Lessons From a Scarlet Lady (Signet Eclipse)

by Emma Wildes

No real lady should take lessons from a scarlet woman... The Duke of Rolthven's new wife, Brianna, is the perfect aristocratic bride. So what would society say if they saw her with a copy of Lady... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451228790
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Berkley
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Loved it with all its flaws

I have read Emma Wildes books before and this one is a keeper. I enjoyed both stories simply because the women took the chance to go after what they wanted. The majority of women want their partners to find them desirable (as I am sure is the same for the male counterparts) and want to be loved. Introducing some spice is always welcome..otherwise it does gets boring ;)

Very enjoyable

Despite the back cover description, this ended up being a story about two couples - the Duke and Duchess of Rolthven (Colton and Brianna), who are married at the beginning of the book, and the duke's younger brother, Robert, who is attracted to the Duchess' friend Rebecca. I enjoyed both stories. The Duke and Duchess have a conventional ho-hum marriage. Brianna purchases a scandalous book and uses it to shake up her marriage. I suspect Brianna and Colton's story would wear thin without the secondary romance, which was lovely. My two complaints: The primary characters' names sound like they were chosen from a contemporary high school yearbook. At the beginning of the book, Brianna's motives are that she wants a more intimate emotional relationship with her husband, by the end of the book it's become simply that she was bored with the sex.

Finished it in a day!

Brianna who has been married for 3 months & buys a copy of Lady Rothburg's Advice--a courtesan's lessons for the boudoir and starts practicing what she has learned on her new husband The Duke of Rolthven. He starts to wonder how she is learning all these new skills... A secondary romance of her bestfriend and Duke's brother starts of blossom -- fun , romantic, lots of heat and great escape. Off to find more by this author; An Indecent Proposition (Signet Eclipse) , Seducing the Higlander due out , May 4,2010 and a new series Lords of Notoriety, My Lord Scandal,due out September of 2010, Our Wicked Mistake, due out October,2010 & His Sinful Secret, due out November,2010.

Love it despite it's faults

I'll be honest...this book has its faults, but I loved it and have put it on my keeper's book case. What are the faults? Other reviewers have covered this ground and I would say that I agree that the story lacks depth of characterization, especially of the main couple. Having said that, I enjoyed Colton, the Duke, far more than others have. I can understand why his considerable responsibility has made him as dour as he is. What would have made the story of Colton and Brianne more enjoyable is if we had followed their story from the moment they met - this would have enabled us to get to know them better and empathize more fully when Brianne started her whole seduction routine. I LOVED Rebecca and Robert, the secondary couple - theirs was a very sweet romance. I found the same in Wildes first book "An indecent proposition" so I would suggest that Wildes needs to watch this - ultimately she may loose readers if her primary characters do not catch readers attention in the same way the secondary romances do. And I absolutely adored Damian - I do hope Wildes gives us his story. This book probably deserves a 3 or 4 star rating from a literary point of view, but it left me feeling all gooey so I'll give it 5 stars.

5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies

As the Duke of Rolthven's new wife, Brianna is a model of decorum and her mannerisms are without reproach. Her marriage is comfortable yet she wants more, she wants her husband's love and is finding the advice found in the forbidden book `Lady Rothburg's Advice' very helpful in her pursuit of marital bliss. Her friends are stunned at her daring. Colton would be horrified to know that his wife is in possession of such a scandalous book. Brianna's thrilled that she's suddenly got his full attention but just because he desires her doesn't mean he loves her - and it's his love that she really wants. The sudden changes in Colton Northfield's young wife are making him decidedly uncomfortable. It's not that he finds anything she's doing particularly distasteful but how is it that the same woman who came to him as a shy virgin has suddenly turned into a vixen? Colton is a busy man who doesn't take time out just to enjoy life - after all he has many people counting on him for their wellbeing. However, with Brianna's campaign to make him love her in full force he might just discover that there's more to life than business. Brianna's taking great delight in the sudden attention she's garnering from Colton. Their lovemaking has taken on an intensity that she'd never dreamed possible until she began reading `Lady Rothburg's Advice' and implementing the courtesan's techniques and suggestions with Colton. He's always so staid and proper and those traits have extended into the bedroom - until now. With her own success at capturing her husband's attention thanks to a courtesan's advice Brianna decides that maybe her friends Rebecca and Arabella could profit from the sage advice found in her treasured book. While the advice found in the courtesan's writing does prove helpful, it also brings about troubles that could destroy everything Brianna hoped to accomplish. Will any of them find the love and sexual gratification they desire - or will the book prove to be the downfall of their relationships? Just when you think reading historical romance couldn't get any better - it does! Emma Wildes' LESSONS FROM A SCARLET LADY is a wickedly sinful novel that captivates the imagination and titillates readers through the antics of the unforgettable characters. I loved how at the beginning of each chapter there's a tidbit from Lady Rothburg's writing and then seeing how Brianna chooses to use her suggestions. Colton and Brianna are perfect together but obviously have a few communication issues to work out - especially now that everything is satisfactory in the lovemaking department. Of course if that's not enough to hold your attention then there's always Rebecca's scandalous pursuit of Colton's brother Robert. It's positively delightful. Ms. Wildes' is a talented author whose historical novels captivate and keep you reading until the very last page and I look forward to many more of her titles in the future. Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)