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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I enjoyed this book a lot. Loved the interaction between the hero and heroine and I liked their reaction to each other. The hero is the 19th-century version of James Bond--jaded spy who sleeps his way to much of his success. He's sort of a combination spy/thief, because often stealing jewels has...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “I picked this up because I really liked the first Loretta Chase I read (Miss Wonderful) and it was on several people's best of 2008 list but I just don't like it that much. I guess I can see the novelty in the plot and for what it's worth I do like the h/h. I just dont particularly care about...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“I really liked this book. I liked the characters. I plan on reading more of her books.”
Pat K wrote this review Saturday, September 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“There were many things to love about this book. It was refreshing to read a Regency Era book set someplace other than England. The Venice setting was wonderful and Chase really gave you a vivid picture of life there in this time period. Francesca and James were NOT your ordinary romance h/h. Francesca was truly a courtesan; there was no whitewashing this fact. Her motivation for becoming one softened the issue a bit but didn't change the facts. And although James "whored" for his country, you don't often see a spy who openly admits this action. The dialogue and banter between the h/h was delicious. I laughed out loud at some of the outrageous comments. For two jaded souls, it was touching to see their vulnerability. They were filled with hope that they had at last found love. Very romantic.
Kristine G wrote this review Sunday, May 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
What didn't work for me was the epilogue. I just could not buy the fact that there would be no repercussions for James marrying someone with Francesca's background and that she could simply waltz back into society and be welcomed with open arms. It just didn't ring true to me. ”
“Nice to have a different setting from Britain for a change =D
Moon wrote this review Wednesday, May 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
"James Cordier is all blue blood and entirely dangerous. He's a master of disguise, a brilliant thief, a first-class lover - all for King and Country - and, by gad, he's so weary of it. His last mission is to "acquire" a packet of incriminating letters from one notorious woman. Then he can return to London and meet sweet-natured heiresses - not adventuresses and fallen women.
Francesca Bonnard has weathered heartbreak, scorn, and scandal. She's independent, happy and definitely fallen; and she's learned that "gentlemen" are more trouble than they're worth. She can also see that her wildly attractive new neighbor is bad news.
But as bad as James is, there are others far worse also searching for Francesca's letters. And suddenly nothing is simple - especially the nearly incendiary chemistry between the two most jaded, sinful souls in Europe. And just as suddenly, risking everything may be worth the price."”
“"The latest from Loretta Chase, this standalone novel tells the story of Francesca Bonnard, a Venetian whore, and James Cordier, a whore of a different kind -- a man who uses his sexuality to influence politics and discover state secrets for the British government. He's tired of this life, however, and has agreed to one last mission before returning to England to marry an innocent miss and have lots of babies. This is where his path crosses with that of Ms. Bonnard -- it turns out she was not always a Venetian whore. Once upon a time, she was the wife of an important English statesman. Upon discovering his betrayals -- not only of herself, but also of England -- she found herself summarily divorced, discredited, and shipped off to the Continent. Yet, years later, she retains letters incriminating her former spouse, a man poised to become Britain's Prime Minister. James' job is to secure these letters and deliver them to his colleagues in the government. Of course, along the way, they fall in love, get married, and have some pretty hot sex -- not necessarily in that order, of course.
M wrote this review Monday, February 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
What's fantastic about this book is that Chase is utterly unapologetic about her heroine's profession -- she's a whore and a damn good one, too. While most romance novel prostitutes show their true, purer, feathers 50-100 pages from the end of the book -- generally speaking, they're virgins, or all but -- no such revelation is forthcoming from Bonnard. She was miserable in her marriage and has found independence and self-worth from her job, unconventional though it may be. Even when all the other problems and hindrances have fallen away, Francesca remains wary of binding herself for life to James, of putting her welfare in his hands.
Of course, these very positives may be negatives for some. These same people may not enjoy the rather...angry relationship between Bonnard and Cordier, a relationship including repeated "falls" into canals.
Final Opinion: Very good, very different, but not for everyone."
http://travelingwithoutamap.blogspot.com/2008/08/sunday-book-club-volume-9.html”“I picked this up because I really liked the first Loretta Chase I read (Miss Wonderful) and it was on several people's best of 2008 list but I just don't like it that much. I guess I can see the novelty in the plot and for what it's worth I do like the h/h. I just dont particularly care about their story. I might go back to this, but for now I'm marking it as read. ”
Jilian V wrote this review Saturday, December 27 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“My Amazon review:
retroredux wrote this review Monday, September 22 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
zzzz.....sorry, I fell asleep again........, September 22, 2008
trying to read this book. I tried this book every night for four nights and fell asleep every time after a few pages. After almost a week and I couldn't force myself past page fifty I just quit in disgust. It's a sad day when even Venice cannot save such a boring book. No stars-not recommended.”
“Francesca and James' story. Loretta Chase is an auto-buy author for me. This was okay, but did not live up to my expectations at all.”
joeyjhg2 wrote this review Wednesday, August 20 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This romp through Venice is wonderful, blending spies, deep love not looked for, and a delightful supporting cast. Yet another tour de force from Loretta Chase.”
Kassiana wrote this review Thursday, August 7 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I loved this book! I find Loretta Chase's writing complex and layered, and at the same time it's still light and witty and terribly romantic. It was fun watching an experienced courtesan and an experienced rogue find something fresh and new in falling in love. I found the secondary characters fun and well developed.
Melinda P wrote this review Tuesday, July 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chase writes wonderfully steamy love scenes as well. The suspense plot was intriguing without being dark - overall, I found it a fun read and a definite keeper.”
“Boy, these grades are very hard to give. I'm vascillating between 2 and 3 stars. Why? Well, in truth I didn't actually like this book and so according to my scale, it should be 2 stars. However, it is not a poorly written book. I've certainly given lesser books 3 stars.
Clutterconqueror wrote this review Wednesday, June 25 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I think with many of my favorite authors, I have very high expectations and so when they aren't met, I'm disappointed. That is where I am with this one. I was just not emotionally engaged like I had hoped.
So I'm moving it back to 3 stars because there were no glaring holes or poor writing that would make it a definite 2 stars.
At least for now.”
