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A Spirited Seduction
Only the ghost of the renowned madam Nell deNuit can teach Sabrina Simmons the art of seduction. And helping Sabrina is Nell's only chance to get to heaven. They have less than a month to tempt the Viscount Colbridge into Sabrina's arms—and keep him from buying her house. But will the notorious rake see right through their clever charade?
Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 11, 2017
I have a really hard time grading Casey Claybourne books. On the one hand, she makes it clear they are farces. From ghostly madames who give seduction advice to Regency virgins to mother in laws who haunt their son in laws, her books are humorous and often so light they virtually float. That said, some standards should still be adhered to and this is where the author really struggles.
In this novel, Sabrina and her two young brothers are about to lose their home. Heaven sends Nell, a former prostitute and current ghost, to teach her how to seduce a man in order to keep Simmons House. When Richard Kerry, Viscount Colbridge, first meets Sabrina she is sopping wet, having recently jumped into the Severn river in order to avoid being decapitated by a tree limb. Her wet dress does interesting things for her figure but it is the fact that she can quote classical literature at him that truly intrigues him. Richard holds a low opinion of women but this one may prove the exception to the rule.
Or maybe not. Once Sabrina follows Nell's guidance she turns into an made-up clumsy flirt who at once intrigues and irritates Richard. He loves the glimpses of the real Sabrina he sees but the near trollop who seems determined to seduce him irks him to no end. Slowly, the two play a game of one-up-manship and revelation, until who they really are comes to light.
This author has wonderful clear, concise prose but her plotting, characterization and setting leave a lot to be desired. She rides roughshod over the manners, history and customs of the Regency era and then adds insult to injury by plopping her characters into ridiculous situations. She compounds the problem by having them behave in a willy-nilly fashion without ever giving justification for that behavior. It was all a bit too much for me, so I wound up finding the book readable but not particularly enjoyable.
In this novel, Sabrina and her two young brothers are about to lose their home. Heaven sends Nell, a former prostitute and current ghost, to teach her how to seduce a man in order to keep Simmons House. When Richard Kerry, Viscount Colbridge, first meets Sabrina she is sopping wet, having recently jumped into the Severn river in order to avoid being decapitated by a tree limb. Her wet dress does interesting things for her figure but it is the fact that she can quote classical literature at him that truly intrigues him. Richard holds a low opinion of women but this one may prove the exception to the rule.
Or maybe not. Once Sabrina follows Nell's guidance she turns into an made-up clumsy flirt who at once intrigues and irritates Richard. He loves the glimpses of the real Sabrina he sees but the near trollop who seems determined to seduce him irks him to no end. Slowly, the two play a game of one-up-manship and revelation, until who they really are comes to light.
This author has wonderful clear, concise prose but her plotting, characterization and setting leave a lot to be desired. She rides roughshod over the manners, history and customs of the Regency era and then adds insult to injury by plopping her characters into ridiculous situations. She compounds the problem by having them behave in a willy-nilly fashion without ever giving justification for that behavior. It was all a bit too much for me, so I wound up finding the book readable but not particularly enjoyable.
February 14, 2023
Prim and proper and completely ignorant of the desires of men or what happens between a man and a woman, the heroine has neither the less concluded that the only way to keep her home and save her younger brothers from destitution is to become the hero's mistress. However, we return to the problem of have no idea how to go about seducing a man. But as luck would have it, she's been given the perfect tutor. A ghost who was a madam while alive has come to show her the ways of seducing a man but she has her work cut out for her when it comes to the heroine. She isn't beautiful, she isn't confident and worst of all, she is educated. All these faults make the heroine struggle with what she must do but, in the end, she is willing to do anything and everything to save her brothers.
The hero is not a nice man. A childhood accident has made his limp and most damaging of all has made his cynical, impatient and with the habit of toying with people’s feelings. But when he sees the heroine for the first time something about her captures his attention. He sees a spark within her and her wit pleases him as she's so different from the ladies in his acquaintance but he's frustrated and confusion when, in the next meeting, she acts like a dumb blonde without a thought in her head. Though it pains the heroine, she's urged to play the witless female as it's a well-known fact that men don't like intelligence in their women and she cannot fail to become his mistress. Together they play a game of cat and mouse, walking on egg shells around each other as they both try to understand what the game is about and where the players stand. The heroine is horrified to realize that she desires the man who could save them, knowing very well that she possesses nothing that would make him feel the same for her. The hero in turn is unsettled by what he feels for the heroine and leaves the town for London to distance himself from her. But she follows and one night finally gathers the courage to ask him to make her his mistress and save her home. Torn by his desire for her and his pride that she would only desire him for his money he tries to get her to see reason. He takes her to a whore house, he shows her the dark side of sex trying to push her away but she is immovable. Finally, just as they are about to pass the point of no return, he realizes that it is he that must save her from herself. He signs the deed to the house but he succeeds in pushing her away. Only after she is gone does he realize what a fool he's been, that she's the only woman to every truly see him and she is the only woman whom he can ever truly love.
I'll start by saying that book was such a trashing novel with zero literary awards given but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Yes, the book is so far from historically accurate it's not even funny and Pride and Prejudice it is not but something about it made he so happy. I adored the heroine, admired her and loved her from her selflessness and courage to do anything to save her brothers even sacrifice her soul and her body. I have no idea where she found the balls to do everything she did and while reading it I thought to myself that never in a million’s years would I have been capable to following a stranger to London and begging him to take her as a mistress. I adored the hero would wasn't a hero at first but slowly began to revel kindness a heart long since hidden away. The book was not perfect. Besides the healthy dose of historical inaccuracies and the lack of any real villain, the ghost was a weird aspect of the story and one that honesty we could have done without as she had very little to do with the actual seduction and more to do with the brothers. Overall, I thought it was a nice read but far from out of this world great. I will read more from the author.
The hero is not a nice man. A childhood accident has made his limp and most damaging of all has made his cynical, impatient and with the habit of toying with people’s feelings. But when he sees the heroine for the first time something about her captures his attention. He sees a spark within her and her wit pleases him as she's so different from the ladies in his acquaintance but he's frustrated and confusion when, in the next meeting, she acts like a dumb blonde without a thought in her head. Though it pains the heroine, she's urged to play the witless female as it's a well-known fact that men don't like intelligence in their women and she cannot fail to become his mistress. Together they play a game of cat and mouse, walking on egg shells around each other as they both try to understand what the game is about and where the players stand. The heroine is horrified to realize that she desires the man who could save them, knowing very well that she possesses nothing that would make him feel the same for her. The hero in turn is unsettled by what he feels for the heroine and leaves the town for London to distance himself from her. But she follows and one night finally gathers the courage to ask him to make her his mistress and save her home. Torn by his desire for her and his pride that she would only desire him for his money he tries to get her to see reason. He takes her to a whore house, he shows her the dark side of sex trying to push her away but she is immovable. Finally, just as they are about to pass the point of no return, he realizes that it is he that must save her from herself. He signs the deed to the house but he succeeds in pushing her away. Only after she is gone does he realize what a fool he's been, that she's the only woman to every truly see him and she is the only woman whom he can ever truly love.
I'll start by saying that book was such a trashing novel with zero literary awards given but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Yes, the book is so far from historically accurate it's not even funny and Pride and Prejudice it is not but something about it made he so happy. I adored the heroine, admired her and loved her from her selflessness and courage to do anything to save her brothers even sacrifice her soul and her body. I have no idea where she found the balls to do everything she did and while reading it I thought to myself that never in a million’s years would I have been capable to following a stranger to London and begging him to take her as a mistress. I adored the hero would wasn't a hero at first but slowly began to revel kindness a heart long since hidden away. The book was not perfect. Besides the healthy dose of historical inaccuracies and the lack of any real villain, the ghost was a weird aspect of the story and one that honesty we could have done without as she had very little to do with the actual seduction and more to do with the brothers. Overall, I thought it was a nice read but far from out of this world great. I will read more from the author.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews