Three childhood friends dare to defy the rules of London—and love—in this glittering series from New York Times bestselling author Jane Feather . . . A FLAWED CUT . . . The Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley has a secret: she’s been taking drama classes and longs to be an actress. Ladies of her standing don’t appear on stage, but Fenella has never been one for society’s rules. She’s quite excited … one for society’s rules. She’s quite excited to take on the challenge of reading the leading role in a new play—until she meets the playwright. Toeing the line between infuriating and irresistible, his first impression leaves a lot to be desired . . .
OR A RARE FIND?
Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, scorned the ton years ago, making his own way in the world, and pursuing his literary gifts on the side. The only thing he misses from his old world is Fenella. Since seeing her at a ball when she was a young debutante, he’s never forgotten her. Now that fate has reunited them, Edward’s determined to make her his leading lady—in every way. But the only thing they see eye to eye on is their intense passion for each other. And it just may take a massive misunderstanding for their love to get on the same precious page . . .
Praise for Tempt Me with Diamonds
“A strong heroine who’s more than equal to her troubled hero in intelligence—and stubbornness. Feather’s fans and new readers will enjoy this series opener.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Well matched protagonists spar their way to love and trust in a romance awash in deception and unanswered questions. An ingenious plot . . . a sensual Edwardian romance sure to please Feather’s many fans.”
—Library Journal
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WARNING – MIGHT BE SPOILERISH –
The Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley, only child of Baron Grantley, has a secret, one she has shared with no one, not even her dearest friends Petra & Diana. Fenella secretly longs to tread the boards and has been taking acting lessons, but she knows it is not a realistic aspiration for a woman of her social standing, but nonetheless, she is taking lessons and enjoying herself. She is actually at a class and is given a new part to read. She begins and is berated by Edward Tremayne – the illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton and apparently the author of the play she is reading for. Fenella knows Edward by sight, but was never formally introduced. She gets upset with his critique and gives him a piece of her mind before leaving.
Edward can’t believe Fenella didn’t immediately understand the character – in his mind she is the lead character – Rose. Edward has always lived on the fringes and has always admired Fenella, when he began writing his play, titled Sapphire, he always pictured Rose looking like Fenella. He rushes after her and to patch the riff between them. He is lucky that Fenella is a reasonable person and gives him a chance to explain himself. She listens to him and agrees to meet the next day – she is not sure how she feels about him, but doesn’t deny the attraction she feels. When she arrives home, her friends Petra & Diana are waiting for her and she tells them of her acting classes and meeting Edward. She also mentions the problem of a suitor Lord George, the son of a duke, who has lately began to act as if they are engaged, she blames herself for not making her feelings clear and is at a loss as how to set him straight without hurting him or ruining herself.
The next day Rose goes to see Edward at his lodgings, he tries to explain his vison for the play and Rose in particular, things do not go well and they once again quarrel, but this time Edward kisses her, a kiss she eagerly returns. He asks her to come back the next day and even though she is confused about how she feels, she agrees. That evening she attends her mother’s dinner party and meets Edward’s half-siblings, they are vile people, but Fenella indulges her curiosity and learns quite a bit about Edward. When she visits him the next day, they again quarrel, make up and he suggests they spend the day together, she agrees and after a good meal and interesting conversation, they return to his rooms and one thing leads to another and she spends the night and leaves even more confused than before – where is this relationship going and more important – where does she want it to go??
This was a very strange book – the first 80% is basically, Fenella and Edward eating, arguing and having sex. Repeatedly, some other things happen, but for the most part – that is the book – I kept waiting for something to happen, but it didn’t. It wasn’t a bad book, but it was somewhat boring, despite being steamy. I felt confused by Fenella, she doesn’t want to ruin herself by breaking with George, but she is going to Edward’s alone and having sex (I assume from her inner dialogue that she was a virgin) but apparently she isn’t concern about being labeled loose/fast??? I also found them both a bit spoiled and used to having things their own way – she was definitely more flexible and reasonable, Edward seemed to have a lot of “What did I say?” moments, which I actually found amusing because they were the typical male “I really don’t understand why you are upset” reaction to her anger. The end of the book did tie up most of the loose ends and cemented their relationship, but I honestly didn’t feel the love. So bottom-line, I didn’t love the book, I didn’t hate it either, and while I would not read it again, I did like it better than the first book in the series. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone with no problems.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
Different.
Meh! Edward was an ass and didn’t redeem himself. The ending and interaction with his half-siblings was abrupt. Almost as it the author or editor realized ‘Oh, the book is approaching 347 pages, wrap it up.’ The author couldn’t decide if she was writing historical fiction or contemporary adult fiction. Words and actions didn’t fit with the time period. I’ve read this author before but I will check reviews before reading more of her work.
Seduce Me with Sapphires is the second in this series, though it could be read as a stand alone. I found it rather odd. I really could not connect with either of the main characters.
Fenella Grantley has been suffering from ennui, bored with her life, which she admits to herself is ungrateful because as the daughter of a baron, she lives a very privileged life. She has a suitor, George, who believes that she will be his wife, but she only thinks of him as a friend, knowing they would not work, as he does not really listen to her or appreciate her opinions. One thing this book does do, is demonstrate how privileged the upper class was, when the author describes the life of the servants in comparison to that of Fenella and her friends. Fenella had enjoyed acting in plays when she was younger, so has joined a drama class. She is fortunate again, that her parents give her freedom to come and go as she pleases, trusting her to have good sense. The drama class is presented with the opportunity to perform a new play, by Edward Tremayne, the illegitimate son of an Earl and an actress. His father had removed him from his mother at the age of 7, educated him, but he was still treated as second class by his half siblings, receiving no love from his father. Instead of taking on the role offered by his father as groundskeeper, he works as a research assistant to a professor at King’s College and wrote this play, Sapphire, with Fenella as his inspiration for the main character, Rose, although they had only passing acquaintance. The two of them are like fire and water. They quickly begin an affair, too quick in my opinion, and I find it hard to believe that after how he was treated growing up, that Edward would risk having a child out of wedlock and that Fenella would take that risk either. And like Fenella, I found parts of the book boring.
I read an ARC provided by NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
This was a good book overall, though I did have a few things that I looked at a bit cross-eyed. Both characters are well-born, but not typical of their contemporaries. Their relationship is very volatile, as both have tempers.
Fenella is the daughter of a baron, but one who doesn’t enjoy Society life, which she finds dreadfully dull. She is a modern woman who is interested in world events, politics, and women’s suffrage. She has a suitor who takes the progress of their relationship for granted. She also has a secret. She wants to be an actress and has been taking acting lessons in pursuit of that goal. She is excited when the acting coach brings a new play to class, and she reads the leading role. Things go downhill quickly when the play’s writer verbally attacks her interpretation of the character, and Fenella fires back with her own opinion, then walks out.
Edward is the illegitimate son of an earl. After the age of seven, he was raised with his legitimate siblings, who never let him forget that he was an outsider. He received an excellent education but became persona non grata with his family when he preferred to make his own way in the world. Edward is happy with his job as a research assistant for an English professor, which gives him time for his writing. The lead in his play is based on the girl who fascinated him when he was younger – Fenella. The woman she is now is equally fascinating but also incredibly frustrating.
The sparks flew between Fenella and Edward from the moment they met. Fenella is independent and outspoken and has no problem telling Edward precisely what she thinks. Edward is focused on his goal and protective of his work. I will say that I didn’t like Edward much at the beginning. He is so volatile, flipping from angry to nice to angry again at the drop of a hat. I would begin to think that he’d finally settled down when something would set him off again. I understood why Fenella wasn’t sure whether she liked the man, even though she was attracted to him. She was interested enough in the play to give him a second chance, but she was also wary. That wariness, however, wasn’t enough to stop the attraction she also felt.
I was surprised by the speed with which Fenella and Edward became intimate. Those sparks burst into flame within a few days, and from there on out, they could barely keep their hands off each other. The ease with which Fenella was able to be alone with Edward was surprising. No one seemed to care that she went off alone, came home in the wee hours, if at all, or changed plans with no notice. There were a few instances where I saw some logic in her actions. I liked that she was determined to keep their personal relationship separate from their professional one, as she worried that he was only interested in keeping her in her role as Rose.
There were several times when I thought Edward strayed too close to abusive behavior. His frequent bursts of temper were disturbing, especially when he didn’t seem to know what set him off. He had some times of being controlling, though Fenella did fairly well of pulling out of those when she wanted to. The more I got to know Edward, the more I realized that some of it was that he didn’t know any better because of the way he was raised. There were other times when he was charming and thoughtful, which gave me hope for their future.
There was one point near the end when that future became questionable. When Fenella impulsively does something she thinks will help Edward, she doesn’t think it all the way through. Edward blows up, saying some unspeakably cruel things, rather than considering the spirit of the offer. I ached for them both, as Fenella believes that everything is over between them, and Edward wants to find a way to mend fences. The dinner scene before the ball was painful for all, but especially for Fenella, stuck between Edward and George. The ball scene was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing George get what was coming to him. Edward and Fenella had a productive discussion before going on to face down his nasty half-siblings. I loved the epilogue and seeing how the play was received. I loved Edward’s big moment at the end. Fenella described their relationship perfectly when she said, “We’re like pieces of a jigsaw; we fit together, except sometimes when we seem to be in different puzzles.”
I liked Fenella’s friends, Diana and Petra. I will need to go back and read Diana’s story. I liked her and what I saw of her husband. There was a sneak-peek into Petra’s book at the end of this one, and I am intrigued to read hers, too.
I’ve enjoyed binging on historical romance books lately. I”ve found some really good authors lately that I have not tried yet, but not everyone has a been a winner for me. I think this one is an example of a “it’s not you it’s me” case. I did not connect with either main character. I also did not get invested in the relationship they were suppose to have. This one also felt to modern/contemporary for me to like it as a historical romance book. I might have been able to overlook all of that if the plot was more than what it was. I just got bored, and felt nothing really every happened besides them having sex. How was I supposed to fall in love with their love if it was all sex?? I will try this author again but this one was a miss for me.
I have read almost everything that this amazing author has read and loved them all. The premise of this story had the heroine, Fenella, venturing out on her own to secretly take acting lessons and that brings her in contact with the playwright, Edward Tremayne. She soon realizes she remembers seeing him several times at dances and he was the one standing against the wall glaring. Edward had never forgotten Fenella either.
The journey begins of two strong willed people who clash constantly but are attracted in spite of it or maybe because of it. Edward wanted her to be the main roll in his play. but they definately set out on the wrong foot. But he is determined to have her in more ways than one..
Well drawn characters, strong emotions, a mystery, sizzling romance and a lot of twist and turns with humor thrown in, bring this tale full circle and have you guessing if these two will ever work it out!
Simply a must read!
3.5 Stars
Seduce Me with Sapphires by Jane Feather is book Two in The London Jewels Trilogy. This is the story of Edward Tremayne and Fenella Grantley. I have read the previous book but feel this can be a standalone book if you wish to do so. Edward is the illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton which has left he beneath the towns eye. SO Edward had to make it on his own which also included writing plays. Fenella wants to be a actress but of course her upbringing doesn’t allow for that, but she still works to do so. Edward and Fennella have sparks between them and he does want her to be an actress for one of his play. But of course things are very complicated.
It was a good read. I was a bit disappointed with the quick progression of the main characters relationship. No matter how free spirited she was, she came across loose to me and not the strong woman she is supposed to be. He came across as manipulative so I didn’t care for him much. That’s my main gripe. Otherwise, I liked the plot. Hope the next is better because Feather is one of my favorite authors.
Quite an unconventional heroine is Fenella, as a lady of society her views on suffrage and acting class is unheard of, but Fenella is an independent thinker and runs about town. Meeting Edward, the playwright of the play her life opens to a different way of life. Edward is a moody, social outcast, at least his family turned their backs on their bastard sibling, but he likes the simpler things in life and with the help of the money from his mother he’s able to live as he likes, independent of his family. This book is very entertaining, full of humor, great characters and lots of heat!
Although I have read the previous book in this series, the opening of this book felt like I was picking it up midway. Fenella meets Edward, a man she suspects has stalked her, and proceeds to sleep with him after a few days! Fenella is shockingly independent for the times and Edward sometimes comes off as creepy. I did enjoy the secondary characters and look forward to seeing what happens with them. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
3.5 Stars
Fenella Grantley has a secret: she’s been taking drama classes and longs to be an actress. Ladies of her standing don’t appear on stage, but Fenella has never been one for society’s rules. She’s quite excited to take on the challenge of reading the leading role in a new play until she meets the playwright. Toeing the line between infuriating and irresistible, his first impression leaves a lot to be desired. Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, scorned the ton years ago, making his own way in the world, and pursuing his literary gifts on the side. The only thing he misses from his old world is Fenella. Since seeing her at a ball when she was a young debutante, he’s never forgotten her. Now that fate has reunited them, Edward’s determined to make her his leading lady—in every way.
On the whole an entertaining, steamy read but I didn’t really connect with Edward & Fenella & whilst I could believe they were in lust I found it hard to comprehend that they were in love. The pace was OK, I kept expecting things to gather pace but it just kept plodding along & I found myself skimming through some pages. Loose ends were on the whole tied up at the end. Whilst I didn’t love the book I didn’t dislike it
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Seduce Me with Sapphires is the second book in the London Jewels Trilogy. This book was hard for me to rate. I think the story line was good, the descriptions were great, and it was grammatically correct. The time frame was never given in the book, but it felt too modern to me. The freedom that Fenella was given to wonder around London unchaperoned doesn’t seem realistic.
Miss Fenella Grantley was secretly taking drama classes and she wasn’t concerned what society thought of her appearing on a stage. She was excited when the class was presented the play, Sapphire, to read although at first, she wasn’t sure if she could do the part of Rose.
Edward Tremayne, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, had seen Fenella a few years back at a society event and had been intrigued by her since then. He only wants her to play the role of Rose and comes to realize he wants her in his life forever.
Disregarding the modern feel of the book, it had a good storyline, interesting characters, and was a book I enjoyed reading.
“Seduce Me with Sapphires” by Jane Feather
An excellent, spicy, Victorian Era romance. It will keep you turning the pages that is for sure. I am guessing that you read the description and probably know you like Jane Feather novels… so you don’t really need me to tell you that you will like this story, too. I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley with the request that I share my honest opinion. Happy Reading !!
It had been several years since I’d read a Jane Feather book and I remember I liked her as an author, so when I won an ARC in a drawing for Seduce Me With Sapphires I looked forward to this read. I do not know if it is my reading tastes that have changed or Ms. Feather’s style has changed, but I had a very difficult time getting into the story and the characters in the work. It wasn’t until about halfway through the book that I finally decided to finish it. Ms. Feather does provide good descriptions of people, places, clothing, events and so forth to the point where I could visualize each, but I could not feel a connection between or with the two main characters, Fenella and Edward. They both tended to fly off the handle with one another and makeup with some very passionate encounters. It wasn’t until the very end when Fenella said, “We’re like pieces of a jigsaw; we fit together, except sometimes when we seem to be in different puzzles” that pretty much explains what I felt when reading this book. This is not the type of review I usually write for an author but I cannot but express my feelings. I am glad though that some people did enjoy the work.
As a wealthy baron’s daughter Miss Fenella Grantley is expected to make a good match and take her place in London high society. But Fenella is no fan of society’s stringency and has secretly been attending drama classes and quietly aspiring to be an actress. When she meets the enigmatic playwright of a new play for which she’s reading the lead character, he doesn’t exactly make a great first impression and she’s not at all sure she likes him.
As the illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, Edward Tremayne hasn’t had an easy time of it. He scorns society and supports himself as a research assistant, writing his plays in his free time. But he’s never forgotten Fenella since he saw her at a ball four years ago and now he’s determined she must portray the lead role in his play, that she is the only one who could do it justice. Soon he’s determined to make her his full stop, but they can’t seem to get along for more than five minutes at a stretch and their irresistible mutual attraction is the only thing they can agree on.
First off, I liked this book much better than its predecessor, however, it was not without issues. It was extremely modern and apart from a few details, could almost be a contemporary romance. I really didn’t connect with either of the main characters and found all the freedom Fenella had to be fairly unbelievable. You chance mild spoilers from her on as I get my thoughts out. Around halfway, Fenella was clearly worried she’d be seen in public with Edward by someone she knew and almost ashamed of him, yet she had plans to act on stage. This struck me as hypocritical and I was pretty much done with her then. Fenella gets angry at Edward for being truthful and telling her things she knows but refuses to face and then she expects an apology from him for it. Edward wasn’t much better; he took her to a brothel for goodness sake and took a while to talk about real feelings, while just assuming she would know. That said, I can understand his hesitancy given that Fenella was still reluctant to be seen with him socially even after she admitted her feelings for him. Even when Edward makes an effort for her, she’s confused by what he’s doing and constantly questioning his feelings. He had no experience with being loved and I think he was just doing his best to muddle it out. Fenella’s suitor, Lord George, is teased up as problematic because he’s a friend and she doesn’t want to hurt him, but really he’s just a jerk who goes away fairly easily when I’d expected more from him and a golden opportunity for Fenella to express her feelings that was just dropped instead.
Mainly I think my issue here is that nothing really happens. Fenella and Edward have a volatile and fairly dysfunctional relationship based on sex and eat and drink a lot, then Fenella leaves him to eat and drink some more with her friends. I kept expecting more or a showdown discussion of their real feelings and it just felt a bit anticlimactic to me. This was a unique trope and I liked that and enjoyed the read overall. The writing was good and I will read this author again.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Well, I am not really sure how to rate this book. On one hand, I loved the bohemian take on Victorian life. On the other hand, I thought the hero was quite rude for the majority of the book. I understand that maybe that was just his temperament, but I did not like it. I did like the heroine. I thought she was portrayed well and knew what she wanted and her parents were very accommodating, which actually was a little bit of a surprise to me. On the whole, the story was good (not as good as the last story which I loved) just not what I was expecting.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Seduce Me With Sapphires is my first book by Jane Feather, it won’t be my last. Ms. Feather has provided readers with an excellent historical romance. This book is well-written and populated with an outstanding cast of characters. Fenella is a bit of a color-changing sapphire, a different personality shift for different people she’s with. Edward is the Tremayne born on the wrong side of the blanket and works doing research and writes plays. Fenella and Edward’s story is loaded with drama, humor, sizzle and just a little action. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading my next book by Jane Feather. Seduce Me With Sapphires is book 2 of The London Jewels Trilogy but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Seduce Me with Sapphires
The London Jewels Trilogy Series #2
Jane Feather
http://www.janefeatherauthor.com
Release date 01/28/2020
Publisher Kensington Zebra
Blurb :
A FLAWED CUT . . .
The Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley has a secret: she’s been taking drama classes and longs to be an actress. Ladies of her standing don’t appear on stage, but Fenella has never been one for society’s rules. She’s quite excited to take on the challenge of reading the leading role in a new play—until she meets the playwright. Toeing the line between infuriating and irresistible, his first impression leaves a lot to be desired . . .
OR A RARE FIND?
Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, scorned the ton years ago, making his own way in the world, and pursuing his literary gifts on the side. The only thing he misses from his old world is Fenella. Since seeing her at a ball when she was a young debutante, he’s never forgotten her. Now that fate has reunited them, Edward’s determined to make her his leading lady—in every way. But the only thing they see eye to eye on is their intense passion for each other. And it just may take a massive misunderstanding for their love to get on the same precious page . . .
My review :
When two personalities collide, will attraction be enough to flout the rules ….
I wanted to read this story because the blurb intrigued me.
If I had not known it was a historical romance, I found the narrative very modern.
In fact, it could have been set today with some adjustments of course.
As no date was specified, it is by checking the previous book in this series that I learned it was set around 1903.
As I have no knowledge of this time period, I felt a bit lost, I learned a little about society’s conventions during the regency and Victorian eras, but here I was at loss by the freedom given to Fenella. It is probably me as I do not know about rules during this portion of time.
So okay, she spend great time wandering alone in the city or at a man’s home, but having sex with him after two encounters, and without thinking of protection, it was more stupid than free to me. Especially when it is addressed he is a result from the other side of the blanket. So very careless of her and him.
After outside this, it was a tale of two characters clashing will. Those are two persons with a temper, they can be very easily angered if the right points are touched.
Edward appears to suffer from some Mood disorders, is it a creator’s syndrome?
I hope not as the many I know a little are all adorable peoples.
Yet, despite his easily infuriated self, he knows his flaws and when things go down, he refuses to let them fester and tries to settle them.
It is what I loved the most about him, he is quite an upsetting man, but for all his mistakes and defaults, he is also a thoughtful fellow, he apologizes when he realizes he was wrong.
Fenella is some way like him, she dislikes to be said what to do, why she is reading to throw society’s rules to the window to enjoy herself.
At time, I found her lacking when she refused to listen to Edward, she is upset but him too, why I thought her reaction rather childish.
While for a moment I was flying over the pages, not really connecting with their story then the last part of the book caught me, why I slowed my reading to see how they might mend the bridge they created by their actions and words.
Why my 3.75 stars rounded to 4.
So if you like angsty tale with readily flustered protagonists who address their issues with foods, discussions and love making, it is a story for you.
I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Kensington through Netgalley.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
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