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    Unbound
    Unbound
    Unbound
    Ebook13 pages12 minutes

    Unbound

    By Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this ebook

    London’s most celebrated courtesan, The Blackbird, was a woman before her time—uninhibited, financially independent, and free to live by her own rules. Schooled in the sensual arts by the one man she loved the most, she recorded every wicked detail in her diaries…When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, 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? One curious curator—and one very lucky man—are about to find out…
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateDec 24, 2012
    ISBN9781250032645
    Unbound
    Author

    Susan Donovan

    Susan Donovan is a New York Times extended list and USA Today bestselling author of fourteen novels and four novellas. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has worked as a newspaper reporter in Chicago, Albuquerque, and Indianapolis. She lives in Maryland with her teenagers and dogs.

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    Reviews for Unbound

    3.5/5

    205 ratings85 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Books with transitions between times is a difficult feat to keep both periods interesting and I found this book fell short. It is set in 19th century London and present day Boston. I preferred the historical transition about Ophelia, a woman who did not want to be ruled by a man and became a courtesan to take charge of her own life. However, the story about Piper, a museum curator who finds out about Ophelia's secret life, was not as interesting to me.The book is definitely erotic and intriguing and I did like that aspect of the book. I just think the present day piece could have been left out.I did read the book in one sitting and recommend it to people who like romantic mysteries and hot, hot sex scenes.Thanks to Early Reviewers for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
    • 5/5
      Piper, a current day museum curator, finds diaries of a 18th century courtesan that describes how a mysterious man taught her sex and love. Loved this one!
    • 3/5
      With a sexually explicit tone for the genre, the amorous adventures of two alternating heroines are told in this fast-paced romp. If you like books which feature concurrent plotlines in different historical periods, this book is for you.
    • 1/5
      This was a split between historical and modern erotica, which isn't a genre I enjoy. I couldn't get past the mix of the two, which disappointed me because usually I really like Bradley's work. The voice didn't sound right.
    • 4/5
      I also got this book last year- and thought I had submittted my review already. I was not esxpecting to like this book as much as I did- it was a suprisingly good read. The story intertwines the lives of two characters in different times, and while it flips back and forth between present and past it is never confusing. The authors did a great job developing each character and their individual voices and experiences.
    • 5/5
      Riveting erotic story with two plot-lines, current day Boston and 1813 London both with powerful women finding strength and fighting for freedom. Museum curator Piper discovers hidden diaries of a courtesan and while debating their use learns that her old college flame Mick is temporarily working at the museum.
    • 2/5
      An absolute hot mess of a book. Both the contemporary and historical segments are riddled with implausible situations and attitudes, plot holes, bad dialog, and unresolved issues. On balance, though, I'd have to say the historical half is worse.
    • 3/5
      The book is about one girl in the past and one in the present . Ophelia is the main character from the past and is being made to wed a man she does not want. She decides to become a courtesan - aka a prostitute - so she is always free to chose whomever she desires. Piper is the main character taking on the present day role. She find a diary, a very naughty diary, written by Ophelia and hidden in a trunk in the museum where she works. The story flips back and forth between reading about Ophelia's story and Piper living her's. Both authors connected the stories smoothly. There is a lot of sex in this book. Piper's storyline is pretty tame as far as the sexual desires go but Ophelia is just learning how to become a prostitute and is being taught by someone refered to only as "Sir", and the sex is pretty visual. I really enjoyed the fact that although the book is very sexual, it was done quite tastefully. Also, there is a small twist at the end of the book that I didn't see coming. It ended as a happy love story.
    • 3/5
      Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan are two well-known and well-respected authors in the Romance genre who consistently write books that are sought after by readers. Pairing the two authors together should result in a literary slam dunk, right? OH NO, GENTLE READER, OH NO!If there were a LOLcat for this book, it would be a cat dressed up like a fancy cat with the caption "UR tryin too hard."Donovan is known for her contemporary romances, and she takes the lead on the modern-day romance revolving around the too stupid to live heroine, Piper Chase-Pierpont (if you didn't laugh at the name, you are a much better person than I). The second page of the first chapter has Piper bemoaning her need for a drink (she doesn't drink) and a chocolate bar (which is poo-pooed due to the horrors that would occur to her endocrine system should a piece of chocolate ever pass her lips). She then decides to be even more reprehensible by laboring over the fact that she was nearing "... the abyss of her thirtieth birthday." OH WOE! We also discover that this annoying woman has a PhD. From Harvard. And "years of experience." Sorry, that horrible sound was my head pounding against the desk and the sound of me pretending to gag up a hairball.We next discover that Piper's tale will be based on the magical and rarely used trope known as "The Ugly Ducking," wherein through the help of a friend with a bag of make-up (and a PhD. Friend also has a PhD and is some genius at Harvard at the painful, abyssal, age of 34. I simply don't know how Piper manages to not pity this poor old woman), some new clothes, and an old diary written by a courtesan, Piper will suddenly discover that she's not painfully awkward or socially retarded and bag the handsome fellow she's wanted to bang for years. It takes nearly 400 pages for this to occur. OY.Granted, half of those pages are taken up with the Courtesan's diary. Which is almost as painful as Piper's story, only the heroine is a little smarter and a hell of a lot smuttier. Unnecessarily smutty in some areas. And I like some smut. Maybe it was that the diary, of course, was written in first person, so there was a lot of, uhm, "vivid personal experience" going on that at times read a bit like slash fiction. I'm all for "tingling buttocks," but some things need not be shared. Everything was slippery and tingly and throbbing and spanky and moist. The story between the courtesan (Ophelia) and her ... well, he ends up her husband, is also a bit dominant/submissive at times, which again, I have no problems with, but it did seem like Bradley was trying to cram 400 pages of boot knockin' into 100 (especially since Piper was still too stupid to bang).I'm giving it two stars because I think there was potential in both stories, but because of how it was written (two intertwined novellas), I felt that everything was pushed a little too hard and a little too fast for any real reader engagement. The third star is given because it was so ridiculous it made me laugh a lot and read passages out loud to friends. That alone is worth a star.
    • 1/5
      I could not enjoy this book, though I really tried. I found the situations & dialog very contrived, the characters shallow, and the time-transitions choppy. The sexual content was far too explicit (and I've read lots of really erotic romances) to allow me to read through it to experience the story.
    • 4/5
      This romance novel is set in contemporary Boston and 19th century London. It tells the story of Piper, a museum curator working on an exhibit about a woman who turns out to have been a courtesan known as The Blackbird. The story melds historical romance (The Blackbird's story) with contemporary (Piper's story) as both women build relationships with the men in their lives.
    • 4/5
      This was an AMAZING love story!!
    • 5/5
      When you have two great authors of historical romance and contemporary romance combined forces like this, it is, indeed a "C-4 explosive" work of romance like I have never read before, certainly gave a new meaning to "Duo". First, I thought this is just another one of "anthology" novels which normally lack depth and with "rushy" story line, two stories by two authors, etc. you know the usual "anthology" style. What a surprise this was!! Nothing like that at all. This is something different, totally fantastic, ONE story by two great romance authors, about two women from two different times, one woman's secret life and courage to be different and followed her heart, and another woman's self liberation and courage to step out of her sheltered life, inspired by the other. I'll say no more, not to spoil the great fun. If you dare to explore and not afraid to step "outside the box" and let your imagination and fantasy roam freely even just for a day or two, then this is the book not to miss, but if you're inhibited and uncomfortable w/ sexual fantasy and "level 5" romance, maybe this is not for you. But then again, who knows? You might find the "awakening" you need and "unleash" some unknown part of you, you didn't know you have or capable of (just like Piper) by reading this book. You might just surprise yourself that you aren't so "inhibited" as you think you've been after all. I couldn't put the book down, and found myself grudgingly having to do so from time to time when sustenance and nature call for attention that I didn't want to spare my precious minutes but couldn't ignore. I just can't wait for the sequel, next year seems too long to wait for such a high-octane romance novel, it's simply delish. Celeste Bradley has been one of my favourite romance authors while Susan Donovan's novels are somewhat new to me, but no longer, she's just won me over with this book, and now on my "Hall of Fave".P.S. You better get all your windows opened when you read this... bec it's H-O-T !!!
    • 1/5
      Some might call this book racy, but some might even call it graphic. It was a little too much for me.
    • 2/5
      The two stories do a nice job of relating to each other and holding the reader's interest. I would agree with previous reviews in saying that, because of the breadth of storytelling, there is little about both main characters that brings the reader in. I didn't find as much "romance" as I had hoped in the novel. It was a bit more explicit than I would have liked, and sometimes seemed too forced. Overall it was entertaining and a fun, quick read.
    • 1/5
      if you like x-rated romance novels - this book is for you!
    • 3/5
      While I'm not generally a consumer of romance novels, the premise of this book was intriguing enough for me to pick it up. History, especially history dealing with tangible, artistic things, has always been very interesting. In that respect, this book is fulfilling. However, there was not as much attention paid to historical accuracies as I would have liked, nor did the author stray much from the expected romance novel archetype. A creative rehash of the generic harlequin novel, but a rehash none the same. Still, it can be an interesting and entertaining read if you're a forgiving reader.
    • 3/5
      I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this book. The 'during reading' process I continually rolled my eyes at all the events that happened purely on circumstance. The knight in shining armor routine was well overdone in this book (don't get me wrong the knight takes on a very sexy and welcoming appeal, I was just tired of a woman not being able to do anything for herself, even though this was the idea behind the entire story). I could be a tad bit more cynical because of reading 'The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance', so therefore if you enjoy a cheesy romance novel with a heavy dose of sexuality, don't read the above named book because the entire time you will be arguing between the part of you that just wants to enjoy the book and the part that knows it's a joke. The character development was great, although I absolutely could not stand the current day character, Piper by the end of the story. However, Ophelia, the courtesean the story is named after I throughly enjoyed. The bouncing back and forth between the two characters was also a nice welcome relief and allowed for a much more in depth story telling than usual. I don't think either one of these stories would be able to stand on their own though. In saying all these negative things, after completing the book (as much as I hate to admit it) I enjoyed it. I'm sure that all the 'heated' scenes helped quite a bit on that. When I say heated, I mean exactly that, if you are squeamish at all when it comes to sex or anything along those lines, defintely NOT the book for you!
    • 5/5
      Fantastic! A must read for all historical romance lovers. Fasinating dual plot. I could not put this book down. Great beach read if you really want to work on your tan. A reader gets lost in the stories of these two dynamic women.
    • 4/5
      A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man is a historical romance and a contemporary romance rolled into one. There are two different story lines in two different time periods that are connected by a single diary. Piper Chase-Pierpont is a curator. She's in charge of the latest exhibit featuring the town's matriarch. Piper unsuspectingly finds three scandalous diaries. Piper keeps the diaries a secret from the rest of her colleagues but uses the diaries as a how to manual for seducing her long time crush. She gets more than she bargains for while reading the diaries. The diaries belong to The Blackbird. The Blackbird is a woman who refuses to be sold as property in marriage. She takes matters into her own hands and becomes a courtesan. She is taught the fine art of making love by a mysterious masked stranger only known as "Sir". This part of the novel is steamy to say the least. The Blackbird defies society and lives life on her own terms. I really enjoyed both story lines. Piper's was about self discovery and being comfortable in your own skin and The Blackbird's was about following your instincts and being true to who you are. Both storylines paralleled each other beautifully. Overall this was a good book. It was funny, witty and heart warming. It is highly entertaining but I will warn you that it's for mature audiences only.
    • 4/5
      A good solid romance novel. Set in 19th century London & modern Boston. Dual settings is not my favorite story type, but this was well done. A modern woman & museum curator, Piper, finds the diary of a courtesan, The Blackbird, in an old trunk that is part of an exhibit she is putting together. It tells the story of how the woman decided to become a courtesan & the training she went through. Piper then meets an old flame & decides to use the courtesan's lessons to seduce the guy. Lots of explicit sex, hardly surprising given the title, but well done & humorous.
    • 2/5
      A fairly entertaining romance novel. The book is set in both 19th century London and modern Boston. The characters weren't very well developed in either setting and the plots lacked tension. Even with that, the story was enjoyable. The sex scenes, especially in London, are fairly explicit, so if you find that objectionable, then this isn't your book.
    • 4/5
      Books with transitions between times is a difficult feat to keep both periods interesting and I found this book fell short. It is set in 19th century London and present day Boston. I preferred the historical transition about Ophelia, a woman who did not want to be ruled by a man and became a courtesan to take charge of her own life. However, the story about Piper, a museum curator who finds out about Ophelia's secret life, was not as interesting to me.The book is definitely erotic and intriguing and I did like that aspect of the book. I just think the present day piece could have been left out.I did read the book in one sitting and recommend it to people who like romantic mysteries and hot, hot sex scenes.Thanks to Early Reviewers for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
    • 1/5
      I really had a very hard time getting into the story line, esp with the transitions in time. I usually enjoy books that have plots that occur between two different time lines, but they're written much more seamlessly. Between the two women, Ohpelia and Piper, I really only enjoyed reading about Ophelia; Piper's story could have been made meatier or just entirely left out; I actually skipped parts that pertained to her b/c I was bored. I didn't feel like the characters were well developed, and this is huge for me; I prefer character-driven novels/stories, and this one fell short.I wound up rolling my eyes, as I grew weary of Ophelia not being able to do much for herself. The mystery was ok, but I found little tension in the plot lines. Thanks for the opportunity to review the book :)
    • 4/5
      At first, it took me some time to begin the book. It seemed like it was going to be just another "normal" historical romance novel. So, I made a deal with myself: I would start reading it this summer and if I TRULY didn't like it, it was okay to put it down or give it to someone else. Luckily for me, once I delved into it, I couldn't put it down. Some will say that it was predictable, and that may be true. We always expect the main characters to end up with one another, or at least happy with someone. But, I think that's the whole point. Piper is an example of how the majority of women in the world act and/or react when they've been denied by a man, although maybe not to her extreme. Ophelia, on the other hand, is not anyone's average woman. She tossed society's rules right back at them, made her own way in the world, and lived her life with no regrets (......except for that one time with that one person). She's the embodiment of everything that modern-day women aspire to be, without the whole courtesan lifestyle, however.All in all, a great read. The men sound incredibly attractive and if you use your imagination, it's like watching it happen live.
    • 4/5
      I generally don't read much straight romance, but I was intrigued by this book's concept. This book was surprisingly well-written, despite its ludicrous if fun concept, and it was light and mildly funny. I really enjoyed it, and both the modern and historical sections were equally romantic and amusing.
    • 4/5
      This book was great!! There were two main characters that the book revolved around, Piper and Ophelia. I usually don't care for books that are written in two different time periods like this book is, but I actually liked it. Piper is the present day character who is a Ph.D working in a Boston museum. She is approaching thirty years old and feels that she hasn't done anything in her life. She finds these journals written by Ophelia in the 1800's about Ophelia's life as a courtesan and decides to follow some of Ophelia's teachings to make a man want her. Piper was a well thought out character who had a lot of issues but they made her a strong character and well liked character. You could relate to her.Ophelia is another strong character. She loves a man she who she does not know his real name or face and survives as a courtesan during the 1800s. She faced hard times and survived and enjoyed her life and wrote her journals about all her stories. This is a great book that I recommend romance reader's to read because you will love it!!
    • 1/5
      The title should have been my first clue that some scenes would be explicit, but I was not prepared for the very graphic language and sexual content. For a romance novel, the plot line is interesting, but often stretches the limits of credibility. A shy and reserved young museum curator finds a diary written by a well-respected feminist and abolitionist who was once a courtesan. After reading the diary, her own sexuality begins to blossom. The two stories, one from the past and one from the present, intertwine well and the reader is able to follow the journey of both women as they discover that "real" freedom means linking their lives with men who love and respect them. The sex and vulgarities seem gratuitous at times, and the courtesan's life is glorified during all scenes but one, which I find unbelievable. A young woman reading this might be enticed to believe that the life of a courtesan would be romantic rather than demeaning and degrading. I would not recommend this book to my daughters; I would be mortified if my mother picked it up; I wouldn't take it out in public unless it was wrapped in a brown paper cover.Deb Carpenter-Nolting
    • 4/5
      This novel will surprise the reader. The novel is not a typical romance. The main character, Piper, finds journals detailing how to explore sexual freedom. *warning Some of the scenes are graphic and contain explicit content, definitely intended for 18 and older. Piper begins to gain confidence in herself and slowly blossoms from shy and frumpy to sexy and sultry. She captures the interest of Magnus, a man who had previously turned her down. The reader will really like the main character, she is sweet, sassy, and fun. Her attempts to interest Magnus will keep the reader interested and make the pages turn effortlessly. The reader will enjoy the courtesan part of the novel, although it may be a little too informative and glorifying the concept of the courtesan for some readers. The plot is not unique, but works well in this novel. Some of the negatives the reader may find: Piper is a little too obsessed with Magnus, some of the scenes are explicit, etc... Many seasoned romance readers will enjoy these fresh new voices in the genre. This novel is recommended for adults who love happy endings and romantic encounters. I received this novel for review, this in no way affects my review.
    • 5/5
      Ok so this was not a book I would have normally picked up and read. That being said it was amazing. I received this book as an Early Reviewer. I started and put it down several times due to wanting to read other books on my to do list. It was well written with several twists and turns towards the end. Not everyone could handle reading this book but if you love heavy romance and a bit of historical fiction this is the book for you.