99th out of 261 books
—
326 voters
A Courtesan's Scandal (The Scandalous Series #3)
by
Julia London (Goodreads Author)
Kate Bergeron is the beautiful and mysterious former mistress of a cloth merchant...and the latest beauty to capture the interest of the Prince of Wales. Mired in a disastrous divorce, the Prince attempts to distract attention from his next amorous pursuit by ordering Grayson Christopher, the eligible Duke of Darlington, to pretend to London society that he is having an af...more
Paperback, 371 pages
Published
October 20th 2009
by Pocket Books
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Redonk Nutshell: Attraction ignites between two pawns in the Prince's game to have a forbidden beautiful courtesan to himself
A Courtesan's Scandal by Julia London is the tale set during London's period of drama between Princess Caroline and and crown Prince. The Prince has his eye set on stunning courtesan Kate Bergeron, but he can't touch her so long as the authorities in England are investigating into alleged "treasonous" adultery between the prince and princess. The prince enlists the help of...more
A Courtesan's Scandal by Julia London is the tale set during London's period of drama between Princess Caroline and and crown Prince. The Prince has his eye set on stunning courtesan Kate Bergeron, but he can't touch her so long as the authorities in England are investigating into alleged "treasonous" adultery between the prince and princess. The prince enlists the help of...more
Nov 12, 2009
Haley Mathiot
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
ages 16+ (18 if you don't like sexual content)
A Courtesan’s Scandal by Julia London
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Summary: Kate is a courtesan who only lives the way she does to keep herself from being tossed into the streets. She is “sold” to the Prince of Whales, but as the price is married, he cannot afford a scandal. While the prince divorces his wife, he instructs the Duke of Darlington to be seen in public with Kate so that nobody suspects him. But Kate and Grayson, the Duke, aren’t expecting to fall in love.
Thoughts: I have m...more
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Summary: Kate is a courtesan who only lives the way she does to keep herself from being tossed into the streets. She is “sold” to the Prince of Whales, but as the price is married, he cannot afford a scandal. While the prince divorces his wife, he instructs the Duke of Darlington to be seen in public with Kate so that nobody suspects him. But Kate and Grayson, the Duke, aren’t expecting to fall in love.
Thoughts: I have m...more
A Courtesan's Scandal is a fun, lighthearted romance with almost old fashioned leading characters.
Julia London sets up the conflict beautifully. While the attraction between Kate Bergerson and Grayson Christopher, the Duke of Darlington, is clear from the start, they come into the situation with their own prejudices. It's these prejudices that slow down the romance and make the book enjoyable. We gradually learn that Kate Bergenson has come from the lowest possible background and has a horrible...more
Julia London sets up the conflict beautifully. While the attraction between Kate Bergerson and Grayson Christopher, the Duke of Darlington, is clear from the start, they come into the situation with their own prejudices. It's these prejudices that slow down the romance and make the book enjoyable. We gradually learn that Kate Bergenson has come from the lowest possible background and has a horrible...more
I really enjoyed this story of Kate Bergeron, a courtesan and Grayson Christopher, the Duke of Darlington.
I haven't read stories centered around Courtesans before so this was a learning experience for me. I have been away from historical romance for awhile, but with books like this one coming out I will definitely be reading more in the future.
This book centers around Grayson and Kate having to act as if they are involved so the Prince of Wales who actually bought Kate as his courtesan, isn't su...more
I haven't read stories centered around Courtesans before so this was a learning experience for me. I have been away from historical romance for awhile, but with books like this one coming out I will definitely be reading more in the future.
This book centers around Grayson and Kate having to act as if they are involved so the Prince of Wales who actually bought Kate as his courtesan, isn't su...more
This book is my favorite so far this year. I almost stopped reading it in the beginning due to the way the hero was described but I pushed through and was very happy that I did. The storyline was so engrossing I couldn’t put the book down. You should have heard me talking to the characters like they could hear me, lol. I was so surprised in the beginning that the stuffy proper duke was having an adulterous affair with one of his peer’s wife. He was definitely NOT a one dimensional character and...more
This is the second book that I've read by Julia London. Earlier this year, I read Summer of Two Wishes and loved it! You can read that review here!
A Courtesan's Scandal is about the life of Kate Bergeron and Grayson Christopher, Duke of Darlington. Kate is a courtesan who is well cared for and highly desired by the Prince. The Prince can't have her until his divorce is final or risk the scandal that will incur when the Princess makes her demands. Instead of risking that scandal, the Prince asks...more
A Courtesan's Scandal is about the life of Kate Bergeron and Grayson Christopher, Duke of Darlington. Kate is a courtesan who is well cared for and highly desired by the Prince. The Prince can't have her until his divorce is final or risk the scandal that will incur when the Princess makes her demands. Instead of risking that scandal, the Prince asks...more
I have hardly read much of courtesan-lord/duke pairings, so of course I was excited to start reading. It was entertaining to read. But I couldn't find my self liking the characters much. I mean after 85% of the book if the Duke still proposes the courtesan to be his mistress after finding out she is pregnant with his child, that certainly is a love-killer for me. I felt like throttling him. I was prepared to hear that conversation at the beginning of the book, not the end. Plus he kept his liais...more
I loved that Kate was doing the best she could with the life she was born into. Kate is beautiful and understands that this is an asset she can use to keep herself off the streets. There are always going to be people who look down on you or think they are better. Kate didn't waste her time or energy on trying to change people. Julia London allows her characters to have the same character defects that we all have...very human.
I love that Kate was willing to do whatever it took to keep a roof over...more
I love that Kate was willing to do whatever it took to keep a roof over...more
Kate, although a courtesan, is not for sale. She is beautiful, strong-willed and has a sharp tongue. And, although she must play the part of actually liking Grayson in public, she has no qualms about her true feelings in private. Grayson, or Christie (as he is called), is the dark and brooding Duke. He’s such a stickler to what is expected of him and propriety. Not to mention he is also highly influenced by his family. An affair with a courtesan might be something that can be overlooked but to a...more
It took me a while to remember that this was part of a series centered around the "Delicate Situation" or maybe "Delicate Investigation," when the authorities in England were investigating the possibility of treason (adultery) committed by the Crown Princess Caroline. She & the crown prince hated each other, and the prince liked the ladies.
In this story, the prince has picked out a new mistress. Problem is, he can't start his liaison, because of the Investigation. He's in trouble with Dad f...more
In this story, the prince has picked out a new mistress. Problem is, he can't start his liaison, because of the Investigation. He's in trouble with Dad f...more
I took my time writing this review, I got the book the day of its release and read it the same day and night. Ms London was one of my favorite Historical Romance authors, but lately something has been off. This story didn't make 5 stars for me because I don't want to read about ABUSE to FEMALE in a Romance Story. I read Romance Stories for the FANTASY and to ESCAPE FROM THE REAL WORLD WE LIVE IN. With that said I really liked the idea of the book and Ms London is a excellent story teller, their...more
seandainya ini bukan novel historical romance, ceritanya pasti akan terasa lebih pahit dan terlarang. tapi karena novel ini sekedar harlequin-historical romance, maka semuanya harus serba mudah dan happy ending.
Saya lumayan menikmati novel ini. Jarang-jarang ada novel genre ini yang tokohnya merupakan seorang pelacur-gundik. Biasanya kan selalu mengagung-agungkan keperawanan.
sayang sekali, terjemahan yang benar2 buruk membuat saya berkali-kali harus menyesalinya. Padahal seri scandalous Julia Lo...more
Saya lumayan menikmati novel ini. Jarang-jarang ada novel genre ini yang tokohnya merupakan seorang pelacur-gundik. Biasanya kan selalu mengagung-agungkan keperawanan.
sayang sekali, terjemahan yang benar2 buruk membuat saya berkali-kali harus menyesalinya. Padahal seri scandalous Julia Lo...more
great book. totally predictable, but i really loved the story. the heroine kate was a courtesan out of necessity. she didn't really choose that path. the duke and kate meet and have to pretend that she is his mistress because of some prince of wales scandal. well, of course, the more time they spend together the more they like each other. ultimately, the duke has to choose between duty to his family and their good name and his own happiness with kate, whom he falls in love with. finally he decid...more
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Kate Bergeron is the beautiful and mysterious former mistress of a cloth merchant...and the latest beauty to capture the interest of the Prince of Wales. Mired in a disastrous divorce, the Prince attempts to distract attention from his next amorous pursuit by ordering Grayson Christopher, the eligible Duke of Darlington, to pretend to London society that he is having an affair with Kate. When Grayson reluctantly agrees to his Prince's demand, he finds the lady no more willing than he is. Kate wi...more
The first time I picked up a Julia London book, was in a grocery store. I had never really read historical romance before. My mother likes the (older) Harlequin romances and that is it, that is what I came to know, but not exactly, well, like. At all. I didn't expect much out of it being a romance, but when I started reading it, I became hooked. Specifically on her historical romances. I may sometimes take my time getting to them on my reading list, but when I do, I devour them, I love her books...more
What I liked most about A Courtesan's Scandal was the heroine, Kate. I've read a few historicals with courtesans cast as the protagonist, however, London managed to make Kate refreshing. I liked that she was optimistic and sweet instead of jaded. On the other hand, my feelings for Grayson are lukewarm. It's not that I don't like him, I'm just indifferent. The story was a good one and it has convinced me to try the previous books in this series, including:
Highland Scandal
,
The Book of Scandal
...more
I liked this one.
London does an excellent job setting up the conflict between Grace and Grayson, and I kept reading because I was quite curious as to how the author will resolve the seemingly insurmountable difficulties. To be honest, I was disappointed with the ending. I felt that it was contrived and unrealistic. I also felt that at many times the characters acted selfishly and irrationally. I thought that the resolution to the conflict was almost too easy and I almost wished that it have bee...more
London does an excellent job setting up the conflict between Grace and Grayson, and I kept reading because I was quite curious as to how the author will resolve the seemingly insurmountable difficulties. To be honest, I was disappointed with the ending. I felt that it was contrived and unrealistic. I also felt that at many times the characters acted selfishly and irrationally. I thought that the resolution to the conflict was almost too easy and I almost wished that it have bee...more
I had read so many teasers on this book that I had to buy it. I'm glad I did. I loved it! Yes, it's a romance, but beyond that it's a well written book. The lead characters have morals. I can picture the settings vividly, but the author did not get caught up on the visuals. The one thing that really stood out was the characters humanity. I'm sick of the male lead in books being mean and the female too pushy. This book defied those stereotypes. Thank you for a beautiful read!
i think this is one of the worst Regency/Georgian romances I have ever read. I can go on non-stop about why no one (who likes to read historical fiction) should read this book but i just can not bring myself to waste a single more minute for this silly book that is totally out of place for Georgian or Regency era in United Kingdom. All I can say is that this book a mixture of high school romantic drama with immature infatuation and self pity.
There have been several courtesan falling in love books out lately but Julia London's is one of the best. At first, I didn't think I would enjoy a main character that was a courtesan but previous experience has taught that sometimes these books turn out rather well.
I'm glad I read this one. It is deeply moving and defenitely breaks the stereotypes of a regency.
I'm glad I read this one. It is deeply moving and defenitely breaks the stereotypes of a regency.
I enjoyed this book, but the lack of realism bothered me. I know, I know, romance isn't about gritty realism, but when both characters spend the whole book talking, quite reasonably, about how impossible it is for them to be together, the usual ending seems forced. That said, it was nice to read about a courtesan who wasn't from the gentry.
Wow, while reading this book I didn't realize how long it has been since I have read a regency era romance. I enjoyed this book, it was beautifully written, elegantly written, I could even say. But....I felt like it was missing something. The plot was strong and pretty engaging but I think there was something missing between the Duke and Kate, I understand their circumstances and such but when they were together I wasn't drawn, gripped, into the story as I felt I should have been. The society ru...more
what a bad translation, baca ini seakan baca buku 17++ ( sbnernya uda cukup sih umurnya ) tapi bahasanya itu loh agak gimana ini, kurang sopan untuk sebuah novel. untuk ketutup sama cerita yg lumayan romantis dengan heroine yg suka buat cake dan hero yg kalo dibayangin sih guanteng . 3 bintang cukup sepertinya.
This is the first book I read written by Julia London and I loved it. Grayson Christopher Duke of Darlington and Kate Bergeron were believable and the book had just the right amount of sweetness!
I enjoyed the little side line that Julia liked to bake and dreamed of owning her own bake shop someday!
Dreams really can come true!!!!!
I enjoyed the little side line that Julia liked to bake and dreamed of owning her own bake shop someday!
Dreams really can come true!!!!!
Despite a protracted ending, this was a wonderful book filled with sex, rumor, gossip and scandal. Fun to read. I totally got lost in the story. A bit of a spoiler: I was upset that Kate did not take the offer that Darlington gave her towards the en d of the book although it was the most logical especially how often she preached that she didn't have much opportunities but to be a courtesan.
Loved it! I felt like a really connected with Kate (aside from being a courtesan!) and her personality. This was different than the typical boring love story I've read so much. There's all sorts of love triangles and drama and fear that I couldn't put it down. Bonus: the name Grayson really stuck with me, ill remember that one.
WOW - This book had a way different story line than they usually do!! This one does really have a "fallen women" in the middle of the story. I felt the characters were more realistic than usual. I found I did not read this with the same intensity I normally do..... I think this really should be 3.5.....
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Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than a dozen romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Desperate Debutantes and Scandalous historical romance series, as well as several contemporary romances, including Summer of Two Wishes and One Season of Sunshine.
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four ti...more
More about Julia London...
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four ti...more
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