By Susan Donovan, Celeste Bradley
St. Martin’s Press, $7.99, 368 pages
Museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont absolutely has to make this new exhibit a crowd-pleaser … especially after the debacle with the last one. As she goes through the personal effects of her latest exhibit topic, famous Boston figure Ophelia Harrington, she accidentally discovers something explosive. A personal diary hidden away in a wooden chest reveals a spicy and controversial past. Piper is stunned what she finds. Should she share this information with the world and cause a firestorm or stick with something more staid and boring and risk another boring exhibit?
Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan mix the past and present to perfection in this extremely steamy historical romance. Ophelia Harrington’s sensual life as a London courtesan is fascinating and contrasts beautifully with Piper Chase-Pierpont’s life as a sex-starved Ph.D. I love how the women’s stories intertwine. Piper learns a lot about herself and discovers her own femininity and ability to pursue the man of her dreams after reading Ophelia’s inspiring journals. A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man is one of the most erotic historical romances on the market. I was a bit surprised at the intensity, but it was definitely an enjoyable ride. I found it a bit implausible at times, but it makes a good light read. Be sure to keep it on a tall shelf away from little hands, though.
Reviewed by Jennifer Melville
