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116th out of 394 books
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770 voters
A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man
Regency London’s most celebrated courtesan, The Blackbird, was a woman before her time—uninhibited, financially independent, and free to live by her own rules. Schooled in the sensual arts by the one man she loved the most, she recorded every wicked detail in her diaries…
When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused...more
When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused...more
Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
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4.5 Stars!
What a FANTASTIC (and oooooh so very Naughty!) read!! I've never read anything by Celeste Bradley or Susan Donovan before so this was a wonderful find for me!
I loved the writing, I loved the story and I loved all of the characters!
Kudos to the two authors in the way they each told their separate stories, one historical and the other contemporary, and put them together and made it all work! It was an amazing read for me!
What a FANTASTIC (and oooooh so very Naughty!) read!! I've never read anything by Celeste Bradley or Susan Donovan before so this was a wonderful find for me!
I loved the writing, I loved the story and I loved all of the characters!
Kudos to the two authors in the way they each told their separate stories, one historical and the other contemporary, and put them together and made it all work! It was an amazing read for me!
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Sep 22, 2011
Splage
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2011-read,
3rd-party-mistress-boyfriend-girlfr,
beta-hero,
boss-employee-work-together,
couldn-t-put-down,
contemporary,
epilogue-totally-fab,
favorite-books,
funny,
good-secondary-lovestory,
hero-heroine-virgin-innocent,
hero-heroine-stripper-hooker-courte,
historical-regency-victorian,
love-at-first-sight,
makeover-hero-heroine,
pretends-to-be-someone-else,
sex-erotica,
sex-erotica-hard-sex,
sex-erotica-backdoor,
sex-erotica-bdsm,
sex-erotica-exhibitionist,
slavery,
strong-gentle-hero,
rereads
An enthusiastic 5 Star read! This book was a historical/contemporary/erotica fusion and a fabulous surprise. I really thought this was an anthology by two authors (not always my favorite type of read) and the back cover description did not overly appeal to me.
What a cool concept! I don't think I can summarize the story and do it any justice because it was so clever and involved. Although it did take little while to get into it because there were two major stories going, flipping back and forth
...more
In present-day Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont has made the discovery of her career. While organizing an exhibit for the life and times of infamous and beloved Boston abolitionist Ophelia Harrington, Piper stumbles across a hidden diary. . . written in the flourished hand of Ophelia herself, the diary is an extraordinary insight into the young activist’s very private life – her life before politics and family, when she was London’s notorious ‘Blackbird’ – a highly sought-after courtes...more
Received for review from Publisher
Overall Rating 4.5
Character Rating 4.5
Love Story(s) 4.5
NOTE: I am going to admit upfront that I LOVED A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man because of Ophelia and Piper. To me, this story will appeal to every "nerd" girl who wants to or has come into her own. It will make you believe in love and maybe see a little of yourself in these characters. The book appealed to me on a personal level and it is going in my "to keep" pile!
What I Loved: I thought it was a b...more
Overall Rating 4.5
Character Rating 4.5
Love Story(s) 4.5
NOTE: I am going to admit upfront that I LOVED A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man because of Ophelia and Piper. To me, this story will appeal to every "nerd" girl who wants to or has come into her own. It will make you believe in love and maybe see a little of yourself in these characters. The book appealed to me on a personal level and it is going in my "to keep" pile!
What I Loved: I thought it was a b...more
Young, nerdy curator Piper's life changes when she stumbles upon secret journals detailing the naughty exploits of Ophelia Harrington, a one time courtesan, before she became an activist for women's rights and a well-respected woman of her time. When Mick Malloy, 'the one that got away,' re-enters her life, Piper decides it's time for a change--it's time to shed her geek image and discover her inner woman.
This book is written by two different authors, one a modern day romance writer and the othe...more
This book is written by two different authors, one a modern day romance writer and the othe...more
Modern-day, ugly-duckling museum curator Piper, working on an exhibit about local 19th c. abolitionist Ophelia Harrington, stumbles (literally) across a cache of secret journals. Very, very STEAMY journals. Journals that reveal crusader Ophelia was once the infamous London courtesan known as the Blackbird.
What is Piper to do with this inflammatory material? Tell the truth about Boston's beloved heroine, or bury the information (and protect her job)? That remains to be seen... first, she burns t...more
What is Piper to do with this inflammatory material? Tell the truth about Boston's beloved heroine, or bury the information (and protect her job)? That remains to be seen... first, she burns t...more
RATING:4.5)A COURTESAN'S GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR MAN by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan is an exciting romance set in present day Boston and 1813 London.The plot is very interesting while it enterwines the past with the present.This story is written by two very different but entertaining authors. Celeste Bradley, a historical author and Susan Donovan a contemporary author together an wonderful story mixing the past with the present. This is the story of a modern day woman,Piper,who finds the sca...more
I hadn’t heard jack-squat about this book when The Book Pimp sent me an email with the list of her most recent acquisitions for the library. I’m honestly not even sure what made me decide to have her put this aside for me. I mean, the title…it has some seriously potential cheese waves. The cover is very pretty, but I had yet to lay my eyes on it so I had no way of knowing.
I picked up A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man after finishing Kate Noble’s Follow My Lead. I was coming down of a good-...more
I picked up A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man after finishing Kate Noble’s Follow My Lead. I was coming down of a good-...more
The title should have been my first clue that some scenes would be explicit, but I was not prepared for the very graphic language and sexual content. For a romance novel, the plot line is interesting, but often stretches the limits of credibility.
A shy and reserved young museum curator finds a diary written by a well-respected feminist and abolitionist who was once a courtesan. After reading the diary, her own sexuality begins to blossom. The two stories, one from the past and one from the pres...more
A shy and reserved young museum curator finds a diary written by a well-respected feminist and abolitionist who was once a courtesan. After reading the diary, her own sexuality begins to blossom. The two stories, one from the past and one from the pres...more
A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man is co-written by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan. This is a sinfully erotic story that utilizes the dexterity of each author in the era that she is adept at writing about. A frumpy senior museum curator, Piper Chase-Pierpont, makes a discovery about the revered ancestress (Ophelia Harrington) of one of the museum's most important patrons that could be earth-shattering both to her professional and private life. Journals that detail a young girl's choice f...more
I reviewed this book for Night Owl Reviews:
A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan is a provocative and incredibly sexy blend of historical and contemporary characters. Never having read anything by either author, I was drawn into the story of Piper and how finding The Blackbird’s diaries changed her life. The authors did a great job developing each character and their individual voices and experiences.
Piper is a modern day woman. Raised by scholarly parents...more
A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan is a provocative and incredibly sexy blend of historical and contemporary characters. Never having read anything by either author, I was drawn into the story of Piper and how finding The Blackbird’s diaries changed her life. The authors did a great job developing each character and their individual voices and experiences.
Piper is a modern day woman. Raised by scholarly parents...more
Wow.
I received this book through Goodreads First Read without really even knowing what it was about.
The two authors of this novel did an excellent job of intertwining the lives of two very extraordinary women separated by hundreds of years and paralleling their lives of lust, love, and freedom.
I read this book in under a day and was easily captivated. I would have given the book 5 stars for its sheer genius, ingenuity, and bewitching love story, except that the erotic nature was a little overwhe...more
I received this book through Goodreads First Read without really even knowing what it was about.
The two authors of this novel did an excellent job of intertwining the lives of two very extraordinary women separated by hundreds of years and paralleling their lives of lust, love, and freedom.
I read this book in under a day and was easily captivated. I would have given the book 5 stars for its sheer genius, ingenuity, and bewitching love story, except that the erotic nature was a little overwhe...more
In modern-day Boston, museum curator Piper is turning 30 and having a really bad day - either the worst of her life, or the second-worst. Both of these days have been witnessed by the gorgeous Mick Malloy. This day, however, has an upside, if she takes the challenge, of finding the long-hidden diaries of Olivia Harrington - local historical luminary and human rights campaigner.
In Regency London, 18-year-old Olivia finds a unique way of avoiding an arranged marriage - but leaving society behind...more
In Regency London, 18-year-old Olivia finds a unique way of avoiding an arranged marriage - but leaving society behind...more
I really liked this, and that surprised me. It's a book with two separate but connected story lines, one set in regency England about the education and love of a famous courtesan, and then the other, about a modern (although very nerdy) girl who discovers the truth about this courtesan. With both stories, its a case of learning to understand and appreciate yourself as a women, with a lot of sex thrown in on the way.
Having read a lot of Celeste Bradley's works before, it was clear to me which bi...more
Having read a lot of Celeste Bradley's works before, it was clear to me which bi...more
Jul 25, 2011
Lisa Jass
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who like both contemporary and historical romances
Recommended to Lisa by:
Susan Donovan
Susan Donovan was correct when she told me at RWA 2011 that I would love this book. It is a sensual sensation.
This book covers two time periods present day Boston and Regency London. For those of you like me who love both contemporary romance and Regency romance, this book is for you. There is nothing paranormal about this text. Piper Chase-Pierpont is a museum curator who is in charge of the putting together the exhibit of the famous Ophelia Harrington. As it turns out she was more than meets t...more
This book covers two time periods present day Boston and Regency London. For those of you like me who love both contemporary romance and Regency romance, this book is for you. There is nothing paranormal about this text. Piper Chase-Pierpont is a museum curator who is in charge of the putting together the exhibit of the famous Ophelia Harrington. As it turns out she was more than meets t...more
May 10, 2011
Elizabeth Nesbit-comer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads
A first reads advanced reader copy and boy am I glad I won it. The writers did a great job of bring the two stories together. I loved Ophelia and her Blackbird self and everything she stood for. I myself had a hard time with the thought of marrying and giving up all of myself to be with a man. Luckily, for me I also found someone who cherishes his freedom as much as I do.
The seven deadly sins were unique and naughty and although I tend to skim over very long erotic scenes I felt that it was w...more
The seven deadly sins were unique and naughty and although I tend to skim over very long erotic scenes I felt that it was w...more
Synosis:
London’s most celebrated courtesan, The Blackbird, was a woman before her time—uninhibited, financially independent, and free to live by her own rules. Schooled in the sensual arts by the one man she loved the most, she recorded every wicked detail in her diaries…
When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan’s diaries be used as a modern girl’s guide to finding love and empowerm...more
London’s most celebrated courtesan, The Blackbird, was a woman before her time—uninhibited, financially independent, and free to live by her own rules. Schooled in the sensual arts by the one man she loved the most, she recorded every wicked detail in her diaries…
When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan’s diaries be used as a modern girl’s guide to finding love and empowerm...more
Piper Chase-Pierpont is a 30 year old museum curator with a disappointing and embarrassing past. Working on a low budget exhibit, she stumbles on a few diaries that neither she nor anyone else knew existed. After over a hundred years, Olivia Harrington's underground life is a new and intriguing discovery. Filled with love, sex, slavery, and so much more, Piper keeps the diaries a secret for fear that she will lose her job. As she studies the words written by Ophelia herself, Piper uses the diari...more
This was a great read. I received an advance copy of this book free from a Goodreads contest. It took just a few days after it arrived for me to find the time to sit down with it. I looked up a few hours later and wondered where the time had gone.
Sir is by far one of the most yummy gentlemen I've had the pleasure of reading in quite a while. I found myself wishing time and again that I would find him waiting in my own bedroom for some of the games he played with our heroine.
Blackbird was a str...more
Sir is by far one of the most yummy gentlemen I've had the pleasure of reading in quite a while. I found myself wishing time and again that I would find him waiting in my own bedroom for some of the games he played with our heroine.
Blackbird was a str...more
Holy Hell Batman!
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads and I have to say I was pleasantly suprised.
The book is split up into two stories, one about a girl in the past and one in the present. The book flips back and forth where appropriate and it's quite the story.
Ophelia is the main character from the past and is being made to wed a man she does not want. She decides to become a courtesan - aka a prostitute - so she is always free to chose whomever she desires.
Piper is the main chara...more
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads and I have to say I was pleasantly suprised.
The book is split up into two stories, one about a girl in the past and one in the present. The book flips back and forth where appropriate and it's quite the story.
Ophelia is the main character from the past and is being made to wed a man she does not want. She decides to become a courtesan - aka a prostitute - so she is always free to chose whomever she desires.
Piper is the main chara...more
THIS MAY CONTAIN A LITTLE SPOILER.
I loved this book, which is actually written by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley. Donovan writes contemporary fiction and Bradley writes historical romance. So, how did these two get together to write a book? Intersecting lives - both theirs and their characters. (Present day:) Piper, 30, museum curator who is nerdy and obliviously beautiful, must mount an exhibit on (Historical) Ophelia Harrington, born in London @ 1795 and later became an abolitionist and b...more
I loved this book, which is actually written by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley. Donovan writes contemporary fiction and Bradley writes historical romance. So, how did these two get together to write a book? Intersecting lives - both theirs and their characters. (Present day:) Piper, 30, museum curator who is nerdy and obliviously beautiful, must mount an exhibit on (Historical) Ophelia Harrington, born in London @ 1795 and later became an abolitionist and b...more
I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. I don’t normally read books that are quite this explicit, but I thought the premise of the story sounded good, so I just skipped over the parts that got to be a little to explicit for me. If you don’t enjoy that type of book, then I probably wouldn’t recommend this book for you, but if you don’t mind the more explicit parts, then I would definitely recommend this story for you.
When museum curator Piper is preparing an exhi...more
When museum curator Piper is preparing an exhi...more
As I first began this book, I found myself annoyed by Piper, our modern heroine. Then I began to read Ophelia's part, and because I'm a sucker for historical fiction, this historical heroine won me over. Then, as Piper's character matured and grew, I found her more to my liking. Although I still preferred Ophelia's parts over Piper's. They were fairly well intertwined, although I think I would've liked to see a little bit more connection between the two women. Nearing the end of the book, the sh...more
Wow, I can't believe I completely read through this book as fast as I did! I just could not put it down!
First of all, I was very lucky to receive this book through the First Reads program. I don't normally read romance, so I never would have picked up this book. However, I would have seriously missed out on a great story if I had never read this book!
This story follows two women from different time periods. One from London in the 1800's and the other from modern day Boston. The modern day woman...more
First of all, I was very lucky to receive this book through the First Reads program. I don't normally read romance, so I never would have picked up this book. However, I would have seriously missed out on a great story if I had never read this book!
This story follows two women from different time periods. One from London in the 1800's and the other from modern day Boston. The modern day woman...more
A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man by Celeste Bradley & Susan Donovan - a Goodreads First Read free giveaway book won on April 24nd, received on April 30th. Already not much of a fan of romance paperbacks, I decided that the main premise of the book sounded good, but the modern-day story was lacking. Boy, was I right about that.
The present-day format of this book is potholed with social cliches, typecast names (i.e. Ophelia Harrington = historic folk heroine/British courtesan, Magnus "M...more
The present-day format of this book is potholed with social cliches, typecast names (i.e. Ophelia Harrington = historic folk heroine/British courtesan, Magnus "M...more
Whew, I knew by the title of this book that it was going to be steamy, but holy cow. It was the steamiest romance novel I ever read. Not for children, that's to be sure. Rated R for all kinds of... well, you know. Piper is a geeky museum curator in Boston, working on a new exhibit about Ophelia Harrington, one of America's greatest abolitionists and women's rights supporter. While researching one evening she finds Ophelia's secret journals and by doing so discovers Ophelia had a torrid past as a...more
Full disclosure: I received this book for free through Goodread's First Reads Giveaway program.
I shouldn't have been surprised that a book titled "A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man" skews closer to erotica than garden variety romance. And yet, I was. This is a very steamy read: you have been warned!
Mousy museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont struggles to put an interesting spin on her upcoming exhibit about local abolitionist figure Olivia Harrington. Her job depends on her being able to cra...more
I shouldn't have been surprised that a book titled "A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man" skews closer to erotica than garden variety romance. And yet, I was. This is a very steamy read: you have been warned!
Mousy museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont struggles to put an interesting spin on her upcoming exhibit about local abolitionist figure Olivia Harrington. Her job depends on her being able to cra...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I received this book through a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
Wow. I read this book in less than one day. This is probably one of my favorite books that I have won from a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
Piper is a curator that works in a museum who discovers the journey of a woman who lived over 100 years ago. The exhibit she is suppose to organize is based on Ophelia Harrington the woman who wrote the journals. She finds herself enjoying reading Ophelia's journals. (view spoiler)...more
Wow. I read this book in less than one day. This is probably one of my favorite books that I have won from a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
Piper is a curator that works in a museum who discovers the journey of a woman who lived over 100 years ago. The exhibit she is suppose to organize is based on Ophelia Harrington the woman who wrote the journals. She finds herself enjoying reading Ophelia's journals. (view spoiler)...more
I won an advance copy from goodreads. When I first got it I thought, a romance novel, ugg. But I finally picked it up a few days later and to my surprise it really didn't read like one. (Ok so I've never ready one so have nothing really to compare it to). But this book tells a story of two ladies for two different era's, and with the book starting off covering their lives more than covering romance is what kept me reading it. There are some strong X-rated parts but I find it more intriguing beca...more
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Celeste Bradley is the author of Fallen, which was nominated for a RITA in 2002, and The Pretender, the first book in the Liars series. According to Bradley, the best thing about writing is that she finally gets to use the brain full of trivia she's collected over a lifetime of living in eight states, residing in over twenty homes, and changing her major five times. "It was research for my writing...more
More about Celeste Bradley...
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“Together, we soar.”
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“It was I who was conquered. In just seven nights, that fledgling goddess not only discovered that I had a heart, but she stole it forever, then cradled it in the palm of her hand.”
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3 people liked it
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