Being kidnapped is teaching Miss Celia Seaton a few things about life:
Lesson one: Never disrobe in front of a gentleman . . . unless his request comes at gunpoint.
Lesson two: If, when lost on the moors, you encounter Tarquin Compton, the leader of London society who ruined your marriage prospects, deny any previous acquaintance.
Lesson three: If presented with an opportunity to get back at Mr. Compton, the bigger the lie, the better. A faux engagement should do nicely.
Lesson four: Not all knowledge is found between the covers of a book. But an improper book may further your education in ways you never guessed.
And while an erotic novel may be entertaining, the real thing is even better.
Miranda Neville has written a delightful romance in The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton. I am absolutely delighted tell you I enjoyed the book because it was touch and go there for me in the beginning. Captivating right from the start, the author drops the reader right into the action, but I was then turned off almost immediately when she used the much overused narrative tool of amnesia. My instinct was to cringe because I had no desire to read AGAIN the angsty nonsense “should I tell him” or “should I not tell him” the truth about his identity.
Fortunately, Ms. Neville ended the amnesia ruse quite early in the book so the reader wasn’t beleaguered with the overwrought and needless frustration of the heroine’s apprehension. Celia Seaton and Tarquin Compton are completely delightful together whether falling in love as Celia and “Terrance Fish”, the name she makes up for him, or sparring at Celia and Mr. Compton, society’s most vicious cutthroat.
The dialogue is fast and witty enough that I laughed out loud and made people listen to especially amusing passages as I read aloud. There is a legitimate mystery to be solved during the course of the story, but the mystery that provided the most enjoyment for this reader was the enigma that is Celia’s past. The author hints at it and shows glimpses, unfolding her background in a manner that kept me very interested in Ms. Seaton.
The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton was a fun ride and I would heartily recommend it to someone looking for a clever, satisfying read.
The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton
Miranda Neville
Avon Books
July 2011
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