Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

[meganbmoore]

Note:  Despite the length, all plot details are either on the back, or in the first few chapters, so I don't consider this spoilery beyond the one hidden bit.  Which is also in the first few chapters.

James Cordier is a spy for England in 1820, using his looks to seduce women suspected of being enemies of the crown. He knows that he’s expendable and

Comments

[redbrunja]

Because of your review, I just ordered this book.

Sexually active women in a historical who isn't ashamed? Hell yeah!

[meganbmoore]

Yeah, I probably would have at that if I didn't already read Chase.

It's made clear that it isn't the life she would have chosen for herself, but it's also made clear that she doesn't and refuses to feel shame for choosing to survive and prosper into of being "proper" and dying in shame.

ETA: Oh, and she's actually friends with another courtesan, with no envy or backstabbing.

[redbrunja]

girl!friendship for the win!

[redbrunja]

I read this one and really, really liked it, for most of the reasons that you mentioned.

My favorite bit was at the end when Francesca and her corteasan friend where talking about the crazy lady and shaking their heads over how impractical she was, and also the bit when Our Hero is trying to get Francesca to marry him, and saying he'll put a lover in the marriage contract and then be such a good husband she wouldn't need one.

That said, I was kinda disappointed that her father turned out to be innocent - he came across as an ass to me, and I thought him being guilty really fit his personality.

So, which other books of hers would I enjoy?

[meganbmoore]

I liked how he was thinking of the villainess as an evil villain, and she was thinking of her as a woman. I was annoyed about the father, too, especially since you could guess he was her father or a secret uncle from the start. I also wish it hadn't been "back to society!" at the end, but that's kind of a genre rule.

My favorites are lord of Scoundrels, The Last Hellion (ignore the first 2 books in the series) and the one set in Egypt, whose name I forget (the rest of the books in that series are also pretty good.) If you can get your hands on any of her traditional regencies (I think some have been rereleased as 2-in-1s) those are also good.

[redbrunja]

Okay, thanks. And can you believe that the library doesn't have ANY of them? I'm so disappointed.