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May 21, 2010

Melissa rated it:

The cover and description did not sound entirely great to me, but I signed up for the "first reads" drawing on here, and won a copy. I gave it a try, but though it was an easy, fast read, I had to shake my head at nearly the whole thing. Here are some things I noted as I read. Do the ends justify the means? Would we want our daughters going off somewhere far away without even asking? Eugenia was quite deceitful in her exit, selfishly longing for adventure with a mere question about More...

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Jun 21, 2010

Bruce rated it:

This is a fun read, especially for those who, like myself, are blessed with a touch of the Walter Mitty syndrome.

Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper is a high-bred debutante of New York City with a secret affinity for dime-store novels—particularly those of her favorite heroine, bounty hunter Mae Winslow, Woman of the West. Spurred on by Mae’s exploits (pun intended), Gennie dreams of having a “Wild West” adventure. Her chance comes when a servant’s sister, destined to become nanny to a precocio More...

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Oct 14, 2009

Jill rated it:

In 1880 America, socialite Eugenia Cooper’s life is all mapped out, including a marriage to rich banker Chandler Dodd. But this lover or western dime novels longs for an adventure of her own. When the opportunity arises, she jumps a train to Denver, Colorado to pose as a governess for ten-year-old Charlotte Beck. What she discovers in Denver, however, can hardly be called a girl. The grubby thing not only wears britches and refuses to bathe, she stole Eugenia’s pocketbook before Eugenia even lef More...

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Sep 02, 2009

Cindy rated it:

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
Kathleen Y'Barbo
2009
WaterBrook Press
Christian Fiction

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

A pampered daughter of a well to do man, Eugenia Cooper loved dime store novels. Despite the fact, that they were not considered proper reading for young lady of her standing. They made her yearn for a Wild West Adventure, similar to the ones Mae Winslow, her favorite heroine is always involved in.

A planned visit to relati More...

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Aug 28, 2009

Kelly rated it:

Every time I read a novel taking place in the untamed Wild West, I am more and more enamored with that time. Kathleen Y'Barbo's book is no exception!

Gennie is a woman who I could totally relate to. Her father has made plans for her life, and as a young respectful woman she is to comply, but her heart longs for adventure just like her favorite heroine Mae Winslow of the dime-novels she loves. Gennie makes the leap to one adventure before she becomes the wife of banker Chandler Dodd. More...

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Aug 03, 2009

faeriemyst rated it:

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper was an enjoyable foray into the adventures of Miss Eugenia "Gennie" Cooper. She was a thoroughly likable character with plenty of spunk and personality. When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was Christian Fiction and more romance than purely historical fiction. The latter doesn't matter much since I like romance, but since I'm neither Christian nor religious in the traditional sense, I hoped it wouldn't be too preachy a book. Luckily fo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 02, 2009

Ruth rated it:

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper gives you two stories for the price of one. No, it isn't one of those volumes which has one story at the front, and another than starts halfway through the book; rather, the two stories in one is a writing technique used by the author, Kathleen Y'Barbo. The heroine of the main story, Eugenia, likes to read what were called "dime novels" at the time this story is set, 1880. Dime novels were cheap, plot-driven stories that utilized the same char More...

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Aug 22, 2009

Debbie rated it:

"The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper" is a humorous, fast-paced Christian romance set in 1880 in America. The romance was a predictable "lust at first sight" storyline, but the Wild West adventure parts added fun and unpredictability.

I generally found the characters engaging, though not very deep. Gennie comes close to being more than just the "rich girl" cliche, at least at the beginning, so I was disappointed when she lost this as the story went on More...

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Jun 29, 2011

Melanie rated it:

I'm going to be reading 'The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck' soon, so I decided to read 'The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper' by Kathleen Y'Barbo first and then I plan to read 'Anna Finch and the Hired Gun' by Kathleen Y'Barbo.

This is the first book that I've read by Kathleen Y'Barbo, but it reminded me of 'A Lady Like Sarah' by Margaret Brownley which I've recently read. Both books have a historical/western theme.

'The Confidential Life of Eugenia More...

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Feb 22, 2011

May rated it:

For me, this book falls into the "Meh" category. One on the one hand, I found the main characters to be entertaining, especially Eugenia whose enthusiasm for adventure is contagious. What I found annoying about the book, however, is how contrived some of the scenes were. For example, I literally cringed during the whole "we have to get married because the town passed a "good morality" clause" bit. The citizens came off as being purely tyrannical and very un-Christia More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Kathleen rated it:

I won this book last month. This book takes place in the "Wild West. This is not your normal Cowboy and Indian book. Eugena Cooper is a New York socialite and a very wealthy one with a true zest for life. She realizes before she gets married that she wants one more exciting adventure in her life. Eugena makes a switch with another woman that is hired to be a governess. I think being in her situation I may have done the same thing. What is life with out some excitement. She had fire in More...

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Apr 27, 2010

Cafelilybookreviews rated it:

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed t More...

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Aug 28, 2009

Nely rated it:

Gennie is one of those characters that are so full of life that you can't help but want to know her in real life. Her story is very entertaining and fast-paced and just brimming with romance and adventure. A mix of everything that I like in a book. I did find that the Mae West excerpts were a bit distracting from the story but in the end it all came together nicely. Although, I did find that at times it was predictable, I couldn't help but wonder where the next chapter would lead. This is catego More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 13, 2009

Angela rated it:

A very entertaining, fast-paced read for those in the mood for fluff. I actually loved the Mae Winslow excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. It was a great way to remind me that this isn't a book to take too seriously. The characters were a little cheesy and predictable, but somehow they still always seemed sincere. The plot was pretty unbelievable most of the time (especially during and after the trip to Leadville), but I think that comes with the romance/adventure territory.

More...

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Nov 08, 2011

Lauren rated it:

I really enjoyed the dual story lines between Eugenia Cooper and her own personal Wild West heroine. The not-quite-perfect life she falls into, becoming a temporary governess for Daniel Beck, a mine owner and his daughter. The story is reminiscent of "Love Comes Softly"and is enhanced by the Biblical values present throughout the book, particularly in Eugenia's rival. This book made me a fan of Kathleen Y'Barbo's work. I would recommend this book to a friend and I just learned (than More...

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Nov 04, 2010

Ginnie rated it:

I decided to read this book because it is about a governess, and I like that type of plot.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I think I will read more of her.

This had a good plot. I am not sure every minor detail was tied up at the conclusion, but otherwise I am satisfied.

Very humorous, paralled with the dime novel plot that the main caracter read at the begining of each chapter.

Eugenia Gennie Cooper is the daughter of a very rich Ne More...

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Oct 14, 2009

Lizzy rated it:

Eugenia Cooper is the daughter of a wealthy New York City socialite, and as such she is expected to do her part and marry the man of her family's choosing. This means banker Chandler Dodd, who by all accounts isn't bad, just a bit boring. She secretly dreams of a Wild West adventure, like the ones she reads about in her favorite series of dime novels, titled Mae Winslow, Woman of the West. When she gets the chance to secretly take over the post of governess for a wealthy silver baron's daughter More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 25, 2009

Clockstein rated it:

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo is the most fun I've had reading a romance novel in a long time! Eugenia "Gennie" Cooper wants just a little adventure in her life before getting married to her father's choice, so when the opportunity for a trip to Denver posing as a governess arrives, she can't help but take it. Working in the Beck household is a little more adventure than she had bargained for however. Charlotte, her ten year old charge, has been allowed to More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Caroline rated it:

This was a cute, quick fluffy book. The romance was adorable and slightly precocious. Many mentions of God throughout the novel, not my cup of tea but did not detract from the book as a whole. If you enjoy sweet, quick romance novels sans explicit sex scenes this is a great choice.

I won this book through Goodreads; I would not have bought it on my own but would have read it at the recommendation of a friend or through the library/paperbackswap.

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Jan 16, 2010

Wrighty rated it:

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to More...

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May 31, 2010

Michelle rated it:

What a fun read. Eugenia Cooper, a fan of the heroine "Mae Winslow" from her favorite dime store books, seeks out to find a wild west adventure before she is expected to wed a wealthy banker, and gets more than she bargained for.
This is a good romantic novel with nice values and good character development. I had difficulty putting the book down.

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Sep 17, 2009

Becky rated it:

I really enjoyed this cute, romantic novel. It was clean, sweet, and a had a western flare to it that reminded me of Dr. Quinn (a TV series from the 90's), or a romantic John Wayne movie (minus the extra testosterone). Honestly, I found it to be a charming novel that mixed Old New York style and class, with the bits of the 'Wild West' that many sought out. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this quick escape read.

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Aug 30, 2009

Kirstin rated it:

This is a clean but very silly romance novel. I kept checking the library tag to reassure myself that this was indeed intended as an adult novel and not YA. Maybe if you liked Visions of Ransom Lake this one would appeal to you too.

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Jul 08, 2011

Noelle rated it:

I'm not a big traveler and read this book on my first plane ride ever. I was so nervous. This book was perfect for that occasion. From the beginning it engaged me so completely that I forgot where I was. I loved the characterization, humor, and chemistry. By the end of the flight, it had definitely become one of my favorite reads.

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Aug 07, 2009

Beth rated it:

I won this book in the first reads giveaway and really enjoyed it. It was a very fast read as I read it in one day. I just couldn't put it down once I started it. I had to find out what happened to Gennie and if she ended up with Daniel or back in Manhattan with Chandler. I loved the ending! Even though I suspected they might end up together it was a creative ending that kept me guessing as to how it would work out that way. It was a little distracting to have the Mae West excerpts before More...

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Sep 12, 2009

Katie rated it:

I received this book from LibraryThing to do an early review. It took me a while to get into it. Despite the silly cover, it actually was an OK book.

It took over 100 pages for the 2 lovebirds to actually meet, so the first part of the book was slow. Then the middle picked up and it became quite good. But then the ending was a little abrupt, so I wish the author had spent more of her time on the ending than on the beginning.

It was just a light, fluffy, love story.

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Aug 01, 2009

Vickie rated it:

I really enjoyed this book. The heroine is feisty and adventurous but naive enough to get into trouble. There is chemistry between the hero and heroine from the moment they meet in a very unconventional manner. A fun rollick in the Old West

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Jun 25, 2011

F rated it:

I sort of skimmed over the story inside the story but the meat of this book was hilarious and a great, quick read. Recommend for all audiences, "clean" book, and those that like strong, fiesty female leads.

1 comment like

Aug 09, 2009

Marsha rated it:

I'm so excited I won another FirstReads book! I almost quit reading the book on the first page when I read, "Mae made to turn when a shot rang out," but soon realized this cringe-worthy writing was part of a cheesy dime-store novel that runs throughout the other story. Glad I realized that and kept reading. Finished this in a single sitting. Although it was predictable, it was fun and a great way to escape for a few hours. If you like romance and adventure--think Joan Wilder in " More...

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Nov 03, 2011

Tausha rated it:

So fun! Loved this book. It was very simple but full of adventure and romance!

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