The Copeland Bride

I just began my appreciation for romance lit, and would have to say Susan Elizabeth Phillips is my favorite author of this particular genre. As her first book, it is very well done. I would not have expected anything less! The only complaint, a very minor one, would be the number of pages dedicated to turing the pickpocket into a lady before the story returns to Quinn and Noelle. I very much enjoyed the characters as well as the plot. Unfortunately, this book is a small fortune. I'm not sure why it hasn't been republished. It's a shame it is not available to the masses. I didn't see anything inappropriate about the story, perhaps not as politically correct as it could be, but I wouldn't change a thing. Would I buy it again? Yes, but I enjoy reading and collecting books. If you enjoy Susan Elizabeth Phillips, it is definitely worth reading.

Wow! What a Great find. This book might be twenty some years old but it still rates at the top of Historical's I've ever read. They just don't write them like this anymore and that's a pity. Nowadays romances have to be "correct" which makes them very dull. Quinn and Noelle fight their feelings for each other til the bitter end. It's edgy and frank but that's what makes this story so absorbing. The plot is fascinating...the heroine, Noelle and her mother, a would-be actress, are strapped for money. Noelle is only eight when her mother takes her from her bed to escape debt collectors. They end up on the street and eventually in a hovel where the only work her mother can get is selling her body to men who sometimes pay and sometimes don't. Noelle sees and understands what's going on and when her beloved mother dies and Noelle finds herself alone she swears she will never become a whore. So she becomes a pickpocket! The best. That is until she tries to lift a pocketwatch from the friend of Quinn Copeland, heir to a shipping empire. Quinn and his father are at odds and since his father has been insisting Quinn marry a girl from a upstanding family what better way to get back at him by marrying this little guttersnipe and depositing her with his father and then leaving for a year. Thus begins Noelle's transformation from Ugly Duckling to a beautiful woman. When Quinn returns and realizes the woman he thinks is his father's mistress is really his wife the sparks fly. The passion is seething as these lovers brutally battle each other. And there's so much more. Get this book if you can. You won't be dissapointed especially if your sick and tired of all the lukewarm romances being offered now a days!!

My rating for this book is like a 30+ it was so wonderful. I lost my copy about 10 years ago and I've been searching for a new copy ever since. I hope that I can find it soon.