The School for Brides (School for Brides, #1) by Cheryl Ann Smith

Apr 12, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, cheryl-ann-smith

Miss Eva Black has worked hard to conceal her mothers past life as a courtesan and it has led her to open a school for courtesans who want to give up that lifestyle and settle down and be married. Eva keeps her life, personal and professional, very quiet and is quite surprised one stormy night to have an angry duke appear on her doorstep. Nicholas, Duke of Stanfield, is furious with this plain looking spinster for "stealing" his mistress and he wants her back, after all....he "owns" her. Needles...more Miss Eva Black has worked hard to conceal her mothers past life as a courtesan and it has led her to open a school for courtesans who want to give up that lifestyle and settle down and be married. Eva keeps her life, personal and professional, very quiet and is quite surprised one stormy night to have an angry duke appear on her doorstep. Nicholas, Duke of Stanfield, is furious with this plain looking spinster for "stealing" his mistress and he wants her back, after all....he "owns" her. Needless to say, that gets Evas back even straighter than it already is and she tells Nicholas she is gone and married and happy. He is not happy with this turn of events, after all it took weeks to even locate Eva, and plans to get revenge on Eva by either having one of her current courtesans replace his lost one or Eva herself. As he finds the key to getting her to accept his proposal, he learns all of Evas secrets she has worked so hard to protect and she is forced to agree as she refuses to send one of her girls to him.

I really don't want to say much more about the story because it has quite a few surprises that I think are best read for yourself and enjoying in the moment. I will say though, that I really enjoyed this story. I liked the premise of it and I enjoyed Evas feisty and somewhat bold nature and Nicholas' deep desire for her and to protect her and their hot love scenes. I liked that both Eva and Nicholas had good relationships with their mothers. I liked all the little twists that popped up throughout, I just wished the ending would not have had so many within a short period of time. Overall, is this book going to wow you? Probably not. Is it something that will help pass away the time and help you forget a stressful day? It certainly could. I thought the characters were written well and the author did a good job with the storyline, even if the ending had a bit too much happening at the end. I know I will be picking up her next book, The Accidental Courtesan when it releases in October and I look forward to more from this author! 3 1/2 stars(less)

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Sep 30, 2012 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hmmmm....what to say.....I have no idea why I liked this book because there were so many things NOT to like LoL. It really makes no sense. I liked Eva. She has difficult circumstances & even though she doesn't really have a moral problem with courtesans, she does realize society's view on them. Nicholas was eh. I really, really did NOT like him at first & even when he began to be likable I just couldn't shake how he was at the beginning of the story. He viewed his mistress as property, w...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: part-of-series

There were so many things wrong with this book, yet I wanted to finish it. I understand it was a DNF for many. First of all, there was a lot of talk about courtesans, however, at least 2 characters in this story and one who you might want to say started the major event in the story, were mistresses. Historically, courtesans are women who have one protector/sugar daddy but also entertain other men. They are for luck of a better word free agents. The women in this story were mistresses. At least,...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Christine Morehouse rated it 5 of 5 stars

A smashingly entertaining read that captivates readers the moment you hold THE SCHOOL OF BRIDES by Penguin Groups Regency debut romance author Cheryl Ann Smith. Released April 2010 to rave accolades Smith’s imagery stirs the emotional heart strings in first release in her a School for Brides Romance.

Growing up as the bastard but beloved child of England’s premier courtesan beauty Eva knows the heart ache it causes. She knows first hand what a courtesan gives up just for the protection and roof o...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Netha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

hal pertama yg membuatku tertarik pengen baca nih buku adl covernya yg menarik
baju yg dipake ceweq di cover bagus banget.....
ternyata begitu ku baca ceritanya pun bagus kok & sangat cepat dibaca

yg terpenting bahasanya tidak rumit, gaya berceritanya pun tidak berbelit2.
karakter2 tokohnya pun kuat bahkan tokoh ceweqnya pun tidak lemah & tertindas begitu saja.

becerita ttg miss eva black, yg membuka sekolah bagi para mantan courtesan untuk dapat belajar menjadi seorang lady & mendapat su...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Book Binge Blog rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, historical, berkley

I'm not a fan of revenge plots but the premise in the School for Brides intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a try.

Evangeline Winfield is a woman with secrets. Her alias is Miss Eva Black, a dowdy spinster who runs a school for mistresses. She teaches them proper etiquette, polite conversation, how to dress respectably, and so on, in order to find a good husband. Evangeline Winfield, her real self, was forced through necessity to create Miss Black. Eva is responsible for her and her mother. Her...more I'm not a fan of revenge plots but the premise in the School for Brides intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a try.

Evangeline Winfield is a woman with secrets. Her alias is Miss Eva Black, a dowdy spinster who runs a school for mistresses. She teaches them proper etiquette, polite conversation, how to dress respectably, and so on, in order to find a good husband. Evangeline Winfield, her real self, was forced through necessity to create Miss Black. Eva is responsible for her and her mother. Her mother was an earl's mistress and they loved each other - Eva has very fond memories of her father, he preferred Eva and her mother to his own wife. And he died tragically on his way to visit his preferred family. But he didn't forget about them in his will, so Eva and her mother have a small stipend, which she supports with what she earns from her school.

So this is Miss Black's life, and things are going well, if a bit boring, until the Duke of Stanfield accuses her of stealing his mistress away. Nicholas is very upset over the loss of his mistress. She was the perfect companion, someone to balance out the dull but beneficial marriage he was going to make to some empty-headed virginal chit. Now he'll have to find a new mistress and he'll have to hold off on his courtship. So inconvenient, losing his mistress!

Nicholas lays all his frustration at the feet of Eva. She's to blame for his mistress deserting him and she's responsible to bring her back. When Eva explains that this is impossible, that his mistress has actually married, Eva believes this is the last she's seen of the duke. But like any little boy who's favorite toy is stolen, he throws a tantrum and coldly collects all of Eva's debts and holds them over her head. He needs a new shiny toy and she has a bevy of beauties and she can give him one. Eva is freaked out because there's no way she can pay all the debts at once and there's no way in hell she'll hand over one of her courtesans to the duke. So the duke has another plan...Eva can take his mistress' place in his bed. Yes, even despite Eva's spinster disguise, the duke wants her.

This is a debut novel by Cheryl Ann Smith and as such, I was looking for something new and refreshing. Unfortunately, I did not get that. I got a hero who had some attitudes that I had some issues with and a heroine who's character was a bit back and forth.

First is Eva. She wants to rescue courtesans from her mother's fate. She has this sense of responsibility and she's very stubborn. She also doesn't want to end up like her mother - brokenhearted over a man. This would almost make me think that she would be a bit of a prude. But Eva is anything but. When she realizes she has to give into the duke's demands, she's all for it. This is an example of how her character was not consistently written.

And the duke - he told himself that he would stop the charade (of forcing her to prostitute herself to repay her debts) when she put up a genuine fight or appeared fearful. So he follows through with his 'seduction' because she seemed willing? That made me very uncomfortable. I was also very disappointed with Nicholas' internal thoughts about women. Here's an example:

As if it was possible to change the essence of a woman, a courtesan, and make her a proper wife. A foolish notion it was. That was why most men didn't make their mistresses their wives. Their nature lacked the moral discipline to keep faithful to one man. A man should know with absolute certainty that he was the father of his own children.

I found his distaste for women very surprising. Although Nicholas doesn't have much use for his mom, he did see her unhappily married to his man-whore of a father. You'd think that would set him up to be somewhat sympathetic to the plight of women and how they don't really have a say in their lives. But nope, he uses that to his advantage...he doesn't appear to have much compassion towards women. Also, even once he does become involved with Eva, I feel like he still held Eva's efforts with her courtesans in contempt.

There are a few other things I had issues with, but I don't want to continue on in this negative vein. Just know that this debut effort didn't work for me. I couldn't get over the characters. The School for Brides gets a 2.5 out of 5 from me. It was just ok.

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Ames.
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Jun 19, 2011 Rose May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: b-minus

Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)

Book 1 in the School for Courtesans Series

First of all, a great cast of supporting characters. Secondly, His Grace could’ve been really annoying. In fact, he tried really hard to be really annoying. Sometimes he succeeded – like with his overly possessive, anger-management-issues behavior that occasionally flared up. His desire for revenge I thought was actually fairly r...more Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)

Book 1 in the School for Courtesans Series

First of all, a great cast of supporting characters. Secondly, His Grace could’ve been really annoying. In fact, he tried really hard to be really annoying. Sometimes he succeeded – like with his overly possessive, anger-management-issues behavior that occasionally flared up. His desire for revenge I thought was actually fairly realistic for a duke of the day, whom I often imagine to be spoiled, arrogant, rich brats. That’s how Nicholas Drake, His Grace, comes off at first (especially with his temper tantrum. Jeez, man, get a grip). But throughout the story, Eva Winfield/Black (our heroine) works her way under his skin and brings out the better side of Nicholas – his spontaneity, his desire to be loved, and his singular wit and charm. When that happened I found myself falling for his pleasant charm about as quickly as Eva did (not quite as quickly, but close).

Eva had one really unique point in her favor – as far as historical romance heroines go, she was spunky. She didn’t make a big deal about her virginity, which I thought made for a beautiful scene when Nicholas found out. Equally refreshing was that he did not insist they be married after deflowering her. Thank you, Cheryl Ann Smith, for breaking convention! The other things that made her spunky: she runs a school for courtesans and wears a costume so she looks more spinster like. Hm. Interesting. The only thing that bothered me about her was how quickly she fell for his touches. I felt as though she might have held out a little longer than she did, given how determined she seemed to resist. She had a backbone of steel when talking to him, but he touches her and she pretty much melted. Sketchy.

The unfortunate thing about this book, I thought, was that the plot was pretty silly. I mean, silly in a stupid, ridiculous way not silly in a fun way. There were simply too many coincidences and unimportant plot twists that detracted from what could have been a decent plot line. The stuff about Margaret-Abigail at the end we really could’ve nixed without losing any value and it made the story seem a little too fake. Also, when the women go to rescue Yvette and sneak into the abbey I wanted to scream in frustration at the unrealistic, idiotic nature of it. I have an imagination, however there is a realm of believability that I adhere strictly too. Like Judge Judy says, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining". But anyways, the romance blossomed so I happily waded through a sucky plot to get to the happy ending. And what a happy ending it was. J

“Sexy”ness rating: Bring on the Water! We’re Smokin!

Overall Rating: B-

Bottom Line: This was not the best historical novel I’ve ever read – but it was far from the worst and better than average. The characters were interesting even if the plot was silly, and I found the book, for the most part, refreshingly light. Cheryl Ann Smith, what a wonderful debut. I’m looking forward to the next one!
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May 20, 2011 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance-regency-england

(RATING:4.5)THE SCHOOL FOR BRIDES by Cheryl Ann Smith is an interesting historical romance set in Regency England. It is well written with depth and detail.The characters are charming,witty,demanding,strong willed,feisty,sexy and all around a great cast that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. Eva Black has spent her life concealing her mother's past as a courtesan and her father's secret.He fathered a bastard child twenty some years ago. Eva disguises herself,does not go to balls...more (RATING:4.5)THE SCHOOL FOR BRIDES by Cheryl Ann Smith is an interesting historical romance set in Regency England. It is well written with depth and detail.The characters are charming,witty,demanding,strong willed,feisty,sexy and all around a great cast that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. Eva Black has spent her life concealing her mother's past as a courtesan and her father's secret.He fathered a bastard child twenty some years ago. Eva disguises herself,does not go to balls or social events,stays close to home and runs a school for ex-courtesan's.Eva intends to give them a other way of life and a husband they can count on.She is a courtesan matchmaker of sorts. Nicholas,the Duke of Stanfield,is sexy handsome,a man to reckon with when crossed and unfortunately or maybe not Eva has crossed him.She has helped his ex courtesan found happiness in anther's arms,married,left the England for America and is with her husband's child.Nicholas is furious and decides to found out all and everything he can about Eva and he does.So he seeks his revenge,Eva will become is her mistress/courtesan or he will call in all her mother's debts, and improvise them.Eva can't have that,she has been protecting her mother since her father's untimely death. What Nicholas does not expect is to become so attracted to Eva she becomes a distraction and he to Eva also.Eva becomes something she despires, to protect her family,and her school for courtesan's.She will become Nicholas' courtesan for a while anyway.When they get caught up in the disappear ace of one of Eva's courtesan's,together they must learn that they are deeply in love.Although,Eva refuses Nicholas' marriage proposal,Nicholas decides she will accept one way or another.For to him she is no mistress or courtesan but his true love.Their mothers becomes involved and everyone knows when the mothers are involved there is no stopping them.This is a funny,cute,quick read full of witty banter,serious issues,sacrifice,family,secrets,sweet sensuality,romance and of course the power of true love.A great historical romance read with a twist. This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher and details can be found at Berkley Sensation,a division of the Penguin Group,USA,Inc. and My Book Addiction Reviews.(less)

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Apr 19, 2011 Naima rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read and I read and I read but I could not finish this book. The hero, Nicholas, introduced himself to the novel by demanding the return of his "property" - his former courtesan - who left him. On and on and on he ranted about how he wanted his property back. So upset was he that he had to a) take a break from courting the woman he wanted to wed and b) punish Eva Black, the heroine who runs a matchmaking/finishing school for courtesans who want husbands. Fortunately for him, Eva is smitten by...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Pixelfish rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Early spoilers ahoy.

I saw this in the bookstore and thought it looked like an interesting premise: a duke in pursuit of his former courtesan comes across the woman who helped her leave that life and becomes attracted to her. Well, I probably should have skimmed a little bit more before purchasing this, as I've stopped reading it and don't foresee picking it up in the near future.

I read a fair amount of romance, and while the power differentials between couples occasionally verge on the problemat...more Early spoilers ahoy.

I saw this in the bookstore and thought it looked like an interesting premise: a duke in pursuit of his former courtesan comes across the woman who helped her leave that life and becomes attracted to her. Well, I probably should have skimmed a little bit more before purchasing this, as I've stopped reading it and don't foresee picking it up in the near future.

I read a fair amount of romance, and while the power differentials between couples occasionally verge on the problematic, I usually forgive them when an author goes to the trouble of creating a compelling character. However, Nicholas, insofar as I've seen him, is an unrepetant, manipulative bastard, and a boring one at that. I'm sorry, but while I like my bad boys with a heart of gold (or more accurately, boys that merely appear bad and just like to flout societal conventions while still being total teddy bears underneath), Nicholas can not qualify. For one thing, he's a spoiled brat who has no respect for bodily autonomy, and the only reason the heroine even has anything to do with him is because he extorts her. He pretty much out and out demands that she either give up one of the girls she's training or give herself over to be his replacement courtesan. Nothing about him has spoken of a soft heart or hidden depths. He's only softened towards Eva at all, because he's got a secret suspicion that she's hotter than she looks under her disguise. I suppose if she was the dried up spinster he first assumes her to be, he'd continue to torture her because that's how gets his kicks.

Anyway, this author lost me somewhere in the first sexual encounter because hello, not really consensual by any meaningful standard. And the characterisation of Eva, interesting at first, started losing me when she can't stop thinking about Nicolas after he gropes her. I found myself getting more and more irritated, if not outright upset at the way the plot was asking me to elide Nicolas's stalkery and controlling behaviour because he's just too damn hot. Um, not so much.

Interesting points with some potential: The actual school for brides--I would have enjoyed seeing more of that, and there may be more. There was an interesting set-up there, but I feel the execution has been bungled.

The author's prose is decent enough, and readable, so just to be clear, I was driven off by the unlikeable "hero" and the pressures he brings to bear on the heroine. Maybe the book gets better, and maybe the "hero" improves, but why I should stick around while the prose tries to justify sexual extortion is beyond me.

One big ugh. I'm not going to be able to finish this one, I think, which is rare for me.

(BTW, I've read waaaay more graphic. The thing that bugs me is that I'm asked to think that the "hero" is all that and a bag of chips while he sexually pressures somebody he has under his financial control.) (less)

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Apr 13, 2011 Nan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed, romance

I bought this book largely because the author was in the store doing a signing while I was there. I thought the premise sounded fun, and I decided to give the book a shot. The fact that it had won a RITA for best debut novel helped, too.

Overall, this was a fun, light read. It took a while for me to get into it, as the male lead was extremely irritating as the book opened.

The story is this: Eva, the daughter of a courtesan, runs a school teaching courtesans how to properly behave so that they can...more I bought this book largely because the author was in the store doing a signing while I was there. I thought the premise sounded fun, and I decided to give the book a shot. The fact that it had won a RITA for best debut novel helped, too.

Overall, this was a fun, light read. It took a while for me to get into it, as the male lead was extremely irritating as the book opened.

The story is this: Eva, the daughter of a courtesan, runs a school teaching courtesans how to properly behave so that they can be matched with husbands. The women come to her willingly, having realized that their time as a courtesan is coming to an end (basically, they've "aged out") or their experiences have been unpleasant. None of her students know her true name or her mother's history. One day, a duke shows up, furious that his Arabella had left him. He tracked her to Eva's school, and talks of the woman as if she were a possession. Eva is pleased to tell him that Arabella is out of his reach--she's married and an expectant mother. (It had taken some time for our duke to find Eva.)

Irrationally irritated, the duke decides to research Eva and punish her. He does this by buying her debt and explaining that the debts could be waived if she supplies him with another courtesan. Unwilling to pimp her students, Eva finally decides to take on the role herself.

The consent issues in the book are murky. Smith would like to play with the idea of forced consent, but she also works very hard to explain that Eva desires the duke and makes the choice of her own free will.

The setting is murky as well. There are no clear recognitions of time; the cover would indicate that the book takes place in the Regency period, but the social work with Fallen Women movement is a later Victorian attitude. In Smith's London, every well born man seems to keep a mistress--or courtesan, I should say--in addition to his wife. Few people object to the practice, and our duke is even able to talk with his mother about his missing courtesan, Arabella. Obviously, many of the wives hate the practice, and Eva's father's widow is especially vitriolic. However, it's an accepted social practice, and no men are shunned for keeping a courtesan. Women actually seem to compete for the role, which also complicates the issue.

This book is the first in a trilogy, and I'm not sure that I'll continue with it. While the sex was fun, the ahistorical nature of this historical romance bugs me. I also don't like the idea that Smith is trying to invoke the old fashioned rape fantasy without addressing its baggage. Overall, this is a fun read but not one that you'll want to think about deeply.(less)

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Apr 03, 2011 Bookaholics rated it 3 of 5 stars

The School for Brides by Cheryl Ann Smith
Historical Romance – April 5th, 2011
3 1/2 stars

To the outside world, Miss Eva Black is a mousy spinster who seeks to aid former courtesans/mistresses gain respectability and a secure future. But she had a double identity, as Evangeline Winfield. Who is a beautiful respectable young lady who lives with her ailing mother.

Eva is content with her two worlds and was resigned to a lonely existence. For she knew that no gently bred man would want to marry the i...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 08, 2011 ~ames~ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, book-binge-book, historical, print

I'm not a fan of revenge plots but the premise in the School for Brides intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a try.

Evangeline Winfield is a woman with secrets. Her alias is Miss Eva Black, a dowdy spinster who runs a school for mistresses. She teaches them proper etiquette, polite conversation, how to dress respectably, and so on, in order to find a good husband. Evangeline Winfield, her real self, was forced through necessity to create Miss Black. Eva is responsible for her and her mother. Her...more I'm not a fan of revenge plots but the premise in the School for Brides intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a try.

Evangeline Winfield is a woman with secrets. Her alias is Miss Eva Black, a dowdy spinster who runs a school for mistresses. She teaches them proper etiquette, polite conversation, how to dress respectably, and so on, in order to find a good husband. Evangeline Winfield, her real self, was forced through necessity to create Miss Black. Eva is responsible for her and her mother. Her mother was an earl's mistress and they loved each other - Eva has very fond memories of her father, he preferred Eva and her mother to his own wife. And he died tragically on his way to visit his preferred family. But he didn't forget about them in his will, so Eva and her mother have a small stipend, which she supports with what she earns from her school.

So this is Miss Black's life, and things are going well, if a bit boring, until the Duke of Stanfield accuses her of stealing his mistress away. Nicholas is very upset over the loss of his mistress. She was the perfect companion, someone to balance out the dull but beneficial marriage he was going to make to some empty-headed virginal chit. Now he'll have to find a new mistress and he'll have to hold off on his courtship. So inconvenient, losing his mistress!

Nicholas lays all his frustration at the feet of Eva. She's to blame for his mistress deserting him and she's responsible to bring her back. When Eva explains that this is impossible, that his mistress has actually married, Eva believes this is the last she's seen of the duke. But like any little boy who's favorite toy is stolen, he throws a tantrum and coldly collects all of Eva's debts and holds them over her head. He needs a new shiny toy and she has a bevy of beauties and she can give him one. Eva is freaked out because there's no way she can pay all the debts at once and there's no way in hell she'll hand over one of her courtesans to the duke. So the duke has another plan...Eva can take his mistress' place in his bed. Yes, even despite Eva's spinster disguise, the duke wants her.

This is a debut novel by Cheryl Ann Smith and as such, I was looking for something new and refreshing. Unfortunately, I did not get that. I got a hero who had some attitudes that I had some issues with and a heroine who's character was a bit back and forth.

First is Eva. She wants to rescue courtesans from her mother's fate. She has this sense of responsibility and she's very stubborn. She also doesn't want to end up like her mother - brokenhearted over a man. This would almost make me think that she would be a bit of a prude. But Eva is anything but. When she realizes she has to give into the duke's demands, she's all for it. This is an example of how her character was not consistently written.

And the duke - he told himself that he would stop the charade (of forcing her to prostitute herself to repay her debts) when she put up a genuine fight or appeared fearful. So he follows through with his 'seduction' because she seemed willing? That made me very uncomfortable. I was also very disappointed with Nicholas' internal thoughts about women. Here's an example:

As if it was possible to change the essence of a woman, a courtesan, and make her a proper wife. A foolish notion it was. That was why most men didn't make their mistresses their wives. Their nature lacked the moral discipline to keep faithful to one man. A man should know with absolute certainty that he was the father of his own children.

I found his distaste for women very surprising. Although Nicholas doesn't have much use for his mom, he did see her unhappily married to his man-whore of a father. You'd think that would set him up to be somewhat sympathetic to the plight of women and how they don't really have a say in their lives. But nope, he uses that to his advantage...he doesn't appear to have much compassion towards women. Also, even once he does become involved with Eva, I feel like he still held Eva's efforts with her courtesans in contempt.

There are a few other things I had issues with, but I don't want to continue on in this negative vein. Just know that this debut effort didn't work for me. I couldn't get over the characters. The School for Brides gets a 2.5 out of 5 from me. It was just ok.(less)

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Apr 20, 2011 Shawna marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-romance, historical-romance-regency, hero-duke-heir-to-dukedom, heroine-chaperone-governess-teacher, romance-erotica-tbr-mountzilla, favorite-beautiful-lush-cool-covers, heroine-odd-spinster-wallflower, first-book-in-a-series, revenge-deception-secrets-lies, i-own-tbr

RT Book Reviews magazine 4 stars

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Dec 01, 2011 Tanya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, 2011

The writing for this was good, but the characters were pretty bad. Eva was inconsistent - she didn't want to become like her mother, but kept jumping at the chance to do so. Nicolas was an asshole. I guess he improved, at least toward Eva, but he didn't change his mind towards women as a whole. The character development in this was just rather flawed. Don't get me wrong, I like bad alpha hero who's a jerk, but Ms. Smith just didn't pull it off. If you want a great example of that kind of hero, r...more

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May 13, 2012 Eli Yanti rated it 5 of 5 stars

love... love.. this book ;)

Finally finish reading this book, love it ;)

To be honest, in ealier stories, i want to strangle nicholas for what he did to eva, fortunately, he change and make a good and lovely thing so i change too and feeling adore with him =)

cerita yang disajikan oleh cheryl dibuku ini sedikit berbeda dari buku-buku HR lainnya.

kisah diawali tentang eva black, yg terlahir dr seorang lady yang berprofesi sbg courtesan (krn org tuanya miskin dan tdk ada yg menjadi walinya) dan seora...more

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May 11, 2011 Catherine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-vixen-reviews, first-reads-arcs-won-a-copy, class-difference, england, historical, illegitimate, lots-of-sex, prostitute-courtesan, read-2011, romance, sucked

***Warning***
This review contains spoilers.

I really liked the very beginning of this book. We learned about Eva’s school, designed to help mistresses find someone to marry after they had grown tired of the life or become a bit long in the tooth. That sounds pretty hokey and Disney-ish, but I thought it was presented well. The mistresses were told flat out that the marriages would not be guaranteed love matches and that there would be no matches with the nobility offered up. They needed to keep t...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: published-2011, historical, forced, library-read, romance

An interesting premise that had lots of promise, but instead of focusing on character development, quickly turned into a game of secrets. Towards the end, I found all of the unraveling secrets to be much, and I didn't care for hero too much. A common new author mistake, add more plot points and hope the book stays interesting instead of developing well thought out character arcs, but I don't mind so much. At least this book had a different premise than most of the others that I've read.

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May 13, 2013 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

I believe I am as confused as some of the others that have read this book. I have no idea why I liked this book. I really hated Nicholas but he grew on me by the end. I did not like Eva either for awhile for giving in so easily in the beginning and then turning all stubborn at the the end. There were many things that I did not like but yet i could not put the book down. I am looking forward to seeing what the author is going to throw at us next.

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Oct 31, 2011 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: didntfinish, romance

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't finish it. I was willing to give the hero some time to justify his "owning" perception of former mistress (and why he couldn't just get a new one if any old lady will do): if he ended up justifying it, the justification was well after I gave up on the book. Also, the former courtesans bothered me. While I believe some of them would've been ditzes, not every aristocrat in London would be willing to put up with a dumb lay.

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Jan 07, 2012 Cecilia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elibrary-books

This is definitely not working for me. The characterization seems forced so that it can fit in with a plot premise that I was willing to go along with, but let's face it, is not distinguished by a high degree of realism. To be blunt, the plot premise is rather silly.

However, I could live with that, if the characters had any appeal. They do not. The "hero" is fairly psycho, trying to destroy a woman because she helped his mistress attain a happy and respectable life. The heroine, who is obsessiv...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Dcpre5 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love books when the two main charactors have every common sense reason to hate each other but fall in love anyways. They can't help themselves! I don't know about some of these other reviewers....were they reading the same book? I loved it.

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Oct 27, 2011 Rie_dominique rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-novel, ada-di-rak-gw, ebook, family, fiksi, historical-romance, favorites, red-hot, series

setelah beberapa minggu jenuh membaca, buku ini membuatku segar kembali :)

yang bikin gemes dibuku ini bukan Nicholas, sang duke yang arogan, ini sih biasa. tapi Miss Evangeline Winfield yang tiap deketan ama si duke bilang bencilah, dia jadi victim lah, tapi tiap habis dicium Nicholas malah dia yang jadi agresif. halah...halah..halah..

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Apr 11, 2011 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've never been a fan of courtesan stories but after reading a blog about this book, I broke down and purchased it. I was not disappointed, loved the story line, loved the characters, and am anxiously awaiting her next release!

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Feb 06, 2012 Loretta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

Well, I was expecting a bit more D/s after I read the synopsis, but was pleasantly entertained while recouping on the couch. A fairytale to touch the softer side of our desires, and enough heat to leave you grinning!

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Jul 05, 2011 Stacy Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting concept and characters. I was a little surprised with a few of the later revelations. Great first book from this author. Will look forward to reading more.

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May 16, 2011 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such a great book great debut. Filled with lots of twists and turns throughout the story lots of great secondary characters and of course a great hero Nicholas and Heroine Eva. Loved it

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Mar 06, 2012 Laine rated it 4 of 5 stars

so much secrets in this book which made it more exciting to read. there is no denying that eva and nicholas have this strong chemistry and passion they have for each other.

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Jul 12, 2012 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very fast, fun read, even though she has "spirit" she is kind of a pushover. But I will keep reading this series.

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title link	preview: The School for Brides
avg rating	preview: The School for Brides Goodreads rating: 3.54 (213 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9806957-the-school-for-brides?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363240448l/9806957.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9806957-the-school-for-brides?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The School for Brides by Cheryl Ann Smith[/url]

The School for Brides (School for Brides #1)

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