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Tuesday, September 2, 2008
title: Your Scandalous Ways
author: Loretta Chase
pages: 357
genre: historical romance
published: 2008
first line: She led the way up the stairs to her bedroom, discarding articles of clothing as she went.
rated: 4 out of 5
James Cordier is a British spy who has been hired by the government to get some important letters that Francesca Bonnard has in her possesion.
Francesca was once married to Lord Elphick and is now divorced. She has a scandalous reputation for being a highly sought after courtesan in Venice. She is what you call 'high maintenance' and even has a tattoo on her back.
When Francesca first sees James, he is disguised as a servant, yet she notices him right away. When she sees him again, he is rescuing her from a would be attacker and rapist. She knows she has seem James somewhere else, but cannot quite place him.
'He couldn't be real.
Greek and Roman statues looked like that, not living men. Mythical gods and demigods looked like that, not mortal men.
But he was breathing. Hard. She watched his big chest rise and fall under his sopping shirt. The sodden linen was merely a veil clinging to his skin, hiding nothing. She could discern every taut line of muscle in his powerful shoulders and arms and torso.'
James and Francesca are attracted to each other, but neither one wants to admit it. Francesca is currently in-between lovers but there is the rich and timid young prince, Lurenze, Francesca is seducing. At first she figures she shouldn't waste time on James because he won't be able to maintain her with expensive jewels and gifts like she is used to.
Turns out there are other people who are looking for Francesca's ex-husbands incriminating letters as well. Not only is she attacked, her apartment is raided and she knows she is not safe. And now that James is infatuated with her, he decides to help protect Francesca at any cost.
'She could feel him: the big, warm, powerful body under the civilized trappings. She could feel the tension in his powerful thighs. She was aware of the heat beneath her, of his arousal.
Something kicked, low in her belly, and heat uncoiled there, serpentlike.
Her hands slid up, to grasp his shoulders, then up again to find the thick black curls, where they tangled. She held him thus, as he held her, and kissed him back, as stubborn and angry as he.
Stubborn and angry and hot and wanting.'
I liked this read. I always enjoy a good historical romance. And let me tell you, James Cordier is a hottie. He's not only a spy, but he's a master of disguises and speaks several languages. What more could you want from a hero? I like his character as well as Francesca's. The two of them bicker back and forth and have plenty of tension between them.
The storyline was good and kept me interested. I like to treat myself to a juicy romance novel, it's like good chocolate.
This was a quick read, I devoured it in two days.
This book reminded me of the film 'Dangerous Beauty'
(which if you havn't seen yet, I recommend)
About the author:
Born Loretta Lynda Chekani in 1949, she attended New England public schools and she obtained a B.A. in the Clark University.
After college graduation, she started moonlighting as a corporate video scriptwriter. This led to the fateful meeting with a video producer who lured her into writing novels and eventually became "Mr. Chase."
