Notorious, July 2011
Scandalous Women of the Ton #4
by Nicola Cornick
HQN Books
Featuring: Susanna Burney; James Devlin
384 pages ISBN: 0373775830 EAN: 9780373775835 Paperback
Add to Wish List
Purchase
|
"James and Susanna both have much to lose if their past is exposed"
Reviewed by Leanne Davis
Posted June 24, 2011
Romance Historical
Susanna Burney hires herself out as a matchbreaker. Wealthy
parents hire her to prevent marriages. In this case, she
has been hired by the Duke and Duchess of Alton to break up
their son and a woman they consider unsuitable, Francesca
Devlin. What neither of them knows is that Susanna is
married to Francesca's brother, James. James Devlin has found everything he's ever wanted in his
betrothal to Emma, a wealthy society miss. His life as an
explorer has given him a knighthood but he needs money to
pay off his debts. Emma's dowry will enable him to do that
and live the life he has always wanted. When he first meets Susanna in her guise as Lady Caroline
Carew, he watches her fascinate men just as she bewitched
him in their younger days. Now, he must battle his
attraction to her and keep her from breaking his sister's
heart. Ms. Cornick has take the concept of breaking up unsuitable
relationships to a new height by introducing a character
that does it for a living. Thrown out of the house by her
parents when they discovered
that she had married James Devlin, she lived a horrible life
until she inadvertently broke up a relationship and accepted
money for it. Even so, she lives on the edge of penury and
is always aware of what lies ahead if she is not successful
in her endeavors. James never wants to return to the poverty he faced as a
child. His betrothal will offer them all a life with all
the necessities and giving up the dream is hard. The more
time he spends with Susanna, the more he realizes the trap
he will be in if he marries Emma. Susanna and James have a love-hate relationship that made it
a little hard for me to completely engulf myself in the
story. However, the characters were so real that I was
moved by the harsh realities each had faced and the strength
it took for them to overcome their situations. A
fascinating, emotional read.
SUMMARY
When the town's most notorious heartbreaker… Dangerously seductive and sinfully beautiful, Susanna Burney
is society's most sought after matchbreaker. Paid by wealthy
parents to part unsuitable couples, she's never yet failed
to accomplish her mission of diverting a groom-to-be. Until
her final assignment brings her face-to-face with the man
who'd once taught her an intimate lesson in heartache…. Meets London's most disreputable rake… James Devlin has everything he's always wanted: a title, a
rich fiancée and a place in society. But the woman who's
just met his eyes across a crowded ballroom threatens it
all. Not because she'd once claimed his heart, or that every
sinuous swirl of her ball gown takes his breath away. But
because the secrets she carries could cost him everything.
To put the past to rest once and for all, Dev just might
have to play Susanna at her own wicked game….
ExcerptI am afraid that you will have to share a carriage with
me, Lady Carew," Dev said, very politely, as Fitz helped
Chessie up into the first vehicle. "Unless you would prefer
to ride with Mr Walters, of course?"
"Hobson’s choice," Susanna said. The quick tap of the
guidebook on the palm of her gloved hand betrayed her
annoyance.
"Think of me as the lesser of two evils," Dev said,
smiling at her. "Unless," he added, "you would prefer to
walk to Berkeley Square in the rain? I regret I do not have
an umbrella to offer you for protection."
Susanna shot him an exasperated look.
"Try not to keep the horses standing," Dev added, as she
hesitated.
Susanna gave an irritable sigh. "Oh, very well!" She
accepted the hand Dev proffered to help her climb in,
touching him with as much reluctance as though he had some
contagious disease. Once inside the dark, poky interior,
she released him abruptly and moved to the corner, as far
away from him as possible. Dev sat opposite, stretching out
his legs and crossing them at the ankle. His boots brushed
the hem of her gown; Susanna moved her skirts aside with
great deliberation as though he might contaminate her.
Dev smiled lazily at her through the darkness. "Fitz is
easily distracted," he said. "You are going to have to
exert a greater hold on him if you wish to have his sole
attention."
Susanna turned her gaze on him. "Fitz is like a small
child in a confectionery shop," she said. She made no
effort to hide her exasperation and Dev found he almost
liked her for it. There was no artifice in her – no
pretence that she had any regard for Fitz other than for
his title, and Dev had a reluctant admiration for that
honesty. If she had pretended to any affection for the
Marquis he would have despised her hypocrisy.
"An apt metaphor," he said. "Sweet and pretty
confections do catch Fitz’s eye." He allowed his gaze to
travel over her appraisingly. "No doubt he sees you as a
particularly nicely wrapped treat."
"Well, he won’t be helping himself to this treat any
time soon," Susanna snapped.
"I imagine not," Dev said. "If you withhold your favours
for a while you are likely to gain far more from him."
That won him another flash of those vivid green
eyes. "Thank you for the advice," Susanna said. "I assure
you I prize myself far too highly to become Fitz’s mistress
too easily." She turned her face away from him, gazing
instead out of the grimy window at the rain-streaked
streets. Her profile was exquisite beneath her saucy little
feathered hat, eyelashes thick and black, the line of her
cheek pure and sweet, her lips tilted always as though on
the edge of a smile. A cluster of ebony curls nestled
against her throat, so silky and black that Dev felt a
physical urge to run his fingers through them to see if
they were really as soft as they looked. It was
extraordinary he thought cynically, how someone as venal as
Susanna Burney could look so alluring, extraordinary that
her ruthlessness did not spill out in some way, spoiling
the pretty picture of the captivating widow. Yet that, he
supposed, was part of her skill. She did not attempt to
compete with the innocence of debutantes. Her appeal lay in
her sophistication and charm. In truth she was little
different from a courtesan, a very high class, very
talented, very beautiful courtesan but available to the
highest bidder all the same, as long as it was marriage he
was offering.
"Do you intend to seduce Fitz into marriage?" He asked.
Her gaze came back to his face, mocking him. "What a
very vulgar question, Sir James. I have no intention of
answering."
"As you have said yourself, a widow may use certain
experience to her advantage."
A smile touched Susanna’s lips beneath the shadow of the
bonnet. "Very true," she said. "Just as a rake may use his
knowledge and skill to trap a debutante heiress."
There was silence between them, thick and taut, in the
dark, enclosed world of the hackney coach. The rain drummed
hard on the roof. The wheels splashed through the puddles
on the road outside.
"You’re staring," Susanna said coolly. "Try the window
instead."
"I see London every day," Dev said. "I was admiring you."
Susanna laughed. "I doubt that very much."
"I meant in the aesthetic sense," Dev said. "You are
very beautiful. I’m not telling you anything you don’t
know," he added.
"You can spare me the compliments," Susanna said
dismissively. She smoothed her skirt with a gloved hand. "I
am quite comfortable with silence."
"I was trying to play nicely," Dev said.
She cast him another glance, disdainful. "I doubt you do
anything nicely, Devlin."
"I make love very nicely indeed," Dev said. "Do you not
remember?"
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|