The Courtesan Duchess (Wicked Deceptions Book 1)

Disclaimer: I haven't really been getting into historical romance lately, though I used to enjoy the genre quite a bit.I struggled with this book because both of the main characters behave extremely badly throughout much of the book. Nick, the hero, married the heroine, Julia, when she was just 16. He immediately left England and spent the next eight years catting around Europe while his young wife fell prey to a villain who cut off her finances and tried to blackmail her for sex. Following the kind of logic one only finds in historical romance, Julia decides the way out of her dilemma is to pose as a courtesan, seduce her absent husband, and trick him into fathering his heir. Depriving someone of their reproductive autonomy is pretty unforgivable in my book, even in desperation.That said, the plot moves along and the writing is decent, so if secret baby/reformed rake stories are your catnip, you'll like this fine.

This gets 3 stars from me only because, technically, the writing is okay. No horrible grammatical errors and a clean style. When I increasingly find books written by people who don't appear to have heard of a dictionary, let alone know how to use one, and who have no concept of sentence structure I feel that the ability to write should be encouraged.However, the actual story is another matter. That can be summed up in 3 words: contrived, dull, implausible. I don't mind a bit of contrivance if it sets up a good story line and I don't mind a whole helping of implausibility if the story can carry it but to hit the triple is a killer. I won't go into the issues in detail, because that would involve too many spoilers for those that want to give the book a go, but I will say that the plot meant that I didn't get any of the build up to a relationship that I enjoy in romance books. I like the sexual tension to be built slowly and for that to be woven into the development of the relationship as a whole. To jump straight to sex and then to try to build the relationship from there just didn't work for me.I would only advise reading this book if you are content with a totally predictable story, minimal character development, a heroine who seems to be particularly stupid and a hero whose only "good point" seems to be that he's great in the sack. If those are not selling points for you then I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Or, if you're still intrigued by the story's premise, get it on Kindle Unlimited or from your library. If you decide you love it and want to encourage the author you can always buy it afterwards.

I am new to Joanna Shupe, having only read her novella Tycoon before this one. I really enjoyed Tycoon and thought it showed strong promise. The writing is solid with a well described environment and setting, and seemed thoroughly researched. There were no glaring errors or typos. However, the story was rushed with little character development, which I decided was a fault of the novella itself. It's hard to capture development in 100 pages (and a story line that takes place in about three days), but I thought she tried hard. I quickly picked up The Courtesan Duchess, eager to get to know this new author in hopes that her rushed plot issue would solve itself with more pages to fill. I perhaps did the author an injustice by trying her debut novel first.... debut novels tend to have their own issues as well.I didn't dislike The Courtesan Duchess per se. Which is astonishing because it contained many contrived plot points that typically drive me crazy. Big Misunderstandings abound, secret baby plot... which is no spoiler as it's described on the sales page. Despite those plot points, I really liked the concept of this story and the characters. I thought it was a clever idea for a forgotten bride of an arranged marriage to track down her husband and seduce him. There was a ton of promise in such an idea and it could be very fun and witty to read about. I did enjoy the first portion of the novel and eagerly turned pages as the plot unfolds. I also recognize the deft hand of a good writer, and Shupe is, indeed, a solid writer.But unfortunately, it just didn't go anywhere I enjoyed. What DID lower my opinion of this read was the amount of time the hero and heroine actually spend together, which was about nill. They have a single week together, then spend the majority of the novel apart. Huge spans of time are summed up in sentences (the summer flew by, the weeks roll on, seasons change...) and it's pretty sad and boring.Julia and Colton hurt each other pretty bad due to Big Misunderstandings and as the novel came to a close, I doubted their love and HEA. They are just not together enough, or talk enough, to convince me that they do love each other. I was left feeling a little icky over the whole thing. It was very angsty and dramatic (the major reason I avoid secret baby plots) and it just wasn't my cup of tea. The couple spends less than ten percent of their time together in the one year or so that the novel takes place in.That all being said, I still liked many aspects of this novel and I'm stubbornly moving forward on another Shupe book. I feel like there's just a ton of promise and potential charm in her writing and I'm hoping the next one will have a more developed plot, where the hero and heroine fall in love by actually getting to know each other. And all of THAT being said, I feel like there are romance readers out there that would really love this style of book and the plot itself. It just wasn't for me.

I enjoyed this book and it was very well written besides a few small grammatical errors and missing words here and there. The only thing that did bother me a bit was that he was called the Depraved Duke and I was a bit disappointed that he was actually very... Well... Depraved. First book I've read by Joanna Ships but I would definitely read more by her!

An interesting take on what you have to do to get your man!

loved it the series very good

Sono rimasta subito intrigata dalla trama di questo romanzo, per cui approfittando del prezzo davvero basso dell’ebook l’ho subito scaricato. Ormai nel romance non si può più inventare niente di nuovo, ma quella di The courtesan duchess è un tipo di trama che mi piace molto. Julia e Nick sono sposati da otto anni, eppure si sono incontrati solo in occasione del loro matrimonio: lui non ha mai tollerato quella moglie impostagli con un ricatto dall’odiato padre e quindi subito dopo le nozze è andato sul Continente, a gozzovigliare in giro per l’Europa guadagnandosi la fama di Duca Depravato. Nel frattempo la moglie, in balia di una suocera arpia e del viscido parente del marito che ha preso in mano le redini dei possedimenti e delle finanze del duca, si è vista via via decurtare sempre più la rendita. Julia giustamente non ce la fa più, e l’unica soluzione, visto che non può accettare le disgustose avences di Templeton (il viscido di cui sopra), le sembra quella di rimanere incinta del marito. E come fare se il marito non vuole neanche sentirla nominare? Semplice: dopo aver preso lezioni dalla più famosa cortigiana di Londra, si fa accompagnare dal migliore amico sia di lei che di lui a Venezia, città dove si trova Nick, e lo seduce. Il suo piano riesce perfettamente: il marito non la riconosce perché l’ha vista solo al matrimonio e lei si è tinta i capelli di rosso, ha preso lezioni da una prostituta quindi sa tutto su come far impazzire un uomo, soprattutto a letto, e subito dopo essere deflorata corre via a lavarsi dal sangue cosicchè suo marito non possa sospettare di niente. C’è un solo neo: non ha previsto di innamorarsi del marito. Eh sì, perché i nostri due eroi, dopo la settimana più intensa della loro vita, si innamorano perdutamente l’uno dell’altra. Ma l’idillio finisce, e lei torna in Inghilterra senza nemmeno una spiegazione (e con la pagnotta nel forno)…Il libro è spaccato decisamente in due parti totalmente diverse l’una dall’altra: la prima, ambientata a Venezia, è decisamente più erotica, e vede la nascita del sentimento tra i due, seppur con l’inganno. La seconda, ambientata in Inghilterra, è quella delle accuse reciproche, dell’odio-amore, della colpa e del perdono. Ho apprezzato anche come, nonostante Nick si comporti davvero malissimo con Julia, non possiamo dargli tutta la colpa, perché anche lei ha sbagliato, probabilmente avrebbe potuto trovare un altro modo per risolvere i suoi problemi. C’è anche una piccola sottotrama gialla, che vivacizza un po’ il romanzo, col solito difetto dei romance che vede i gran cattivoni sul più bello darsi agli spiegoni anziché agire, ma io l’ho apprezzata lo stesso. Un bel romanzo, in cui anche i personaggi secondari sono ben tratteggiati. VOTO 7,5Grado di comprensione 90-95%: veramente facilissimo, e ottimo anche per imparare i phrasal verbs che qui abbondano ma sono inseriti in frasi veramente facili.

I liked that even though you could predict where Julia and Nick end up in the big picture, they didn't give in so easily. It made for a long and interesting story that felt the perfect length. This story really was about them and the rest came along for the ride. However.... What really happened with Theo and Fitz after ever after?Update: If you find the jacket summary grates against your beliefs and not intriguing, you probably will not like this story.This may not follow the usual love plot but it is their story. I read this book not to read a plot of idealistic love parallel to my life experiences and dreams or the story of great couples around me but to enjoy reading about another's story for what it is... Another's story... flawed or not.Whether people (not unlike characters in a novel) deserve that forgiveness or not is not up to for us to decide for them. Julia didn't just have sex with her husband and all was well. It took consideration, time and certain reinforcing actions (all essential components I believe to forgiveness) to realize that love will let them attempt a future together. That in itself is beautiful. And isn't stepping out of the past and onto to a fresh new canvas the point of forgiveness anyway?

In dieser gut geschriebenen Regency-Romance versucht Herzogin Julia den ihr fast unbekannten Gemahl, verkleidet als käufliche Lebedame, für sich zu gewinnen und so einen Erben zu produzieren. Vor acht Jahren von seinem verstorbenen Vater zur Ehe gezwungen, treibt sich der Herzog seither überall in Europa herum und kümmert sich weder um sein Erbe noch um seine von seinem Cousin bedrängte Ehefrau.Eine interessante und schöne Geschichte mit viel Erotik, Täuschungen und enttäuschten Menschen, die weitgehend überzeugt. Leider hält das Niveau nicht bis zum Schluss durch, wird vorhersehbar, dafür gibt es das schöne und erwartete Happy End.

I found very fresh and entertaining how a proper duchess such Julia pays a famous courtesan to teach her how to seduce her husband. It does not hurt that everything happens in such romantic place as Venice. I also relate to Julia's thought that "if we were to be slaves of our doubts and guilts, the life will be very dull!" I would recommend it to everyone who loves Regency books! Enjoy the journey back in time!

I liked this book, though I wanted to hit Colton over the head a few times (as a few other characters professed a desire to do as well). The ending was a bit predictable and somehow felt both rushed and drawn out, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I really liked this book. Some parts of not really believable, but overall it's a great story. The writing was clear and crisp and easy to read. I look forward to this author's next book.