Download or read book Always the Courtesan written by Emily E K Murdoch and published by . This book was released on 2020-05-27 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Always the courtesan and never the bride - it's a life she never chose and cannot escape...Indulge yourself in book 3 of the bestselling Never the Bride series. Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited!Lady Honora Lennox hasn't gone by that name in three years - not since she was abducted and forced to work in a brothel.She's but nineteen and has given up on the world offering her anything of kindness. Until he walks through her door.Josiah Stanhope, Earl of Chester, is exhausted with politics and games, deceit and lies - it's time for simplicity, and there's nothing simpler than the clear cut exchange of coin for pleasure. And yet there's something different about this girl. She knows how to please a man, certainly, but there's more to her. Something refined.He's determined to find out the truth. She's terrified of destroying her family name. Tensions mount as wills clash and there can only be one victor. Can Josiah ever prove himself as trustworthy, or will he fall back to old habits? Can Honora ever return to society after her fall from grace - or is his bed far more inviting?This full-length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.Never the Bride SeriesAlways the BridesmaidAlways the ChaperoneAlways the CourtesanAlways the Best FriendAlways the WallflowerAlways the Bluestocking

Download or read book Yoshiwara written by Cecilia Segawa Seigle and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1993-03-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on both historical and literary sources, examines life in the pleasure houses of Japan during the Edo period from the early 1600s to 1868. Among the topics are the origins, illegal competitors, the cost of a visit, the treatment of the courtesans, traditions and protocols, Yoshiwara arts, th

Download or read book The Courtesan Duchess written by Joanna Shupe and published by Zebra Books. This book was released on 2015-04-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this wickedly sexy Regency romance series debut, a Duchess plays seductress in a cunning scheme that leads to love. Julia, Duchess of Colton, has a cunning plan to banish her debts. All she has to do is seduce her estranged husband—an undertaking that proves to be as wickedly pleasurable as it is improper. After learning the secrets of Juliet Leighton, London's leading courtesan, she travels to Venice in disguise as Juliet. Now all she has to do is locate her husband, conceive an heir, and voila, her future is secure! It’s a foolproof plan. After all, Julia’s husband has not bothered to lay eyes on her in eight years, since their hasty wedding day when she was only sixteen. But what begins as a tempestuous flirtation escalates into full-blown passion—and the feeling is mutual! Could the man she married actually turn out to be the love of her life?

Download or read book In the Company of the Courtesan written by Sarah Dunant and published by Random House. This book was released on 2006-04-11 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor’s army blew a hole in the wall of God’s eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment. Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant’s epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid. With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultan’s court. But Fiammetta and Bucino’s greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all. A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the world’s greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page.

Download or read book The Courtesan written by Susan Carroll and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2005-07-26 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Skilled in passion, artful in deception, and driven by betrayal, she is the glittering center of the royal court–but the most desired woman of Renaissance France will draw the wrath of a dangerous adversary. Paris, 1575. The consort of some of Europe’s most influential men, Gabrielle Cheney is determined to secure her future by winning the heart of Henry, the Huguenot king of Navarre. As his mistress, Gabrielle hopes she might one day become the power behind the French throne. But her plans are jeopardized by Captain Nicolas Rémy, a devoted warrior whose love Gabrielle desires–and fears–above all. She will also incur the malevolence of the Dark Queen, Catherine de’ Medici, whose spies and witch-hunters are legion, and who will summon the black arts to maintain her authority. With the lives of those she loves in peril, Gabrielle must rebel against her queen to fulfill a glorious destiny she has sacrificed everything to gain. Alive with vivid period detail and characters as vibrant as they are memorable, The Courtesan is a sweeping historical tale of dangerous intrigues, deep treachery, and one woman’s unshakable resolve to honor her heart.

Download or read book Courtesans written by Katie Hickman and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2004-11-02 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the course of the nineteenth century, a small group of women rose from impoverished obscurity to positions of great power, independence, and wealth. In doing so they took control of their lives -- and those of other people -- and made the world do their will. Extremely accomplished, well-educated, and unusually literate, courtesans exerted an incredible influence as leaders of society. They were not received at court, but inhabited their own parallel world -- the demimonde -- complete with its own hierarchies, etiquette, and protocol. They were queens of fashion, linguists, musicians, accomplished at political intrigue, and, of course, possessors of great erotic gifts. Even to be seen in public with one of the great courtesans was a much-envied achievement.

Download or read book The Book of the Courtesans written by Susan Griffin and published by Crown. This book was released on 2002-02-06 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Pulitzer-Prize-nominated author Susan Griffin comes an unprecedented, provocative look at the dazzling world of the West’s first independent women, whose lively liaisons brought them unspoken influence, wealth, and freedom. While they charmed some of Europe’s most illustrious men honing their social skills as well as their sexual ones, the great courtesans gained riches, power, education, and sexual freedom in a time when other women were denied all of these. From Imperia of sixteenth-century Rome, who personified the Renaissance ideal of beauty; Mme. de Pompadour, the arbiter of all things fashionable in eighteenth-century Paris and Versailles; Liane de Pougy, known in France during the Belle Epoque as “Our National Courtesan”; to Sarah Bernhardt, who, following in her mother’s footsteps, supported herself in her early career with a second profession, The Book of the Courtesans tells the life stories and intricacies of the lavish lifestyles of these women. Unlike their geisha counterparts, courtesans neither lived in brothels nor bent their wills to suit their suitors. They were strong- willed, autonomous, and plucky. An open secret, their presence can be felt throughout our culture. The muses who enflamed the hearts and imaginations of our most celebrated artists, they were also artists in their own right. They wrote poetry and novels, invented the cancan at the Moulin Rouge, and presented celebrated acts at the Folies Bergères. They helped to influence and shape the sensibility of modern literature, painting, and fashion. When Greek sculptor Praxiteles wanted to depict Venus he used a famous courtesan as a model, as in later centuries Titian, Veronese, Raphael, Giorgione, and Boucher did when they painted goddesses. When Marcel Proust was a young man it was the courtesan Laure Hayman who took him under her wing, introducing him to the right people, and providing inspiration for one of literature’s greatest masterpieces. And they often had considerable political influence too. When King Louis XV needed advice on foreign affairs or appointments of state he turned to Jeanne du Barry as well as Pompadour. In her witty and insightful prose, as Griffin celebrates these alluring and fascinating women, she restores a lost legacy of women’s history. She gives us the stories of these amazing women who, starting from impoverished or unimpressive beginnings, garnered chateaux, fine coaches, fabulous collections of jewelry, and even aristocratic titles along the way. And through a brilliant exploration of their extraordinary abilities, skills, and talents which Griffin playfully categorizes as their virtues "Timing, Beauty, Cheek, Brilliance, Gaiety, Grace, and Charm" her book explains how, while helping themselves, through their often outrageous, always entertaining examples, the great courtesans not only enriched our cultural heritage but helped to liberate women from the social, sexual, and economic strictures that confined them. Intensively researched and beautifully crafted, The Book of the Courtesans delves into scintillating but often hidden worlds, telling stories gleaned from many sources, including courtesans’ memoirs, presented along with stunning rare photographs to create memorable portraits of some of the most pivotal figures in women’s history.

Download or read book Once a Courtesan written by Liana LeFey and published by Entangled: Select Historical. This book was released on 2017-03-27 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Constable Will Danbury has infiltrated a school to investigate an alleged crime. What he finds is a deeper, darker mystery—and a potent attraction to the alluring headmistress, Jacqueline Trouvère. But a constable can't get romantically involved with a suspect; even one he thinks is innocent, without committing career suicide. As headmistress of a school devoted to saving the innocent daughters of London's soiled doves, Jacqueline’s life is complicated. Will tempts her in ways she never thought to experience, but she believes no respectable gentleman could love a former courtesan. Despite their best efforts to fight it, a romance blossoms. When danger jeopardizes the school, however, his deceptions and her omissions come to light, threatening to destroy their love. They must look beyond the past to save both their future together and the lives of those they’ve sworn to protect. Each book in the Once Wicked series is STANDALONE: * To Love a Libertine * Once a Courtesan * A Wicked Reputation

Download or read book Always the Bridesmaid written by Emily E K Murdoch and published by . This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Always the bridesmaid and never the bride - but not if the Duke of Axwick has anything to do with it...Miss Tabitha Chesworth is walking down the aisle for the third time, but never as the bride. Frustrated with being passed over, there's nothing that a well-born lady can do about it. But at four and twenty, she's starting to worry that this is her lot in life - until a fiery encounter with the Duke of Axwick.Richard St Maur, sixteenth in his line, has sworn an oath never to marry. He's seen the damage of the male Axwick line, and he won't bring another gambler or drunkard into the world. Of course, that doesn't mean he can't have a little fun and there's no one he'd like to play with more than Miss Tabitha Chesworth. He's determined to have her. She's determined to hold out until a ring is on her finger. Sparks fly as this repeat bridesmaid takes on one of the most determined men of the ton. Whose offer will eventually be accepted? Will the Duke of Axwick find his way into Tabitha's bed - or her heart?This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order. Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited!Never the Bride SeriesAlways the BridesmaidAlways the ChaperoneAlways the CourtesanAlways the Best FriendAlways the WallflowerAlways the Bluestocking

Download or read book Queen and the Courtesan written by Freda Lightfoot and published by Severn House Publishers Ltd. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brand-new historical novel from a well-loved storyteller - Henriette d'Entragues isn't satisfied with simply being the mistress of Henry IV of France; she wants a crown too. Despite his promises to marry her, the King is obliged by political necessity to ally himself with a rich Italian princess. But Henriette isn't one for giving up easily. All she has to do to achieve her ambition is to give Henry a son, and then do whatever it takes to set him on the throne . . .

Download or read book How to Wed a Courtesan written by Madeline Martin and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2021-06-29 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From New York Times Bestselling Author Madeline Martin From courtesan …to society wife? When Evander, Earl of Westix, returns from the continent to claim his bride, he is shocked that the innocent vicar’s daughter he once loved has become a notorious courtesan. But Lottie is so much more than the insult society hurls at her. She is resourceful and strong—after all, she’s had to be to survive. Her charms are undeniable, but her heart is beyond his grasp. To win it will mean taking her from bedroom to ballroom… From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past. The London School for Ladies Book 1: How to Tempt a Duke Book 2: How to Start a Scandal Book 3: How to Wed a Courtesan

Download or read book Innocent Courtesan to Adventurer s Bride written by Louise Allen and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Out of the brothel… Wrongly accused of theft, innocent Celina Shelley is cast out of the brothel she calls home and flees to Quinn Ashley, Lord Dreycott, for safety. But the heat in the daredevil adventurer's eyes tells Lina that the danger is just beginning.... And into the rake's bedroom! Lina dresses like a nun, looks like an angel, but flirts like a professional—and the last thing Quinn expects to discover is that she's a virgin!

Download or read book Always the Chaperone written by Emily E K Murdoch and published by . This book was released on 2020-04-03 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Always the chaperone and never the bride - until she catches the eye of the very man whose courtship she's supposed to be helping...Book 2 in the Never the Bride series is now available! Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited!Lady Charlotte St Maur is a spinster. Invited to dances as a chaperone rather than a dance partner, it's all she can do to keep back tears as match after match is made - with her help. But a lady over thirty, no matter the title, doesn't find true love.William Lennox, Duke of Mercia, never expected to come to fame and fortune, and never thought anything could be more tiring than soldiering - except the marriage market. He needs to make a good match, but no matter how many young chits he's introduced to, it's always the chaperone who catches his eye. He's determined to convince her. She finds the idea of anyone courting her laughable. This soldier has never been defeated, and he won't now. A seduction is the only recourse.Can Charlotte allow herself to be loved or will the Duke of Lennox be tempted away by a bright young thing?This full length novel is a steamy Regency romance with a happily ever after, no cliffhangers, and is part of a series that can be read in any order.Never the Bride SeriesAlways the BridesmaidAlways the ChaperoneAlways the CourtesanAlways the Best FriendAlways the WallflowerAlways the Bluestocking

Download or read book The Virtuous Courtesan written by Mary Brendan and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2014-10-15 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inherited: one mistress! Gavin Stone discovers on his brother’s death that, to inherit his estate, he must also take on his mistress! Gavin never thought that claiming his inheritance could be so pleasurable…Sarah is horrified—she never thought she would be passed on as if she were a chattel—but what choice does she have? And Gavin will expect a practised seducer when, in reality, she is as unschooled as a debutante! But just maybe an innocent courtesan is what it will take to thaw this rake’s heart…

Download or read book A Courtesan s Guide to Getting Your Man written by Celeste Bradley and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-05-24 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths the steamy memoirs of Regency London's most celebrated courtesan, the Blackbird, she's aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan's diaries be used as a modern girl's guide to finding love and empowerment?

Download or read book The Illicit Love of a Courtesan The Marlow Family Secrets Book 1 written by Jane Lark and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2013-10-03 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colleen Hoover meets Bridgerton in this emotional, page-turning Regency romance!

Download or read book A Tangled Web Mata Hari written by Mary W. Craig and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2017-07-14 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this new biography, published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of her execution, Mata Hari is revealed in all of her flawed eccentricity; a woman whose adult life was a fantastical web of lies, half-truths and magnetic sexuality that captivated men. Following the death of a young son and a bitter divorce, Mata Hari reinvented herself as an exotic dancer in Paris, before finally taking up the life of a courtesan. She could have remained a half-forgotten member of France's grande horizontale were it not for the First World War and her disastrous decision to become embroiled in espionage. What happened next was part farce and part tragedy that ended in her execution in October 1917. Recruited by both the Germans and the French as a spy, Mata Hari – codenamed H-21 – was also almost recruited by the Russians. But the harmless fantasies and lies she had told on stage had become part of the deadly game of double agents during wartime. Struggling with the huge cost of war, the French authorities needed to catch a spy. Mata Hari, the dancer, the courtesan, the fantasist, became the prize catch.