Here’s the blurb
A mistress cannot marry for love…
As one of the famous Preece sisters, Kitty is the most sought-after courtesan in London. But with the vicious Duke of Gillingham scaring away any man who looks her way, securing a new arrangement with a wealthy gentleman will be no easy feat. Kitty’s only hope to find someone suitable is through her loyal and cherished friend, the Reverend Sidney Wakefield.
Sidney has devoted his life to the church, but it was never by choice. He is a writer and Kitty his muse. As he is roped into Kitty’s plotting, he begins to realise that protecting her from the malevolent Duke comes at a price – and it might mean losing Kitty to someone else entirely.
As Kitty and Sidney try to find a way out, it becomes clear that years of friendship have developed into something deeper. Except that they are from different worlds and Kitty’s heart has never been hers to give away…
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My Review
A Courtesan’s Worth is a steamy Regency romance featuring Kitty, London’s most expensive courtesan, and Sydney, a vicar who’s struck up a friendship with Kitty, and believes Kitty is the muse that inspires his writing. What neither of them seem to realise is that they love one another. Sydney, somewhat blind to Kitty’s role in society, believes they should marry, if only he had the money. Kitty, with the responsibility for ensuring her sisters, and their many illegitimate offspring, are well provided for in life, feels the weight of pressure, for all she seems tired of the life of a courtesan where she has no choice other than to become attached to the man with the largest purse strings, many of whom are odious and aged.
What ensues is a tale of love and desire, passion and sometimes hatred, as the pair try to negotiate their way to be together even though there are obstacles in their way, Kitty’s sister, and the Duke who wishes to employ Kitty’s skills, being the main ones. There’s also a pugilist, Butcher, while Sydney’s brother, the heir to the fortune, is also somewhat dismissive of it all.
This has a lovely feel to it. There are all the elements you’d expect to find in a Regency romance set in London, but we also see some of the ‘other’ side as well. The life that Kitty leads is explained in some detail, and the way society views her adds a new flavour to the genre you know and love.
The story moves quite rapidly, building to the thing we all love about Regency Romances, the many obstacles and people in their way and the eventual satisfying resolution of the romance between Kitty and Sydney. There is also a rather fabulous twist in the last few pages.
A lively, and intriguing tale sure to delight fans of the genre and with an eye to the social history of Regency courtesans which is highly enjoyable.
Meet the author
Felicity George is a writer and teacher from Toronto, where she lives with her husband, her two teenage children, a large cat, and a tiny dog. A lifelong devotee of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, Felicity adores a happily-ever-after. A Courtesan’s Worth is book two in the Gentlemen of London series.
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MJ Porter 