By Cecilia Grant
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Lydia Slaughter has a goal too. Guilt drove her to enter a
brothel “with a plan to extinguish herself from the inside out,” but having
survived for two years, the last six months as the mistress of Edward Roanoke,
she has determined that two thousand pounds will provide her with the means to
live independently. Since her protector has the habit of falling into a drunken
sleep over his cards, she has begun playing out his hand. Impressive
computational skills and a phenomenal memory allow her to emerge the victor and
skim enough off Roanoke’s winnings to steadily increase her nest egg.
Will is first caught by Lydia’s looks, although he concedes
that she is “handsome” rather than beautiful, but soon he is captivated by her
skill with cards. Lydia’s opinion of men generally is not high, but Will keeps
behaving in ways that challenge her conclusions. Circumstances eventually cause
the two to collaborate as they target less reputable gambling dens to meet
their goals. There is sexual tension aplenty between the two, but it is the
duel of wits and words between these two intelligent, vulnerable characters
that make this book a standout. Watching them discover and fall in love with the
wounded creature that each is behind the carefully preserved façade is a deeply
satisfying reading experience
Courtesan heroines have become common in historical romance
in recent years, but Grant’s courtesan heroine is uncommon. She chooses to join
the women in a notorious brothel as self-punishment. She enjoys the luxuries
that are hers as the mistress of a wealthy man, and she enjoys sex with that
man. Her desire for independence is motivated by her practical assessment of
what her life as a kept woman will be once Roanoke loses interest in her not by
regrets over her fallen condition. Even when she is caught up in “if only”
thoughts, she recognizes the futility of them. Will is a tortured soul so
entrenched in his guilt that he cannot see himself as the truly honorable man
he is. Both characters prove themselves capable of sacrifice, and their HEA is
achieved with full recognition that it does not come without costs.
Grant’s first book, A Lady Awakened (December 27, 2011), earned
praise from some authors I greatly respect and received a lot of online buzz.
The combination persuaded me to give her a try even though, despite good
intentions, I read few debut authors. Like many other readers, I was won over by that book. I loved Grant’s fresh take on an established trope and
her way with language. I fell in love with these same qualities in A Gentleman
Undone. It is a darker book than the first one, but voice, style, and a
pushing-the-boundaries approach to the conventions of romance fiction are the
same. So is the author’s gift for crafting words and sentences that left me
giddy with delight over their precision and perfection. Lydia thinks of Will’s
voice as “a kind of promissory note for the touch of his weather-beaten soldier’s
hands.” Will admiring his niece see her thusly: “Her downy infant brows pushed
together in response, giving her the air of a scientist confronting some
puzzling outcome.” Wonderful!
Will is the younger brother of the heroine of A Lady
Awakened, and the Mirkwoods and their infant daughter are minor characters in
the new book. The connection does not prevent A Gentleman Undone from working
as a standalone read. I don’t know if Grant plans more books in the series. I
am interested in Nick, another Blackshear sibling, and would love to read his
story. But regardless of what Cecilia Grant writes next, she can count on me as
a reader. She’s joined my autobuy list.
What’s your favorite romance novel with a courtesan heroine?
How do you feel about HEAs that are not unshadowed?
4 comments:
Janga, If Cecelia Grant is on your auto-buy list then I definitely want to look closer, so have downloaded a sample of 'A Lady Awakened' to try.
My favourite novel with a Courtesan heroine is 'The Secret Pearl' by Mary Balogh. The heroine may have been a prostitute in practice but ranked as a courtesan in spirit. It was my first Balogh and opened a most intriguing door that hasn't yet closed...... wonderful author
Not sure about 'unshadowed' HEAs but always love to see boundaries pushed. A scientist can spend a life time pushing the frontiers of knowledge, so its familiar territory! LOL
Wonderful review, Janga. I have Cecilia Grant's A Lady Awakened on my TBR list. I'm hoping to have some time to catch up on my reading once school lets out but I think I'm kidding myself. LOL
Like Q, my favorite is a Balogh, but it is The Precious Jewel. Priscilla and Gerald have stayed with me ever since I read that one years ago. They both have an innocence and vulnerability about them that is disarming.
Q, I hope you like the sample of Grant enough to read her books.
The Secret Pearl is one of Balogh's most popular books, so you have lots of company in favoring it. I like it, but I like A Precious Jewel, which also features a cortesan heroine even more.
Irish, I hope you do have time to read Grant's books. And she confirmed on Twitter the other day that Nick's book is next. I'm so-o-o loooking forward to that one.
See my comment to Q about A Precious Jewel. I also include Eva Ibbotson’s Madensky Square (although Susanna is one man’s mistress rather than a courtesan), Judith Ivory’s Sleeping Beauty, Tracy Grant’s Daughter of the Game, Diane Gaston’s The Mysterious Miss M, Loretta Chase’s Your Scandalous Ways, and Anna Campbell’s Tempt the Devil on my list of favorites.
Post a Comment