. I didn't quite understa...more
This novella was a free download on Kindle.
This was an enjoyable short read. I generally don't read historical romances but every now and then I'll throw one in.
Obviously, as a novella, there just can't be a lot of back story, in depth character development, etc. but I thought the author, Eloisa James, did a good job telling a complete story in the allotted time.
If you want a good read that will take about an hour or so, I'd recommend A Fool Again.
This was an enjoyable short read. I generally don't read historical romances but every now and then I'll throw one in.
Obviously, as a novella, there just can't be a lot of back story, in depth character development, etc. but I thought the author, Eloisa James, did a good job telling a complete story in the allotted time.
If you want a good read that will take about an hour or so, I'd recommend A Fool Again.
This is another free Nook download.
I enjoyed parts of this, but I never really understood why the heroine was so in love with her husband's business partner. Therefore I didn't understand the rest of her actions. Especially her stubborn refusal to see the good in the hero.
For a short story (novella length) I thought the romance was well done. I really liked the hero and how quick he was willing to cop to his feelings.
Overall not a bad read.
I enjoyed parts of this, but I never really understood why the heroine was so in love with her husband's business partner. Therefore I didn't understand the rest of her actions. Especially her stubborn refusal to see the good in the hero.
For a short story (novella length) I thought the romance was well done. I really liked the hero and how quick he was willing to cop to his feelings.
Overall not a bad read.
I didn't know it when I down-loaded, but it's another short-story - UGH!!! I really do not like short stories. . . . everything is so rushed and the characters never develop. I shouldn't complain, though, as this was a free nook down-load and I don't think I would have liked the book either way.
The main character was unlikeable. She seemed so silly and I couldn't relate to her. The storyline had potential, but never hit it's mark.
The main character was unlikeable. She seemed so silly and I couldn't relate to her. The storyline had potential, but never hit it's mark.
This was a satisfying read for a novella and I would give it a 3.5 if I could.
The problem for me is that it is not what I read Eloisa James for. I like more of her wonderful plots and characters and this was too short to get that. Maybe once I get to the Duchess Quartet proper in my quest to catch up on the author's backlog, I will appreciate it more.
I am glad I read it, but wanted to wallow more in the Eloisa James-ness of it.
The problem for me is that it is not what I read Eloisa James for. I like more of her wonderful plots and characters and this was too short to get that. Maybe once I get to the Duchess Quartet proper in my quest to catch up on the author's backlog, I will appreciate it more.
I am glad I read it, but wanted to wallow more in the Eloisa James-ness of it.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeat...more
More about Eloisa James...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I very much regret to tell you that our piglet will not be able to attend, as he made good his escape while we were otherwise occupied.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
