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The Courtesan Duchess Wicked Deceptions Joanna Shupe 9781420135527 Books

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The Courtesan Duchess Wicked Deceptions Joanna Shupe 9781420135527 Books

Disclaimer: I haven't really been getting into historical romance lately, though I used to enjoy the genre quite a bit.

I struggled with this book because both of the main characters behave extremely badly throughout much of the book. Nick, the hero, married the heroine, Julia, when she was just 16. He immediately left England and spent the next eight years catting around Europe while his young wife fell prey to a villain who cut off her finances and tried to blackmail her for sex. Following the kind of logic one only finds in historical romance, Julia decides the way out of her dilemma is to pose as a courtesan, seduce her absent husband, and trick him into fathering his heir. Depriving someone of their reproductive autonomy is pretty unforgivable in my book, even in desperation.

That said, the plot moves along and the writing is decent, so if secret baby/reformed rake stories are your catnip, you'll like this fine.


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The Courtesan Duchess Wicked Deceptions Joanna Shupe 9781420135527 Books Reviews

I seldom give five stars unless a book is truly good, and this one was.

I liked this book so well I stole time to read it in less than a day. This has been extremely unusual for me lately.

The premise of the story is the hero married the heroine 8 years ago and then fled England for the continent, having never consummated their marriage. The heroine is abandoned by his family and has none of her own to see to her interests. So when the hero’s cousin starts using his influence over her missing husband’s finances to force the heroine into his bed, she decides to find her degenerate husband and get pregnant with his heir so she can take back the finances.

After getting lessons from a prominent courtesan in London, the heroine accomplishes her mission, but falls in love with her husband in the process. He falls in love with the courtesan she is pretending to be, and then flies into a rage when he learns of her deception. The rest of the story is based on their reconciliation and happily-ever-after ending.

Pros

1. I actually liked the heroine. This has been rare for me as of late. She has a problem, she tries to solve it. I don’t have to be told how bold she is, I see it in her actions. In her desperation to save herself, her aunt and their servants. She is willing to buck society and learn from a courtesan, she hunts down her husband, and she seduces him. Yes, she runs off when she realizes she’s in love with him, especially given her deceit. I found that a little harder to believe, given her dire straits and need for an heir, but okay, I still liked her.
2. I liked the hero. Yes, he’s a cad, especially at first, but you can actually sympathize with him when you learn more about him. And you see it for yourself when he cares about his friend (who is actually helping the heroine with the deception). I also felt like his actions and responses were genuine. He didn’t suddenly become a gentleman when he returned to England, and I love, love, love how he handled his cousin who was trying to force his wife into performing sexual favors.
3. There were genuine sparks between the characters.
4. There was also genuine tenderness between the characters.
5. I wanted the characters to get together. I really wanted to see them get their happily-ever-after.
6. I liked the supporting cast, too. They each have personalities. Simon, the white knight. Quint, the disheveled gentleman. Fitz the devoted bodyguard. Aunt Theo with her cakes and sherry. And I like that they care about their friends, look out for them.
7. The steamy scenes were good. Not just passable, but good. Some of them worth reading twice.
8. There was a plot, and it made sense in the context of the story. Yes, the pregnancy was a little too easy in a week (but plausible), and yes a virgin courtesan is far fetched, but, okay. No more ridiculous than a lot of romance novels. Yes, I predicted the ending and the whodunit part. But this is a romance, not a mystery. The fact that the author laid foundations so I knew who was behind it and what they were about is so much better than the dues ex machina I see in so many romance novels.

Cons

1 - (Spoiler alert) I never understood why the villain killed the hero’s older brother if her motivation was to be the duchess. She was already married to the heir of the dukedom. Never understood why she hires someone to kill the hero years ago, either.
2 - I did get a bit tired of some of the contrived reasons the characters couldn’t get together in the last quarter of the story. I literally rolled my eyes when the hero took up rooms in the nearby village because he worried his wife wouldn’t want him near as her due date approached. There was a bit too much of cutting off their nose to spite their face going on. I get that they were angry with each other and that it took time for them to build trust, but I would have rather seen them building this while being true to their feelings and let external issues play more of a role in keeping them apart.

All in all, one of the better romance books I’ve read in a long time. I recommend giving it a read.
This gets 3 stars from me only because, technically, the writing is okay. No horrible grammatical errors and a clean style. When I increasingly find books written by people who don't appear to have heard of a dictionary, let alone know how to use one, and who have no concept of sentence structure I feel that the ability to write should be encouraged.

However, the actual story is another matter. That can be summed up in 3 words contrived, dull, implausible. I don't mind a bit of contrivance if it sets up a good story line and I don't mind a whole helping of implausibility if the story can carry it but to hit the triple is a killer. I won't go into the issues in detail, because that would involve too many spoilers for those that want to give the book a go, but I will say that the plot meant that I didn't get any of the build up to a relationship that I enjoy in romance books. I like the sexual tension to be built slowly and for that to be woven into the development of the relationship as a whole. To jump straight to sex and then to try to build the relationship from there just didn't work for me.

I would only advise reading this book if you are content with a totally predictable story, minimal character development, a heroine who seems to be particularly stupid and a hero whose only "good point" seems to be that he's great in the sack. If those are not selling points for you then I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Or, if you're still intrigued by the story's premise, get it on Unlimited or from your library. If you decide you love it and want to encourage the author you can always buy it afterwards.
Disclaimer I haven't really been getting into historical romance lately, though I used to enjoy the genre quite a bit.

I struggled with this book because both of the main characters behave extremely badly throughout much of the book. Nick, the hero, married the heroine, Julia, when she was just 16. He immediately left England and spent the next eight years catting around Europe while his young wife fell prey to a villain who cut off her finances and tried to blackmail her for sex. Following the kind of logic one only finds in historical romance, Julia decides the way out of her dilemma is to pose as a courtesan, seduce her absent husband, and trick him into fathering his heir. Depriving someone of their reproductive autonomy is pretty unforgivable in my book, even in desperation.

That said, the plot moves along and the writing is decent, so if secret baby/reformed rake stories are your catnip, you'll like this fine.