Reading it, I was reminded of the film Dangerous Beauty, about a (real) Venetian courtesan.

You know, an old Chase book, the Knaves Wager reminded me of the movie Dangerous Liaisons and she did say that it was an inspiration. I have the DVD of A Dangerous Beauty and I think I’ll watch it again before my copy of YSW arrives. I do remember that the heroine was trained as a courtesan by her mother who was also one and fell in love with a Venetian nobleman.

James was very cute as he became so befuddled by Francesca (I also liked that he always respected her, even when he was jealous) and Francesca was really cute, too.

Allie, you should try Lord of Scoundrels as Dain was also so befuddled with Jessica that is was funny watching him making a mess of himself.

And I loved the Venice setting and the Byron poetry was an excellent touch. It wasn’t an epic romance, but I thought it was a well-done light-hearted one.

Reading it, I was reminded of the film Dangerous Beauty, about a (real) Venetian courtesan.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118892/

Although set in the 1500s, the film also featured a very successful courtesan who falls in love and becomes involved in political intrigue.

I didn’t think the writing was up to Chase’s usual standards, which are pretty high. Phrases like “post coital bliss” did not sound very 18th century to me, and several other phrases, one in particular was something like “a lifestyle to which she had become accustomed” were over used.

Like others, I was disappointed that the heroine, despite being a divorcee, a highly successful courtesan, and not — we are told — a sexual prude, behaved and reacted in the love scenes in the exact same way every other historical romance heroine does.

Still, a very very enjoyable book.

Also, I think I'm tired of the Best Whores in Town romance stories. I want a story with a Pretty Good Whore. A damn fine whore who's not all flashy boil over, but who still gets the job done with style … a whore with a little less reputation, a little more action.

The heroine of Megan Chance’s first book, A Candle in the Dark, was just a prostitute, not a great courtesan. The heroine of Balogh’s A Precious Jewel was a lady-turned-prostitute and not a great courtesan either. Both good books, if you haven’t read them yet.

But every time someone ended up in the canal? I cringed. Among other things, the canals were the Venetian sewer system! Just ick.

Oh Lorelie, I was thinking the same thing. Ick squared. Seems like I recall Anne Stuart’s “The Demon Count” mentioning something about how nasty the canals were to fall into.

Eh, might be sliiight spoilers below … ?

Part of my problem was with the characterization of Francesca. I guess it’s part of the problem with having heroines who are sexual libertines: To be hot little numbers you really burn to read about, they must be believable in their role as sexual dynamos — yet not be too-too slutty because that’s widely regarded as a reader turn-off. (An unfair double standard, I feel: It really doesn’t turn me off to have a slightly trampy heroine, but that’s me and I know I’m probably in the minority. Personally, I’d rather have a believable heroine who’s a little loose than an unbelievable heroine who keeps her knickers on.)

Anyway, I just didn’t bite on Francesca being a great seductress — a woman who was driving men wild all over the Continent, amassing large collections of sexually-earned jewels and who could drive this ultra-jaded spy to distraction. I know we got TOLD all that was true: She studied with Mme. in Paris! She has a snake tattoo and a scandalous corset! She wears naughty nighties! But all that fell flat for me. I think the reason is because all this stuff went to pieces when James walked in. I was really rooting for her to give him a workout. But then, he got the upper hand early. Maybe they just didn’t have enough witty banter? Example: I really wanted her to Hulk Smash! that one villain (on the gondola), but then here’s James to save the day. Gee, thanks kind sir. I feel like Best Whore in Town should have had that situation under control. A stiletto held to the villain’s jiggly bits or something … isn’t that standard Best Whore training?

Also, I think I’m tired of the Best Whores in Town romance stories. I want a story with a Pretty Good Whore. A damn fine whore who’s not all flashy boil over, but who still gets the job done with style … a whore with a little less reputation, a little more action.

And … I think I’m with Janine and Cecilia, who felt it was slow to get moving, too. BUT OVERALL, this was a good read and I likelovelove Chase … and I still love whores too.

But every time someone ended up in the canal? I cringed. Among other things, the canals were the Venetian sewer system! Just ick.

The cover alone is worth buying the book for. That is GORGEOUS!
Thanks for the review,it's on my “to buy” list.

I really enjoyed this book as well. That said, the cover art — actually the inside cover art of the male — really bugged me after reading the story. I had this vision of an Italian looking male with black curls as the hair was mentioned several times in the book. Where are the black curls? We get ash brown waves instead — a totally different man.

All that said, I did enjoy it, but I wish I’d liked as much as Lord of Scoundrels. Is that unfair of me?

Last year there was [insert Lady title] and this year it's “Your Scandalous Ways.”

I think you’re thinking of Not Quite a Lady.

My grade was very close to yours, Jayne. For me Your Scandalous Ways was on the cusp between a B+ and an A-. I loved that Francesca was an unrepentant courtesan and that James, in his role of spy, was just as much of a whore as she was. And that they both knew this, and recognized their commonalities. I loved the Venice setting, the sexiness of the book, and most of James and Francesca’s courtship. I didn’t even mind the epilogue.

What didn’t work so well for me was how slow the book was to get off the ground. When James kept meeting Francesca in his disguises she wasn’t looking at him as romantic material so I got impatient for the relationship to start during that portion of the book. I also felt that it was unlikely that Francesca would not see through the disguises, and it made her seem a little less intelligent than she ultimately proved to be.

In addition, it took me a while to warm to James, because initially he seemed to judge Francesca for her profession, and given that his profession wasn’t all that different, it seemed a tad hypocritical. Eventually the painful circumstances of his past were revealed and at that point I understood him and came to like him very much. But I wish that we’d been given more information on his past and sooner.

The other thing that disappointed me was the revelation about Francesca’s protective older lover Magny. I don’t want to give it away, since it’s a spoiler, but I was a bit disappointed by it. There were also places (especially later in the book) where the humor seemed a bit broad and obvious.

All in all though, it’s a very good book. I forgot to mentoin earlier that I liked Giulietta and the prince, too, and that the tower scene was one of my favorites. Lovely, charming story.