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Courtship and Curses (Leland Sisters #3)
by
Marissa Doyle (Goodreads Author)
From the author of Bewitching Season and Betraying Season comes a brand new regency romance with plenty of intrigue--and magic!
Sophie’s entrance into London society isn’t what she thought it would be: Mama isn’t there to guide her. Papa is buried in his work fighting Napoleon. And worst of all, the illness that left her with a limp, unable to dance at the Season's balls, a...more
Sophie’s entrance into London society isn’t what she thought it would be: Mama isn’t there to guide her. Papa is buried in his work fighting Napoleon. And worst of all, the illness that left her with a limp, unable to dance at the Season's balls, a...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
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From the author of Bewitching Season and Betraying Season comes a brand new regency romance with plenty of intrigue--and magic!
Sophie’s entrance into London society isn’t what she thought it would be: Mama isn’t there to guide her. Papa is buried in his work fighting Napoleon. And worst of all, the illness that left her with a limp, unable to dance at the Season's balls, also took away her magic. When the dashing Lord Woodbridge starts showing an interest in Sophie, she wants to believe it's gen...more
Sophie’s entrance into London society isn’t what she thought it would be: Mama isn’t there to guide her. Papa is buried in his work fighting Napoleon. And worst of all, the illness that left her with a limp, unable to dance at the Season's balls, also took away her magic. When the dashing Lord Woodbridge starts showing an interest in Sophie, she wants to believe it's gen...more
Jul 14, 2012
Wandering Librarians
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adventure,
disabilites,
fantasy,
fiction,
friendship,
historical-fiction,
middle-grade,
romance,
series,
ya
It's 1815, and Sophie should be excited about her coming out to London society, but illness has made her walk with a limp, and she knows the only match she'll make for herself is one that's after her money. Finding a husband loses its importance when Sophie realizes someone is using magic to attack the members of the War Cabinet, including her father! It's up to Sophie to figure out who's behind it, all the while trying to keep her own magic a secret.
A delightful romp! I thoroughly enjoyed this....more
A delightful romp! I thoroughly enjoyed this....more
Oct 30, 2012
Tammy Jo
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
historical
Sophie knows loss. Two years ago, she became very ill and lost the ability to walk normally (she now has a very pronounced limp). During that time, she also lost her little sister, her mother, and her magical abilities. Now, two years later, she is finally entering society. Though she expects the stares, the whispers, and the pitying looks, never in her life did she truly think she would find both a best friend and someone who might actually care enough to marry her (without pity). Parthenope be...more
This book is like a cross between Downton Abbey and Harry Potter! In the year 1814 London, Sophie has mixed feelings about her coming-out because polio left her with a limp. Her mother did not survive the illness but taught her some witch magic before she died. Napoleon is trying to overtake Europe and Sophie's beloved papa works in the war office where someone is trying to kill him. Wonderful characters, especially Sophie's accomplice, Parthenope, and her eccentric aunts. History, fantasy, myst...more
A young woman making her debut into London society is afraid to let anyone see that she is crippled. Even more devastating to her than her twisted leg, is the loss of her magic. She sees mockery in everyone who speaks to her, even the dashing young man who can't take his eyes off her. But she finds in herself a magical and mental strength she didn't know she possessed.
I read these out of order, but I don't know that it mattered much. I read this one first, and found it fun to read, with a good g...more
I read these out of order, but I don't know that it mattered much. I read this one first, and found it fun to read, with a good g...more
I honestly wasn't expecting much from this book. I have read Doyle's previous two Leland sister books, and they were OK, but a little disappointing to me. No disappointment with this book though! I loved Sophie, Parthenope, Amelie, and Peregrine. I loved the friendships between Amelie and Sophie and Parthenope and Sophie. I thought the romance between Sophie and Peregrine was perfectly done...sweet and believable and not rushed. It's a lovely, fun book that brought to mind Sorcery and Cecelia, o...more
Pros:
History and witchcraft. Hello.
A crippled female protagonist is always a win in my book.
I LOVE THE NAME PEREGRINE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.
Cons:
The author went overboard trying to use the slang of that era.
Contradicting Pro #2, I've seen the whole "disabled girl survives 19th century European society with the help of magic and a hot suitor" thing plenty of times before.
And lastly–the title. It sounds like one of those 5-dollar trashy paperback novels you see in the grocery store next to the m...more
History and witchcraft. Hello.
A crippled female protagonist is always a win in my book.
I LOVE THE NAME PEREGRINE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.
Cons:
The author went overboard trying to use the slang of that era.
Contradicting Pro #2, I've seen the whole "disabled girl survives 19th century European society with the help of magic and a hot suitor" thing plenty of times before.
And lastly–the title. It sounds like one of those 5-dollar trashy paperback novels you see in the grocery store next to the m...more
Sophie’s entrance into London society isn’t what she thought it would be: Mama isn’t there to guide her. Papa is buried in his work fighting Napoleon. And worst of all, the illness that left her with a limp, unable to dance at the Season's balls, also took away her magic. When the dashing Lord Woodbridge starts showing an interest in Sophie, she wants to believe it's genuine, but she can't be sure he's feeling anything more than pity.
Sophie's problems escalate when someone uses magic to attack P...more
Sophie's problems escalate when someone uses magic to attack P...more
Courtship and Curses takes place during the Regency era. Sophie's papa has something to do with the war office and is very busy trying to fight Napoleon. Sophie herself is making her curtsey to society this season. However, when she was a child she suffered a severe illness that left her with a limp. The same illness also took her mother, her sister, and her magic from her. She is shy about dancing, or even walking in public.
When a handsome young lord begins paying attention to Sophie she hardl...more
When a handsome young lord begins paying attention to Sophie she hardl...more
Last year, I read Marissa Doyle's Bewitching Season and was a bit dubious. My dubiousness started when I saw the cover, with the badly fitted dress from the wrong period (this is 1837, not 1850!) and the funny curls. In short, the cover summed up my problems with the book: it just didn't convince me that the setting was really Victorian England.
But then I saw the cover for Doyle's latest book, Courtship and Curses, and look at it! It's not an awkwardly posed photograph; in fact it seems to be a...more
But then I saw the cover for Doyle's latest book, Courtship and Curses, and look at it! It's not an awkwardly posed photograph; in fact it seems to be a...more
Cover Blurb: I like the colors and the classic look of it, but I must admit that I wish it took after Betraying Season more. I like books in a series to follow a pattern, and while Courtship & Curses can technically work as a stand-alone from the other two Leland Sisters books, it still ties in and therefore ought to fit the theme cover-wise.
What I Liked: Sophie is a sensible protagonist; her self-pity is, thank goodness, only annoying sometimes, and she stops pitying herself fairly quickly....more
What I Liked: Sophie is a sensible protagonist; her self-pity is, thank goodness, only annoying sometimes, and she stops pitying herself fairly quickly....more
Apr 03, 2013
KT
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
paranormal,
romance,
2012-reads,
hard-start,
what-was-that,
terrible-finish,
historical-fic
Okay, first, what is with this name? This cover? It sticks out like a sour thumb! I loved both of the twin's stories, the look, the style; totally spot on. But this was a sure fire flop for me.
Reading Marissa Doyle's first two books was great;
Bewitching Season- Woah, that was just... perfect! She has to have another to come out.
Betraying Season- OH MY GOD. THIS WAS MAGNIFICENT! This is the best moment of my childhood right here.
Courtship and Curses- that... what was that?
This was a very pred...more
Reading Marissa Doyle's first two books was great;
Bewitching Season- Woah, that was just... perfect! She has to have another to come out.
Betraying Season- OH MY GOD. THIS WAS MAGNIFICENT! This is the best moment of my childhood right here.
Courtship and Curses- that... what was that?
This was a very pred...more
Sophie is a young witch, forced to figure out why her magic stopped when her mother and sister died. She is left with a shriveled foot and walks with a cane. In 1815, with such an infirmity, it is assumed she can have no place in London society except for someone who will always sit on the sidelines, and can only expect to have second best choice when it comes to eligible men.
Read the rest of my review at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...
Read the rest of my review at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.c...
#3 Courtship and Curses, by Marissa Doyle. This is a prequel to her first two books, and the strongest of the bunch. Still a YA Regency romance with magic, but here the focus is on Sophie, crippled two years prior by polio, and how her physical disability affects not only how the aristocrats of her first London season see her, but how she sees herself. There's a real arc to her character, and the supporting cast is well drawn. Passing it on to my 12-year-old.
With a great combination of intrigue, fun, and romance, Courtship & Curses is a great read. The story grabs your attention and holds it until the last page. Sophie makes for a good heroine, and the mix of historical fiction and fantasy make for a fascinating setting. For lovers of historical fiction and romance, it makes for a wonderful read, and it gets four out of five stars.
I'd recommend this read for the younger YA girls. It is light with a touch of romance. Sophie, a girl with an ability and a disability, finds friendship. She learns her strengths, how to mask some of her weakness, and how to stop feeling sorry for herself. There are some amusing characters to add to the book such as Hester and Aunt Molly. The ending seemed more like a lesson than a happily ever after.
I liked this more than I thought I would! It is set in England during the Napoleonic wars and tells the story of a young witch who is sort of, trying to find her magic, her happiness and save England all at once. It sounds lame but really was pretty good. I've liked everything by Marissa Doyle so far.
Let's face it, the premise to this story was rather ridiculous. Even so, this was an engrossing and entertaining light read. If you're a fan of historical fiction and fantasy I would recommend it. But if you don't like fantasy don't read this book - it requires a bit of stretching of the imagination.
Nov 19, 2012
MaryBliss
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult-fiction,
fantasy-sci-fi
A light, pleasant diversion. The third in the series. Liked the first one. Didn't like the second one's presumptions or attitudes. Like this one. You can read the first and third, skipping the second without any problem as this one stands by itself.
I was disappointed in it being the "end of the trilogy" when none of the characters in this book had anything at all to do with anyone from the first two books, in fact it was almost not in the same "universe" and that was annoying... The story in and of itself was okay enough, but with my expectation being what it was, I can only give it a 3 star....
I adored this book. I love the atmosphere and the main character's romance was so cute. I did know who was trying to assassinate the members of the war office quite a bit before Sophie did, so it was a little frustrating that it seemed to take her so long to figure it out. This book was so good and cute, I'm going to read the other books by this author and hope she writes another in the series.
I liked this better than #2 in the series (Betraying Season). It's only tenuously connected to the first two, which is fine because it felt like a fresh start.
The identity of the villain was overly telegraphed for my tastes (I usually can't figure these things out and don't try, so if it's obvious to me then I end up being irked by the obliviousness of the characters), but that was the only flaw I found in this charming story.
(Some might find the character-building pointed morals heavy-handed,...more
The identity of the villain was overly telegraphed for my tastes (I usually can't figure these things out and don't try, so if it's obvious to me then I end up being irked by the obliviousness of the characters), but that was the only flaw I found in this charming story.
(Some might find the character-building pointed morals heavy-handed,...more
A blend of Regency romance (for the YA set) and paranormal. Nicely done, with a more interesting heroine (she suffers from a limp resulting from an illness - possibly polio?) and a plot reminiscent of Georgette Heyer.
Courtship & Curses is an interesting blend of historical fiction, romance, high society, villains & good guys--and magic. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and think it will have a teen audience.
fluffy and oh so humorous. the plot is absurd, but in a highly enjoyable way! i devoured this title and recommend it as a stand alone without missing anything from the two prior titles.
maybe only a 3.5 but I rounded up because I like the comedy of manners of a Regency romance and this achieves that. somewhat predictable but still clever. satisfying syllabub of a book.
I haven't read the other two, but I liked this enough that I'll go back and read them. It was fun with a wee bit o'swoon.
Very fun, not difficult to read book about life in England. Magic, Politics, and Love combine to make a very good book.
4 1/2 stars. I have really enjoyed this series and I think I've liked this one the most. This book moves away from the Leland Sisters and goes back to 1815. I couldn't for the life of me figure out exactly hoe Lady Sophie, our main character, fit into the Leland sisters lives. Their father has a bit part, but I couldn't remember enough about the other books to completely understand. I really liked the romance in this one. Sophie's physical limitations and her journey to acceptance of them and he...more
A great novel for young adults. It has a good plot, some romance and to top it all off, magic!
Although I liked the story I must say that my favorite part book was the Author's Note at the very end which explained a bit about the historical aspects of the book. Very neat!
Although I liked the story I must say that my favorite part book was the Author's Note at the very end which explained a bit about the historical aspects of the book. Very neat!
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I was born and raised in a family of readers (big surprise there) not far from the ocean. Okay, in Massachusetts it’s hard to not be far from the ocean. But on or near the water is where I’m happiest. It took me a long time as a toddler to figure out that I couldn’t breathe water as well as I do air. I did, mostly, and still live in Massachusetts, still spend a lot of time in and on the waters of...more
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Aug 09, 2012 05:06pm