1.5

Awesome book. I love love loved it.

I am a huge romance fan.
This book? EAH.

I disliked the girl. She was very much 'poor pity me! Look what you did to me!' Then, she goes off trying to ignore everything the hero says, which puts her in middle of all these issues.

She seriously blames the hero for letting her be kidnapped, because he knew she left his house when he told her not to.

Seriously?

It was an ok read- but I wouldn't recommend it.

This story begins with one of the most gripping prologue's I have ever read .But sadly what began as a 5 star story could not fulfil the promise .
This book was not much of a romance but something more of a vehicle for Jane Feather to write about the appaling life circumstances the women with no family or friends faced in those times ( 1750 a d )

It wasn’t bad? And the plot about essentially
Unionizing prostitutes wasn’t bad either? Like undoubtedly trash, but very good trash to have picked up at the thrift store for a buck.

This book was very epic

ORIGINAL BUT IT STILL LACKED SOMETHING. The characters and their passion seemed a little flat, or maybe it was just my preference. The plot was a little predictable, and it was a very long novel for one without much of a drive. I enjoyed the age-gap pairing but, I couldn't help but feel very distant from the main hero, like he was a cardboard man instead of flesh and blood. I think the writing didn't quite speak to me. And the heroine acted her 17 years, sometimes a little too hot-headed for my taste. There's SPUNK, and then there's JUST SPUNK.

FULL REVIEW TO COME.

Q - Secondary Character, Lord Quentin Courtney

What do you do when you accidentally kill your husband on your wedding night? If you are Juliana you run to London with no money, no contacts and hope you find a job. But suddenly you find yourself living in a bordello and “sold” to a Duke in a wild scheme that will actually make your life a lot better.

This novel was a quick and easy read and will hold your attention. The only problem is I started to immensely dislike the “heroine”. Her decision making process left a lot to be desired and it got to the point where I had to side with the duke who “purchased” her. I know many historical romance readers like “strong willed” female characters, but how can you like a character that is stubborn to the point they continue to make silly decisions which always ends in harm’s way?

As for the romance, I was a little disappointed the author did not take us on a “romantic journey”. Juliana and the Duke instantly lusted over each other, and love was barely mentioned, which I found odd. On the plus side, I did learn a lot about prostitution in Victorian London and the infamous red-light district of Covent Garden.

This book is a little bananas. Juliana thinks she kills her old husband during the consummation of their marriage, so she runs. She’s not about to be burned at the stake for something that was a total accident! Juliana is a tad naive and falls into the hands of a high end brothel owner. She receives the following proposition from the Duke of Redmayne: marry his cousin, but in name only. The cousin is dying from the pox, so the Duke is not cruel enough to force her into a real marriage with him. Instead, she will be the Duke’s mistress, until he impregnates her with his cousin's heir. No big deal.

As I said, it’s a little outrageous, and I honestly loved every second of it! There’s kidnappings, police raids, and lots of men learning valuable lessons. My favorite part of the entire book is that Juliana takes it upon herself to essentially unionize all of the prostitutes to support one another in their industry. It didn’t take her long to notice the difference in treatment between the high class brothels and those who have to work in Covent Garden. She wanted to make it better for everyone and not through reform, but with establishing better standards and support! This was the first book I have read by Jane Feather, so if you have any favorite books of hers, let me know!

I enjoyed reading this for a second time. Juliana lived a life of unhappiness, and married an elderly man - much to her distaste - whom she accidentally kills on her wedding night. She does the first thing that comes into hear head and runs. So begins a tale of fear, excitement, and a new world that Juliana has never experienced.

Enter Tarquin, the handsome Duke of Redmayne who has a proposition for Juliana, that she seems she has no choice but to accept to assist in her escape from her past and George - her obsessed step son who wants revenge for his fathers death, and who also lusts for her.

Juliana falls for Tarquin and so begins a relationship which is totally different for Tarquin, as he becomes emotionally involved - something that he had never experienced previously. Their encounters are filled with exotic desires and intimacy, something that Juliana finds to be amazing. Juliana's strong personality also adds for some great adventures along the way!

I felt that JF could have elaborated more on Juliana's and Tarquin's romance, but definitely worth a read!!

Juliana is the young bride of a grossly obese old man, who dies on their wedding night during an unsuccessful attempt to consummate the union. Thing is, when she was struggling to breathe beneath his weight, she also whacked him on the back with a hot bedwarmer, so she reckons she's going to be blamed for the death. Her erstwhile husband has an icky son who lusts after Juliana and objects to the settlement his father established for her, which he considers to be his rightful inheritance. She figures he's going to see that she burns at the stake as a murdering wife, so she runs for it.

An innocent in the rough part of London, Juliana is easily caught up in the trap of a nasty madam who gets her to spill her secret (the better to blackmail her with). The madam has her own agenda-the Duke of Redmayne has asked her to find him a virgin who can be bought. He intends to marry her off to his woman-hating, boy-loving, syphilitic cousin. The cousin is dying and as he has no issue his estate and title would go in an undesirable direction. Tarquin (the duke) plans to establish the bridal couple in his manse, where he will make the bride his mistress and sire an heir for his cousin.

Juliana wants no part of the madam's plans for her, and less part of Tarquin and his scheme, but they blackmail her into cooperation, using the prospect of being burned at the stake as leverage.

And here's where the logic falls apart. On one hand, Tarquin is adamant that, once Juliana is established as his cousin's wife, she can no longer associate with the women she befriended when she was prisoner in the whorehouse because of the associations. He wants her reputation to be above reproach. But while she was a prisoner, he had her forcibly brought to a party where she met other men of society as a whore. Trying to figure out why there was no concern that THIS would get out.

Moreover, did he not think that as the sudden bride of a man who was notoriously gay and notoriously dying of the pox, Juliana is not exactly going to be society's ideal young woman anyway? Especially when she sleeps in his house every night while her "husband" is off buggering altar boys--and she turns up pregnant? Just tryin' to sort it all out.

Anyway, despite the fact that the blackmail and original plan are pretty loathsome, at least in this case, Juliana manages to get Redmayne to see his actions through her eyes, and make him actually regret it.

Meanwhile, Juliana's stepson finds surprising allies as he tries to bring her home to burn.