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Lessons After Dark
(Englefield #2)
by
A Woman With An Unspeakable Past
Olivia Brightmore didn't know what to expect when she took a position to teach at Englefiend School, an academy for "gifted" children. But it wasn't having to rescue a young girl who levitated to the ceiling. Or battling a dark mystery in the surrounding woods. And nothing could have prepared her for Dr. Gareth St. John...
A Man With Exceptio ...more
Olivia Brightmore didn't know what to expect when she took a position to teach at Englefiend School, an academy for "gifted" children. But it wasn't having to rescue a young girl who levitated to the ceiling. Or battling a dark mystery in the surrounding woods. And nothing could have prepared her for Dr. Gareth St. John...
A Man With Exceptio ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, 334 pages
Published
April 3rd 2012
by Sourcebooks Casablanca
(first published April 1st 2012)
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Showing 1-30
Start your review of Lessons After Dark (Englefield, #2)
While most of this book has interesting points, mischievous magical children, and demons waiting to break through to the human world, what it lacks is hero and heroine interaction to make the romance between them the mainstay of the story.
And that’s even more frustrating when Olivia and Gareth are actually in scenes together, because they do have a chemistry that works, even when Gareth is suspicious and doesn’t like Olivia all that much because of her past. That frustration grows even more when ...more
And that’s even more frustrating when Olivia and Gareth are actually in scenes together, because they do have a chemistry that works, even when Gareth is suspicious and doesn’t like Olivia all that much because of her past. That frustration grows even more when ...more
After reading Isabel Cooper's first book, No Proper Lady, I was delighted to get an advance readers copy through netgalley. This is a very different book however, more in the line of historical romance with paranormal elements. It was not at all the full-out adventure with a kick-ass heroine and strong, supporting leading man that I was expecting, although it is set in the same world.
Olivia Brightmore, a young widow who has been supporting herself for several years as a medium, discovers that sh ...more
Olivia Brightmore, a young widow who has been supporting herself for several years as a medium, discovers that sh ...more
24/5 - This was just so-so. The sex was ok, but their relationship seemed pretty dysfunctional. There was very little romance. Neither seemed to feel particularly romantic toward the other - there was lust but I felt absolutely no love (even when they matter of factly announced it to each other). If this had been set today they could have been friends with occasional benefits because they didn't appear to have any everlasting feelings for each other that would necessitate marriage (not that that
...more
Feb 13, 2012
Lori {Romancing the Dark Side}
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed,
historical-romance,
paranormal-romance,
demons,
magic,
netgalley-reviews,
read-in-2012
A sexy Victorian romance that is sure to bewitch you!
After her husband's death, Olivia Brightmore has had to earn a living for herself by using her gift and posing as a medium, something she's not exactly proud of. When she receives an offer to teach at a school for children with "special abilities" Olivia accepts in hope of starting over. What she didn't expect was to be in the presence of real magic at the school or to fall for the school's resident doctor, the well reserved Gareth St. John wh ...more
After her husband's death, Olivia Brightmore has had to earn a living for herself by using her gift and posing as a medium, something she's not exactly proud of. When she receives an offer to teach at a school for children with "special abilities" Olivia accepts in hope of starting over. What she didn't expect was to be in the presence of real magic at the school or to fall for the school's resident doctor, the well reserved Gareth St. John wh ...more
Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
Olivia knew the job she was taking on was unusual. She didn’t know exactly what a school for “gifted” children meant, but she knew it wasn’t going to be for common everyday gifts. She was a bit amazed though when she arrived and had to help a young girl afloat by the ceiling find a way to get back to the floor…
Isabel Cooper writes a very good story. Her words flow well, the storyline is interesting and she mixes danger and love togeth ...more
Olivia knew the job she was taking on was unusual. She didn’t know exactly what a school for “gifted” children meant, but she knew it wasn’t going to be for common everyday gifts. She was a bit amazed though when she arrived and had to help a young girl afloat by the ceiling find a way to get back to the floor…
Isabel Cooper writes a very good story. Her words flow well, the storyline is interesting and she mixes danger and love togeth ...more
A follow-up to No Proper Lady, this book features the staff of the school Joan and Simon founded. A nice blend of paranormal and Regency romances, it delivers on its promises--there's some rogue demons, hidden pasts, a magical siege, and sizzling love scenes.
The two protagonists are fairly likeable, and their banter generally works. Their reasons for staying apart, on the other hand, wear thin after awhile. Gareth looks down on Olivia--it's a combination of classicism (eww, she pretended to be a ...more
The two protagonists are fairly likeable, and their banter generally works. Their reasons for staying apart, on the other hand, wear thin after awhile. Gareth looks down on Olivia--it's a combination of classicism (eww, she pretended to be a ...more
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Paranormal Romance
I loved No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper and loved the story so when I saw Lessons After Dark, the second book in the series, on NetGalley I had to request an eARC. I enjoyed seeing Simon and Joan again. Lessons After Dark is set at their home in the country where they have started a school for children who have special talents. The two main characters in the book are both new teachers at the school
What the above does not say is that Gareth saw Olivia when she was doing the fake ...more
I loved No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper and loved the story so when I saw Lessons After Dark, the second book in the series, on NetGalley I had to request an eARC. I enjoyed seeing Simon and Joan again. Lessons After Dark is set at their home in the country where they have started a school for children who have special talents. The two main characters in the book are both new teachers at the school
What the above does not say is that Gareth saw Olivia when she was doing the fake ...more
I am kind of stumped with this review. I liked all of the characters. Especially the heroine and hero, Olivia and Gareth. But… Nothing happened. Olivia a former charlatan begins to find redemption teaching children magic. And Gareth begins to come out of his gloom and depression fog as a Doctor at the same school. My problem is there is hardly any magic or adventure, and most of the action takes place with other character’s and we the reader only get the experience the brief aftermath, in which
...more
This was surprisingly good & worth buying the book!
Olivia a fake medium, gets a job teaching at a school for children with special gifts. She really did not expect the special gifts the students really had.
Gaereth is a healer. He and Olivia must save the children from the demon in the woods who is trying to break through to take over the school.
It was different than I expected. I expected boring, don't ask me why, & it was far from that! I stayed up late reading it! ...more
Olivia a fake medium, gets a job teaching at a school for children with special gifts. She really did not expect the special gifts the students really had.
Gaereth is a healer. He and Olivia must save the children from the demon in the woods who is trying to break through to take over the school.
It was different than I expected. I expected boring, don't ask me why, & it was far from that! I stayed up late reading it! ...more
I feel like you might have needed supernatural powers to read between the lines of this book. I waffled between two and three stars for quite a bit but rounded down due to disappointment with what the story could have been.
I have a feeling that the author is trying to do a whole story arch with multiple books, or maybe she really didn't have her world fleshed out, at all, but the whole cloak and daggars mission of the school got pretty old, pretty fast. I kept hoping something would be explaine ...more
I have a feeling that the author is trying to do a whole story arch with multiple books, or maybe she really didn't have her world fleshed out, at all, but the whole cloak and daggars mission of the school got pretty old, pretty fast. I kept hoping something would be explaine ...more
This second book of the Englefield series tells a complete story. It builds on the first story using those main characters as secondary characters.
Like the analogy I used for the first story, the roller coaster ride for this story is not too steep or deep. The dangers are intense for very short spans. I hated the romance story. See comments on the characters.
Olivia is another powerful female heroine. She is more a magic wielder than the fighter that Joan is. The story doesn't imply a depth of ma ...more
Like the analogy I used for the first story, the roller coaster ride for this story is not too steep or deep. The dangers are intense for very short spans. I hated the romance story. See comments on the characters.
Olivia is another powerful female heroine. She is more a magic wielder than the fighter that Joan is. The story doesn't imply a depth of ma ...more
A Subtle Romance in an Intriguing Magical World
Olivia Brightmore needed this teaching job and was desperately hoping she wouldn't get turned away at the door when she showed up at Englefield. The new school was special, important, and highly secretive. She was offered the position by the couple who had started this incredible venture and with so few options, Olivia knew she had to keep it if she had any hope of staying out of the poorhouse.
There was tragically little money left after all the bil ...more
Olivia Brightmore needed this teaching job and was desperately hoping she wouldn't get turned away at the door when she showed up at Englefield. The new school was special, important, and highly secretive. She was offered the position by the couple who had started this incredible venture and with so few options, Olivia knew she had to keep it if she had any hope of staying out of the poorhouse.
There was tragically little money left after all the bil ...more
Enjoyable read. I have to admit that right now I’m reading anything that can distract me from the world, and this series is working admirably. I liked the characters of Olivia and Gareth, although there were times I wanted to bop Gareth up the side of the head. It was so much harder for women to make a living if they were single back then—if I’d been in Olivia’s shoes I would have done the same thing. Her reasoning was sound as well. Giving people some comfort about their relatives, etc. in the
...more
I wanted to like this book more than I did, because I did like many of the elements and the MCs are exactly the type of characters I love. Everything about it is pretty great....except for how the romance falls completely flat for me. The romantic leads are just kind of flung at each other and there's an exhausting cycle of snarking hurtfully at each other, making out because they happen to be in the same room, flinging themselves as far away as they can until Events push them into working toget
...more
DNF
If you pick this book up on the basis of No Proper Lady, the first book in the series, you will be sorely disappointed. It's as if it were written by another author, or maybe Isabel Cooper as a 16 year old. There is little plot and I basically never even knew,who was who, much less cared about them among the students. The hero is particularly unpleasant and unlikable. I loved the first book so much I'm going to try the Highland Dragon series, but don't waste your time with this one! ...more
If you pick this book up on the basis of No Proper Lady, the first book in the series, you will be sorely disappointed. It's as if it were written by another author, or maybe Isabel Cooper as a 16 year old. There is little plot and I basically never even knew,who was who, much less cared about them among the students. The hero is particularly unpleasant and unlikable. I loved the first book so much I'm going to try the Highland Dragon series, but don't waste your time with this one! ...more
I would never have read this book if I had to carry around that cover in real life. Thank goodness for Kindles. Like the first, it is not nearly as smutty or romance-focused as the cover would lead you to believe. I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as the first one. Olivia isn't as fun as Joan to read. But I will certainly be looking up Cooper's other books.
...more
In my library this was listed as a romance but I would probably put it under fantasy. It was a lot of fun to read. It is like Harry Potter but only in reverse where the focus is more on the teachers than on the students.
Not good. The romance isn't really there, but the sex scenes are pretty good. The banter is kind of annoying. The speech doesn't match with the time period. Throwing in a "rather" here and there just wasn't cutting it.
...more
Fun paranormal historical. I liked all the characters, the sex was hot, and it was fun seeing Joan and Simon again after book 1. I thought Gareth's reasons for disliking Olivia dragged on a little too long, making their declarations of love too abrupt, but otherwise I enjoyed the book.
...more
Disjointed and disappointing. Lots of potential with the characters and story that was not close to being met. I don't even call it much of a romance
...more
Looking forward to the next book in this series.
So apparently this was book two, which explains a few things. Worked okay as a standalone, but it does rather dump you into the world if you haven't read book one.
...more
It was a really good read. And I now have a new-found love and appreciation for Historic Paranormal stories.
School for magical children
I enjoyed the main story idea, some parts dragged on in some places it felt a little junior high level
I enjoyed the main story idea, some parts dragged on in some places it felt a little junior high level
Trash
Review posted here: https://courtneyreadsromancesite.word...
...more
My thoughts: I had no idea from the description that this story took place in a historical setting, but luckily I had no problem with it. It's set in one of my favourite time periods - late 1800s England. Olivia turns up at the school not really sure what to expect, but knowing she doesn't really have much choice in her current circumstances, and that it could be the lifeline she needs to a respectable, more stable life.
Whatever else it might be, her new job certainly isn't normal, as Olivia spe ...more
Whatever else it might be, her new job certainly isn't normal, as Olivia spe ...more
Not for the first time I finish Isabel Cooper's book and find myself torn between admiration for the fabulous idea and disappointment that the book couldn't quite rise to my expectations. Does that make any sense?
The start is good and reminds me of Harry Potter with all the children in this school in the woods with magical gifts. The kids are really fascinating, and I enjoyed reading about them and their training, but it's all crumbs which leave you starving for more.
I even enjoyed Olivia and Ga ...more
The start is good and reminds me of Harry Potter with all the children in this school in the woods with magical gifts. The kids are really fascinating, and I enjoyed reading about them and their training, but it's all crumbs which leave you starving for more.
I even enjoyed Olivia and Ga ...more
As seen on Rabidreads.ca:
There are not quite enough lessons after dark but those that do occur occur with satisfactory aplomb and ado.
Nothing particularly stands out in this book aside from its rather modern references to the male anatomy. The best word to describe the construction of this novel would be competent.
The romance that buds between Gareth and Olivia although entirely obvious from the start is developed extensively. Wherever grounds can be given for the character's decision they are ...more
There are not quite enough lessons after dark but those that do occur occur with satisfactory aplomb and ado.
Nothing particularly stands out in this book aside from its rather modern references to the male anatomy. The best word to describe the construction of this novel would be competent.
The romance that buds between Gareth and Olivia although entirely obvious from the start is developed extensively. Wherever grounds can be given for the character's decision they are ...more
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Isabel Cooper lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her boyfriend and a houseplant she's managed to keep alive for over a year now—a personal best. By day, she's a mild-mannered editor at a legal publishing company. By night, she's really quite a geek: polyhedral dice, video games, and everything. She only travels through time the normal direction, and has never fought any kind of demon, unless you
...more
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Englefield
(3 books)
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