The Lady's Secret

The Lady's Secret

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79  ·  rating details  ·  129 ratings  ·  39 reviews

London, 1810

Former actress Georgiana Knight always believed she and her brother were illegitimate—until they learn their parents were married, making them heirs to a great estate. To prove their claim, Georgy needs to find evidence of their union by infiltrating a ton house party as valet to Lord Nathaniel Harland. Though masquerading as a boy is a challenge, it pales in c

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ebook, 272 pages
Published November 7th 2011 by Carina Press
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These Old Shades by Georgette HeyerThe Serpent Prince by Elizabeth HoytHeartless by Mary BaloghThe Famous Heroine by Mary BaloghA Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
Dandy, Metrosexual, Clotheswhore
38th out of 64 books — 39 voters
What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne LongJust Like Heaven by Julia QuinnScandalous Desires by Elizabeth HoytEleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLeanNotorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt
Best Historical Romance 2011
53rd out of 107 books — 65 voters


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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 335)
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Jill

4.5 stars

Debut

Georgiana Knight isn't the successful actress that she had hoped to be. Stage-fright has relegated her to the behind-the-scenes responsibilities of costumes and sets. Georgy and her twin Harry, are part-owners in the Camelot Theatre in London, left to them after the death of their actress mother. Their late father was heir to the title of Earl of Dunsmore. Without proof of their parents' marriage Georgy and Harry are considered illegitimate, and Harry therefore ineligible to claim...more
willaful
4 1/2 stars. You know those romance tropes that make you internally go, “oh God no” whenever you see them in a blurb? Everyone has different ones, of course, but chicks in pants is one of mine. Strangely enough, in the right hands those tropes sometimes make the best books -- Heyer’s The Masqueraders is a long time favorite of mine, and now there’s The Lady’s Secret, which also makes a chick in pants utterly sublime.

Like her actress mother, Georgiana works in a theatre, but is too prone to stage...more
Estara
Dec 12, 2011 Estara rated it 3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Estara by: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-minus-reviews/review-the-ladys-secret-by-joanna-chambers
Shelves: ebook, read-in-2011
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Rosario (http://rosario.blogspot.com/)
Georgiana Knight and her brother Harry grew up in the theatre world. Their father was a nobleman who basically ran away from home to be with their actress mother. They always assumed they were illegitimate, but they have recently discovered that there is a possibility that their parents had got married in secret. That would make Harry the heir to a title and make their lives much easier than the constant work of running a theatre, even a sucessful one.

As the book starts, Harry is spending all of...more
Marlene
The Lady's Secret, by Joanna Chambers is a sexy and suspenseful Regency-era romance slightly reminiscent of that wonderful movie, Victor/Victoria. And just as in the movie, the lady has more than one secret, people see what they expect to see, and the clothes make the man, or woman.

Georgiana Knight and her brother Harry are part-owners of London's Camelot Theatre. But in 1810 London, working in the theatre, even owning one, is not exactly respectable. And that's the story of their lives. Georgy...more
Juli
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Madame X
The first half of THE LADY'S SECRET was perfect. I was almost breathless, reading it, thinking I might have stumbled upon a new all-time favorite. I love these girl-dressing-as-a-boy books and Joanna Chambers pulled off this plot point better than any other example I've read. She draws out the fun of it for exactly the right length, mining the strange intimacy of the lord-valet relationship for its latent eroticism, writing scenes of Georgy bringing Nathan his breakfast tray or administering his...more
Janusz
An astonishing first novel. Ms Chambers takes one of the tinniest historical romance plots around -- the eligible but unattainable aristocrat bachelor and the mysterious ugly-duckling heroine -- and transmutes it into gold.

The conceit of the heroine masquerading as a gentleman's valet is original enough, but what makes this book so different is the quality of the writing, the meticulous attention to detail, the effortless characterisation.

In one of his encyclopaedic studies of human sexuality,...more
Prentice
Mar 01, 2013 Prentice rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance lovers looking for a light read
This is somewhat a hard book for me to rate.

On the one hand, I found it highly enjoyable. The author has a way with words that makes it easy for the reader to lose themselves in the storyline and the characters; I literally found myself reading more than I intended to each time I picked it up. The characters, too, are great companions for the ride and grow on you the more you progress.

However, and on the other hand, it’s not necessarily a novel that I would recommend to all and sundry. It has a...more
Tracy
A Lovely Historical Romance Debut
As a little girl, Georgiana Knight didn't give a thought to whether or not her parents were married. They were her mama and papa and they loved her and her twin brother Harry. They loved each other. Then her father died, and her mother, an actress in London, raised her and her brother in the theatre she loved so much. But her mother died as well, bleeding out in the street after being attacked by a mugger.

Or so the story goes. Georgy and Harry have other suspicio...more
Nath
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
D.G.
I love when an author shows me something new in a genre I know very well.

I have read over 200 historical romance books and I confess I didn't completely understand what being a valet entailed. Well, I learned with this book and let me tell you, I didn't realize it was so much freaking work! Just to put it in perspective, being a valet of a stylish Regency gentleman was like being in charge of wardrobe, makeup and styling of a celebrity who needs to be immaculately dressed twice a day, 7-days a w...more
D
3.5 stars. i bought this book solely based on an AWESOME, detailed description of a valet helping his (but actually her! dun dun DUNNNNNNN!) master one morning. so beautifully and carefully written. it was like detail crack for me. the story was a fun, interesting one, but not flawless. i'm hoping joanna chambers rocks it in the future. (but the male model on the front reminds me of richard grieco in all the wrong ways.)
Joanne
What a fantastic book! It had me hooked from the start; I couldn't put it down and ended up reading into the early hours to finish it. Although the book was hot, it was appropriate to the storyline and not excessive. 'The Lady's Secret' has a brilliant story and excellent, loveable characters. I have added the book to my 'all time favourites' list, and I look forward to more books by Joanna Chambers.

Historical romance at its best!
Janet
A marvelous novel -- 4.5 stars. I reviewed it at Heroes and Heartbreakers. http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...#

Would be five stars except for a teensy bit of difficulty believing in the H/h sojourn at a country estate over Christmas ... perhaps a tiny bit too fairy-tale in its intimacy.

On my top three for the year list at Heroes and Hearts: this is what I said, "The Lady’s Secret (Carina Press) by Joanna Chambers. A sensual and intimate delight of a story. Georgy masquerades as a deft and...more
Artemiz
Jan 26, 2012 Artemiz rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2011, t
I found the book thanks to SBTB podcast. The review they gave was so good, that I just had to find it - and you know what, it was worth it.
It really is lovely book!
Just love the part when the hero discovers the heroins secret and studies her in silents just to see how had she gone so far with it.
The commitment she has to her role, just to help her brother is so endearing.
Give it a try and you'll love it!
Karla
I purchased this e-book on the recommendation of Courtney Milan's blog and I wasn't disappointed. This was a good example of the elements that I require to enjoy a romance; the writing was vivid and clear, the characters were sympathetic and believable and the plot was interesting. The cross-dressing plot was handled very well.

This was a good debut and I anticipate future novels by this author.
Megan
Good, but the most interesting parts weren't the romance; as soon as the couple had sex, I put the book down for a couple weeks, all tension gone. I liked the intimacy created by the heroine's cross-dressing and employment as the hero's valet (and I thought the author did a great job with really delving into the fascinating parts of the premise), I liked the look into life as the non-privileged classes and as servants, I liked the various friends of the hero and of the heroine and what they were...more
sbf20112011
4.5 stars. Very fun read -- I was worried the girl-masquerading-as-boy charade was going to go on for too long, but it didn't. Some angst, the plot kept moving, definitely a great read. I knocked off a star only because I like my angst a little more gut-wrenching. Overall though, I enjoyed this a lot.
Jane Litte
First half, when she was pretending to be a boy, better than the second half, when the two were in each other's pants (literally). I guess the sexual tension is always better than the consummation. Still, in a month where my reading has been abysmal, this was a cut above the rest.
Nicole Luiken
Spent my whole evening reading this one. Excellent historical romance, with an interesting perspective into gender issues as Georgiana takes on the male role of valet.
Tanya
I've been in a book rut lately and this is exactly what I needed. An enjoyable romance with likeable characters that I didn't want to put down.
Katie(babs)
Loved it! One historical romance I recommend everyone read. The heroine dressing as a man, who in turns makes the stuffy hero be knocked down a peg or two makes for great reading.

Some nice love scenes as well.
Jen
Books where ladies dress in disguise as gentlemen crack me up. This one's no different. The first half is especially fun.
Barbara
OK story; troupe of girl dressed as boy. Did like the building of a relationship but the ending was just too neat.
Julia
A rough start (too much "explaining the trope"), but once I got a few chapters in I couldn't put it down. An interesting hero/heroine dynamic, very well done.
Sarah (The Brazen Bookworm)
Full review published here: http://www.brazenbookworm.com/2011/11...

4.5 stars. Really enjoyed this one. I wasn't too sure at first since I'm not a fan of the female-dressed-up-as-a-male trope, but it was well done here. Chambers creates two wonderful characters and gives them ample time and opportunity to fall in love with each other. There were some interesting descriptions of class here, and just a touch of 'Downton Abbey' involved. Overall, a great historical read, and one that I'm fairly cer...more
Annika Martin
This was such a delightful historical! With fun reveals and a wonderful hero. Yum!
Asrina Maharani
4 of 5 stars. I like it when hero and heroine clash like in this book. Witty, but too easy in the ending. Put more stories for the ending, then I'll be glad to give a full 5.

First I thought this book would be a boring one, because it's take several pages to meet the hero. As per romance book I'm counting on the hero first to release a spark to my spirit for continuity reading ;D

Lastly, the rush ending leave so much unanswered question I think need to be answered in (if there is) the next book....more
Joy
A young woman disguises herself as a valet to investigate her and her brother's inheritance. She's sidetracked more than a bit by her handsome employer, once he figures out her disguise, but her plot does manage to get back on track and end satisfactorily. Nicely done. There's a scene I loved where the hero remarks that the heroine is the (physically) strongest woman he knows, and she asks him if he has ever taken a look at the musculature of his cook! I really enjoyed this and look forward to r...more
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The Lady's Secret (Kindle Edition)
Joanna Chambers studied law, became a litigator, married and had two sons before she began writing. She knew she wanted to write since she was eight years old but never seemed to get beyond buying notebooks and sharpening pencils. Fortunately, after about twenty-five years of sharpening pencils, Joanna found her muse when she rediscovered her love of the romance genre.

Joanna lives in Scotland with...more
More about Joanna Chambers...
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