What do you think?
Rate this book
The Courtesan Chronicles #1
The Courtesan's Daughter
First in a sexy new series featuring a match-making courtesan.
Lady Sophia Dalby, everyone's favorite courtesanturned- countess, faces her toughest match-making case her own obstinate daughter.
Lady Sophia Dalby, everyone's favorite courtesanturned- countess, faces her toughest match-making case her own obstinate daughter.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2007
6 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Dain
37 books99 followersIt was while writing a descriptive essay in seventh grade English (that was the assignment, to write a 'descriptive essay') that Claudia first fell in love. With descriptive essays. Boys being what they are in seventh grade, there was hardly much choice.
By her ninth grade year, Claudia was spending hours each week in her bedroom writing descriptive essays that heavily featured older boys (eleventh grade). She also practiced her kissing technique on a pole lamp next to her bed. It was less than satisfactory, but the writing was fun.
She attended the University of Southern California as an English major. She'd mastered kissing by this time and writing, strangely enough, was still fun. 'Strangely' because while it had become obvious to her that almost everyone enjoyed kissing, it was equally obvious that very few people enjoyed writing. This was as peculiar to her as, well, not enjoying kissing.
Clearly, something had to be done. The idea of combining kissing and writing seemed the obvious course of action. While Claudia does not claim to have invented the romance novel, she certainly has a lot of fun describing kisses and inventing men to bestow them upon. And not a one of her heroes looks remotely like a pole lamp. (And don't act like one either.)
Claudia was first published in 2000, is a two-time Rita finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling author. Which just goes to prove that you can make a career out of kissing and writing about it.
By her ninth grade year, Claudia was spending hours each week in her bedroom writing descriptive essays that heavily featured older boys (eleventh grade). She also practiced her kissing technique on a pole lamp next to her bed. It was less than satisfactory, but the writing was fun.
She attended the University of Southern California as an English major. She'd mastered kissing by this time and writing, strangely enough, was still fun. 'Strangely' because while it had become obvious to her that almost everyone enjoyed kissing, it was equally obvious that very few people enjoyed writing. This was as peculiar to her as, well, not enjoying kissing.
Clearly, something had to be done. The idea of combining kissing and writing seemed the obvious course of action. While Claudia does not claim to have invented the romance novel, she certainly has a lot of fun describing kisses and inventing men to bestow them upon. And not a one of her heroes looks remotely like a pole lamp. (And don't act like one either.)
Claudia was first published in 2000, is a two-time Rita finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling author. Which just goes to prove that you can make a career out of kissing and writing about it.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 28, 2010
I kept going back and forth on my ratings for this book.
The Good Points:
On one hand the writing here was fantastic. The dialogue was witty and had me laughing out loud a few times. There are a lot of twists and turns and nothing is what you expect. Expect a lot of surprises. Most of the characters, even secondary ones were well fleshed out and interesting. The ending leaves you satisfied and I would like to read more by the author.
The Bad Points:
Sometimes Caroline (the heroine) acted like an idiot and there were times where she acted like a spoiled brat. Also for some reason while I liked the hero here I felt like he was one of the few characters not as fleshed out as others were. I didn't feel he was particularly memorable. There's also a lot of changing POV's and integrated stories going on here too. Normally I find that a problem in that when there's more than one narrator I tend to only like one and want to skip the rest. Not so much here as I did like most of the characters so I didn't mind skipping around a bit. But I still would have liked more time spent on the couple. They are only together for very short periods of time and while those scenes were great, it's a long time before you see them together again.
So in the end there were times that I thought The Courtesan's Daughter a 4 or 5 star book and sometimes I wanted to give up on it. Anyways, in the end I still liked it but I'm hoping I have better luck with the next in the series.
The Good Points:
On one hand the writing here was fantastic. The dialogue was witty and had me laughing out loud a few times. There are a lot of twists and turns and nothing is what you expect. Expect a lot of surprises. Most of the characters, even secondary ones were well fleshed out and interesting. The ending leaves you satisfied and I would like to read more by the author.
The Bad Points:
Sometimes Caroline (the heroine) acted like an idiot and there were times where she acted like a spoiled brat. Also for some reason while I liked the hero here I felt like he was one of the few characters not as fleshed out as others were. I didn't feel he was particularly memorable. There's also a lot of changing POV's and integrated stories going on here too. Normally I find that a problem in that when there's more than one narrator I tend to only like one and want to skip the rest. Not so much here as I did like most of the characters so I didn't mind skipping around a bit. But I still would have liked more time spent on the couple. They are only together for very short periods of time and while those scenes were great, it's a long time before you see them together again.
So in the end there were times that I thought The Courtesan's Daughter a 4 or 5 star book and sometimes I wanted to give up on it. Anyways, in the end I still liked it but I'm hoping I have better luck with the next in the series.
December 4, 2013
Our heroine's ability to get hitched is severely limited because Mama used to be a courtesan. Mom did eventually make good, married a count, had some kids, but now all these years later, poor Caroline can't seem to get wed.
So Mom, being an incredibly intelligent and conniving former-courtesan, finds a way to purchase a husbands for daughter but girl is all, "who wants a hubs? This is the early 1800s and I want to be a fierce independent woman just like my mom. Which means, I'm gonna be a whore! In 1800s England! What could go wrong there?"
And the potential hubs is like, "no possible wife of mine is going to whore around! Maybe mom can buy me, but no one will buy my pre-wife!! The only way out of this predicament is to seduce the young chit!"
The premise- that a 17 year old girl is "on the shelf" because her mother isn't well breed seems, well, preposterous. Every other historical novel out there has 20,000 men wanting money or a title enough to marry the unmarriable (and eventually fall in true luurve). All of a sudden, what, people in historical romance have standards now?
Also, this was kind of a throw-away in the story, but the hero, he's at one point described as being in his thirties. I just can't get over it. 30-something man with 17 year old girl equals kind of gross.
But my main problem reading this book is that if the heroine had followed through on any of her threats for getting out marrying the hero, then she would have been Too Stupid To Live (TSTL). I don't read books with TSTL heroines. I could have put the book down and walked away. Instead, she just keeps making these stupid, horrid, naive threats and everyone around her kept responding to them. Plotting against them. Acting like they Caroline was truly gonna follow through. So I kept reading, all the while thinking-- is she really this stupid? is she really this naive? am I really still reading this book?
So, I guess you could say, my problem reading this book was kinda reading this book.
So Mom, being an incredibly intelligent and conniving former-courtesan, finds a way to purchase a husbands for daughter but girl is all, "who wants a hubs? This is the early 1800s and I want to be a fierce independent woman just like my mom. Which means, I'm gonna be a whore! In 1800s England! What could go wrong there?"
And the potential hubs is like, "no possible wife of mine is going to whore around! Maybe mom can buy me, but no one will buy my pre-wife!! The only way out of this predicament is to seduce the young chit!"
The premise- that a 17 year old girl is "on the shelf" because her mother isn't well breed seems, well, preposterous. Every other historical novel out there has 20,000 men wanting money or a title enough to marry the unmarriable (and eventually fall in true luurve). All of a sudden, what, people in historical romance have standards now?
Also, this was kind of a throw-away in the story, but the hero, he's at one point described as being in his thirties. I just can't get over it. 30-something man with 17 year old girl equals kind of gross.
But my main problem reading this book is that if the heroine had followed through on any of her threats for getting out marrying the hero, then she would have been Too Stupid To Live (TSTL). I don't read books with TSTL heroines. I could have put the book down and walked away. Instead, she just keeps making these stupid, horrid, naive threats and everyone around her kept responding to them. Plotting against them. Acting like they Caroline was truly gonna follow through. So I kept reading, all the while thinking-- is she really this stupid? is she really this naive? am I really still reading this book?
So, I guess you could say, my problem reading this book was kinda reading this book.
January 9, 2009
“Claudia Dain’s emotionally charged writing. . .will take your breath away.” – Sabrina Jeffers
Jeffers’s statement might be true, but I wouldn’t know because Courtesan’s Daughter didn’t have any. Or any wit. Or any heat. Or any lukewarmth.
And I’m pretty sure Dain used the word “delicious” more than Rachel Rae uses it in a decade.
The basic premise of the book is that men can be manipulated by sex, and only by sex; and that women can manipulate with sex, and only with sex. I don’t care if this is true or not; that Dain based an entire book on the premise made the feminist in me disdainful – on behalf of both genders.
Sophia Dalby was a courtesan who became a countess. Her daughter Caroline is unmarriageable because of her mother’s past. Lord Ashdon is the son of Sophia’s bitter enemy, so of course, she thinks he is the perfect one to marry Caroline. Add in several yards of pearls and a couple of half-Iroquois cousins, and you’ve got a novel that uses 713 synonyms for “breasts” but can only seem to describe the vulva as “folds.”
I’m not a romance fiction girl, but since winning the BBAW prize from Tote Bags n' Blogs, I’ve been exposed (no pun intended) to a variety of it. Romantic fiction may be fluff, but it’s not the drivel many people take it for. Except for Courtesan’s Daughter. This is a book to give your bitter enemy.
Jeffers’s statement might be true, but I wouldn’t know because Courtesan’s Daughter didn’t have any. Or any wit. Or any heat. Or any lukewarmth.
And I’m pretty sure Dain used the word “delicious” more than Rachel Rae uses it in a decade.
The basic premise of the book is that men can be manipulated by sex, and only by sex; and that women can manipulate with sex, and only with sex. I don’t care if this is true or not; that Dain based an entire book on the premise made the feminist in me disdainful – on behalf of both genders.
Sophia Dalby was a courtesan who became a countess. Her daughter Caroline is unmarriageable because of her mother’s past. Lord Ashdon is the son of Sophia’s bitter enemy, so of course, she thinks he is the perfect one to marry Caroline. Add in several yards of pearls and a couple of half-Iroquois cousins, and you’ve got a novel that uses 713 synonyms for “breasts” but can only seem to describe the vulva as “folds.”
I’m not a romance fiction girl, but since winning the BBAW prize from Tote Bags n' Blogs, I’ve been exposed (no pun intended) to a variety of it. Romantic fiction may be fluff, but it’s not the drivel many people take it for. Except for Courtesan’s Daughter. This is a book to give your bitter enemy.
January 3, 2015
The Courtesan series is lighter in mood than Dain's earlier historical romances. Likable, fun, engaging, and relatively free of angst, as lovingly written as most anything by Claudia Dain.
September 16, 2009
I wish I could reward 1/2 stars here as I'd probably rate this book between 2 and 3 stars. It wasn't quite in the "I liked it" category because I spent at least half the book wondering if I wanted to continue with it. However, once I had read that far, I wanted to see how things turned out and I did finish it wanting to read the next book so it seems to deserve a smidge more than "It was ok."
My main issue with the book was that the heroine is way too young. I see a few others had issues with her age compared to her romantic interest's age. That didn't bother me since it was pretty common during that time. No, my real issue was that Caroline was young and naive and, as a result, she came across as whiny spoiled princess without a brain in her head. Hard to cheer for a heroine when you spend much of the book wanting to shake her. On the flip side, her mother was SO manipulative it was also hard to like her. Since she shares as much "page" time as her daughter, it was sometimes a struggle to get through sections of the book.
The end of the book was also a bit of a jumbled mess. Given how slowly the rest of the book moved, way too much happened all at once there at the very end. Granted, I was happy for some of it as it answered some questions that were teased earlier but it felt shoehorned in and maybe it would have worked better as an earlier reveal. Especially since then the characters would have had a legit obstacles in their way.
My main issue with the book was that the heroine is way too young. I see a few others had issues with her age compared to her romantic interest's age. That didn't bother me since it was pretty common during that time. No, my real issue was that Caroline was young and naive and, as a result, she came across as whiny spoiled princess without a brain in her head. Hard to cheer for a heroine when you spend much of the book wanting to shake her. On the flip side, her mother was SO manipulative it was also hard to like her. Since she shares as much "page" time as her daughter, it was sometimes a struggle to get through sections of the book.
The end of the book was also a bit of a jumbled mess. Given how slowly the rest of the book moved, way too much happened all at once there at the very end. Granted, I was happy for some of it as it answered some questions that were teased earlier but it felt shoehorned in and maybe it would have worked better as an earlier reveal. Especially since then the characters would have had a legit obstacles in their way.
October 5, 2012
As with so many romances, I heard about this one (actually the whole series) on the Smart Bitches podcast, where the discussion was about nonconformist women and how much Sarah enjoys reading about them, and how good this whole series is.
I really liked Lady Sophia Dalby, the former courtesan of the title. In this, the first book, she is cool and calculating, keenly observant and trenchantly witty, and clearly loves her family and her friends. I was a little less keen on her daughter, Lady Caroline, who was headstrong, petulant, and foolish and who possessed nothing of her mother's cleverness, at least at the beginning. I liked Lord Ashdon, the romantic lead, too.
There's a ton of worldbuilding going on in this book, not of the Regency era but of the courtesan's history, and it's all really well done. There was a good deal of speculation about Lady Sophia's origins - is she French or not? - and the truth and the way it's revealed was a little bit of WTH at first, but it seems to be important, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it contributes to the rest of the series. Starting with Lady Louisa Kirkland, in The Courtesan's Secret.
I really liked Lady Sophia Dalby, the former courtesan of the title. In this, the first book, she is cool and calculating, keenly observant and trenchantly witty, and clearly loves her family and her friends. I was a little less keen on her daughter, Lady Caroline, who was headstrong, petulant, and foolish and who possessed nothing of her mother's cleverness, at least at the beginning. I liked Lord Ashdon, the romantic lead, too.
There's a ton of worldbuilding going on in this book, not of the Regency era but of the courtesan's history, and it's all really well done. There was a good deal of speculation about Lady Sophia's origins - is she French or not? - and the truth and the way it's revealed was a little bit of WTH at first, but it seems to be important, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it contributes to the rest of the series. Starting with Lady Louisa Kirkland, in The Courtesan's Secret.
August 4, 2012
"I am ruined, Lord Ashdon, for any other man. I am ruined, and you are the man who has ruined me. Will you not take the spoils of your conquest?"
This book was a good book to read while I was bored. It isn't anything I will remember but it definitely kept me occupied enough to eat it all in one go.
Lady Dalby was far too clever which was amusing to read but I found it hard to take in. She irritated me in a way and I found it unbelievable. Especially how she didn't want her daughter to be a courtesan but yet, she treated her the same way.
Lord Ashdon was good enough for me, nothing amazing but solid enough for me to like. Although, I definitely found him inconsistent.
Caro was very inconsistent for me. I understood that she was changing and growing because of Ashdon but the changes were so extreme that I had a hard time understanding it. It was one extreme to the next.
It's a good read to pass the time but nothing amazing. I do not believe I will be reading the second book. Especially since it seems to glorify Lady Dalby.
This book was a good book to read while I was bored. It isn't anything I will remember but it definitely kept me occupied enough to eat it all in one go.
Lady Dalby was far too clever which was amusing to read but I found it hard to take in. She irritated me in a way and I found it unbelievable. Especially how she didn't want her daughter to be a courtesan but yet, she treated her the same way.
Lord Ashdon was good enough for me, nothing amazing but solid enough for me to like. Although, I definitely found him inconsistent.
Caro was very inconsistent for me. I understood that she was changing and growing because of Ashdon but the changes were so extreme that I had a hard time understanding it. It was one extreme to the next.
It's a good read to pass the time but nothing amazing. I do not believe I will be reading the second book. Especially since it seems to glorify Lady Dalby.
March 2, 2011
I found this book on a bargain table at my local department store. I grabbed it because it's a Regency (my favorite time period) and it has the word "courtesan" in the title. I love stories of women overcoming the odds of their time. After all, any reader of historical romance knows that the daughter of a courtesan would have found it nearly impossible to make a good marriage.
Instead, we have a heroine who refuses to marry a respectable man because she'd rather become a courtesan herself! Seriously??? A woman would rather become a high-priced prostitute than marry an Earl? What woman would do that? It was totally illogical. Her motivations didn't make any sense to me. She despairs, knowing that she'll never make a good marriage, yet when one is offered to her, she refuses to even consider it. She doesn't want a man who is "bought" for her. That much I can understand. But she'd rather be the object being purchased? Huh????
Instead, we have a heroine who refuses to marry a respectable man because she'd rather become a courtesan herself! Seriously??? A woman would rather become a high-priced prostitute than marry an Earl? What woman would do that? It was totally illogical. Her motivations didn't make any sense to me. She despairs, knowing that she'll never make a good marriage, yet when one is offered to her, she refuses to even consider it. She doesn't want a man who is "bought" for her. That much I can understand. But she'd rather be the object being purchased? Huh????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2008
I just got so board. The plot had such an interesting concept, but it was killed by Caro's self induced naivety. Her pathetic musings about wanting to be and live a courtesan's life because she cannot deal with having a husband bought for her, was so unrealistic. You want to be bought by anyone who can shell out the money but can't accept someone who is...
There was no chemistry worth reveling in between the two future lovers, despite the dramatic scene of their first meeting, oh well, on to the next.
There was no chemistry worth reveling in between the two future lovers, despite the dramatic scene of their first meeting, oh well, on to the next.
September 5, 2008
This book should have been called The Courtesan because it focuses more on the mother (used be a courtesan) than the daughter, who is so annoying and childish. The mother is so hot that all man want and worship her and all female wants to follow a fashion sense and want be friend. After awhile I was wondering why did the author even bother with the daughter since the story was focus more on the mother. To top it all off, the book has sub story into it so you barely get any action between the main hero (who sounds bitter the entire book, just like his father)and heroin.
January 4, 2010
2.5 stars
The H/H had chemistry but just when I thought I was going to start loving the book bam! Boring! The book lacked any drama. Caro's (not sure if I loved this name)
mother could have been over the top and she was just blah. Maybe I just didn't get the whole thing. The scene with the 3 pearl necklaces could have been written as such a farce but it was so darn blah!
So I guess I pretty much feel that everytime it started to get good it just fizzled again. Oh and did I mention it was BLAH.
The H/H had chemistry but just when I thought I was going to start loving the book bam! Boring! The book lacked any drama. Caro's (not sure if I loved this name)
mother could have been over the top and she was just blah. Maybe I just didn't get the whole thing. The scene with the 3 pearl necklaces could have been written as such a farce but it was so darn blah!
So I guess I pretty much feel that everytime it started to get good it just fizzled again. Oh and did I mention it was BLAH.
July 13, 2017
Regency Rubbish!
Picked this up on sale, thought I'd give it a go, and it was absolutely ridiculous! I can attest that delicious was repeated over and over again, and the characters? BLAH! Not only that, but there were countless times I was genuinely confused about what each character wanted from one another because it changed every time they saw a boob, or gazed into his blue eyes. Blue eyes is probably mentioned as many times as delicious is. Don't know which one is worse.
Also the main character actually wanted to be a whore. So there's that. Yep.
Picked this up on sale, thought I'd give it a go, and it was absolutely ridiculous! I can attest that delicious was repeated over and over again, and the characters? BLAH! Not only that, but there were countless times I was genuinely confused about what each character wanted from one another because it changed every time they saw a boob, or gazed into his blue eyes. Blue eyes is probably mentioned as many times as delicious is. Don't know which one is worse.
Also the main character actually wanted to be a whore. So there's that. Yep.
May 1, 2009
Pearls. A book about manipulating a man to get what the heroine wants, which is certainly where the humor lay. That said it was boringly predictable after a while with little substantial character development and I found myself not really caring about the "revenge" aspect once it had been mentioned so many times. However I didn't pick it up expecting some well thought out piece but as a quick romp between books and for that it was rather fun.
September 21, 2010
So the book was just about Caro and Ashdon fighting over their attraction, Sophia smiling coyly and giving out confusing advices, people jumble in and out of every chapter, and somehow at the end the Ashford "ruins" Caro and they admit their love for each other.
Sophia gave me a headache. This entire book did. Too many characters to account for and not enough interaction between the main characters.
Sophia gave me a headache. This entire book did. Too many characters to account for and not enough interaction between the main characters.
January 19, 2010
Eesh this was bad. To create conflict, the heroine would start yelling at the hero as soon as things started to go well. Seriously, seriously, annoying...no motivation...no point...no logic for any of the heroine's actions.
June 13, 2011
Dnf. I had no interest in this, maybe because I hasn't read the other books in the series. The heroine was really selfish and spoiled and I couldn't bring myself to care what happened to her. It also felt like the main character was the heroine's mom, instead of the heroine.
July 2, 2009
This book sucked. I could not get passed the third chapter.
October 26, 2010
Utter trash. I don't want to see Caroline get married, I want to see her grow up. Well, not really. I'm not that interested in either possibility.
February 10, 2013
So poorly written and such immature characters it did not holds my interest.
March 14, 2021
Officially dnf’ing this one at 40%. Could not get past the weirdness of neither h/h wanting to marry the other and then both changing their minds in certain ways (based only on the other doesn’t want you and/or sudden lust because I slapped him?! Wtaf) in the span of basically a day. There was no further character development up to the point I read after this all happened early on. Also, the 30ish year old hero is utterly unappealing at 38.000£ in debt and a constant gambler, as well as acting like a 20 year old. Sounds like an immature moron. The most interesting characters are the background ones who seem to be set up for future books in the series.
May 4, 2017
A quirky and funny read, not to be taken too seriously. If you're looking for a realistic love story, this isn't it. It's meant to be tongue-in-cheek and has more to do with wit than reality. I found myself giggling regularly and growing more impressed with Dain's unique style the more I read.
August 15, 2022
Listen, if you're looking for a hard-hitting novel, this isn't it. BUT if you're looking for sexy romance that requires no brain cells to process, this is exactly what you're looking for. Just know what to expect going in.
November 10, 2020
It was amazing, not the type of book I usually read but I can't read part of a book then put it down so I finished.
January 16, 2021
Really cute fluffy read. Romance novel that would have been called "historical fiction" if it was about real people. Read more of hers.
November 22, 2009
This wasn't the first Claudia Dain story I've read and since I got a feel of her writing, I expected the same twists and turns. What I didn't expect was to enjoy the story a lot, sure I didn't connect with the characters much, just like a spectator in the periphery, but although the whirlwind affair lasted only three days before Caroline and Ashdon faced the altar, it seemed like weeks. It had a promising start.
First, I want to say this book was quite different from other Regency romance novels I've read. Ms Dain added a certain flavor to her writing that I would know it's her because there's something distinct about her works - unpredictable events, unorthodox characters, and everything about it was unusual. I liked it, it's a breath of fresh air, not that I'm tired of reading the usual stories but it's a good change of scene.
Second, I like how she told the story through her characters, and not just narrate it. There's more dialogue here than description, and one never knows what's next with Caro and Ashdon. It started out as the usual rebellious daughter thing wanting to be the very person her mother married away from. I was thinking along the usual lines and I was always wondering what would happen and I guessed wrong, for that I'm glad. Nothing beats a good mystery, there were a lot of them here, little ones though, but still, something to ponder on.
Third, as the author mentioned in her website, the "mastermind" in all this grand scheme of things was Lady Sophia Dalby, former courtesan, current Countess. She's omniscient and one wonders whether there's a thing she doesn't know. It's obvious Ms Dain put a lot of mystery in her character, she's not one to reminisce about her past, she's always meddling in others' affairs and talking people to do things. I can't say I like her character, not because she's a former courtesan, but because of her manipulative nature. It's not that she did bad things, but she didn't display much affection to Caroline. Maybe it's the way some mothers are, then again, Caro wouldn't grow up to be her mother's daughter if treated differently.
Fourth, discounting the huge age gap, Caro and Ashdon were matched very well. Even against their own wishes, Sophia's plan's end was still met, with different means. I loved the humor and my favorite bit was about Ashdon's father visiting White's to learn the wager on his time of death. That really gave me laughs. I'm looking forward to reading her other works, I already have the next two books in the series, The Courtesan's Secret, and The Courtesan's Wager.
Fifth and lastly, if you're looking for something with a lot of sex, you'll be disappointed. This books is based more on characters and story development. Not that the characters didn't lust for each other, they did, and there were a lot of times they engaged in verbal foreplay through a battle of wits, but the sex scenes weren't mentioned in detail and she even injected humor in them. Sometimes they were mentioned in passing, and just implied them, but I had to give credit to this author's creativity, she made that first time very memorable.
First, I want to say this book was quite different from other Regency romance novels I've read. Ms Dain added a certain flavor to her writing that I would know it's her because there's something distinct about her works - unpredictable events, unorthodox characters, and everything about it was unusual. I liked it, it's a breath of fresh air, not that I'm tired of reading the usual stories but it's a good change of scene.
Second, I like how she told the story through her characters, and not just narrate it. There's more dialogue here than description, and one never knows what's next with Caro and Ashdon. It started out as the usual rebellious daughter thing wanting to be the very person her mother married away from. I was thinking along the usual lines and I was always wondering what would happen and I guessed wrong, for that I'm glad. Nothing beats a good mystery, there were a lot of them here, little ones though, but still, something to ponder on.
Third, as the author mentioned in her website, the "mastermind" in all this grand scheme of things was Lady Sophia Dalby, former courtesan, current Countess. She's omniscient and one wonders whether there's a thing she doesn't know. It's obvious Ms Dain put a lot of mystery in her character, she's not one to reminisce about her past, she's always meddling in others' affairs and talking people to do things. I can't say I like her character, not because she's a former courtesan, but because of her manipulative nature. It's not that she did bad things, but she didn't display much affection to Caroline. Maybe it's the way some mothers are, then again, Caro wouldn't grow up to be her mother's daughter if treated differently.
Fourth, discounting the huge age gap, Caro and Ashdon were matched very well. Even against their own wishes, Sophia's plan's end was still met, with different means. I loved the humor and my favorite bit was about Ashdon's father visiting White's to learn the wager on his time of death. That really gave me laughs. I'm looking forward to reading her other works, I already have the next two books in the series, The Courtesan's Secret, and The Courtesan's Wager.
Fifth and lastly, if you're looking for something with a lot of sex, you'll be disappointed. This books is based more on characters and story development. Not that the characters didn't lust for each other, they did, and there were a lot of times they engaged in verbal foreplay through a battle of wits, but the sex scenes weren't mentioned in detail and she even injected humor in them. Sometimes they were mentioned in passing, and just implied them, but I had to give credit to this author's creativity, she made that first time very memorable.
January 5, 2015
haha "If she were to become a courtesan, it was clear that something would pierce her, and very soon." this line just broke me, I couldn't stop laughing... :D
MAYBE SPOILERS, so don't rant it's been warned.
I will give this book 4 starts. Caro is idiotic, but I will give props to Claudia Dain for giving me a change of perspective every so often in a chapter. Specially what I liked most was exactly that, that Caro was so foolish; and Lord Ashdon haha I would have to say he was rather intelligent and good at betting. so that is why 4 starts for the twisting of the story.
It was an okay story, I was waiting for him to fall in love with her, and so she wins blah blah; turns out it was all planned well if not all then as if. So that made me change my opinion of the story when finally everything became clear. A twist of the story would be what made it a whole lot better. Not a common book with everything being expected. It wasn't rare or so unexpected but props to the author for not doing the same as so many books out there.
character I liked the most was of course Sophia, Sophia you manipulative genius ;)
but Anne, she goes maybe without notice. I liked her character here a lot I can even dare to say I can write a long paper about her, maybe even longer than Caro's and of course more interesting way more interesting. I would like to know her story. yeah her mom a whore blah blah there you go. But perhaps more insight, specially if done like this one, from others perspective.
MAYBE SPOILERS, so don't rant it's been warned.
I will give this book 4 starts. Caro is idiotic, but I will give props to Claudia Dain for giving me a change of perspective every so often in a chapter. Specially what I liked most was exactly that, that Caro was so foolish; and Lord Ashdon haha I would have to say he was rather intelligent and good at betting. so that is why 4 starts for the twisting of the story.
It was an okay story, I was waiting for him to fall in love with her, and so she wins blah blah; turns out it was all planned well if not all then as if. So that made me change my opinion of the story when finally everything became clear. A twist of the story would be what made it a whole lot better. Not a common book with everything being expected. It wasn't rare or so unexpected but props to the author for not doing the same as so many books out there.
character I liked the most was of course Sophia, Sophia you manipulative genius ;)
but Anne, she goes maybe without notice. I liked her character here a lot I can even dare to say I can write a long paper about her, maybe even longer than Caro's and of course more interesting way more interesting. I would like to know her story. yeah her mom a whore blah blah there you go. But perhaps more insight, specially if done like this one, from others perspective.
July 21, 2010
I was originally attracted to this book because of the cover and the word “courtesan” on the cover. I was looking for smutty and figured with a courtesan you can’t get any smuttier. Boy was I wrong! This was very mild in comparison with other smutty books I’ve read.
First off, the word “courtesan” became annoying after the fifth page or so. It was mentioned again and again and again thanks to the daughter’s magnificent idea of becoming one herself. I won’t even get into that plot line. Secondly, I wasn’t able to really get into the romance between the two main characters because of all the background twist and turns and plotting that was happening with the secondary characters. It was just too much and I honestly ended up with a headache trying to keep up with the all the scheming. It’s no wonder these characters had no jobs to speak of. They were too busy plotting their next lovescapade.
I did like Sophia as the deliciously wicked ex-courtesan, but her plotting became old and tiresome. Also, with Sophia’s history mentioned in the book it seemed like there should have been a previous book to this one making me feel like I missed something when I didn’t. This is actually the first book in the series. I was also surprised at the quick timeline of the book. Supposedly the whole story takes place within a matter of 3 days, which was way hard to believe…even for me. I won’t be picking up the second one.
First off, the word “courtesan” became annoying after the fifth page or so. It was mentioned again and again and again thanks to the daughter’s magnificent idea of becoming one herself. I won’t even get into that plot line. Secondly, I wasn’t able to really get into the romance between the two main characters because of all the background twist and turns and plotting that was happening with the secondary characters. It was just too much and I honestly ended up with a headache trying to keep up with the all the scheming. It’s no wonder these characters had no jobs to speak of. They were too busy plotting their next lovescapade.
I did like Sophia as the deliciously wicked ex-courtesan, but her plotting became old and tiresome. Also, with Sophia’s history mentioned in the book it seemed like there should have been a previous book to this one making me feel like I missed something when I didn’t. This is actually the first book in the series. I was also surprised at the quick timeline of the book. Supposedly the whole story takes place within a matter of 3 days, which was way hard to believe…even for me. I won’t be picking up the second one.
January 26, 2011
2.5 stars
This was hard for me to grade. There was a lot to like and some very amusing moments. Sophia (the Courtesan of the title) was a very intriguing character but the romance was between Caro (the daughter of the title) and Ashdon and there just wasn't enough of it. In the end, I didn't totally buy the HEA - there just wasn't enough depth to the relationship - lust yes? but love? I wasn't convinced. I didn't understand why they were in love. I didn't see it happen - there just wasn't enough for me to believe it. So, it must be graded lowish on the scale because I didn't buy the romance. Also, and tellingly, it took me about a week to read. It was only 260 pages long and normally a book of that length would take me only a day or two. This tells me that I wasn't in a hurry to get back to it. In fact, I started to choose watching the television than reading it. Ultimately, I read romance novels for the romance and this book was more about the machinations of the Courtesan to get her daughter her HEA than the romance between the H/H themselves. However, I know that Jane Litte from Dear Author and Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches Trashy Books love this series (and plenty of other people too) so don't just take my word for it.
This was hard for me to grade. There was a lot to like and some very amusing moments. Sophia (the Courtesan of the title) was a very intriguing character but the romance was between Caro (the daughter of the title) and Ashdon and there just wasn't enough of it. In the end, I didn't totally buy the HEA - there just wasn't enough depth to the relationship - lust yes? but love? I wasn't convinced. I didn't understand why they were in love. I didn't see it happen - there just wasn't enough for me to believe it. So, it must be graded lowish on the scale because I didn't buy the romance. Also, and tellingly, it took me about a week to read. It was only 260 pages long and normally a book of that length would take me only a day or two. This tells me that I wasn't in a hurry to get back to it. In fact, I started to choose watching the television than reading it. Ultimately, I read romance novels for the romance and this book was more about the machinations of the Courtesan to get her daughter her HEA than the romance between the H/H themselves. However, I know that Jane Litte from Dear Author and Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches Trashy Books love this series (and plenty of other people too) so don't just take my word for it.
May 31, 2011
I don't have very much to say about this book, hence my short review note in the title...I didn't like Caro, I didn't even really like Lord Ashdon, but, I loved Sophia. Even though she did seem a little too perfectly clever at times, I couldn't help but like her. Sometimes you just need to get to know/read someone like her. She knew what was best, and she knew how to get it done. I'm not too excited about book 2 in this series, but I am looking forward to finding out what Sophia will do next and how she will help the next young woman seeking her at the end of this book.
The writing was just okay, and comical in the right places, which I think really helped with my being able to finish this book. The story did move right along, which I truly appreciated. Not really a bad story here actually, I just couldn't connect with the two most important characters. I do hope I will be able to at least like the next hero and heroine in the next book. (Which does look a little more promising.)
The writing was just okay, and comical in the right places, which I think really helped with my being able to finish this book. The story did move right along, which I truly appreciated. Not really a bad story here actually, I just couldn't connect with the two most important characters. I do hope I will be able to at least like the next hero and heroine in the next book. (Which does look a little more promising.)
November 25, 2009
This is a genre I don't read too often anymore having moved on to gritty contemporary fare. If this is the quality of what's out there, I'll be going back for more. This was a nice break from urban vampires and murder and mayhem fests. The plot is well thought out and, except within the constaints of the happy ending genre, not terribly predicatable. The dialogue witty and well thought out. There is probably more actual dialogue in this book than any of the last ten I've read, and I enjoyed every line.
I left this genre for the most part because I have a hard time identifying with teenage heroines. I didn't particularily like teenage girls when I was a teenage girl. That being said, I enjoyed everything else about this romantic romp. Lady Dalby is a delight! Who better to get a girl the man of her dreams than a woman of worldly ways. And if she gets a little revenge along the way, well that just makes it all a little more gratifying. I can't wait to learn more about her.
I left this genre for the most part because I have a hard time identifying with teenage heroines. I didn't particularily like teenage girls when I was a teenage girl. That being said, I enjoyed everything else about this romantic romp. Lady Dalby is a delight! Who better to get a girl the man of her dreams than a woman of worldly ways. And if she gets a little revenge along the way, well that just makes it all a little more gratifying. I can't wait to learn more about her.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews