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To Catch an Heiress (Agents of the Crown #1)
by
Julia Quinn (Goodreads Author)
Caroline Trent is fed up with her greedy guardian, Oliver Prewitt, and his nitwit son, Percy. With only six weeks to go until she can claim her inheritance and rid herself of them, Percy attempts to forcibly seduce her. Fortunately, Caroline has a pistol at hand and she uses it--wounding the annoying man just enough to allow her to escape. Fuming, she flees the dark manor...more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published July 1st 1998)
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Sep 03, 2010
Linds
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1800-s,
crime,
england,
historical-romance,
read-in-2010,
regency,
romance,
war,
spy-assassin
Okay, this book is hilarious.
The draw to this book is the humor and not the romance. I realize this could be considered a major drawback for a romance novel but I had a great time reading it and was thoroughly entertained.
Caroline is an orphan set to inherit a large shipping fortune on her 21st birthday. She has been shipped to various guardians that have also died. Her latest one takes the cake in terms of cruelty and they hate each other. After an unsuccessful attempt to force his son on her...more
The draw to this book is the humor and not the romance. I realize this could be considered a major drawback for a romance novel but I had a great time reading it and was thoroughly entertained.
Caroline is an orphan set to inherit a large shipping fortune on her 21st birthday. She has been shipped to various guardians that have also died. Her latest one takes the cake in terms of cruelty and they hate each other. After an unsuccessful attempt to force his son on her...more
two disappointed, exhausted kitties
pule (verb). 1. To cry in a thin or weak voice, as a child. 2. To pipe plaintively, as a chicken.
This book have a lot of moments that made me want to pule.
-From the personal dictionary of
Where should I start? The first issue I noticed was the writing. Something went wrong with JQ's writing in this book. I never felt this way before with another books by her. It failed to enhance the characters, the dialogues was somehow dull, I didn't f...more
11 likes · like · see review
Jul 12, 2009
Rane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
regency-romance-napoleonic-era
Julia Quinn works never fail to cheer me up when am down or make me laugh out loud at some of the stunts her characters do and To Catch an Heiress was no exception!
While many people would have become shy, hurt or bitter with a hard life of pain and lack of love, Caroline is a positive and very funny lady trying to make it to her twenty-first birthday in one piece and unmarried to her weak willed and vile cousin and to run away from her evil and greedy guardian. So when the chance is show Carol...more
While many people would have become shy, hurt or bitter with a hard life of pain and lack of love, Caroline is a positive and very funny lady trying to make it to her twenty-first birthday in one piece and unmarried to her weak willed and vile cousin and to run away from her evil and greedy guardian. So when the chance is show Carol...more
9 likes · like · see review
Aug 05, 2010
Lady Valee
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance
I have read almost all the books written by Julia Quinn and let me say that it's not easy to rate her as an author. I have read some terrific books like the ones from the Bridgertons series, others almost as good as books 1 and 3 in the Bevelstoke series, and some which I almost didn't enjoy at all like the ones in the Two Dukes of Wyndham series.
I liked this one as much as I did her splendid trilogy, which would situate both of them right after the Bevelstoke series which was a bit better.
To ca...more
I liked this one as much as I did her splendid trilogy, which would situate both of them right after the Bevelstoke series which was a bit better.
To ca...more
5 likes · like · see review
It's been a while since I've read a Julia Quinn book, and since she is one of my favorite authors I thought it was high time I pulled one off my shelf to read. And it helps that this book fit one of the challenges I'm participating in!
This book was written in classic Julia Quinn style; It was witty and romantically sweet and a pure joy to read! It also has one of my favorite themes- kidnapping! The hero was brooding and serious (Richard Armitage aka Mr. Thornton anyone?) and the heroine was prov...more
This book was written in classic Julia Quinn style; It was witty and romantically sweet and a pure joy to read! It also has one of my favorite themes- kidnapping! The hero was brooding and serious (Richard Armitage aka Mr. Thornton anyone?) and the heroine was prov...more
5 likes · like · see review
Feb 25, 2013
Jessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
e-book,
historical-romance
Caroline Trent bakal diperkosa sama Percy, anak guardianny, Oliver. supaya ga di rape, Caroline nembak si Percy pake pistol dan kabur dari rumah itu scepatnya. knapa Caroline mau di rape? itu karena Oliver ngejer hartanya Caroline. udah keluar, Caroline malah ketangkep sama Blake Ravenscroft, agent of the crown from War Office. Blake ini pengen nangkep a traitor for France, Carlotta de Leon, dan dia salah ngira kalo Caroline tuh si Carlotta. Caroline yang pengen ngejelasin, malah ga bisa ngomong...more
Yikes. I finished this one because it's a Quinn, but yikes. I know it's one of her very early novels - and boy does it show - so I forgive her, but yikes.
It's just very clear that she doesn't have her groove yet, and she hasn't quite figured out what makes romance tropes believable (and worthy of fantasy) as opposed to charicature.
I mean, come on. Hero who works for the War Office and has dark past preventing him from believing he is capable of love? Check. Heroine who has no real flaws, is irre...more
It's just very clear that she doesn't have her groove yet, and she hasn't quite figured out what makes romance tropes believable (and worthy of fantasy) as opposed to charicature.
I mean, come on. Hero who works for the War Office and has dark past preventing him from believing he is capable of love? Check. Heroine who has no real flaws, is irre...more
There is nothing that vexes me more in a book than a whiny, over-talkative woman.
over-talkative (adjective). Used to describe a person whose conversations have no substance or value whatsoever. His speeches take up a good amount of space in the book and create unnecessary suspense when a reader like myself is more interested in getting the story moving.
"Caroline is an over-talkative woman."
- From the personal dictionary of Kim
I had jumped into this book expecting a lot of witty banter between th...more
over-talkative (adjective). Used to describe a person whose conversations have no substance or value whatsoever. His speeches take up a good amount of space in the book and create unnecessary suspense when a reader like myself is more interested in getting the story moving.
"Caroline is an over-talkative woman."
- From the personal dictionary of Kim
I had jumped into this book expecting a lot of witty banter between th...more
2 likes · like · see review
My favorite (or at least in the top three favorite) Quinn books to date!
Caroline Trent, our orphaned heroine, can't catch a break. Sure she's an heiress but she's passed from unsavory guardian to unsavory guardian like some diseased turnip. She works tirelessly to help maintain the households she lives in but is treated worse than the staff (not to mention that whole diseased turnip thing). So when forced to take matters into her own hands and run from latest house of horrors she's forced to ca...more
Caroline Trent, our orphaned heroine, can't catch a break. Sure she's an heiress but she's passed from unsavory guardian to unsavory guardian like some diseased turnip. She works tirelessly to help maintain the households she lives in but is treated worse than the staff (not to mention that whole diseased turnip thing). So when forced to take matters into her own hands and run from latest house of horrors she's forced to ca...more
Witty dialogue, poorly crafted narrative, almost irrelevant action and cookie-cutter romance.
After the fourth or fifth (I lost count) verbal duel between Caroline and Blake I almost gave up on this book. A happy ending was inevitable, and the back-story of Bonapartist smugglers held so little promise that I didn't care what happened to the odious Oliver Prewitt and Mata-Hari clone Carlotta, both of whom are introduced at the beginning of the book, and both of whom we know are bound to show up at...more
After the fourth or fifth (I lost count) verbal duel between Caroline and Blake I almost gave up on this book. A happy ending was inevitable, and the back-story of Bonapartist smugglers held so little promise that I didn't care what happened to the odious Oliver Prewitt and Mata-Hari clone Carlotta, both of whom are introduced at the beginning of the book, and both of whom we know are bound to show up at...more
I loved this one. Such light entertainment and very funny.
I love the heroine- Caroline. I like that the fact that she takes life as it is and be surprisingly positive about it, despite her background being tossed from one guardian to another. Bad guardians at that! I like her being very talkative and witty…
For Blake- the hero, I like him being the serious guy and all but why it took him soooo freakin long to get over his Marabelle? I cant get past the fact that he actually advised Caroline to t...more
I love the heroine- Caroline. I like that the fact that she takes life as it is and be surprisingly positive about it, despite her background being tossed from one guardian to another. Bad guardians at that! I like her being very talkative and witty…
For Blake- the hero, I like him being the serious guy and all but why it took him soooo freakin long to get over his Marabelle? I cant get past the fact that he actually advised Caroline to t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Inii cerita nyaa lucuuuu biasa ala2 julia quinn ... Percakapan2 yg bikin ketawa2 sendiri .. Pokoknya ini lumayan lahh ...
Caroline trent yang nasib nya sial terus karna dia bepindah- pindah dari wali yang 1 ke yang lain nyaa .. Dan gak pernah dpt wali yg benar2 sayang sama dia ato engga mengangap nya bukan seorang pelayan .. Nah dari keadaan yg sperti itu menurut aku caroline trent menjadi gadis yg mau gak mau dituntut menjadi dewasa walau sblm waktunya... Ya tapi walau gtu caroline bukan gadis...more
Caroline trent yang nasib nya sial terus karna dia bepindah- pindah dari wali yang 1 ke yang lain nyaa .. Dan gak pernah dpt wali yg benar2 sayang sama dia ato engga mengangap nya bukan seorang pelayan .. Nah dari keadaan yg sperti itu menurut aku caroline trent menjadi gadis yg mau gak mau dituntut menjadi dewasa walau sblm waktunya... Ya tapi walau gtu caroline bukan gadis...more
Ahh, so I didn't lose my love for the historical romance..It's always a pleasure to read a book by Julia Quinn, I love the way she writes such fun characters, but I have to admit, I didn't expect them to be this fun. A story about mistaken identity, treason, action, a woman who's not afraid to take steps to get what she wants, and a man who can't let go a painful past. Yes, there's a pattern, but unlike the previous historical book I've read, Wicked Becomes You, this actually succeeded to delive...more
Dec 12, 2012
Marie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance,
julia-quinn
Bintang 4
Buku ke 1 seri Agents for the Crown
Baca nih buku sambil ketawa. Tuh semua pelayan pada kurang ajar sama majikan sendiri. Gak abis pikir.
Caroline Trent, seorang gadis pewaris kaya yg telah berkali kali berganti wali karena kemalangan yg menimpa para walinya itu. Caroline sudah terbiasa menghadapi wali wali yg aneh dan tak menyenangkan. Dari yg tidak pernah memperhatikan dirinya, seseorang yg menganggapnya sebagai pembantu gratisan, seseorang yg suka menggerayangi tubuh wanita, seseorang...more
Buku ke 1 seri Agents for the Crown
Baca nih buku sambil ketawa. Tuh semua pelayan pada kurang ajar sama majikan sendiri. Gak abis pikir.
Caroline Trent, seorang gadis pewaris kaya yg telah berkali kali berganti wali karena kemalangan yg menimpa para walinya itu. Caroline sudah terbiasa menghadapi wali wali yg aneh dan tak menyenangkan. Dari yg tidak pernah memperhatikan dirinya, seseorang yg menganggapnya sebagai pembantu gratisan, seseorang yg suka menggerayangi tubuh wanita, seseorang...more
Loved it! Very fun. Caroline has been an orphan since she was 10. She has been passed around so many times that her past 3 guardians have all been court appointed with no relation to her. Her current guardian has plans for her and her substantial inheritance. Now Caroline finds herself in quite the dilemma. Her guardian's son has just attempted to force himself on her in order to force her to marry him by getting her with child. Caroline has had difficult guardians in the past and has learned ho...more
May 07, 2013
Rosie Read
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance
Having read a fair few (and by that I mean most) of Julia Quinn's books, I know what to expect. Her female characters are all startlingly similar with a fast mind and quick wit, each with enough individual character to keep you interested. Peppered with historical detail in order to give the book that realistic Regency feel they are romantic and light hearted. The occasional inaccuracy easy to over look as Quinn is probably not striving for complete precision but rather a good story with an emph...more
Having read a fair few of Julia Quinn's books, I know what to expect. Her female characters are all startlingly similar with a fast mind and quick wit, each with enough individual character to keep you interested. Peppered with historical detail in order to give the book that realistic Regency feel they are romantic and light hearted. The occasional inaccuracy easy to over look as Quinn is probably not striving for complete accuracy but rather a good story with an emphasis placed on characterisa...more
Caroline Trent is a witty, charming, and clever heroine that I've ever read. Most of people probably found Caroline's persona a little bit annoying. But for me, I think she's awesome. SO AWESOMEEE.
Blake Ravenscroft (Which last name that I can't pronounce)on the other hand is a very interesting guy that learns how to grow as the story flows.
This wasn't one of Julia Quinn's best novel but I enjoyed it so much because it was simply hilarious.
I love those scenes when Blake and Caroline was fighting...more
La Quinn in originale è ancora più sorprendente, divertente, fresca. Il suo peculiare senso dell'umorismo è accentuato ancora di più, e alcune scene sono davvero memorabili. Conferma poi la sua maestria nel tratteggiare, con cura e arguzia, tutti i personaggi, in particolare quelli secondari. Qui dà un tocco in più a personaggi come i servitori e la sorella di Blake, che, in mano alla maggior parte delle autrici romance, sarebbero sembrati o troppo banali, o macchiette.
La parte finale più avven...more
La parte finale più avven...more
My first try at this author. If this is typical of her writing I don't think she's going to be for me. It was mildly amusing in spots, but it was kind of 'regency lite' which is just not the type of book I prefer. Light on plot and no sense of realism at all. No sense of the time period. For example it was just goofy and unrealistic that the servants wouldn't feed the hero and his sister just because they liked the heroine better and she was hiding out in his bathroom. Don't ask it didn't really...more
4 likes · like · see review
Jun 09, 2013
Anita Fleming
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance
The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because is was so funny in some parts. Otherwise it would rate only a 3 star. The story is predictable, boring in spots and annoying in others. Very light in plot and character substance. Not much of a romance. If I read how Blake couldn't care for Caroline because of his guilt over murdered fiancée, Marabella, one more time I was going to hurl the book.
Caroline is a orphaned heiress with a string of odious guardians. The last, Oliver, wants her money so he a...more
Caroline is a orphaned heiress with a string of odious guardians. The last, Oliver, wants her money so he a...more
Fun plot and likable characters, although I do wish the dead fiancé hadn't been brought up quite so much. I also could have done with a little more resolution to the whole criminal guardian storyline. It just kind of ends once the hero tells the heroine he loves her, and I never really understood exactly what her guardian and his criminal buddies were up to. I also was rather disturbed by how lightly and matter-of-factly everyone dealt with the attempted rape at the beginning. Anyway, ignoring a...more
May 15, 2013
Kay Bolton
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical Romance Fans
Review taken from my Blog in November 2010:
Which method do you think would work to Catch an Heiress:
(a) Arrange for your son to rape her, and then force her into marriage?;
or
(b) Wait until the rape was attempted, then for said Heiress to flee her Guardian's home and then kidnap her by gunpoint because you thought she was a spy, tie her to the bedpost and be generally horrible for a few weeks?
You'll just have to read the book to find out.
The story of Caroline Trent and Blake Ravenscroft.
Full of t...more
Which method do you think would work to Catch an Heiress:
(a) Arrange for your son to rape her, and then force her into marriage?;
or
(b) Wait until the rape was attempted, then for said Heiress to flee her Guardian's home and then kidnap her by gunpoint because you thought she was a spy, tie her to the bedpost and be generally horrible for a few weeks?
You'll just have to read the book to find out.
The story of Caroline Trent and Blake Ravenscroft.
Full of t...more
Caroline's evil guardian is trying to marry her off to his detestable son. Neither she nor the son is amenable but he's used to obeying his father's orders, so he tries to rape Caroline. She's a true Quinn heroine and manages to save herself. However, she ends up being captured by Blake Ravenscroft, a spy for the English Government. He thinks that she is an enemy spy and takes her back to his home until he can turn her over to the proper authorities. Caroline isn't sure what to do, but she knows...more
I like a light and airy historical romance as much as the next gal, but I really didn't like this one. At all. This book is a good example of why the spy trope is so despised. Zero chemistry, we're just told that the heroine is irresistible (and as is often the case with these declarations, she is in fact highly resistible and near unbearable), and boom, the hero is in love.
I would have liked it better if the hapless Percy had recovered from his bullet wound and saved the day - they would have...more
I would have liked it better if the hapless Percy had recovered from his bullet wound and saved the day - they would have...more
The book started very promising. The heroine is trying to escape an evil guardian, only to be captured by the hero who thinks she's the villain. How romantic is that?
Unfortunately, that was the best part of the book. Caroline sometimes irritated me and I wanted to smack Blake in the head. Also the story went kind of slow. I thought a lot more would have been done with the smugglers, but the whole book takes place while they're waiting to take action. It's not that I didn't like the book, because...more
Unfortunately, that was the best part of the book. Caroline sometimes irritated me and I wanted to smack Blake in the head. Also the story went kind of slow. I thought a lot more would have been done with the smugglers, but the whole book takes place while they're waiting to take action. It's not that I didn't like the book, because...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I only meant to read a few chapters of this before bed, but it was so refreshing and light that I ended up reading the whole thing!
It was, as most romances, entirely predictable and ended happily, but actually I found that it's quick dialogue and witty, smart characters it was much better than many others in the genre. In many romances such as this there is habit to over exaggerate the humour aspects, or to make them too unbelievable in order to get the laughs but in this book they were not only...more
It was, as most romances, entirely predictable and ended happily, but actually I found that it's quick dialogue and witty, smart characters it was much better than many others in the genre. In many romances such as this there is habit to over exaggerate the humour aspects, or to make them too unbelievable in order to get the laughs but in this book they were not only...more
Ah... this book was so delightful! A laugh-out-loud book with some drama, some mystery, a few spies, a heart-stopping Hero, and a spunky Heroine who isn't of the ton - imagine that! IMO, this book compares to The Bridgerton series, where I was first introduced to Ms. Quinn's writing. I can't wait to read Ex-spies #2!
One of the things I so adore about Ms. Quinn is how she manages to insert something literary into each book. In this case, her Heroine, Caroline Trent, enjoys words. She keeps her ow...more
One of the things I so adore about Ms. Quinn is how she manages to insert something literary into each book. In this case, her Heroine, Caroline Trent, enjoys words. She keeps her ow...more
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and in 2001 she did so in grand style, competing on the the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British an...more
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3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Caroline, do you value your neck?"
"Yes, I'm rather fond of it. Why?"
"Because if you don't shut up, I'm going to wring it.”
—
53 people liked it
"Yes, I'm rather fond of it. Why?"
"Because if you don't shut up, I'm going to wring it.”
“Blake took a small roll from the tray on the table, then put it back in favor of a larger one. And maybe a little butter. It certainly couldn't hurt. And jam...no, he drew the line at jam. She was a spy, after all.”
—
26 people liked it
More quotes…
Sep 04, 2010 08:45am
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