Forbidden love fills ‘Courtesan’s Scandal’
The beautiful and mysterious Kate Bergeron is the former mistress of a French cloth merchant, and the latest to capture the interest of the lusty, but very married Prince of Wales. Up to his royal behind in a nasty divorce, the prince is however determined to make Kate his new mistress, and attempts to distract attention from his intentions by ordering Grayson Christopher, the Duke of Darlington, to pretend to London society that he is the one having an affair with Kate.
When Grayson reluctantly agrees to the prince's demand, he finds the lady no more willing than he is. Kate agrees to act the role in public, but she lets Grayson know right up front that she had no real choice in the matter and is as reluctant to take part in the farce. After all, she is just a lucky girl who happened to be swept up from her bleak existence in the slums of London to become a plaything for those who have power and money. But Kate does have her pride.
As Grayson and Kate present their false relationship for the world to see, they soon find what started as a deception becoming all too real. And when their passion turns into a real, heartfelt love for one another, their predicament becomes extreme. Grayson must decide if he will risk angering his prince and bringing his family to almost certain ruin all for the love of a courtesan.
Julia London weaves a fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable tale of forbidden love in “A Courtesan’s Scandal.” Set in 19th-century England, the author deftly captures the grit of London’s bleak St Katherine’s wharf-side area as well as the glitz and glamour of fashionable London society in this tale of honor and love.
I loved that her heroine, Kate, is a practical woman who simply wants to save enough money to realize her dream of owning a bakery and that she knows that her current life is only a means to an end. I think readers will enjoy her spunkiness and zest for life, as well as grieve with her when things go terribly awry, as they always do in a good romance!
