Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
74th out of 95 books
—
77 voters
The French Maid
by
Sabrina Jeffries (Goodreads Author)
Lady EleanorLangston has a problem: her husband Henry, prime-minister-in-the-making, is too caught up in his work to notice her. Despite her involvement in his various public appearances, she feels shut out of his life, especially with their one-year anniversary looming. When Henry hires a highly recommended French lady’s maid without consulting her, Eleanor’s anger can't...more
ebook, 30 pages
Published
October 25th 2011
by Pocket Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,095)
![.þµŋψà. [Punya Reviews...]](http://d.gr-assets.com/users/1363347489p2/3840999.jpg)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was, in essence, an entire romance novel crammed into very few pages. While the idea of the married couple who are in the duty lock step being revitalized into True Love by some sort of outside catalyst isn't the most popular, it has been done before. Especially for historical romances set in (where else?) Britain. There's nothing wrong with it. But...
What I Didn't Like: Because there was so much attempted plot crammed into so few words, it fell short. Things happened in very quick secessio...more
What I Didn't Like: Because there was so much attempted plot crammed into so few words, it fell short. Things happened in very quick secessio...more
I loaded my Kindle with nine e-Books from the Amazon Kindle Store Free Best Sellers list, on November 20, 2011.
All of my selections fit my goal to read widely, and critique a variety of author's creative writing. Some write creatively, but miss the mark on character development or setting.
"The French Maid" truly is a short story. I read it immediately in a couple of hours.
I gave it only a three-star rating, because the time period and location of the setting were not clear until late in the sto...more
All of my selections fit my goal to read widely, and critique a variety of author's creative writing. Some write creatively, but miss the mark on character development or setting.
"The French Maid" truly is a short story. I read it immediately in a couple of hours.
I gave it only a three-star rating, because the time period and location of the setting were not clear until late in the sto...more
My one complaint with this was I wish it was longer and we could have seen a bit more about Babette. I'm fairly certain she's not connected to any of Jeffries other books (at least I don't remember her?) and her rather magical ability to see to the heart of the matter (plus her impudence!) had me giggling.
As far as stories go this one was pretty cut and dry--wife wants husband to love her, husband is scared of giving her more than he thinks he can afford, almost missed opportunity--this isn't a...more
As far as stories go this one was pretty cut and dry--wife wants husband to love her, husband is scared of giving her more than he thinks he can afford, almost missed opportunity--this isn't a...more
This is a short story about a married couple with a proper English marriage. Eleanor wants more from her husband, but doesn't want to ask for it for fear of being turned away. He occasionally wants more from their marriage as well, but his concerns for his work in parliament always overcome his desire to get to know his wife.
Until he hires her a new French ladies maid. Babette makes Eleanor realize both she and Henry have been lazy about their marriage...but putting her heart out there is harder...more
Until he hires her a new French ladies maid. Babette makes Eleanor realize both she and Henry have been lazy about their marriage...but putting her heart out there is harder...more
This is a very short novella about a married couple at the cusp of their one year wedding anniversary who each receive a little push from an unusual French maid to work harder at making their marriage a happier, more mutually satisfying relationship. It was short and sweet, but I was disappointed that the woman needed to make herself more beautiful and seductive in order to get her husband to notice her. There were other positive messages in the story, however, to still send valuable messages ab...more
Nov 19, 2011
Tai the Lioness
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who need a 5 minute rom story
4 stars: It was nothing but a little romance parable and If you think of it like that its well written, however, if you are expecting the next Ulysses you might as well keep going :p
Remember when you were a kid and every story had life lesson applied to it. Well this is the same only for romance reading adults. It was very cute and had a resounding message to it: "Don't take companionship and love for granted. It is and always will be a blessing. Bridge the gap, drop your pride, and go for love....more
Remember when you were a kid and every story had life lesson applied to it. Well this is the same only for romance reading adults. It was very cute and had a resounding message to it: "Don't take companionship and love for granted. It is and always will be a blessing. Bridge the gap, drop your pride, and go for love....more
I only read this because it's Sabrina Jeffries, and I love her. It's not a very interesting premise to me, why marry someone for anything other than love? I know it happened all the time, especially during this time period, but I still don't like it. We didn't really get to know the characters to well, which is difficult in a short story format, but for what we got I think it was pretty good. Cute and adorable and just a quick bite for when I'm craving something by Jeffries, which is pretty ofte...more
The French Maid turned out to be a delightful short read that I am glad I decided to download. Babette, the French maid, is hired by Henry and instantly sets out to fix Eleanor up to win her husband over. Poor Eleanor has felt neglected the year of her marriage but has never had the courage to do too anything about it, while Henry has meant to interact with her more but makes more excuses than actual time to do so.
We don't really know exactly what Babette does to Eleanor but she is, what seems m...more
We don't really know exactly what Babette does to Eleanor but she is, what seems m...more
I downloaded this book onto my iphone because it was free. I had never ever read anything by Sabrina Jeffries before this one.
I found myself getting into this story. A dowdy wife to the future Prime Minister is living in financial splendor but her husband doesn't even notice her until a French Maid comes into their lives.
The story is interesting and the characters in the story are interesting but the book is only 30 pages long. YES! As soon as I got into the story, it was over. Just like that!...more
I found myself getting into this story. A dowdy wife to the future Prime Minister is living in financial splendor but her husband doesn't even notice her until a French Maid comes into their lives.
The story is interesting and the characters in the story are interesting but the book is only 30 pages long. YES! As soon as I got into the story, it was over. Just like that!...more
This is a very short story about a young married couple. The husband has high aspirations to further his career. Eleanor is a lonely wife whose husband only spends minimal hours with her. Through a friend of a friend Henry hires a french maid who was highly recommended.
Babbette the maid is funny. She was a great character and I wish that Jeffries would have spent more time with the character. I would have liked to learned more about her.
In the short amount of time that Jeffries had, with the l...more
Babbette the maid is funny. She was a great character and I wish that Jeffries would have spent more time with the character. I would have liked to learned more about her.
In the short amount of time that Jeffries had, with the l...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was a quick, fun read. It was free for kindle and while, given the circumstances, I'd usually be happy with how contained it was, I felt like so many elements would have been better utilized in a larger story, like this should have been a free story to get the reader into a series. I'm disappointed that that doesn't seem to be the case, but it was a great read for the price, so I can't complain.
This is a charming short story picked up for free in the kindle store.
I liked all three characters and would have liked to have spent more time with them in a longer story. I especially liked Henry's realization that this situation could lead to actual emotional intimacy with his wife and French maid/fairy godmother/marriage counselor Babette's assertion that Eleanor and Henry were both being lazy.
I liked all three characters and would have liked to have spent more time with them in a longer story. I especially liked Henry's realization that this situation could lead to actual emotional intimacy with his wife and French maid/fairy godmother/marriage counselor Babette's assertion that Eleanor and Henry were both being lazy.
(March) Meh, very nothing. I realize it's a tiny short story - more like a single chapter of a book, but the idea that one gown and one nightie makes everything better...something about this story just didn't sit right with me. Would have liked Henry to love his wife because she was his wife and lovable, not because of how she looked or what she wore. Glad it was a freebie.
A lovely short novella. Really enjoyed reading it although must say that I wish it was a bit longer. Even though I enjoyed it I'm only giving it three stars because I thought that it could have been more indepth about the maid. Babette sort of reminded me of Nanny Mcphee but instead of helping the children behave it was helping married couples to fall in love.
eBook. Short story. Quick read. A French maid appears on the eve of Eleanor & Henry's 1st anniversary to prod Eleanor into putting effort into her appearance & speaking her mind to Henry. Babette also tell Henry that he's lazy b/c he doesn't put effort into knowing his wife. W/her assistance, the couple is shocked into appreciating each other.
For being such a quick read (I read it in 30 mins) I was able to feel for the main character. The French Maid just gave a little push and things were on the road to recovery in their household. I wish the book was longer. There were so many ways that Sabrina Jeffries could have developed the story. I enjoyed the book but it ended too soon.
Ms.Jeffries is a writer that keeps my interest throughout the book and gives me that feeling to read her next book. I have not been disappointed
Once again Sabrina Jeffries has presented another dazzling and intriguing story
I liked the characters..I loved everything about this book and it was hard for me to put it down
Once again Sabrina Jeffries has presented another dazzling and intriguing story
I liked the characters..I loved everything about this book and it was hard for me to put it down
Thoroughly disappointed. Yeah, I get that Ms. Jeffries had to write a romance in 20 pages (the last 10 are simply a sneak preview of her next book), but.. seriously? Eleanor's husband is married to his work - to the point of ignoring her except for his weekly visits to her bedroom to perform his husbandly duty, and the occasional meal. Meanwhile, she dotes on him but has given up on ever being loved by him, or even paid attention to. A new French maid shows up, and with a new day dress and a new...more
I absolutely love this book. And I'm not really sure why.
I think I like it because it was well written, and I am a person who loves to see a male character wake up with a good telling off, and finally sees what he has.
I have read this 4 times so far. I love going back to it for a good simple romance.
I think I like it because it was well written, and I am a person who loves to see a male character wake up with a good telling off, and finally sees what he has.
I have read this 4 times so far. I love going back to it for a good simple romance.
This was tacked onto the end of one of Sabrina's other audiobooks (Wed Him Before You Bed Him ) and read by the author. It was a short and sweet story.
this was not novella length, more like a short story, and i found it somewhat unbelievable. if a lady's maid spoke to her employer like this one did back in regency times, she would have been kicked out of the house into unemployment in very short order. oh, well--it was just a story--free at that.
This was a super cute story on how from the most unexpected sources you can learn to open up and see what is right in front of you with new eyes. We all need a Babette once in a while, and they don't always come in the form of a French Ladies Maid.
A very short e-book. I liked the character Babette , a kind of nanny McPhee for the aristocrats.
The main characters were sweet and clueless and with the aid of Babette , able to realize they loved each other at the last possible moment.
The main characters were sweet and clueless and with the aid of Babette , able to realize they loved each other at the last possible moment.
Short by very engaging and delightfully Sabrina. An up and coming Parliament member hires a french maid for his wife. He doesn't know it but their marriage is trouble, and she is the key to opening his heart and keeping the one he loves.
Short and sweet, but I think I would've liked it drawn out just a teeeeeensy bit more. The angst was delightful, but the maid worked her magic a wee bit too quickly for my tastes.
Still, quite good for a free read.
3/5
Still, quite good for a free read.
3/5
Well, first of all, I read this because it was short and I needed a quick read for the end of the year. The other thing is, I think I already read this. Ok, maybe I haven't, but it sounded so familiar that it didn't seem new.
I enjoyed this short story. I got a Nook for Christmas and have tried it out on several free books, including this one. It's just the right length to read at bedtime--leaving you with a feeling of satisfaction.
I think that this could have been a bit more fleshed out, even if she still preferred to keep this as a short story. I don't feel like I was able to really understand the couple enough to find their HEA believable.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
If having a colorful life turns you into a novelist, then I had no choice but to become a writer. My whole life changed when my parents moved us to Thailand when I was seven. Before I was eighteen, I'd eaten chicken heads and jellyfish, been chased by a baby elephant, seen countless cobras and pythons, had the entire series of rabies shots (yes, the ones in the stomach with those lo-o-o-ng needles...more
More about Sabrina Jeffries...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“He comes, so I must go. But be bold. He is your husband, no? The worst he can do is wound your pride," she pointed to Eleanor's chest. " he cannot hurt your heart unless you let him”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Nov 27, 2011 04:43pm
updated Nov 28, 2011 12:37pm