Customer Reviews:
Amazing autobiography.......2007-06-12
Aline, Countess of Romanos has written a spectacular book. I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading an autobiography and not a work of fiction. Aline is an agent for the OSS during World War II. She blends into Spanish high society and manages to complete her mission and introduce the reader to the thrills and chills of being an undercover agent. She also gives us a glimpse of Spanish Aristocracy, bull fighting and the inner workings of a nineteen year olds dilemma of befriending people who may be targets of her investigation. I have read all of her books but like this one the best. It is full of action, drama, and even a touch of romance. I have recommended it to all of my friends.
Great books.......2007-03-20
I have purchased 4 books by Aline Romanos. I absolutely love them. The fact that there is truth behind the story and that she really was an upper-class lady as well as a spy excites me. I find myself wishing I lived an adventurous life. She has a talent when it comes to recreating her life and exploits. I could not put it down!
A counterfeit spy.......2006-01-28
The most respected historian in the field of espionage, Nigel West, studied all of Aline's spy books marketed as nonfiction and concluded "...all four of Aline's books should be regarded as fiction, and nothing more..." Read "Counterfeit Spies, Chapter 3, by Nigel West, 1998.
Fascinating Page-Turner.......2005-01-13
Written like a fiction novel, this factual, first-person account of a young woman spy during World War II is absolutely enthralling. You'll get a first-hand look into what it's like to be recruited and trained as a spy, then go on your first assignment, mingling with the highest Spanish society while secretly risking your life to uncover essential Axis secrets. The characters in the novel are rich and compelling, and you never know what's going to happen next to the protagonist/ingenue Aline.
I read this book in the '80s and have remembered it ever since. I finally found it again and reread it. It's just as fascinating now as it was then.
The only drawback: If you read at night, you won't get much sleep because this book is nearly impossible to put down.
A Spanish teacher recommends "The Spy Wore Red"...to ALL!.......2004-04-29
Reading and re-reading The Spy Wore Red is a wonderful experience! Most of your other reviewers agree, but there are two aspects they seem to miss: the richness of Spanish cultural information and the possibility of a change in role for women. Aline Griffiths is bright, well educated, and departs from traditional women's work to lead a daring, adventurous, downright-dangerous job.
As a Spanish teacher, I have recommended The Spy Wore Red to my high school students for years. Several students who later spent their college junior year in Spain have come back to tell me how much this book meant to them and how much more they appreciated it following their sojourn there. They could catch glimpses of the old Spain in the new, simply because they had read this thriller.
World War II began as the Spanish Civil War ended(1936-1939), so Aline Griffiths arrived as huge social changes were about to occur in Spain. This book provides a superb peek into the "old" Spain, the Spain of high romance and extraordinarily traditional, now-antiquated values. Yet it is described in context of a delightfully novel-like autobiographical tale. Although it reads better than most spy fiction, one can take notes on Spanish culture on virtually every page. It is engrossing, culture-rich, and shows a young American girl from Pearl River, New York, doing the kinds of things of which only a grownup Nancy Drew type might have dreamed.
Book Description
The remarkable Mary Nisbet was the Countess of Elgin in Romantic-era Scotland and the wife of the seventh Earl of Elgin. When Mary accompanied her husband to diplomatic duty in Turkey, she changed history. She helped bring the smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, struck a seemingly impossible deal with Napoleon, and arranged the removal of famous marbles from the Parthenon. But all of her accomplishments would be overshadowed, however, by her scandalous divorce. Drawing from Mary's own letters, scholar
Susan Nagel tells Mary's enthralling, inspiring, and suspenseful story in vibrant detail.
Customer Reviews:
A charming women.......2006-01-18
Mary Nisbet was the definition of an aristocrat. She lived a life most people dream of: She was good looking, charming, intelligent, extremely wealthy, and was admired and respected by some of the most powerful people around.
So what will you get out of by reading this book? Your be put into the shoes of Mary Nisbet and her extravagant lifestyle. Your get to know her spendthrift husband and his preoccupation with marbles from Parthenon. But really not much else.
The book is based off of Mary's diary, which really helped give the book life.
So, I'm giving the book 3 stars because the book was written fairly well, but the story was a little boring.
Absorbing.......2004-10-29
I just finished reading Susan Nagel's wonderful Biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin. Rarely do I read Biographies and feel so intimately close to the subject as I did with this well researched piece of work. I felt as if I had lived right along with Mary through her travels, adventures, exploits and tragedies. Packed with Romantic locals and historical people. An intimate peek into a fascinating life, who was Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin.
Quite a Girl!.......2004-10-29
Quite a Girl! We have this vision of the women of a century ago being totally subservient to the men. It has been the men who made history. Where there have been women in the story, they are often viewed only as a companion to the men, as examples, the recent biographies of Washington and Nelson. In recent years we've begun to see well written biographies of women who certainly led fascinating lives.
Mary Nisbet was smart, rich, beautiful. She took smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, brought classical marbles from the Parthenon back to England (before Napoleon could get them). Then she 'replaced' her husband with his best friend.
Quite a Girl, Very interesting character, well written book.
If you love Patrick O'Brian..........2004-09-10
"Remember the ladies" Abigail Adams charged her husband John -- that's what Nagel does with "Mary Nisbet"; she fills in fascinating and colorful details of the world of the women of society in England during the war against Napoleon. All the teasing glimpses we get in O'Brian's masculine epic are fleshed out, as it were; the opulence of the Bey's court; Emma Hamilton's manipulation of Admiral Nelson; the impact of the war with Napoleon on life and travel -- all the dinner parties O'Brian glossed over in passing come springing to vivid life as we read from Mary's actual letters. If you loved Master and Commander or the whole series, pick this up and treat yourself to a richer picture of the period.
Captivating History-With Romance and Adventure.......2004-08-24
Susan Nagel's biography of the Countess of Elgin makes history come alive in a dramatic, romantic page-turner. You'll be transported to a land of wealth and privilege, where egg-sized emeralds are exchanged as small tokens of affection, where cannons salute the arrival of dignitaries into new ports and where love of art and love of man mixes to create a heady and destructive combination of emotions.
This book is perfect for a day at the beach or an evening curled up at home - if only all history could be this fun!
Book Description
Descended from an aristocratic European family, Erzsebet Bathory bore the psychotic aberrations of centuries of intermarriage. From adolescence on, she indulged in sadistic lesbian fantasies, and by middle age, had regressed to a mirror-fixated state of pathological necro-sadism involving witchcraft, torture, blood-drinking, and more. Her 16th century reign of cruelty remains unsurpassed in the annals of mass murder, with the Countess? depredations on the virgin girls of the Carpathians leading to some 650 deaths id her many castles equipped with torture chambers. This is a true, disturbing case history of a female psychopath, a chillingly lyrical account beautifully translated by Alexander Trocchi, evoking the decadent melancholy of doomed, delinquent aristocracy in a dark age of superstition. The book contains an appendix featuring actual transcripts from Bathory's trial and has inspired many horror movies, such as Hammer's Countess Dracula.
De Sade did not know of Erzs,bet Bathory's existence, but doubtless her atrocities would have roused his most vicious excitement. -- Georges Bataille, The Tears Of Eros
Customer Reviews:
The details are buried..........2007-05-11
Penrose did a great deal of research--unfortunately the research involved the geography and history of the region, and not so much on Bathory. The interesting details of Bathory are buried at the end of each long winded section that is more concerned with her family geneology or relatives misbehavior than Bathory's.
The sources for the book are excellent, but I hate to read an entire chapter to have one paragraph dedicated to Bathory's atrocities (which were scant in the text...at the end of each chapter we are tittilated with a small detail then pounded again with astological non-sense or geographical trivia).
The section on her trial was relatively short...even with letters writen by those that discovered her henious acts. But its all so short---Penrose spends more time and details discussing another mass murderer of the same time who favored young boys (who killed roughly 60 like Bathory herself claims to have done) to show the depths of depravity--and you are left to wonder why the book wasn't on this killer that is spoken of in each chapter instead of Bathory who has very few details included on her crimes.
Select a different title if you are interested in Bathory.
A Case Study of the Human Mind.......2007-04-07
I find this book one of the most impressive case studies about serial killers. Although women comprise only 3% of serial killers ever identified (and they usually opt for less violent methods of killing such as poisoning),it is the sadist and nihilistic behavior of this female "Beast" that really surpassess all her male colleagues, even those of our modern times. This is a tragic example of social and political power unchecked by the restraints of the law and moral conciousness, combined to whatever pathological trait can be indetified in her flawed character. She rightly deserves her place along the famous genocides of all times such as Hitler, Stalin and Milosevic. It is a pity that more psychological analysis is missing. Otherwise, it is a great maiden study that can stimulate further research on the dark side of the murderer's mind.
The Bloody Countess.......2007-04-05
This book is very well researched and written. Keep in mind though that it's not for the faint hearted. It goes into a lot of detail on the history of Hungary and the Bathory family that some may find tedious. I loved the book and would reccomend it to anyone with a desire to take a peek into the darker side of human nature.
Cruelty & The Beast.......2007-03-16
I found this to be a very interesting read.
looking for books on Bathory, i found this one and a different one, but it wasn't a fact based book i saw, it was like a fictional story i think someone said in a review. This book as far as I've read tells details of her life. There's an appendix showing portions of the trials Elizabeth was put through and how they got the information about her.
unfortunately, this is the only book on her that i have found, and the size of it is a little disappointing. this is a must buy if one is to learn more about this 16th century Hungarian Blood Countess.
"The blood is the life"
Gret Read!.......2007-01-10
When you read about serial killers, child killers, and the like you just think that "These are the end times". But upon reading this book to think that such things have been happening since those times tend to chill you. It makes you feel a little better about having police and the like. Once again, great book!!
Average customer rating:
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Brother Hermann's 'Life of the Countess Yolanda of Vianden' (Leben der Graefen Iolande von Vianden) (Medieval Texts & Translations)
Richard H. Lawson
Manufacturer: Camden House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1571130500 |
Book Description
Brother Hermann was a cleric in the region of Luxembourg in the last quarter of the thirteenth century; evidence from his Life of the Countess Yolanda suggests that he was a Dominican with, perhaps surprisingly, knowledge of the Middle High German courtly epic and the poetry of other contemporaries such as Walther von der Vogelweide. The Life, written shortly after Yolanda's death in 1283, concentrates on her struggle from childhood to free herself from secular society, principally by avoiding a contracted marriage, and to enter the cloister of Marienthal, of which she became Prioress. Although Brother Hermann's epic is hagiographic in tone, the fact that he wrote it in German, not based on a Latin vita suggests that he did not regard Yolanda as a candidate for sainthood; his heroine's attempts to find fulfillment have a strong contemporary resonance. Professor Lawson's translation, the first ever into English prose, makes this work accessible to a more general readership.
Average customer rating:
- Even better the second time around
- Good read
- hot spell
- Unforgettable - stories you can build personal fantasies around!
- Great book
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Hot Spell (The Guardians, Book 1) (The Breed Next Door) (The Countess's Pleasure) (The Blood Kiss)(Falling For Anthony)
Emma Holly ,
Lora Leigh ,
Shiloh Walker , and
Meljean Brook
Manufacturer: Berkley Sensation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0425212882 |
Book Description
Venture into a world beyond the ordinary, where the dark passions and voracious appetites of vampires, werewolves, demons, and a few undaunted mortals combine to unleash a potent spell.
Customer Reviews:
Even better the second time around.......2007-08-26
I don't tend to reread books, I have such a backlog of books waiting to be read that I don't normally take the time. This time I was pleased that I did. When I originally purchased this book, I bought because of Emma Holly's demon story, I had read and enjoyed The Demon's Daughter (Berkley Sensation), so it wasn't much of a surprise that the Countess' Pleasure was my favorite story both then and now. It is exceedingly steamy but there is a sweetness in the romance along with the heat and a vulnerablity in the hero that was unexpected and appealing.
The Blood Kiss was fun too. A take on Romeo and Juliet, only their feuding clans are werewolves and vampires and both Roman Montgomery and Juliana Capriet aren't the silly tragic teens, but are strong, stubborn and intelligent.
Falling for Anthony is the reason I reread this book. I must admit that I didn't enjoy it nearly as well the first time. Meljean Brooks has a very complicated world in her Guardian series and this story doesn't stand apart from the series well. That said, after reading The Guardians: Demon Angel (Book 2) (Berkley Sensation) I foung this story very entertaining. It filled in holes in Demon Angel and made portions of The Guardians: Demon Moon (Book 4) (Berkley Sensation) more poignant. In rereading this story it was enjoyable seeing Hugh, Lilith and Michael now that we know them so well, since understanding their interactions and motivations made this story more interesting. So from my experience the Guardian series should be read in this order: Demon Angel, Falling for Anthony, Paradise in Wild Thing and the Demon Moon.
The fourth story the Breed Next Door, will probably please Lora Leigh fans since she seems to have written quite a few Breed stories, but I didn't care for it either time I read it. It starts out promisingly with the hero unsure of his humanity but longing for it and for love and acceptance, after knowing only brutality. But once he gets together with his "mate" it deteriorates. The language is graphic and repetative, and the love scenes uninspired.
For an anthology 3 out of 4 isn't bad, and if you've been reading the Guardian series you will definately want to read this one.
Good read.......2007-05-13
It surprised me that you could put so much enjoyment into so short a story. I particularly liked Emma Holly's story "The Countess's Pleasure" as I generally avoid period novels and Lora Leigh's story "The Breed Next Door" as dominate males are a real turn off for me. All the stories - while short - were full and satisfying stories.
hot spell.......2007-05-12
This book was a good introduction of Emma Holly's work. I love the midnight series...Catching midnight, Hunting Midnight and Courting Midnight.. all really good paranormal erotica books. The Countess's Pleasure is not her best work...but is an okay read. I would have bought this book for Lora Leigh's The Breed Next Door. I love this series. Lora Leigh's Breed series is totally hot. I would be all about a genetically altered alpha male that could go for days. Where do I sign up? The Blood Kiss by Shiloh Walker is really a good read. Roman is totally hot and Julianna is a lucky girl. Meljean Brook's Falling For Anthony is a weak read but go ahead and muddle through. It want kill you.
Unforgettable - stories you can build personal fantasies around!.......2007-04-26
The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh was hot & left me pining for more! I'm now in pursuit of Lora Leigh's Breed series of which there are more than 10! Can't believe I wasn't aware of her books before now.
Emma Holly delivered a compelling tale. I've read her books before & am not typically caught up in the stories. This time was so different. Truly enjoyed it & will hunt for more of hers again.
As others have said, I too found the third tale difficult to get through - too complicated for its size?
Great book.......2006-06-08
I just want to say I have been reading alot of Ellora's Cave books (which includes many wonderful writers) and I have to say so far there hasn't been any of the series I have not enjoyed. This was a great read.
Book Description
From the author of The Sisters, a chronicle of the most brutal, turbulent, and exuberant period of England's history.
Bess Hardwick, the fifth daughter of an impoverished Derbyshire nobleman, did not have an auspicious start in life. Widowed at sixteen, she nonetheless outlived four monarchs, married three more times, built the great house at Chatsworth, and died one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in English history.
In 1527 England was in the throes of violent political upheaval as Henry VIII severed all links with Rome. His daughter, Queen Mary, was even more capricious and bloody, only to be followed by the indomitable and ruthless Gloriana, Elizabeth I. It could not have been more hazardous a period for an ambitious woman; by the time Bess's first child was six, three of her illustrious godparents had been beheaded.
Using journals, letters, inventories, and account books, Mary S. Lovell tells the passionate, colorful story of an astonishingly accomplished woman, among whose descendants are counted the dukes of Devonshire, Rutland, and Portland, and, on the American side, Katharine Hepburn.
Customer Reviews:
I loved this book.......2007-05-07
My first experience with Bess of Hardwick was through a historical romance novel several years ago. After some research online, I discovered so much more about her. I find her to be an extraordinary woman who lived in difficult times. I felt that Mary Lovell captured her perfectly. There was so much more information that I had never read before. I would recommend this biography to anyone who enjoys reading about life in the Tudor era.
absorbing.......2007-01-04
A well researched, very interesting study of a remarkable woman who kept her head when many around her were (literally) losing theirs. She also managed to keep and enlarge a fortune.
An Excellent readable biography but with some reservations.......2006-12-28
Mary S Lovell has written two of my favourite biographies and I find her work generally excellent. She is very considerate of her subjects, but also very thorough, digging through screeds of papers to find information not previously discovered by other biographers. With Jane Digby and with her biography on the Mitfords she provided new and at times stunning insights into their lives.
She has done so again with Bess of Hardwick, interestingly a distant past relative of Dukes of Devonshire. Certainly she has put this woman into persepctive of her time. In her introduction to the biography she writes that Bess was the second most powerful woman in Tudor Times next to Elizabeth the first, an extraodinary feat given that woman at that time had few legal or property rights. She was born just before Elizabeth 1 and died after her, so their times were very much reflected.
However the introduction also introduces the reservations she has. Firstly that there is almost nothing written or in reference to Bess's early years, and so Lovell has had to make large jumps on faith in what what happened or what was likely. She has clearly researched the period thoroughly, the customs, the religious practices, the geographical situation she found herself in and political expediencies of the time. However as the old saying goes, "one swallow does not a summer make" - and simply because this is how things were generally done in these times does not mean that this is how Bess did them. So I found it somewhat annoying that Lovell talked with seeming certainty (and no clear documentary evidence) of how Bess would have been christened, given to a wet nurse, educated and so on. I think, that given Lovell's research it is PROBABLE, however I felt with the information given to us that it could not have been as confidently accepted as she makes out.
I also found some other points a bit annoying. For instance Bess lived with The Lady Frances Brandon for some time (mother of Lady Jane Grey and her sisters). Apparently she was a rather haughty rude woman and Lovell Quotes one of Lady Frances' children talking about how her mother and Father pinch and torment her no matter what she does. However it is clear that Bess got on well with her and was well treated and from this Bess must have been quite charming and politically incredibly able. After all Frances was the grand-daughter of a King. To be allied with her was politically incredibly expedient. But Bess managed to retain friendships with both herself and her children. This points to an extremely adept woman. However when it came to Bess's second marriage a couple of years later Lovell insists that it can only have been for love. The man, William Cavendish, was twice Bess's age, in his 40's with children almost her own age. A politically influential courtier and someone enormously useful for Bess. She may well have loved him, but at 19 and having lived 5 years as companion and lady in waiting in several houses I cannot imagine a young Tudor woman of Bess's age not understanding the political expediency of marrying this well. Lovell Talks about Bess not knowing if she was fertile and so not knowing if she could set up a dynasty or not. Frankly she knew that CAvendish was virile enough to have children, why she should not think that she could also have children and establish a dynasty? She was smart enough at this stage to have pursued, legally, her widows rights through the courts to her first marriage, why could she not be smart enough to see a bright future politically and financially with this man?
This is simply a few of the items I found a little annoying in Lovell's reasoning, it is almost as though she wanted Bess to be a naieve and love stricken tudor lass early but contrary, I think, to the evidence she provides.
However with reservations such as these, I still found the biography an excellent read, and the possibility of making your own conclusions to the information provided easy enough. Lovell writes well and presents her information nicely. The only other problem I had was that she keeps talking about things that will come up later in the book and so not really explaining them. Teeth Grindingly annoying at times, but necessary if you are going to present a story in a strictly chronological manner which she has.
I would recommend this book, and certainly her other works. But read with an open mind.
highly readable account, especially strong on the early years.......2006-08-18
Mary S. Lovell is a much more skillful writer and story-teller than most serious historians writing about Tudor figures; her full coverage of Bess's long life is a pleasure to read.
Lovell makes her strongest contributions in recounting Bess's early life, especially the significance of her connections with the family of Lady Jane Grey. Thanks in part to her own coincidental family connections, Lovell has also rescued Bess's third marriage to Sir William St. Loe from historical obscurity.
While the book is highly readable throughout, the later sections-- roughly from the marriage to the Earl of Shrewsbury onward-- don't really add much new ground versus David N. Durant's earlier "Bess of Hardwick: Portrait of an Elizabethan Dynast." Durant tells a more interesting account of Bess's building projects at Hardwick; provides more drama as he recounts the eventual conflict between Bess and her granddaughter Arbella Stuart; and covers Bess's mastery of the legal system in fascinating detail, something Lovell largely overlooks in her emphasis on personal relationships. Neither author has quite solved the dilemma of how to present Bess's life during the period it was dominated by her husband's custody of Mary Queen of Scots, but Lovell offers more insight and an impartial stance in assessing how and why the Shrewsburys' marriage broke down. Lovell occasionally gets sidetracked by other figures around Bess, notably the Earl of Essex at one stretch late in the book.
These are fairly minor quibbles, though. Overall, Lovell has produced a highly successful biography, a book that really paints a nuanced and persuasive portrait of Bess. This is undoubtedly the single best account of Bess's remarkable life.
Wonderful book.......2006-07-23
This is a marvelous book. I was at first worried it would be too dry and erudite for me, but I enjoyed every word. It is beautifully written with new research and strong documentation. The footnotes are intesting also. I apprecaited the way Mary Lovell referred to the present to make situations more understandable and how she explained old terms and side issues with footnotes at the bottom of the pages. Because the British nobility has so many names and titles the same, she refers back to other incidents to help keep them straight in your mind. I highly recommend this book.
Average customer rating:
- Very good
- A definite waste of time
- Wonderful! An excellent read; highly recommended
- Hard to classify, but great fun anyway.
- More like an novel steeped in mystery than a regular mystery
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The Clairvoyant Countess
Dorothy Gilman
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0449213188
Release Date: 1986-12-12 |
Book Description
As a psychic to the public, Madame Karitska has seen a lot. But when a chance encounter with Detective-Lieutenant Pruden of the Police Department catapults her into the unforseen, she must use all of her resources to keep danger--and death--at bay....
Customer Reviews:
Very good.......2001-08-24
I couldn't put this one down...although it's more of a group of mysteries strung together,rather than just one, I still found it very entertaining. A nice, light read.
A definite waste of time.......2001-02-27
I had never read a Dorothy Gilman book before this one and I was very, very dissappointed. If it were not such a short book (about 224 pages) I would have abandoned it before even finishing it, which I do not like to do, but I did hang in there until the bitter, bitter end. I have read some good mysteries before, and this "mystery" lacks a significant plot. The only "digging" the sleuths do is watch this Madame at work with her psychic powers. Soon after that, the mysteries were solved too easily and were not at all believable. I am trying not to let this book ruin me for other Dorothy Gilman books. I keep telling myself that this one was written early on in her career and she probably got better with age.
Wonderful! An excellent read; highly recommended.......2000-10-18
I love Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series (particularly the early books -- through and including Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, although I still eagerly read all of them as soon as they're published), and adored A Nun in the Closet. Although I hadn't expected to like this one, I was very pleasantly surprised. It is thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable -- one of the few mysteries I've saved to reread.
Hard to classify, but great fun anyway........2000-08-20
Not exactly a series of short stores nor yet exactly a novel, this book is the story of a clairvoyant and the way she worked with one particular policeman, Lieutenant Pruden (prudent=sensible=skeptical?), who doesn't know exactly how much he believes her, but is willing to work with her to get results. The small series of mysteries they work on overflow outside one chapter apiece, but there is no one overarching plot, hence the classification difficulty. Once again Gilman has created if not believable (i choose to see as fictional this kind of clairvoyance) at least very attractive and readable characters.
More like an novel steeped in mystery than a regular mystery.......2000-07-12
I adored this book. This was the first book of Ms. Gilman's that I have read and I can't wait to get my hands on some others soon. I thought that The Clairvoyant Countess was truly well written and wonderfully entertaining.
While this is not your average mystery as the book is more about the interaction between Madame Karitska and Detective Pruden than it is about the mysteries that they solve - it is still a great read for mystery lovers.
At the start of the book the readers are introduced to the clairvoyant Countess Madame Kartiska. We learn about her gift and how she uses it, we meet some of her clients and through this we learn of their fates. The reader becomes intimately involved with some of her clients as through one of them, we also meet Detective Pruden who comes across the countess' name during an investigation.
She helps him in several different ways, she aids him in solving several crimes and she introduces him to a side of himself that he never knew. We also have the opportunity to meet several other clients that she introduces to one another and we can watch their relationships grow.
There are several mysteries woven in through the plot and the reader discovers that who dunnit isn't always the reason to read on.
The Clairvoyant Countess won't appeal to every mystery lover but for those who take the plunge it is very refreshing and highly enjoyable. IT is really a shame that Ms. Gilman has not made this into a series as well as her Mrs. Polifax series as I would love to continue to watch these characters grow.
Average customer rating:
- A fitting end to a fine series
- The best in the series
- Simply exquisite
- Beautiful writing style
- Madeline Hunter delivers an emotional love story full of realistic characters and plenty of plot to keep one reading to the end.
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The Romantic
Madeline Hunter
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Lord of Sin (Seducer)
ASIN: 0553587293
Release Date: 2004-10-26 |
Book Description
A passionate new historical romance in Madeline Hunter's nationally bestselling Seducer series. This one features a fifth member of the London Dueling Society, the reserved, enigmatic lawyer to the Laclere family: Julian Hampton. All his life, it seemed, Julian had been in love with Penelope, now Countess of Glasbury. And when he learned the horrors she had endured at the hands of her vicious husband, Julian was instrumental in arranging for her escape to Italy. But he has never forgotten the love of his childhood, the woman he had rescued first as a "damsel in distress" when she was a girl, and then for real once she had blossomed into woman. When Penelope returns secretly to London, Julian is the one she turns to, even though her trust in him puts both their reputations, and ultimately their lives, in peril.
Customer Reviews:
A fitting end to a fine series.......2007-08-09
Having survived the worst marriage has to offer, Pen is determined that no man will ever have absolute power over her again. Julian can't remember a time when he didn't love her. Over the years he has been Pen's friend, confidant, advisor and champion. His love for her is so great that he will sacrifice anything to insure her freedom, safety and happiness. While slower in pace and a bit less witty than the other books in this series, The Romantic is a well written story of a love that knows no limits and proof that patience is indeed rewarded.
The best in the series.......2006-11-10
I loved this book in my opinion it's the best book in the series.
Simply exquisite.......2006-09-07
Penelope is, once again, on the run for her life. For years, she has enjoyed living a life estranged from her evil husband, the Earl of Glasbury. He is a man with sadistic sexual tastes who keeps a house far from London, unknown to anyone, staffed with Jamaican slaves who are constant victims of his sexual abuse. Now the Earl is determined to have Penelope back to bear him an heir, but Penelope will not have him. As soon as she discovered she was being followed, she fled Naples for London, to the arms of the only person who can save her from Glasbury, Julian Hampton.
Julian successfully kept Penelope hidden while she pondered her options. She wanted to flee to America but Julian managed to talk her out of it. When the situation finally became desperate, she agreed with Julian that the only way to get herself out of her marriage would be to have a very public affair and force her husband's hand. But just when things were beginning to go their way, Glasbury is found murdered in his house and the primary suspect is Penelope.
Julian swears to Penelope that she will always be safe and he will see to it. She has no idea how far he'll go to keep his oath, until the police arrest him for the murder.
I think The Romantic is my favorite Madeline Hunter book...so far. I don't think there's anything more romantic or sexy than a hero who has secretly loved the heroine from the time they were children, and is consistently plays the knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress. Julian is by far my favorite character in this series. He has kept his love a secret, instead pouring it into his poems and letters. He has never failed in his devotion to Penelope, always there when she needs him; always there to save her from whatever trouble she's in. He is, by far, the consummate romantic hero.
The writing is exquisite as usual. Madeline Hunter is such a gifted writer. She weaves enchanting stories of larger than life heroes and heroines that it's hard not to fall in love with her books.
Beautiful writing style.......2006-01-29
Madeline Hunter's writing style is pure joy to read. Even when the plot is not altogether exceptional, her writing is so exquisite that her books are a pleasure to read. This book in the series is no expcetion. Her characters have maturity and depth - who wouldn't fall in love with Julian ? Integrity, loyalty, strength, passion - he has it all. The only criticism if at all is that Madeline's heroines tend to be victims - bullied and controlled by men and requiring salvation from other men. Nevertheless, I am now starting on her next book - Lord of Sin.
Madeline Hunter delivers an emotional love story full of realistic characters and plenty of plot to keep one reading to the end........2005-09-01
Courtesy of Love Romances Reviews
As always, and with The Romantic, Madeline Hunter delivers an emotional love story full of realistic characters and plenty of plot to keep one reading to the end.
Penelope, "Pen," the Countess of Glasbury has been running from her depraved husband for many years. Unable to get a divorce as society would scorn her forever, and also because her husband refuses, she managed to at least escape his household, if not his name. But after avoiding England and his far reach as long as she had, time has run out and she must return home, hoping to get assistance from her beloved family and the one man who has always been there for her.
Julian Hampton has been the solicitor for Pen's family since finishing the university. He has ever been there for the family, including Pen. If not for Julian, she would not have gotten the escape she did manage from her husband. He often played his cards close to the vest, but his biggest secret of all was held so tightly no one had even a hint of the depth of passion he felt for the woman who stole his heart when they were both children.
Now a new threat has come to Pen from her husband, and this time she fears he may finally get his way and be able to hold on to her for the rest of his life. Who else would she turn to so as to avoid the depraved lifestyle of her husband Glasbury, but the one man who has ever been her champion? Will Julian's love finally have a chance to come to fruition? And what of her marriage? Can she escape once and for all?
Ms. Hunter has proven her immense talent for passionate stories that suck readers in with this story. Perhaps the most anticipated book in the series, The Romantic is guaranteed to live up to the expectations. Julian has been such a mysterious character throughout the series that his was certainly this reviewer's favorite character, and his story is as deep and emotional as the man himself. He has always been the dutiful one, never wavering in his course, keeping his secrets to himself.
Pen has been a delightful character throughout as well, and possesses a strength unsurpassed by many heroines in today's romance novels. The horrors she experienced in her marriage hardened her in some ways, yet in some ways she never lost that youthful innocence. She has her flaws, one of the biggest being her inability to see what was right in front of her, in the guise of Julian, for so long. She has grown so much throughout the series and here in her own tale, that she is a force to be reckoned with when she sets her mind to something.
When simmering passion finally is released and both Julian and Pen give in to their feelings for each other, the heat in their encounters will ignite passion in the reader as well. They are meant to be together, and have always been; though sometimes it was hard to see. This reviewer admits to having had doubts as to how their story would be resolved, and if it would be done in a way that they both deserved. She has never been a fan of the heroine being married to one person and carrying on a relationship with another, so was worried how it would be resolved here. Ms. Hunter handled this facet of the story in such a good way that readers can't possibly doubt the outcome. Our lead characters here deserved a story as strong and deep as they are, and this book fulfills that completely.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2004. All rights reserved.
Book Description
A scoundrel whose fame as an artist, libertine, and notorious seducer of beautiful women is ongoing fodder for the ton, Mallory Claeg has a secret obsession-Brook Meylan, Lady A'Court, a beautiful widow who abandoned London two years earlier, deliberately severing all ties to her past. Under the pretense of his interest in the primitive landscape of the Cornish coast, Mallory watches her, fascinated and utterly mesmerized by her beauty...
Brook tried to escape the gilded cage of the ton's merciless gossip, the memory of a cruel husband, and the pity of well meaning friends. But meddling relatives and unwanted suitors shatter her peace. At first, Mallory Claeg was another intrusion. Yet his sinfully handsome face and irresistible charm bring both temptation and torment. Now Brook must choose between opening her heart-or sealing it off forever...
Customer Reviews:
4th/final book in the The Bedegrayne Series.......2007-06-01
Brook had an evil abusive husband (he was murdered) and Mallory lives life on his own terms. They meet while he is painting out in Cornwall and she is hiding from the gossip from her husband's death. They are very honest with each other and deal with the flaws. The story has some great twist and turns. I hated their extended families for so many reasons but it seemed to bring them together. Enjoy!
Check out the whole Bedegrayne Series, A Lady's Mischief Book #1, A Gentleman At Heart Book #2 and Tempting The Heiress Book #3.
Lady in waiting?.......2005-04-09
In her hazy condition, Countess Brook Meylan imagined she was dead;
her husband had finally succeeded in what he had threatened. He had
murdered her. But what she awoke to was the realization that it was
her husband who was dead, she was loosing her baby and she was barely
alive. To escape the merciless gossip in London, Brook retreated to
her family home on the Cornish coast to heal in private. It was a
seven day coach ride from London, and a sanctuary from the world.
With the death of her husband, Brook no longer yearns for the
companionship of a man.
Lord Mallory Claeg is a scoundrel whose fame as an artist and
libertine affords him many golden opportunities as a seducer of
beautiful women, especially widows. Only one woman has ever claimed
his heart, his wife who was killed in a duel. After her death Mallory
vowed that women would only fill his bed, never again his heart.
Brook has been away from London for two years, and has become
complacent with her solitude. Mallory, up to his old tricks, rents a
cottage on her estate. But for reasons he cannot fathom, Brook is
not just another conquest, he is secretly becoming obsessed with the
Countess. Brook is encumbered by Mallory's attention, and although
his reputation precedes him, she cannot dismiss the fact that he
makes her feel things she never thought possible. Should she open her
heart to him or seal it forever? When family matters send Mallory
and Brook back to London, Brook learns the sordid details of her
husband's death. And Mallory's roguish past rises up to challenge the
love they are starting to build. Brooke cannot deal with more gossip
so for a second time she flees London. Also for a second time Mallory's
heart knows pain, but this time he knows how to heal it.
COURTING THE COUNTESS is a return to the scandalous world of the
Bedegraynes' family series. Barbara Pierce has again journeyed into
the darker, wickedly sexual side of aristocratic romance. The
complexity of her characters will have readers, who are unfamiliar
with this series, glomming her previous books. This is historical
decadence with a flair. (RAW Rating: 3.5)
Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
The title doesn't fit.......2005-02-07
I liked Brook a lot, and Mallory was much more appealing than I had expected from earlier novels in the series. He came into his own here. The new Lord A'Court was creepy but had no real teeth. The true villain didn't work well. The plot was weak, sketchy. Brook's mom was certainly odd. The author did an excellent job of bringing others, especially Tipton, back into this book; it was nice to catch up with them.
I liked the book fairly well, but it wasn't as good as the rest of ther series. I'm giving it two & 1/2 stars.
perhaps a change of title is in order?.......2004-11-26
After her husband almost ended her life ("A Gentleman at Heart"), Brook Meylan, Lady A'Court, left London and retired to the wilds of Cornwall in order to avoid the cruel speculation of Society. Here, she's exsisted, warding off the well meaning intentions of her family to get her return to London and to remarry. But all this changes when Mallory Claeg, artist and notorious libertine moves into the neighbourhood. From the very first, Mallory is fascinated by the quiet countess, and sets out to charm her. And while Brook knows full well what a man of his reputation wants from her, she finds herself strangely tempted by rakish Mallory. Should she give into the temptation? And what of the price this madness would entail...
While it is easy to empathise with and like both Brook and Morgan, much of "Courting the Countess" suffers from having a much used plot premise with very little variation. Both Brook and Morgan are suffering from past experiences -- she, from the sadistic cruelty of an obviously deranged husband, and he from his wife's untimely death. Morgan falls rather hard for Brook's fragile beauty and her air of sadness and vulnerability; and being the hard-living, notorious libertine that he is, decides to try and seduce into having an affair with him. Somewhere along the way, everything changes for him, and he decides that he would actually like to marry Brook and spend the rest of his life with her. But does he change the manner of his "courtship?" Of course not. Fumbling about in secluded places in order to have a few highly charged sexual moments is what every woman is looking for in a mate! As for Brook, while it is so very easy to wholly sympathise and understand her actions and her motivation, I did long for her to stand up, just once, for herself to her family comprehensively. Ultimately, though "Courting the Countess" is a competently written novel, that is more about how two characters overcome their past histories and so attain happiness with each other. The historical aspect may be paper thin (if it were not for a mention of Almacks and a description of the clothes, I doubt if I would have guessed that it took place in the Regency period -- aside from the careful dating at the beginning of the book). It was nice to catch up with characters from previous novels. And on the whole, this was a quick and pleasant read. It's just that it really did pale when compared to "A Lady's Mischief" & "A Gentleman at Heart." All in all, this was a nice 3 star read. Though I would have perhaps changed the title to "Seducing the Countess" or "Pleasuring the Countess" since the word "courting" seems to suggest a more tender and romantic way to woo a lady's heart and esteem, and that's not exactly how Morgan goes about trying to snare Brook!
fine Bedegraynes Regency romance .......2004-11-01
In 1810, Lady Brook Meylan has remained in exile rusticating since her spouse and child died two years ago. Most people assume she mourns the loss of her husband, but she hated him for physically and mentally abusing her; she grieves for her child. She vows never again will a male freely do whatever he wants to do to her under the label marriage. To enforce her edict, Brook only shows up at family events hosted by her blood family and only when they really pressure and coax her.
Artist Mallory Claeg is known as a womanizer who knows how to treat a lady with respect especially in his portraits and his bed. When he meets Brook at a family event, he offers the widow pleasure, but she aloofly rejects his advances though this man is tempting to her. This is a unique experience for a man hitting a home run every time he swings his bat (the anachronism fits). Stunned and already half in love, Mallory begins COURTING THE COUNTESS.
Though on the surface, Barbara Pierce's latest Bedegraynes Regency romance seems similar to many of the sub-genre offerings, the author provides her tale a lift due to the wonderful likable lead characters, who quickly have readers wanting the best for them. Mallory is a delightful rogue who uses his painting reputation to sham an interest in the Cornwell landscape so that he can court the woman who heats his blood with an icy look that would freeze a penguin. Their relationship makes for a fun time for fans.
Harriet Klausner
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