What do you think?
Rate this book
Beast
LENGTH -- 12 hrs and 40 mins
Judith Ivory's tantalizing romances are a hit with critics, readers, and fellow writers alike. When the brainy, luminous Louise Vandermeer embarks on a transoceanic quest to marry an aristocrat, she dives into a scorching affair with a stranger on the ship.
Their trysts take place in darkness, so Louise does not know her lover is Charles d'Harcourt, the passionate European playboy who just happens to be her intended! Charles is playing a game, but his plan has unexpected results. Louise has fallen for her shipboard Casanova, and Charles will have to open her eyes to his own charms if he expects to win her heart. With exotic tales featuring radiant women and vigorous men, Ivory builds her legions of fans every day. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat delivers a rousing reading that deliciously amplifies the intensity of Louise and Charles' search for love.
Judith Ivory's tantalizing romances are a hit with critics, readers, and fellow writers alike. When the brainy, luminous Louise Vandermeer embarks on a transoceanic quest to marry an aristocrat, she dives into a scorching affair with a stranger on the ship.
Their trysts take place in darkness, so Louise does not know her lover is Charles d'Harcourt, the passionate European playboy who just happens to be her intended! Charles is playing a game, but his plan has unexpected results. Louise has fallen for her shipboard Casanova, and Charles will have to open her eyes to his own charms if he expects to win her heart. With exotic tales featuring radiant women and vigorous men, Ivory builds her legions of fans every day. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat delivers a rousing reading that deliciously amplifies the intensity of Louise and Charles' search for love.
Audiobook
First published April 1, 1997
91 people are currently reading
2433 people want to read
About the author
Judith Ivory
17 books350 followersJudith Ivory "accidentally" acquired two degrees in mathematics, then sold her first novel in 1987 and closed up the math books for good. She lives in Miami Florida, with her two children, two cats and a dog.
"Judith Ivory" is the pseudonym of author Judy Cuevas (real name).
The pseudonym was first used by her after publication of her last book as "Judy Cuevas," in 1996 - Dance. Her first book, Starlit Surrender, which was published under her real name of Cuevas, was re-released under her pseudonym of "Ivory" in 2006 under the title, Angel in a Red Dress.
"Judith Ivory" is the pseudonym of author Judy Cuevas (real name).
The pseudonym was first used by her after publication of her last book as "Judy Cuevas," in 1996 - Dance. Her first book, Starlit Surrender, which was published under her real name of Cuevas, was re-released under her pseudonym of "Ivory" in 2006 under the title, Angel in a Red Dress.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews
June 19, 2013
This was THE most annoying book I've read in a freaking, freaking long while! I cannot begin to describe how truly pathetic the story was! I was close to dumping this book and begin another but damn me, why didn't I?
[image error]
"
Let's break the plot down:
A vain, self-centered, apparently insecure, beautiful (so much so that people stop-dead in the middle of the road as she goes by. Sure, there wasn't any traffic back then, remember?) eighteen year old bitch of a girl has been set to married to a man she hasn't met.
Who's this guy? An equally, if not more, vain, self-centered, apparently insecure, scarred, one-eyes, ugly, 30-something fucking Prince! Yeah, sure.
So, the hero finds his would-be bride, whom he hasn't met in person either, daddling with a young sap on the ship they both are on, on their way to some place.( I couldn't care less) No matter that he's naked under the blankets (that he stole from the deck) and has just come out of his mistress bed, doesn't matter at all cause his pride is hurt that his would-be bride is making out with young guy.
WELL OF COURSE, SHE IS, YOU FUCKING TWAT!
And this child bride of his, she isn't any simpering teenage girl. She is (in her own words) too intelligent for her own sake and is bored of people calling beautiful and admiring her beauty when all she wants is to be noticed for her wisdom. So what does she do before her fate is sealed to an ugly, limping, one-eyed Prince? She plans to have an affair. Why, of course! That is what any girl would do! Cause being dominated by another guy is so much freedom. Intelligent, my fuckin' ass.
Moment of truth, Louise: You are a fuckin' moron. And an even bigger mentally deficient specimen of female population.
So the said ugly Prince, who is vain to the bone in the beginning, devices a plan. A prank. For the remaining days at the ship he has nothing to amuse him, his mistress chucked him off her bed (hence his unclothed state) --oh btw, note that he's so in looooooove with his married mistress at the moment-- so to teach his child bride a lesson he does this: Dress himself in Arab garb and pretend he is a pasha/sheikh and meet her in the dark and they make loooooouve in darkness and -- I kid you not-- the idiot girl is "in love" with him by the next day. And hooooooooold up! Author, have you even researched on basics of Islam? Cause yeah, sure, Qur'an asks every muslim to have four wives compulsorily. And yeah, sure, every muslim guy smother their women behind close doors. And yeah, definitely, every Arab guy is just an insane yibber-yabbing who, 'pparently, is scared of women. (Doesn't yer logic of women domination contradict with this? Seriously.)
Doesn't end there.
The vanity of both em continues. To such level that you seriously would consider rolling their heads into propellers! Anyways, the ship docks. Now the bitch heroine is very, very certain that she is in love with her Pasha. (A british speaking pasha, mind.) So when the 'actual' Prince comes to receive her... know what she does?
SHE FUCKING DOESNT RECOGNIZE HIM!
What. The. Fuck
You slept with that man for four nights straight! In the dark, mind. Without light. So can't you fucking remember his voice? Even if he speaks in accent? His height? The feel of his skin?
Of course, she doesn't! Cause she is too intelligent for her own good!
And the hero... suddenly lost all his vanity! The one who prided upon having suave and charm and masculine attributes is a simpering callow infront of this chit! This chit who is so freaking aloof that you'd think she's 80 year old spinster.
And when does the hero fall in love with her? WHEN? And WHY? What made him fall in love with this tantrum throwing child It actually felt like he was debauching a 12-year-old with high issues.
And then, the heroine is mourning for her lost pasha... and suddenly, she is in love with the Prince.
Yknow what?
Maybe I'm too much of a moron to see the love story in this vanity filled, deception filled story.
I only gave it an extra star because of the poem at Part 3. It really was amazing. But apart from that: Total nonsensical bullcrap.
But of course, here's a toast to Prince and Princess d'Hartcourt. You both morons deserve each other. Stupid you are, breed you should not.
[image error]
"Let's break the plot down:
A vain, self-centered, apparently insecure, beautiful (so much so that people stop-dead in the middle of the road as she goes by. Sure, there wasn't any traffic back then, remember?) eighteen year old bitch of a girl has been set to married to a man she hasn't met.
Who's this guy? An equally, if not more, vain, self-centered, apparently insecure, scarred, one-eyes, ugly, 30-something fucking Prince! Yeah, sure.
So, the hero finds his would-be bride, whom he hasn't met in person either, daddling with a young sap on the ship they both are on, on their way to some place.( I couldn't care less) No matter that he's naked under the blankets (that he stole from the deck) and has just come out of his mistress bed, doesn't matter at all cause his pride is hurt that his would-be bride is making out with young guy.
WELL OF COURSE, SHE IS, YOU FUCKING TWAT!
And this child bride of his, she isn't any simpering teenage girl. She is (in her own words) too intelligent for her own sake and is bored of people calling beautiful and admiring her beauty when all she wants is to be noticed for her wisdom. So what does she do before her fate is sealed to an ugly, limping, one-eyed Prince? She plans to have an affair. Why, of course! That is what any girl would do! Cause being dominated by another guy is so much freedom. Intelligent, my fuckin' ass.
Moment of truth, Louise: You are a fuckin' moron. And an even bigger mentally deficient specimen of female population.
So the said ugly Prince, who is vain to the bone in the beginning, devices a plan. A prank. For the remaining days at the ship he has nothing to amuse him, his mistress chucked him off her bed (hence his unclothed state) --oh btw, note that he's so in looooooove with his married mistress at the moment-- so to teach his child bride a lesson he does this: Dress himself in Arab garb and pretend he is a pasha/sheikh and meet her in the dark and they make loooooouve in darkness and -- I kid you not-- the idiot girl is "in love" with him by the next day. And hooooooooold up! Author, have you even researched on basics of Islam? Cause yeah, sure, Qur'an asks every muslim to have four wives compulsorily. And yeah, sure, every muslim guy smother their women behind close doors. And yeah, definitely, every Arab guy is just an insane yibber-yabbing who, 'pparently, is scared of women. (Doesn't yer logic of women domination contradict with this? Seriously.)
Doesn't end there.
The vanity of both em continues. To such level that you seriously would consider rolling their heads into propellers! Anyways, the ship docks. Now the bitch heroine is very, very certain that she is in love with her Pasha. (A british speaking pasha, mind.) So when the 'actual' Prince comes to receive her... know what she does?
SHE FUCKING DOESNT RECOGNIZE HIM!
What. The. Fuck
You slept with that man for four nights straight! In the dark, mind. Without light. So can't you fucking remember his voice? Even if he speaks in accent? His height? The feel of his skin?
Of course, she doesn't! Cause she is too intelligent for her own good!
And the hero... suddenly lost all his vanity! The one who prided upon having suave and charm and masculine attributes is a simpering callow infront of this chit! This chit who is so freaking aloof that you'd think she's 80 year old spinster.
And when does the hero fall in love with her? WHEN? And WHY? What made him fall in love with this tantrum throwing child It actually felt like he was debauching a 12-year-old with high issues.
And then, the heroine is mourning for her lost pasha... and suddenly, she is in love with the Prince.
Yknow what?
Maybe I'm too much of a moron to see the love story in this vanity filled, deception filled story.
I only gave it an extra star because of the poem at Part 3. It really was amazing. But apart from that: Total nonsensical bullcrap.
But of course, here's a toast to Prince and Princess d'Hartcourt. You both morons deserve each other. Stupid you are, breed you should not.
January 19, 2009
Beast by Judith Ivory is one of my two all-time favorite romance books and also simply one of the best books I have ever read. When I read books or watch movies, afterwards I have a certain feel for them, a textural sensation. Beast has left me with one of the richest, most voluptuous "feels" ever.
The story is set around the turn of the 20th century. The first half of the book takes place on the ocean liner Concordia; the second half takes place in Provence, France.
The plot is fairly simple. It combines an unknown lover theme with a beauty-and-beast theme. Louise Vandermeer is an heiress and beautiful beyond mere mortal imagination. Her fiancé, Charles Harcourt, is sophisticated, successful, and well-admired, the perfect man if you will, except for a couple of unfortunate defects. He is blind in one eye from a childhood ailment. That eye is further distorted by a scar. He also has a bad knee and limps a bit when the weather is unfavorable. In other words, he is not pretty.
Louise agreed to marry Charles sight unseen because she wanted the freedom of a married woman. While she is on the Concordia traveling to Nice for the wedding, Charles, unbeknownst to her, happens to be on the same ship. He seduces her in complete darkness. But the prank backfires. Charles falls hard for Louise, but she is in love only with her shipboard lover, unaware that it was Charles Harcourt all along.
One of the reasons I love this book is because of its characters. One doesn't see a heroine like Louise everyday. In fact, I've never read another one like her. She is not what one would label immediately sympathetic. She is eighteen, raised in the lap of luxury, more beautiful than Helen of Troy, completely aware of her power over the opposite sex, bored with her life, and annoyed with her parents and relatives.
Sounds like somebody you and I could detest? But Judith Ivory made her so much more than a spoiled darling. Louise is excruciatingly intelligent. I can hardly think of any heroine from any other book who is sharper or more observant. As a result, Louise is painfully aware of how circumscribed her life is, both by her wealth and her beauty. People are struck dumb by her looks. They have no idea who the real Louise Vandermeer truly is or wants to be. She adroitly fends off open-mouthed admiration from men and jealousy from women while longing to be someone kinder, wiser, someone more open, someone who was in fact, the real Louise Vandermeer.
You don't have to be beautiful. You only need to have been eighteen, confused, aimless, misunderstood and feeling like an outsider to sympathize with Louise.
Charles Harcourt, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is also a victim of his appearance. With him, Ivory has succeeded in creating a man who pays a great deal of attention to and agonizes over his looks, yet who is never diminished by this seemingly less-than-manly concern. Charles is mature, understanding, generous, and open-minded. He is the person with whom Louise could be completely open. And while he is awed and flabbergasted and flustered by her beauty, we are never in doubt of what he really fell in love with: her strength, her perspicacity, her desire to improve herself, and the force of her will.
Louise, to her great credit, realizes and admires the less-than-sightly Charles for all his wonderful qualities. In time, she falls in love with this Charles and we know they've both found the one person they needed.
As if such complex, human, flesh-and-blood characters aren't enough, Ms. Ivory wows me with her exquisite command of language. There is something inimitable about her writing. (I know - I've tried and failed.) Not only do lovely similes, metaphors, adjectives, and adverbs cascade freely from her pen without ever degenerating into verbosity, she writes with an energy, an enthusiasm - almost a glee - that I have not seen anywhere else except perhaps in Isabel Allende's book Aphrodite.
Her writing is tactile, visual, olfactory, gustatory. When she describes pearls, you feel their cool smooth roundness. When she describes food, you are hungry. And when she describes scenery, by God, you are there. Provence comes alive in her pen just as it does in Peter Mayle's books.
And when she writes a love scene, you need a cold shower.
Sometimes after reading a romance, one sighs and is satisfied. I was not only satisfied, I was astounded by Beast. Judith Ivory is one of the best writers writing today, period. And Beast, in my opinion is Judith Ivory at her best.
Note: I wrote this back in 2002 as a reader-submitted Desert Isle Keeper review for All About Romance.
The story is set around the turn of the 20th century. The first half of the book takes place on the ocean liner Concordia; the second half takes place in Provence, France.
The plot is fairly simple. It combines an unknown lover theme with a beauty-and-beast theme. Louise Vandermeer is an heiress and beautiful beyond mere mortal imagination. Her fiancé, Charles Harcourt, is sophisticated, successful, and well-admired, the perfect man if you will, except for a couple of unfortunate defects. He is blind in one eye from a childhood ailment. That eye is further distorted by a scar. He also has a bad knee and limps a bit when the weather is unfavorable. In other words, he is not pretty.
Louise agreed to marry Charles sight unseen because she wanted the freedom of a married woman. While she is on the Concordia traveling to Nice for the wedding, Charles, unbeknownst to her, happens to be on the same ship. He seduces her in complete darkness. But the prank backfires. Charles falls hard for Louise, but she is in love only with her shipboard lover, unaware that it was Charles Harcourt all along.
One of the reasons I love this book is because of its characters. One doesn't see a heroine like Louise everyday. In fact, I've never read another one like her. She is not what one would label immediately sympathetic. She is eighteen, raised in the lap of luxury, more beautiful than Helen of Troy, completely aware of her power over the opposite sex, bored with her life, and annoyed with her parents and relatives.
Sounds like somebody you and I could detest? But Judith Ivory made her so much more than a spoiled darling. Louise is excruciatingly intelligent. I can hardly think of any heroine from any other book who is sharper or more observant. As a result, Louise is painfully aware of how circumscribed her life is, both by her wealth and her beauty. People are struck dumb by her looks. They have no idea who the real Louise Vandermeer truly is or wants to be. She adroitly fends off open-mouthed admiration from men and jealousy from women while longing to be someone kinder, wiser, someone more open, someone who was in fact, the real Louise Vandermeer.
You don't have to be beautiful. You only need to have been eighteen, confused, aimless, misunderstood and feeling like an outsider to sympathize with Louise.
Charles Harcourt, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is also a victim of his appearance. With him, Ivory has succeeded in creating a man who pays a great deal of attention to and agonizes over his looks, yet who is never diminished by this seemingly less-than-manly concern. Charles is mature, understanding, generous, and open-minded. He is the person with whom Louise could be completely open. And while he is awed and flabbergasted and flustered by her beauty, we are never in doubt of what he really fell in love with: her strength, her perspicacity, her desire to improve herself, and the force of her will.
Louise, to her great credit, realizes and admires the less-than-sightly Charles for all his wonderful qualities. In time, she falls in love with this Charles and we know they've both found the one person they needed.
As if such complex, human, flesh-and-blood characters aren't enough, Ms. Ivory wows me with her exquisite command of language. There is something inimitable about her writing. (I know - I've tried and failed.) Not only do lovely similes, metaphors, adjectives, and adverbs cascade freely from her pen without ever degenerating into verbosity, she writes with an energy, an enthusiasm - almost a glee - that I have not seen anywhere else except perhaps in Isabel Allende's book Aphrodite.
Her writing is tactile, visual, olfactory, gustatory. When she describes pearls, you feel their cool smooth roundness. When she describes food, you are hungry. And when she describes scenery, by God, you are there. Provence comes alive in her pen just as it does in Peter Mayle's books.
And when she writes a love scene, you need a cold shower.
Sometimes after reading a romance, one sighs and is satisfied. I was not only satisfied, I was astounded by Beast. Judith Ivory is one of the best writers writing today, period. And Beast, in my opinion is Judith Ivory at her best.
Note: I wrote this back in 2002 as a reader-submitted Desert Isle Keeper review for All About Romance.
March 4, 2015
When you keep wishing your husband who's been abroad for 3 days will delay coming home at least 3 or 4 hours more so you can manage to finish the book, you know the book's a keeper. If anyone told me two days ago that I would come to love a book by Ivory whose book The Proposition was a huge disappointment for me, I would have laughed at them; yet here I am. This book not only turned a keeper, but one of my top 20 books ever.
This book had everything: witty dialogues, clever humor, a wicked, sexy but imperfect hero (my favorite kind) and a great, passionate love story. Yes, both of them made mistakes and acted stupidly from time to time, yes there were a couple or more of holes in the plot and yes, as it's obvious none of these things mattered a bit to me. I became entranced in their story, felt their anguish, their love and especially the hero's despair that he couldn't touch the woman he loved so much.
I will add a couple of lines the hero says to the heroine:
"All my roads lead to you, no matter how crooked. And all
your roads lead to me. Stay. Stop your traveling, Louise."
I rest my case at this point.
This book had everything: witty dialogues, clever humor, a wicked, sexy but imperfect hero (my favorite kind) and a great, passionate love story. Yes, both of them made mistakes and acted stupidly from time to time, yes there were a couple or more of holes in the plot and yes, as it's obvious none of these things mattered a bit to me. I became entranced in their story, felt their anguish, their love and especially the hero's despair that he couldn't touch the woman he loved so much.
I will add a couple of lines the hero says to the heroine:
"All my roads lead to you, no matter how crooked. And all
your roads lead to me. Stay. Stop your traveling, Louise."
I rest my case at this point.
March 28, 2020
3.5 stars
I did a buddy read for this, so for all of my thoughts, comments, and quotes: Beast buddy read
"With him, I became aloud the person I had always been silently inside myself."
This quote right here is what I want to read about and feel when I pick up a romance book.
Beast is obviously a play on the Beauty and the Beast story and while you'll get a true feel for it, the heroine does think the hero is ugly with his scarring for a good while, this almost had more of a Phantom of the Opera vibe.
I'm not sure if it is due to the coincidence of reading about young, spoiled, gorgeous heroines lately but Louise annoyed and lost my interest a fair amount of times. She does show growth towards the end but she got tiring to read about.
The hero was uber vulnerable and this caused him to be prideful and scheming at times. I kind of wanted more of his background instead of the total absorption he had with the heroine. It was hard in the beginning and some middle to feel good about his attraction to the heroine because it was based on her looks, as he didn't know her yet; felt like he wanted her because she was so pretty and prove his looks weren't so bad.
Even with these weaker characters, the story in the hands of this author is worth reading because of beautiful her writing can be. I thought she did a better job in Bliss of showing us the characters' deeper emotions instead of having the characters straight tell us as she did more so here.
Definitely still worth your time but Bliss still holds the crown for me.
I did a buddy read for this, so for all of my thoughts, comments, and quotes: Beast buddy read
"With him, I became aloud the person I had always been silently inside myself."
This quote right here is what I want to read about and feel when I pick up a romance book.
Beast is obviously a play on the Beauty and the Beast story and while you'll get a true feel for it, the heroine does think the hero is ugly with his scarring for a good while, this almost had more of a Phantom of the Opera vibe.
I'm not sure if it is due to the coincidence of reading about young, spoiled, gorgeous heroines lately but Louise annoyed and lost my interest a fair amount of times. She does show growth towards the end but she got tiring to read about.
The hero was uber vulnerable and this caused him to be prideful and scheming at times. I kind of wanted more of his background instead of the total absorption he had with the heroine. It was hard in the beginning and some middle to feel good about his attraction to the heroine because it was based on her looks, as he didn't know her yet; felt like he wanted her because she was so pretty and prove his looks weren't so bad.
Even with these weaker characters, the story in the hands of this author is worth reading because of beautiful her writing can be. I thought she did a better job in Bliss of showing us the characters' deeper emotions instead of having the characters straight tell us as she did more so here.
Definitely still worth your time but Bliss still holds the crown for me.
June 13, 2025
Charles is a 35-year-old prince. The title doesn’t mean much in a democratic France in 1902, but he is the grandson of the last king. He also feels ugly, thanks to a scar and an opaque blind eye from surgery as an infant, and a limp from a busted knee cap he suffered in a murder attempt. In spite of his unattractiveness, however, his wealth, his title, his well-formed body, his flair for unique fashion, and his interest in perfumes has made him a magnet for beautiful women and his ego is stroked when they grace his arm and bed.
Louise is an 18-year-old wealthy American heiress, and so incredibly beautiful that men lose their equilibrium at the sight of her. Louise is well aware of her astonishing beauty, and likes being beautiful and wants everything her beauty should be able to gain her, most particularly a handsome lover before she weds the “hunchback” prince her parents have arranged for her to marry. Spoiled, headstrong, willful, vaguely discontented, and bored, Louisa relishes her beauty but wonders if she has anything to offer besides beauty.
As the book opens, Charles is sailing back to France incognito on the same ship as his fiancé and her family…and his long-term mistress…and his long-term mistress’s whoremongering husband. When he accidentally witnesses his future wife flirting with a junior officer in the ship’s crew, he hatches an elaborate plan to seduce Louise while maintaining his anonymity by only seeing her in darkness. His intent to humble her and soothe his vanity by making her the butt of a joke becomes his downfall as he finds himself falling for Louise.
What a tangle. It gets worse when he finally meets his fiancé in daylight as himself, and she finds him repulsive and holds him at arm’s length while drowning in love for her man of darkness who had abandoned her when the ship docked.
I didn’t like the heroine. I didn’t like the hero, although I did feel some compassion for him when Louise found him repulsive and made no secret of it. The tone was blasé and sophisticated and abrasive and conniving. The story was bizarre and convoluted and too long with too much information about ambergris and the manufacture of scents.
And I was fascinated. By everything. By the unsympathetic characters, by the giant messy stew they made for themselves, by how two people could be so right and so wrong at the same time. By the writing that teetered precariously between brilliant and brittle. By a story that compensated for a dearth of genuine emotion by being so damn interesting.
One final note: there are more printing errors in this book than any book I’ve ever run across before. This book is a swamp of typos, transposed words, missing words, incorrectly placed quotation marks, and liberally sprinkled with commas in uncommon places. It’s disgraceful that a book by a respected writer would be published in such a careless way, with zero respect for the readers or the writer who penned it.
Louise is an 18-year-old wealthy American heiress, and so incredibly beautiful that men lose their equilibrium at the sight of her. Louise is well aware of her astonishing beauty, and likes being beautiful and wants everything her beauty should be able to gain her, most particularly a handsome lover before she weds the “hunchback” prince her parents have arranged for her to marry. Spoiled, headstrong, willful, vaguely discontented, and bored, Louisa relishes her beauty but wonders if she has anything to offer besides beauty.
As the book opens, Charles is sailing back to France incognito on the same ship as his fiancé and her family…and his long-term mistress…and his long-term mistress’s whoremongering husband. When he accidentally witnesses his future wife flirting with a junior officer in the ship’s crew, he hatches an elaborate plan to seduce Louise while maintaining his anonymity by only seeing her in darkness. His intent to humble her and soothe his vanity by making her the butt of a joke becomes his downfall as he finds himself falling for Louise.
What a tangle. It gets worse when he finally meets his fiancé in daylight as himself, and she finds him repulsive and holds him at arm’s length while drowning in love for her man of darkness who had abandoned her when the ship docked.
I didn’t like the heroine. I didn’t like the hero, although I did feel some compassion for him when Louise found him repulsive and made no secret of it. The tone was blasé and sophisticated and abrasive and conniving. The story was bizarre and convoluted and too long with too much information about ambergris and the manufacture of scents.
And I was fascinated. By everything. By the unsympathetic characters, by the giant messy stew they made for themselves, by how two people could be so right and so wrong at the same time. By the writing that teetered precariously between brilliant and brittle. By a story that compensated for a dearth of genuine emotion by being so damn interesting.
One final note: there are more printing errors in this book than any book I’ve ever run across before. This book is a swamp of typos, transposed words, missing words, incorrectly placed quotation marks, and liberally sprinkled with commas in uncommon places. It’s disgraceful that a book by a respected writer would be published in such a careless way, with zero respect for the readers or the writer who penned it.
January 29, 2023
3.5 to 4 stars. An enjoyable read that is not the usual cliche historical romance. The 'beast' of the title, Charles, has a facial disfigurement and a limp, and he's also self-conscious about his looks (understandable) and rather vain. Luckily, he's also basically kind-hearted and loving, as well as hard-working and intelligent. So while I was uncomfortable with his vanity, his good qualities outweighed the bad.
The heroine, Louise, is a kind of Consuela Vanderbilt type figure. Amercian, young, beautiful, intelligent, from an extremely wealthy background. Her parents had arranged an advantageous marriage for her with an older European prince, the 'beast'. Fortunately the fictional Louise's parents weren't as driven as the real Vanderbilts. (The real Consuela's mother was reputed to be bullying, manipulative, abusive, driven, ambitious, determined to snatch a title for her daughter at any cost, which she did. Consuela and her duke later divorced).
Louise in the book is compliant, accepting the match made for her, but at eighteen not really knowing herself and on somewhat of a quest to find out who she really is and what she wants in her life.
The first part of the book takes place on an ocean voyage, with Louise sailing to Europe to meet and marry the fiance her parents have arranged. Unbeknownst to her, he's on board the ship too, and they start a wild affair. Charles knows who she is, but she doesn't know who he is. They make love in the dark. Intriguing set-up.
The second part of the book is set in France. The marriage takes place, and the two protagonists get to know each other better. It takes the rest of the book for the knot to be unwound and for Charles' identity as the shipboard lover to be revealed. Fortunately they are both deeply in love by this stage.
It's an interesting plot, and the characterisations had many layers. The protagonists were very human, and not always completely likeable, although you still felt sympathetic towards them. The writer did a fine job of making her characters's motives understandable.
A side aspect of this book was the perfume industry at the turn of the twentieth century, and the nature of ambergris, a product that is no longer used in perfumes, as it's from sperm whales. This added another layer of interest to the book.
Overall an unusual and high-quality HR, well-written and with very well-done plot and characterisations.
I read this as the April 2020 BOTM for HRBC, 'age gap' trope.
The heroine, Louise, is a kind of Consuela Vanderbilt type figure. Amercian, young, beautiful, intelligent, from an extremely wealthy background. Her parents had arranged an advantageous marriage for her with an older European prince, the 'beast'. Fortunately the fictional Louise's parents weren't as driven as the real Vanderbilts. (The real Consuela's mother was reputed to be bullying, manipulative, abusive, driven, ambitious, determined to snatch a title for her daughter at any cost, which she did. Consuela and her duke later divorced).
Louise in the book is compliant, accepting the match made for her, but at eighteen not really knowing herself and on somewhat of a quest to find out who she really is and what she wants in her life.
The first part of the book takes place on an ocean voyage, with Louise sailing to Europe to meet and marry the fiance her parents have arranged. Unbeknownst to her, he's on board the ship too, and they start a wild affair. Charles knows who she is, but she doesn't know who he is. They make love in the dark. Intriguing set-up.
The second part of the book is set in France. The marriage takes place, and the two protagonists get to know each other better. It takes the rest of the book for the knot to be unwound and for Charles' identity as the shipboard lover to be revealed. Fortunately they are both deeply in love by this stage.
It's an interesting plot, and the characterisations had many layers. The protagonists were very human, and not always completely likeable, although you still felt sympathetic towards them. The writer did a fine job of making her characters's motives understandable.
A side aspect of this book was the perfume industry at the turn of the twentieth century, and the nature of ambergris, a product that is no longer used in perfumes, as it's from sperm whales. This added another layer of interest to the book.
Overall an unusual and high-quality HR, well-written and with very well-done plot and characterisations.
I read this as the April 2020 BOTM for HRBC, 'age gap' trope.
February 2, 2023
This had the potential of being stupendous but the ludicrous plot and unlikable ice queen heroine ruined it entirely. I'm really annoyed because I had this sitting on my bookshelf for over a year and looking forward to reading it for so long. I originally wanted to give this an extra star but there was honestly nothing I enjoyed about this. The first half of the story dragged out unbearably slow where the hero devises an idiotic scheme to seduce his unsuspecting young soon-to-be-bride as someone else. The heroine decides Hey! Why the heck not? I'm about to get married and this faceless stranger sounds beautiful. *eye twitch* The hero soon realizes he has fallen in love with her and she with him so what does he do? He doesn't tell her the truth and decides they should start with a clean slate once they are married and he can make her fall in love with him again. *crickets* Yeah cause that makes total sense. The rest of the story we have to sit through the vain selfish emotionally-stunted heroine mooning over her mysterious pasha lover and comparing him to her 'ghastly' husband and constantly pushing him away. It was unbearable and seemed to have no end. The fact that she doesn't recognize Charles as her mystery lover after their escapades on the boat blows my mind. They spent 5 nights together, you're telling me she can't recognize his voice, his long hair, and his body build?? And oh let's not forget...THEY HAVE THE SAME FREAKING NAME!
That's just a special kind of stupid.
Logic and common sense are completely thrown out the window for a convoluted plot which could have easily been resolved if the hero confessed about his deception. I could have overlooked this if it weren't for the sheer misery of the insufferable heroine Louise.
She is so beautiful men stop in their tracks and every woman envies her, she's intelligent beyond her years, she's 18 years old but acts like a jaded worldly creature who's extremely hung up on looks--her own and her husband's. The number of times Charles's looks are emphasized, scrutinized and ripped apart by this girl is insane. He has a blind eye and a limp...WE GET IT. Please move on. She acts like he's the Hunchback of Notre-Dame with the way she carried on about it.
There were a lot of confusing contradictions to Louise’s character that really didn’t mesh well. She loves her beauty yet hates it, loves and craves attention yet detests it, adores her parents but hates them and is jealous of them (WTF?), thinks Charles is grotesque and frightening but beautiful. WHICH IS IT?!
She’s apparently a wild flighty hellion who just wants to be free but can’t stand affectionate touches.
She won't even let Charles hold her freaking hand. He can’t touch her it’s just...criminal!
She makes false promises to him then breaks it with total disregard to his feelings and his work in another city.
She can't be bothered with pleasantries.
And the idea of doing wifely duties and running a household?
She cringes at the mere mention of it. RME.
This girl was one seriously confused unstable mess and I just could not make sense of her or relate to her at all. Ironically enough, the hero is supposed to be the 'beast' of this story but I think Louise could carry the title as well. To be fair Charles did start out pretty lame and unlikable in the beginning but he showed some growth and humility when he realized his mistakes and bends over backwards to win this girl's heart. My heart honestly broke for him a little even though it shouldn't, I felt his emotions were wasted on an insensitive detached little girl. She can't see past her own nose and is quite aware of it but doesn't lift a finger to try and change or be a better person. I mean at least freaking try. That was the most infuriating thing. I could have overlooked all of it if we saw some actual dimension, personality and evolution to this heroine, but nope. Just because you acknowledge that you "aren't a nice person" gives you a free pass? Uh no. Whining about it didn't endear her to me either.
There was not an ounce or inch given to understand this character and the evolution I was hoping to see with her did not happen. Someone who can't and isn't willing to meet someone half way or compromise is hard to sympathize with. There wasn't even near enough levity and subtle moments to help balance things out and convince readers these two were well matched. Readers aren't given enough time to see Louise actually fall in love with her husband and not the silly smoke and mirrors pasha disguise. I couldn't even get into the rendezvous love scenes in the first half because it was all under false pretenses. Hated that! Like I said there wasn’t enough for me to enjoy about this. I grew quite fond of the hero and how far he came in such a short amount of time but everything else was abysmal.
That's just a special kind of stupid.
Logic and common sense are completely thrown out the window for a convoluted plot which could have easily been resolved if the hero confessed about his deception. I could have overlooked this if it weren't for the sheer misery of the insufferable heroine Louise.
She is so beautiful men stop in their tracks and every woman envies her, she's intelligent beyond her years, she's 18 years old but acts like a jaded worldly creature who's extremely hung up on looks--her own and her husband's. The number of times Charles's looks are emphasized, scrutinized and ripped apart by this girl is insane. He has a blind eye and a limp...WE GET IT. Please move on. She acts like he's the Hunchback of Notre-Dame with the way she carried on about it.
There were a lot of confusing contradictions to Louise’s character that really didn’t mesh well. She loves her beauty yet hates it, loves and craves attention yet detests it, adores her parents but hates them and is jealous of them (WTF?), thinks Charles is grotesque and frightening but beautiful. WHICH IS IT?!
She’s apparently a wild flighty hellion who just wants to be free but can’t stand affectionate touches.
She won't even let Charles hold her freaking hand. He can’t touch her it’s just...criminal!
She makes false promises to him then breaks it with total disregard to his feelings and his work in another city.
She can't be bothered with pleasantries.
And the idea of doing wifely duties and running a household?
She cringes at the mere mention of it. RME.
This girl was one seriously confused unstable mess and I just could not make sense of her or relate to her at all. Ironically enough, the hero is supposed to be the 'beast' of this story but I think Louise could carry the title as well. To be fair Charles did start out pretty lame and unlikable in the beginning but he showed some growth and humility when he realized his mistakes and bends over backwards to win this girl's heart. My heart honestly broke for him a little even though it shouldn't, I felt his emotions were wasted on an insensitive detached little girl. She can't see past her own nose and is quite aware of it but doesn't lift a finger to try and change or be a better person. I mean at least freaking try. That was the most infuriating thing. I could have overlooked all of it if we saw some actual dimension, personality and evolution to this heroine, but nope. Just because you acknowledge that you "aren't a nice person" gives you a free pass? Uh no. Whining about it didn't endear her to me either.
There was not an ounce or inch given to understand this character and the evolution I was hoping to see with her did not happen. Someone who can't and isn't willing to meet someone half way or compromise is hard to sympathize with. There wasn't even near enough levity and subtle moments to help balance things out and convince readers these two were well matched. Readers aren't given enough time to see Louise actually fall in love with her husband and not the silly smoke and mirrors pasha disguise. I couldn't even get into the rendezvous love scenes in the first half because it was all under false pretenses. Hated that! Like I said there wasn’t enough for me to enjoy about this. I grew quite fond of the hero and how far he came in such a short amount of time but everything else was abysmal.
January 31, 2013
Very nice Edwardian romance. The hero, Charles, was quite different and most of the book was written from his POV. He was scarred and hyper aware of it but rather than secluding himself and brooding about it, he instead made himself confident (at least on the surface) and flamboyant and vain. He starts his incognito relationship with the heroine, his fiance whom he's never met, out of pricked pride.
The heroine, Louise, is 18 and for once was written as an 18 year old. She is polished and refined, after all she is very wealthy and was brought up to be a high society lady. But she is a bit adrift. She is not real kind and she knows it. She also is aware that she is drifting and lonely and not sure who she is or what she wants to do with her life. She falls hard for the mysterious man she meets. Generally this isn't a type of heroine that I like but JI totally made her work for me. I think probably because Louise was aware of her own faults.
They both change and grow through the course of the book. I liked the way that once he was in love, he was so in love. He was indulgent and mesmerized by her. When she wouldn't sleep with him after they married because to her he was a stranger, he dealt with it, didn't force her, but showed his unhappiness in a startling way but he didn't get on his high horse and leave or any nonsense like that. Throughout the first part of their marriage Louise kept being continually surprised by him, his kindness, his understanding and his whimsy. The scenes where he tries to get her into bed after their marriage were extremely hot.
Very well written with a good feel of the times. I loved picturing her dresses as they were described. I also learned quite a bit about ambergris. Too bad I'd have to kill a whale to smell it. I totally would except I live in the midwest and the ocean is a very long way away. ;-)
The heroine, Louise, is 18 and for once was written as an 18 year old. She is polished and refined, after all she is very wealthy and was brought up to be a high society lady. But she is a bit adrift. She is not real kind and she knows it. She also is aware that she is drifting and lonely and not sure who she is or what she wants to do with her life. She falls hard for the mysterious man she meets. Generally this isn't a type of heroine that I like but JI totally made her work for me. I think probably because Louise was aware of her own faults.
They both change and grow through the course of the book. I liked the way that once he was in love, he was so in love. He was indulgent and mesmerized by her. When she wouldn't sleep with him after they married because to her he was a stranger, he dealt with it, didn't force her, but showed his unhappiness in a startling way but he didn't get on his high horse and leave or any nonsense like that. Throughout the first part of their marriage Louise kept being continually surprised by him, his kindness, his understanding and his whimsy. The scenes where he tries to get her into bed after their marriage were extremely hot.
Very well written with a good feel of the times. I loved picturing her dresses as they were described. I also learned quite a bit about ambergris. Too bad I'd have to kill a whale to smell it. I totally would except I live in the midwest and the ocean is a very long way away. ;-)
October 19, 2021
Heiress Louise Vandemeer is an exquisite beauty who is traveling to France to marry Prince Charles d'Harcourt. She has never met Charles, but has heard that he is disfigured. Thinking this might be her only chance for a fling before she is married, Louise decides to have some fun onboard the ship. Unknown to Louise, Charles is also traveling on the ship. He decides that he will seduce Louise under cover of darkness. He succeeds in his quest and Louise is totally smitten with him, believing that he is a rich sheik traveling on board the ship. When Charles and Louise finally meet in France, she does not recognize him. They are quickly married, but both feel guilty about what happened on the ship and the secrets they are keeping.
Good grief. How did this book get so many good reviews? They certainly saw something in this story that I missed. Both the hero and heroine were unlikeable. Louise is so beautiful she stops men in their tracks. But she wants to be appreciated for her mind. When she learns that her fiancé has a scar and a limp, she is not happy about it. A woman as beautiful as she should not be saddled with an ogre. I was sick of continually hearing how beautiful she was; and I never saw her use that brain of hers.
When the book opens, Charles is having an affair with a married woman who he claims to love. But since she won't divorce her husband, he is going to marry Louise. The reason for the marriage is to ensure that he can get a shipment of Ambergris, an aromatic ingredient used in perfumes. Charles works in the perfume industry and needs this shipment which is owned by Louise's family. Charles is understandably self-conscious about his facial scar and limp. But he is an arrogant womanizer who I found hard to take.
The plot to this story was just stupid. How could Louise spend five nights in the dark with Charles and not know him when she meets him? He even used the same name on board. Wouldn't she recognize his voice? I was going to DNF this book; but kept thinking it would get better. It didn't. My rating: 1 Star.
Good grief. How did this book get so many good reviews? They certainly saw something in this story that I missed. Both the hero and heroine were unlikeable. Louise is so beautiful she stops men in their tracks. But she wants to be appreciated for her mind. When she learns that her fiancé has a scar and a limp, she is not happy about it. A woman as beautiful as she should not be saddled with an ogre. I was sick of continually hearing how beautiful she was; and I never saw her use that brain of hers.
When the book opens, Charles is having an affair with a married woman who he claims to love. But since she won't divorce her husband, he is going to marry Louise. The reason for the marriage is to ensure that he can get a shipment of Ambergris, an aromatic ingredient used in perfumes. Charles works in the perfume industry and needs this shipment which is owned by Louise's family. Charles is understandably self-conscious about his facial scar and limp. But he is an arrogant womanizer who I found hard to take.
The plot to this story was just stupid. How could Louise spend five nights in the dark with Charles and not know him when she meets him? He even used the same name on board. Wouldn't she recognize his voice? I was going to DNF this book; but kept thinking it would get better. It didn't. My rating: 1 Star.
April 29, 2020
Interesting story but couldn’t get into the characters. Really enjoyed the setting but I didn’t care much about the romance.
HRBC April 2020
HRBC April 2020
February 7, 2021
When Charles d'Harcourt catches his contracted fiancée, Louise Vandermeer, flirting with some whiny fellow on the ship bringing them to France, he decides to take matters into his own hands and seduce the lady himself in the darkness. This goes about as well as you'd expect in a romance novel: Louise falls for the mysterious lover who lets her be herself completely, and Charles falls for the vain little monster he's going to marry in a few weeks. THE SCANDAL.
1. The metaphors for Charles's dick and genital area are VERY ODD. I have captured the worst of them in the status updates ("his scrotum THUMPED LIKE A BUTTER CHURN WITH ITS PADDLE IN ACTION") so that's a thing.
2. There's a very strangely distant tone to this book: semi-florid, occasionally graphically detailed, and overall tolerant of Charles and Louise, but not necessarily fond of them. It's very removed, which makes connecting with them as the leads and as romantic partners rather difficult.
3. That said, the ending was a lovely kick in the chest: "She put herself in his power. And ran at him headlong." —I love that thread that gets introduced in Part 2 and carried into Part 3, of Charles and Louise making a decision to go for it, headlong, intentionally. It's rather lovely and striking and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
4. I also loved that Louise eventually figures it out and then waits and waits for Charles to just get his act together and confess. HA HA HA.
5. Overall, Loiuse and Charles are both flawed characters who fall into love with one another because they see reflections of themselves in the other. I struggled a little with just how vindictive Charles is early in the book (he betroths himself to Louise partially to convince his married mistress to divorce her husband); he chooses to pursue Louise intentionally so that he can teach her a lesson about vanity only to fall into feelings for her in spite of her snotty, presumptuous selfishness.
Louise is not much better: she is 18 and so beautiful that she is pursued ceaselessly; when she thinks she might die at sea she decides to throw herself at the mysterious man who teases her and then discovers that she might have more to offer the world than her looks. Of course, the moment she's on dry land and facing the man she's meant to marry she reverts back to a cold, dismissive, vain little weasel who looks down on Charles because he's besotted with her.
They're both complicated and terrible and it was a bit exhausting to read about. But I did end up rooting for them, so Ivory did something right.
(Except the age gap.)
2.5 stars
1. The metaphors for Charles's dick and genital area are VERY ODD. I have captured the worst of them in the status updates ("his scrotum THUMPED LIKE A BUTTER CHURN WITH ITS PADDLE IN ACTION") so that's a thing.
2. There's a very strangely distant tone to this book: semi-florid, occasionally graphically detailed, and overall tolerant of Charles and Louise, but not necessarily fond of them. It's very removed, which makes connecting with them as the leads and as romantic partners rather difficult.
3. That said, the ending was a lovely kick in the chest: "She put herself in his power. And ran at him headlong." —I love that thread that gets introduced in Part 2 and carried into Part 3, of Charles and Louise making a decision to go for it, headlong, intentionally. It's rather lovely and striking and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
4. I also loved that Louise eventually figures it out and then waits and waits for Charles to just get his act together and confess. HA HA HA.
5. Overall, Loiuse and Charles are both flawed characters who fall into love with one another because they see reflections of themselves in the other. I struggled a little with just how vindictive Charles is early in the book (he betroths himself to Louise partially to convince his married mistress to divorce her husband); he chooses to pursue Louise intentionally so that he can teach her a lesson about vanity only to fall into feelings for her in spite of her snotty, presumptuous selfishness.
Louise is not much better: she is 18 and so beautiful that she is pursued ceaselessly; when she thinks she might die at sea she decides to throw herself at the mysterious man who teases her and then discovers that she might have more to offer the world than her looks. Of course, the moment she's on dry land and facing the man she's meant to marry she reverts back to a cold, dismissive, vain little weasel who looks down on Charles because he's besotted with her.
They're both complicated and terrible and it was a bit exhausting to read about. But I did end up rooting for them, so Ivory did something right.
(Except the age gap.)
2.5 stars
June 9, 2020
A very tender, passionate, delightful and intimate look at a relationship -- with all the inherent failings and follies.
Only if you are able to forgive the mcs of this book their utter stupidities, will you enjoy their story. And there is much to like and love here – just as there are things that may put you off. The mixed and extreme reviews are understandable but I, for one loved both the mcs (or were they three of them?), their exchanges, the push-pull and the multi-layered story.
The American heiress h and the French prince (of Nowhere!) H get engaged as part of a business deal between the H and her father – sight unseen. While on the way back to Europe (from America) after finalizing the ‘deal’, he sails home on the same ship as the h and her family, and everyone’s quite unaware that they are all together on that same ship. He was supposed to leave early but decides to take a later ship to be with his married mistress.
One night after a fight with the ow who boots him out –naked- after learning of his engagement, he comes across a flirtatious young girl leading on a poor besotted young man – allowing him some liberties but only thus far. He is forced to eavesdrop from his hiding spot and is stunned to learn that the girl is actually his own described-as-sweet fiancée. Not only that but she appears to be a vain, coquettish beauty who seems not only ready to test/widen her sexual powers and experience, but also considers her European fiancé to be hideous and old. His (notoriously sensitive) pride thus hurt, he decides to seduce her (as a stranger) with his male majestic-ness(!) and teach her a fitting lesson!
Only he doesn’t realize ‘what a web we weave…’!
**With Spoilers**
Only if you are able to forgive the mcs of this book their utter stupidities, will you enjoy their story. And there is much to like and love here – just as there are things that may put you off. The mixed and extreme reviews are understandable but I, for one loved both the mcs (or were they three of them?), their exchanges, the push-pull and the multi-layered story.
The American heiress h and the French prince (of Nowhere!) H get engaged as part of a business deal between the H and her father – sight unseen. While on the way back to Europe (from America) after finalizing the ‘deal’, he sails home on the same ship as the h and her family, and everyone’s quite unaware that they are all together on that same ship. He was supposed to leave early but decides to take a later ship to be with his married mistress.
One night after a fight with the ow who boots him out –naked- after learning of his engagement, he comes across a flirtatious young girl leading on a poor besotted young man – allowing him some liberties but only thus far. He is forced to eavesdrop from his hiding spot and is stunned to learn that the girl is actually his own described-as-sweet fiancée. Not only that but she appears to be a vain, coquettish beauty who seems not only ready to test/widen her sexual powers and experience, but also considers her European fiancé to be hideous and old. His (notoriously sensitive) pride thus hurt, he decides to seduce her (as a stranger) with his male majestic-ness(!) and teach her a fitting lesson!
Only he doesn’t realize ‘what a web we weave…’!
**With Spoilers**
September 10, 2012
4.5 stars
This is truly amazing - when a book makes you feel such a range of emotions and sensations. The way Ms. Ivory writes is very sensual - she appeals to all of the senses, especially smell in this one. How is that possible? Well, it starts out because the hero, Charles, is in the business to make perfumes - or grows the key ingredients for them like lavender and jasmine. The descriptions are beautiful and clear - I really felt like I could smell them! Much of the story takes places on a ship. I actually felt the sway of the ship reading about it. And oh, my goodness, she writes romance which appeals to your heart, mind and soul.
These two, Charles and Louise or Lulu, both are flawed and make many mistakes throughout the story. I would on one hand love them and admire certain qualities, while other times dislike them and wish they would mature and make better choices. Nothing is worse than bad communication and misunderstandings - and that's the very nature of how this is set up, so it can be frustrating at times.
Beauty and the Beast is a favorite them of mine - and this even reminded me of a book I previously read and loved
. Similar thing going on with a hidden identity and secrets.
What I loved:
The first part of the book when they were together on the ship. Her Charles, the Arab, this guy was great. Even though he set out to prank her, he finds himself the fool over her. I loved their honesty and friendship. Louise could be hard to like because of her beauty and somewhat selfish nature. But he made her analyze herself, question things. He helped her be a better person. Maybe because he was so much older than her, he knew how to teach her.
What I didn't like:
Charles should have been working harder to make things work with Louise when they got married. She should have been working hard too. Then because she was so smart, she was able to piece things together, but he was still trying to outsmart her. Why couldn't he come clean sooner? It wouldn't have taken away from the story. Then the ending seemed rushed.
Very romantic, steamy and beautifully written.
PS: I am attaching Sherry Thomas' review as a spoiler because I am having trouble attaching the link to her review. But she states it perfectly!! Mine is missing important details
Sherry Thomas' review
This is truly amazing - when a book makes you feel such a range of emotions and sensations. The way Ms. Ivory writes is very sensual - she appeals to all of the senses, especially smell in this one. How is that possible? Well, it starts out because the hero, Charles, is in the business to make perfumes - or grows the key ingredients for them like lavender and jasmine. The descriptions are beautiful and clear - I really felt like I could smell them! Much of the story takes places on a ship. I actually felt the sway of the ship reading about it. And oh, my goodness, she writes romance which appeals to your heart, mind and soul.
These two, Charles and Louise or Lulu, both are flawed and make many mistakes throughout the story. I would on one hand love them and admire certain qualities, while other times dislike them and wish they would mature and make better choices. Nothing is worse than bad communication and misunderstandings - and that's the very nature of how this is set up, so it can be frustrating at times.
Beauty and the Beast is a favorite them of mine - and this even reminded me of a book I previously read and loved
. Similar thing going on with a hidden identity and secrets. What I loved:
The first part of the book when they were together on the ship. Her Charles, the Arab, this guy was great. Even though he set out to prank her, he finds himself the fool over her. I loved their honesty and friendship. Louise could be hard to like because of her beauty and somewhat selfish nature. But he made her analyze herself, question things. He helped her be a better person. Maybe because he was so much older than her, he knew how to teach her.
What I didn't like:
Charles should have been working harder to make things work with Louise when they got married. She should have been working hard too. Then because she was so smart, she was able to piece things together, but he was still trying to outsmart her. Why couldn't he come clean sooner? It wouldn't have taken away from the story. Then the ending seemed rushed.
Very romantic, steamy and beautifully written.
PS: I am attaching Sherry Thomas' review as a spoiler because I am having trouble attaching the link to her review. But she states it perfectly!! Mine is missing important details
Sherry Thomas' review
April 7, 2020
5 stars of the most top notch stars. This is one of few high quality books that hide behind all those generic romance covers. There is nothing generic about this story well,... maybe representation of wealth but even that has a lot of differentiating flavor.
The time is beginning of 20th century with all its glam. Story takes place on a first class ship across Atlantic and also on French Riviera. You can feel the atmosphere, you can see the sky and water, you can even taste those olives that Judith Ivory describes.
The theme is love (of course) and beauty and perception of ugly. This is dense and beautifully juxtaposed by our two main characters.
The plot includes deception.
Special flavor is ambergris and perfumes and smells.
I’m not sure if I am describing this book as anything you would like to read but let me continue. Lol
Main characters have depth, they are not perfect but they are lovable because of that. I have highly empathized with Charles and with Louise. Together they created one hot sexy mess (you’ll see why) which they have to straighten later.
I specially appreciated a heroine who always had all men on her plate. A heroine who is aware of the effect she has on them (not very common description in romance). Author recognized how uncomfortable that must feel. How objectifying. Louise does struggle with wanting to be more than pretty face.
Charles was definitely our Alfa male, aggressive, ready to take charge of relationship but he was also slightly insecure and at times acted not very brave (more like the antonym of brave).
But I liked that. He was more likable to me this way.
I have a little issue with the plot but not enough to take down the star or even a half of star.
The time is beginning of 20th century with all its glam. Story takes place on a first class ship across Atlantic and also on French Riviera. You can feel the atmosphere, you can see the sky and water, you can even taste those olives that Judith Ivory describes.
The theme is love (of course) and beauty and perception of ugly. This is dense and beautifully juxtaposed by our two main characters.
The plot includes deception.
Special flavor is ambergris and perfumes and smells.
I’m not sure if I am describing this book as anything you would like to read but let me continue. Lol
Main characters have depth, they are not perfect but they are lovable because of that. I have highly empathized with Charles and with Louise. Together they created one hot sexy mess (you’ll see why) which they have to straighten later.
I specially appreciated a heroine who always had all men on her plate. A heroine who is aware of the effect she has on them (not very common description in romance). Author recognized how uncomfortable that must feel. How objectifying. Louise does struggle with wanting to be more than pretty face.
Charles was definitely our Alfa male, aggressive, ready to take charge of relationship but he was also slightly insecure and at times acted not very brave (more like the antonym of brave).
But I liked that. He was more likable to me this way.
I have a little issue with the plot but not enough to take down the star or even a half of star.
Read
September 1, 2015Discussed this on AAR with Elisabeth Lane.
AJH: So, Elisabeth: broad impressions. How’d you find it?
Elisabeth: I was blown away by this book. It’s unconventional in pretty much all the ways. And I think sometimes the danger of that is that the romance can get lost. But it’s also, I thought, incredibly romantic. You have this anonymous shipboard romance in the first half and then this marriage-in-trouble romance in the second half and the two pieces still manage to work well together to create an incredibly satisfying whole. What did you think?
AJH: I agree. I thought it was glorious, for all the reasons you mention. And it was just stuffed full of things I Really Like. I have kind of a weakness for beautiful heroines, partially because beautiful people (especially beautiful women) are usually cast as antagonists to the nice/witty protagonist with the fine eyes, but also because there seems to be this myth that being beautiful will solve all your problems and make you powerful and this isn’t something the rest of us can identify with or be interested in. But most the truly beautiful people I’ve met have actually suffered a great deal for it. It’s certainly power that comes with a cost. But I felt this was a really compassionate, subtle portrait of a complex woman, and being beautiful is something she herself to navigate and think about. It’s even got this proto-NA vibe in a way because she’s eighteen years old and has no idea who she is or how to become someone she likes or live a life she wants to live. And I was actually quite intrigued by the hero too. I thought he was a dick in new and unusual and really rather compelling ways.
Elisabeth: Wow. You thought he was a dick? I mean, I guess I can sort of see that. But, aside from Louise’s beauty, her main defining feature is that she’s been sheltered to death by her parents and is desperate for adventure. She says at one point that “there is a real seduction to having someone listen and know you, accept you just as you are” and I think that, in addition to the frankly mind-blowing sex, is what he offers her. At her desire. And he demands enthusiastic consent from her in the process.
AJH: I said he was a dick in new, unusual and compelling ways – that was a compliment! But I’d suggest there’s an extent to which consent is already compromised when you’re pretending to be someone else…. although, to be fair, I don’t think the book is recommending this as a seduction strategy. He’s very aware of what an incredible mess he’s making of everything, how problematic his own behaviour is, and the consequences of what he does on both are them are far-reaching and long-lasting.
Elisabeth: The first thing I noticed about Charles is just how closely he corresponds to the Beauty and the Beast fairytale conception. It seems every adaptation I’ve read (and I’ve read lots because it’s my FAVORITE) refers to the Beast’s problems his eyesight–in this case a lack of depth perception. In Charles’ case, it’s because of a birth defect that has blinded him in one eye. Plus there’s the sense of smell thing. He has a preternaturally keen sense of smell.
AJH: Beauty and the Beast is also my FAVOURITE but, honestly, the short-sightedness thing is an element of the story I’ve largely failed to note. For me, Charles was quite refreshing as a Beast-archetype because he wasn’t hideously scarred and living alone in a dark castle somewhere. In my admittedly more limited experience, beasty romance heroes are very explicitly perceived and presented as monstrous, whereas he is very overtly sexy and sexual, and a lot of his ‘beastliness’ is – as you’ve said – is less explicit: it’s his sense of smell, and his temper, and his pride.
The rest of our talk is here.
AJH: So, Elisabeth: broad impressions. How’d you find it?
Elisabeth: I was blown away by this book. It’s unconventional in pretty much all the ways. And I think sometimes the danger of that is that the romance can get lost. But it’s also, I thought, incredibly romantic. You have this anonymous shipboard romance in the first half and then this marriage-in-trouble romance in the second half and the two pieces still manage to work well together to create an incredibly satisfying whole. What did you think?
AJH: I agree. I thought it was glorious, for all the reasons you mention. And it was just stuffed full of things I Really Like. I have kind of a weakness for beautiful heroines, partially because beautiful people (especially beautiful women) are usually cast as antagonists to the nice/witty protagonist with the fine eyes, but also because there seems to be this myth that being beautiful will solve all your problems and make you powerful and this isn’t something the rest of us can identify with or be interested in. But most the truly beautiful people I’ve met have actually suffered a great deal for it. It’s certainly power that comes with a cost. But I felt this was a really compassionate, subtle portrait of a complex woman, and being beautiful is something she herself to navigate and think about. It’s even got this proto-NA vibe in a way because she’s eighteen years old and has no idea who she is or how to become someone she likes or live a life she wants to live. And I was actually quite intrigued by the hero too. I thought he was a dick in new and unusual and really rather compelling ways.
Elisabeth: Wow. You thought he was a dick? I mean, I guess I can sort of see that. But, aside from Louise’s beauty, her main defining feature is that she’s been sheltered to death by her parents and is desperate for adventure. She says at one point that “there is a real seduction to having someone listen and know you, accept you just as you are” and I think that, in addition to the frankly mind-blowing sex, is what he offers her. At her desire. And he demands enthusiastic consent from her in the process.
AJH: I said he was a dick in new, unusual and compelling ways – that was a compliment! But I’d suggest there’s an extent to which consent is already compromised when you’re pretending to be someone else…. although, to be fair, I don’t think the book is recommending this as a seduction strategy. He’s very aware of what an incredible mess he’s making of everything, how problematic his own behaviour is, and the consequences of what he does on both are them are far-reaching and long-lasting.
Elisabeth: The first thing I noticed about Charles is just how closely he corresponds to the Beauty and the Beast fairytale conception. It seems every adaptation I’ve read (and I’ve read lots because it’s my FAVORITE) refers to the Beast’s problems his eyesight–in this case a lack of depth perception. In Charles’ case, it’s because of a birth defect that has blinded him in one eye. Plus there’s the sense of smell thing. He has a preternaturally keen sense of smell.
AJH: Beauty and the Beast is also my FAVOURITE but, honestly, the short-sightedness thing is an element of the story I’ve largely failed to note. For me, Charles was quite refreshing as a Beast-archetype because he wasn’t hideously scarred and living alone in a dark castle somewhere. In my admittedly more limited experience, beasty romance heroes are very explicitly perceived and presented as monstrous, whereas he is very overtly sexy and sexual, and a lot of his ‘beastliness’ is – as you’ve said – is less explicit: it’s his sense of smell, and his temper, and his pride.
The rest of our talk is here.
January 19, 2013
Good plot, but lacking in development.
STORY BRIEF:
I liked the overall plot. Charles a French aristocrat has one blind eye and limps due to a bad knee. (He’s the beast.) Louise’s American parents are wealthy and arrange a marriage between Charles and Louise. Charles seduces Louise in the dark on a ship. They continue seeing each other but only in the dark. She does not know he is her fiancé. When the ship docks in France, she discovers her lover left the ship without saying goodbye. She pines for him. She is then introduced to Charles and does not know that he is her shipboard lover. She dislikes Charles’ appearance. She will not let him touch her. Before and after they marry Louise will not give Charles a chance because she grieves for her lover.
OPINION:
The first half of the book is the romance on the ship. It was good. The second half is their time in France; it was not. Charles admires her beauty but she has no other qualities. She is conceited, mean, selfish, and bratty. I enjoyed some of the Charles parts. On the ship he realizes he is cuckolding himself. Later he wants to tell her that he was the guy on the ship, but he fears she will hate him for the dishonesty. So the big mystery is what will happen when SHE finds out and HOW will she find out. That was a huge disappointment. It was not shown. I did not see what went through her mind when she realized Charles was the lover. I did not see what event caused her to know this. All of a sudden it is a couple of days after she knew, and she is having a conversation about it. I was angry!
I also wanted to see how and why Louise fell in love with Charles. That was not developed. All of a sudden she decides to have sex with him.
After she has been cold, distant, and mean to Charles. He gives her an outrageously expensive set of jewels. He says it is because she has become such a good friend to him. Aaaack! She wasn’t a friend to him. He was nice, she was not. I did not want them to be together. In a romance book, the reader is supposed to want them to be together.
At times things were slow and drawn out. Too much pondering.
The narrator Barbara Rosenblat was excellent. She did male and female voices well. I liked her pauses. She has a pleasing British accent.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 12 hrs and 40 mins. Swearing language: religious swear words used maybe twice. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: about 4. Setting: 1902 crossing the Atlantic in a ship and southern France. Book copyright: 1997. Genre: historical romance.
STORY BRIEF:
I liked the overall plot. Charles a French aristocrat has one blind eye and limps due to a bad knee. (He’s the beast.) Louise’s American parents are wealthy and arrange a marriage between Charles and Louise. Charles seduces Louise in the dark on a ship. They continue seeing each other but only in the dark. She does not know he is her fiancé. When the ship docks in France, she discovers her lover left the ship without saying goodbye. She pines for him. She is then introduced to Charles and does not know that he is her shipboard lover. She dislikes Charles’ appearance. She will not let him touch her. Before and after they marry Louise will not give Charles a chance because she grieves for her lover.
OPINION:
The first half of the book is the romance on the ship. It was good. The second half is their time in France; it was not. Charles admires her beauty but she has no other qualities. She is conceited, mean, selfish, and bratty. I enjoyed some of the Charles parts. On the ship he realizes he is cuckolding himself. Later he wants to tell her that he was the guy on the ship, but he fears she will hate him for the dishonesty. So the big mystery is what will happen when SHE finds out and HOW will she find out. That was a huge disappointment. It was not shown. I did not see what went through her mind when she realized Charles was the lover. I did not see what event caused her to know this. All of a sudden it is a couple of days after she knew, and she is having a conversation about it. I was angry!
I also wanted to see how and why Louise fell in love with Charles. That was not developed. All of a sudden she decides to have sex with him.
After she has been cold, distant, and mean to Charles. He gives her an outrageously expensive set of jewels. He says it is because she has become such a good friend to him. Aaaack! She wasn’t a friend to him. He was nice, she was not. I did not want them to be together. In a romance book, the reader is supposed to want them to be together.
At times things were slow and drawn out. Too much pondering.
The narrator Barbara Rosenblat was excellent. She did male and female voices well. I liked her pauses. She has a pleasing British accent.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 12 hrs and 40 mins. Swearing language: religious swear words used maybe twice. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: about 4. Setting: 1902 crossing the Atlantic in a ship and southern France. Book copyright: 1997. Genre: historical romance.
March 29, 2020
Ivory/Cuevas is always a treat, and always a challenge.
I did not mind the pace of this book, but I do not like identity deception. However, I did think Ivory made choices here that actually served the story, but because this is going to be a speed review, I will say that my main issue with the book is that I identified w/ the hero, and Ivory made me feel like he could adore anyone.
Still, typical Ivory, and I missed more than I picked up and it's a joy to read her writing.
Buddy read w/ Gaufre & Whiskey-Thanks!
I did not mind the pace of this book, but I do not like identity deception. However, I did think Ivory made choices here that actually served the story, but because this is going to be a speed review, I will say that my main issue with the book is that I identified w/ the hero, and Ivory made me feel like he could adore anyone.
Still, typical Ivory, and I missed more than I picked up and it's a joy to read her writing.
Buddy read w/ Gaufre & Whiskey-Thanks!
December 1, 2020
1🔪👀🩸stab my eyes out⭐️
The heroine is just aweful! So freakin spoiled, vain, self absorbed and naive. I don’t mind selfish and spoiled heroines, especially, if they grew up in privilege and wealth. I’m sure many would agree that such heroines are preferable to overly sweet and self sacrificing ones. What I do mind is when authors attempt to create a heroine who is a paragon of beauty and intelligence while barely scratching the psychological surface of growing up as such an ideal in a upper class setting. This attempt then results in a shallow excuse for a heroine that grates on your nerves. Which then is multiplied since your hero isn’t all that much better either.
It’s sad since I really liked the writing and atmospheric feel to this book. The plot was also quite decent but the main characters as well as the secondary characters just grated on my nerves. It just felt like everyone needed to get their heads out of their pompous asses. You can write relatable and likable wealthy and upper echelon characters, it’s NOT impossible they are still humans at the end of the day🙄🙄
The heroine is just aweful! So freakin spoiled, vain, self absorbed and naive. I don’t mind selfish and spoiled heroines, especially, if they grew up in privilege and wealth. I’m sure many would agree that such heroines are preferable to overly sweet and self sacrificing ones. What I do mind is when authors attempt to create a heroine who is a paragon of beauty and intelligence while barely scratching the psychological surface of growing up as such an ideal in a upper class setting. This attempt then results in a shallow excuse for a heroine that grates on your nerves. Which then is multiplied since your hero isn’t all that much better either.
It’s sad since I really liked the writing and atmospheric feel to this book. The plot was also quite decent but the main characters as well as the secondary characters just grated on my nerves. It just felt like everyone needed to get their heads out of their pompous asses. You can write relatable and likable wealthy and upper echelon characters, it’s NOT impossible they are still humans at the end of the day🙄🙄
December 10, 2014
This starts off with the hero doing the wife of an acquaintance. It lost me already there. I'm uninterested in reading about this type of cheaters. What followed was even more infantile, never mind that Charles was supposed to being an adult. I really dislike the "boys will be boys" excuse. For anything.
No thanks. And people call this a romance...
No thanks. And people call this a romance...
November 20, 2022
Kadını delirtti herif! Yazarın cidden sorunları var abi! Çok saçma abi hamile kaldığın adamı nasıl bilmezsin ve adam hala bu yalanı nasıl devam ettirebilir? Midem bulandı. Iyk. 2 puanı neden veriyorum onu bile bilmiyorum
April 9, 2020
What a wonderful and delightful story. Totally enjoyed and loved the characters. Narration was very good which made the book more enjoyable.
September 24, 2014
3.5 stars
A delicious take on the beauty and the beast trope . Ivory very capably gives us Charles Harcourt. I loved his inner dialogue and how his character is laid out with his strengths and insecurities and how the devious Charles was hoist by his own petard. Also liked where she took Louise and how the story evolved. I felt her love, grief, anger, puzzlement.
I quite willing suspended belief (a must) and let go and enjoyed this low angst romp. Ivory makes falling in love twice with the same man work all in one book. She kept me on tenterhooks right till the end, to see how she was going to resolve everything.
Read
November 21, 2024This is probably my least favorite Judith Ivory book but I'm fascinated by it all the same. The character work is just outstanding: I've seen other authors (Cecilia Grant, Meredith Duran, etc) knock it out of the park with their portrayal of beautiful characters but Ivory's Louise is entirely unique. She's so so young, and extreme beauty tends to age you, give you a sort of unearned worldliness. Ivory really leans into this in the 3rd act - Charles, her husband, has egregiously hurt her, but she feels it so much more keenly than he was anticipating because of her inexperience.
Charles is perfect, I love Charles, he is an Ivory character through and through. A little mean, wryly funny, extremely vain, and French.
Charles is perfect, I love Charles, he is an Ivory character through and through. A little mean, wryly funny, extremely vain, and French.
July 6, 2020
Another surprise at the library. so far I dislike both the main characters and I can hear the narrator’s mouth noises. Ugh. But, I will carry on. Many of my GR friends comment that the main characters grow and change. Hopefully ..... I really can’t remember my first read.
Update: Can’t do it. Life is too short to waste on a book I don’t like.
Update: Can’t do it. Life is too short to waste on a book I don’t like.
November 14, 2022
Update: American Heiress --Age difference. Louise and Charles love story. Different.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2020
I'd read this eons ago and just stumbled on the audio. I'm so happy I did.
Judith Ivory a.k.a. Judy Cuevas wrote just a handful of books but among them are some brilliant classics. IMO this is one of them. In Beast, using a template between Beauty & The Beast and Cyrano , she weaves the story of the courtship and subsequent marriage between Louise, a strikingly beautiful 18 y.o. American heiress (from Miami no less) and Charles. He's a successful perfumer, a minor French aristocrat, and over 35 y.o. He also has some physical 'deformities'. The year is 1902 and the characters behave & speak like people from from their time, age, and upbringing. I appreciate that. The socio-sexual mores of 1902 are not those of 2020 but even so these two are people I'd be happy to know IRL and I can imagine that they probably would run in the same circle as the Saint Vallier brothers from Bliss and Dance.
The audio is by Barbara Rosenblat and it's brilliant.
Judith Ivory a.k.a. Judy Cuevas wrote just a handful of books but among them are some brilliant classics. IMO this is one of them. In Beast, using a template between Beauty & The Beast and Cyrano , she weaves the story of the courtship and subsequent marriage between Louise, a strikingly beautiful 18 y.o. American heiress (from Miami no less) and Charles. He's a successful perfumer, a minor French aristocrat, and over 35 y.o. He also has some physical 'deformities'. The year is 1902 and the characters behave & speak like people from from their time, age, and upbringing. I appreciate that. The socio-sexual mores of 1902 are not those of 2020 but even so these two are people I'd be happy to know IRL and I can imagine that they probably would run in the same circle as the Saint Vallier brothers from Bliss and Dance.
The audio is by Barbara Rosenblat and it's brilliant.
September 5, 2017
3.5 stars
I am sad that I am almost done with her books, when her book were good they were amazing, unique, with characters who had flaws, when her books were bad, they were the worst. This one kind of falls in the middle, I would have rated it higher had the whole double identity not bogged down the last half and gone on way too long. I did like how the book was unapologetic about how vain and immature the heroine was, after all she was 18 and not like most books where heroines just melt over the hero's scars. The hero was older, but I did like seeing him suffering later for the fast one he pulled on the heroine. To be honest this book does require suspension of belief, I mean who boinks a stranger whose name they don't know in the dark?
I am sad that I am almost done with her books, when her book were good they were amazing, unique, with characters who had flaws, when her books were bad, they were the worst. This one kind of falls in the middle, I would have rated it higher had the whole double identity not bogged down the last half and gone on way too long. I did like how the book was unapologetic about how vain and immature the heroine was, after all she was 18 and not like most books where heroines just melt over the hero's scars. The hero was older, but I did like seeing him suffering later for the fast one he pulled on the heroine. To be honest this book does require suspension of belief, I mean who boinks a stranger whose name they don't know in the dark?
November 12, 2023
Didn’t DNF after reading 30%, shame on me. Didn’t DNF after 80%, kill me already.
I’m happy for all the readers who loved this, but I found Louise and Charles unlikable. Especially Charles, who gave off creepy stalker vibes. The story boiled down to an age gap romance that could be a cautionary tale about trophy wives.
And the typos… sooooo many! I can be persuaded they were caused when the print copy converted to an ebook, but then the publisher never considered fixing them in a quarter century? A few examples:
“So should I run to my room? Are you on your wav up?”
She dismissed his whole effort, as I dusting her palms of it. “Well then,” she said, “I hall call you ‘Charles.’
I’m happy for all the readers who loved this, but I found Louise and Charles unlikable. Especially Charles, who gave off creepy stalker vibes. The story boiled down to an age gap romance that could be a cautionary tale about trophy wives.
And the typos… sooooo many! I can be persuaded they were caused when the print copy converted to an ebook, but then the publisher never considered fixing them in a quarter century? A few examples:
“So should I run to my room? Are you on your wav up?”
She dismissed his whole effort, as I dusting her palms of it. “Well then,” she said, “I hall call you ‘Charles.’
September 29, 2022
Beast by Judith Ivory is in my TBR list coz of its tag to “Beauty and The Beast”, but for the fact that the hero has a scar and a limb, there is not much Beaty and the Beast to the story. Judith Ivory’s beast is all about growing up and becoming wiser, to see beyond the looks of a person.
Louise was not a character that I felt a liking for initially but by the end, she did grow on me at least in part. Louise is a beautiful woman beyond words, you know the kind that stops traffic, but all she wants is to be seen and recognized for her wisdom. Charles recognizing this hides behind Arab garb and pretends to be the man of her dreams. Then the story takes a turn as Louise and Charles do get married without Louise being none the wiser about the deception Charles played in her life. Honestly whilst reading the story, I just went with the flow and didn't feel like missing much but after the plot shifts from the ship to their marriage there is a total turnaround for the characterization of Charles. In the ship, he is this suave and charming personality but after the wedding, he sort of plays another deception by hiding his true character and becoming should I say meek and vulnerable while Louise remains like ice helplessly longing for the tender caresses of her Paasha.
Basically, the story does carry a whole lot of cheating, the hero cheating on the heroin by not revealing his identity, it is being said as a prank, but a prank is definitely not seducing to sex, that is deception and then the heroine, of course, knows she is on her way to marrying the hero but surrenders to a passionate interlude with the hero. Though with all that, It was definitely fun reading this historical for some mindless entertainment even with its oh hum moments. I was looking for an easy read so for that Judith Ivory’s Beast did work well for me.
This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.
Louise was not a character that I felt a liking for initially but by the end, she did grow on me at least in part. Louise is a beautiful woman beyond words, you know the kind that stops traffic, but all she wants is to be seen and recognized for her wisdom. Charles recognizing this hides behind Arab garb and pretends to be the man of her dreams. Then the story takes a turn as Louise and Charles do get married without Louise being none the wiser about the deception Charles played in her life. Honestly whilst reading the story, I just went with the flow and didn't feel like missing much but after the plot shifts from the ship to their marriage there is a total turnaround for the characterization of Charles. In the ship, he is this suave and charming personality but after the wedding, he sort of plays another deception by hiding his true character and becoming should I say meek and vulnerable while Louise remains like ice helplessly longing for the tender caresses of her Paasha.
Basically, the story does carry a whole lot of cheating, the hero cheating on the heroin by not revealing his identity, it is being said as a prank, but a prank is definitely not seducing to sex, that is deception and then the heroine, of course, knows she is on her way to marrying the hero but surrenders to a passionate interlude with the hero. Though with all that, It was definitely fun reading this historical for some mindless entertainment even with its oh hum moments. I was looking for an easy read so for that Judith Ivory’s Beast did work well for me.
This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.
April 6, 2023
This book was emotion screaming in ALL CAPS and I really fucking loved it. Are there undoubtedly incredibly dated parts of this book? Yes. But man. My brain just did not care.
(I also don't know that I wholly believe it stuck the landing as a romance, this is the rare book where I would have happily taken an epilogue I think, but the Heyer-esque abrupt ending is a thing that I appreciate generally so I will take it.)
(I also don't know that I wholly believe it stuck the landing as a romance, this is the rare book where I would have happily taken an epilogue I think, but the Heyer-esque abrupt ending is a thing that I appreciate generally so I will take it.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews