The
Harlot Countess
Wicked Deceptions # 2
Wicked Deceptions # 2
By: Joanna Shupe
Releasing April 28th, 2015
Zebra
Goodreads Series Link:
Blurb
Lady Hawkins’s debut was something
she’d rather forget—along with her first marriage. Today, the political
cartoonist is a new woman. A thoroughly modern woman. So much so that her
clamoring public believes she’s a man…
FACT:
Drawing under a male pseudonym, Maggie is known as Lemarc. Her (his!)
favorite object of ridicule: Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He’s a rising
star in Parliament—and a former confidant and love interest of Maggie’s who
believed a rumor that vexes her to this day.
FICTION:
Maggie is the Half-Irish Harlot who seduced her best friend’s husband on
the eve of their wedding. She is to be feared and loathed as she will lift her
skirts for anything in breeches.
Still crushed
by Simon’s betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as
well. In fact, Lemarc’s cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock…but now it
appears that Maggie may have been wrong about what happened years ago, and that
Simon has been secretly yearning for her since…forever. Could it be that the
heart is mightier than the pen and the sword after all?
Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher
Review- 5 Stars
I don’t know how a book can be cute
and hot at the same time, but holy cow, Laureline Page and Katie McGee know
what the hell they are doing! This book is incredibly fun, I loved every minute
of it! They’ve put their own little twist on a story line that’s been done and
made it unique, almost exclusively because of the characters. They will suck
you right into their world.
Blake is one
of the most complex heroes I’ve come across and he is so different, I was just
entranced by him. He’s got the sexy alpha thing going for him, definitely. Then
of course there is the sweet, cuddly side, while throwing in the hidden nerd
and a little insecurity. I suppose there have been guys like this in other
romance novels, but Blake ties it all up in a bow with his absolute naiveté. There
were times when he was just so bewildered by the things he was feeling and
things that Andrea called him out on. She gets mad at him for something and he
is surprised because it wasn’t that he was being a jerk on purpose, he doesn’t
know any better and can’t figure out why other people aren’t thinking like he
is. It’s freaking adorable. He is sex on a stick for sure, but the whole
package is what makes you fall for Blake.
Andrea is a
spitfire. Her attitude is pretty hilarious at times, and at others it made roll
my eyes in exasperation. She clearly has a huge heart and incredible capacity
for love, shown especially in her relationship with her sister. However, it was
actually pretty refreshing to see her first reaction to Blake. She didn’t
accept his assholery just because she was insanely attracted to him. She was
willing to walk away from a person she didn’t believe had any decency, despite
the money and his sexy ass. That was such a huge plus for her as a character. I
respected her and as well as enjoying her sarcasm and wit. It takes a little
while for her to be more open minded about Blake, but I truly believe that is
because she sees some of her old self in him.
The banter
between these two is fabulous. They both have a sarcastic wit that is sharp and
funny. However, they can also be silly and with a really bright mood to the
scene that just put a smile on my face. I hated for the book to end, but I
really, really wanted to see Andrea and Blake get their HEA.
If you are
looking for a really solid, great book that will make you laugh and smile, and
just leave you generally warm and fuzzy, look no further! This is one of those
books that I’ll return to when I need a ‘pick me up.’ 5 truly excellent stars!
The Harlot Countess 5 Stars
Another
great historical romance by Joanna Shupe!
While this book can be read as a standalone, it is certainly a lot of
fun to read the series.
We first met
Simon in the Courtesan Duchess. He is honest, loyal, compassionate, and a
little bit tortured by something in his past. In The Harlot Countess, the
reader learns that Simon lost the love of his life to a scandal ten years
before. And, while he believes that he was played the fool, he is not closed
off to love and it speaks highly of his character that he appreciates and
encourages it in the lives of his friends and family. He is witty, intelligent,
incredibly handsome, and goes above and beyond to help the less fortunate. Not
to mention the political capital he has built in parliament.
So what is wrong with him? When
presented with evidence that the woman he loved had been having relationships
with other men, he did not seek her out for an explanation, but rather he
shunned her with the rest of society. Now, he is still bitter over what he perceived
as being played the fool, however he is still very attracted to her. To make
matters worse, he has been targeted by a cartoonist who is clearly determined
to take away his credibility and make him a laughing stock.
Maggie was completely shattered
when Simon turned on her without giving her the opportunity to refute the
claims against her. To save even the slightest bit of dignity and avoid
completely tainting her family, she quickly married. Her marriage was empty and
boring, but it gave her something she never would have had otherwise, freedom.
She spent her years honing her craft as an artist, and creating a persona meant
to show people that they cannot hurt her anymore.
Maggie is talented, sarcastic, funny,
full of compassion, desperate to help the less fortunate, and yet so very
bitter (not without cause). So when Simon enters her life again, she has no
faith in him and is, in fact, the artist behind the derogatory cartoons.
Finding their way back to each other is full of hurdles, the hurt and anger,
the misunderstandings, and society in general are stacked against them. To top
it off, there is a mad man to chase, keeping Maggie’s other identity a secret
so that she doesn’t incur the wrath of the government, and a personal vendetta that
is causing them problems.
This story definitely keeps moving,
there were no moments when I wished it would pick or where I was getting bored.
The plot is wonderfully constructed, it’s easy to follow, but still full of
surprises. It’s so easy to fall in love with Simon. SO EASY! He is adorable and
a sexy alpha at the same time. Maggie’s bitterness gave me moments of annoyance,
however it is well deserved, so it was fleeting. As characters, they are well
developed and I felt like I really got to know them. Just as the previous book got
interest piqued to read Simon’s story, this book has me very excited for Quint’s
novel.
I really enjoyed this book and when
I reached the ending, I shut the book with a smile on my face. This is worth
the read!
Author Info
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