A 21st Century Courtesan (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: rst time, Eden Bradley, The Broker, Joshua Spencer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

She lives in a world of silk sheets, imported champagne,
and endless erotic delight.…

She fulfills the deepest fantasies of the most powerful men in the world. Sensual, seductive, and discreet, Valentine Day is a high-class call girl, pampered and adored by her exclusive clientele. But Valentine has a secret. Always in control, she’s never experienced true pleasure outside of her work. But all that is about to change.… Now the woman who’s spent a decade pleasuring others is about to embark on an erotic journey of her own.

It happens one night at the opera. Seated next to her in the dark is a stranger. As the music swells so does the sexual tension. Gorgeous, sophisticated Joshua Spencer invites her for a drink, and soon she’s fantasizing about taking him home. When they finally come together in the most tender and intense lovemaking Valentine has ever known, she’s hooked. But suddenly Valentine is questioning everything. Joshua has no idea what she does for a living. Can she risk everything—including her hard-earned freedom and one final, shattering secret—for one man? And would he still want her if he knew the truth?

About the Author

Eden Bradley has been writing since she could hold a pen in her hand. When not writing, you'll find her wandering museums, cooking, eating, shopping, and reading everything she can get her hands on. Eden lives in Southern California.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Delta (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553385577
• ISBN-13: 978-0553385571
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #902,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Romance Junkies!, March 24, 2009

By	Natalie S "ns65" (Nashville) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Valentine Day is rich, beautiful, and educated. She is also one of the highest priced courtesans in Beverly Hills and the surrounding area. Her clients ask for her over and over and pamper her with jewels, clothes and trips around the world. Valentine loves sex and relishes each client for the unique person he/she is. Lately, however, Valentine has been feeling restless. Things are starting to bother her that used to never faze her. When a client she is meeting at the opera is unable to attend, Val decides to enjoy her solitude and attends the opera solo. And this night becomes one that Valentine will remember forever - and his name is Joshua Spencer.

Joshua invokes feelings within Val that she has kept buried for longer than she can remember. Knowing that there is no way Joshua would ever love a woman like her, at first she doesn't tell him what she does for a living. The more time they spend together the harder it is to lie to him until Valentine is unable to keep quiet a minute longer. She figures to leave immediately after telling Joshua the truth. Her heart is breaking but Val in unsure of what to do. Imagine her surprise when Joshua reacts to her news in a way that she never envisioned.

Eden Bradley could write erotic romances on a roll of toilet paper and I would read them. Knowing without a doubt that I wanted to read A 21st CENTURY COURTESAN, I was surprised to find it written in the first person point of view. I forged ahead and thank goodness I did because A 21st CENTURY COURTESAN just might be the most emotionally gripping story I have every read from this extremely talented author.

Valentine Day is without a doubt a product of her upbringing. She grew up poor and with less than perfect parents. In order to get out of the horrific life she is in, at a very young age Val makes the decision to leave and never looks back. Making a life and a name for herself, albeit illegally, is what Val thought would make her happy. And for the most part and for many years, it did. However, the life that Val told herself she wanted paled in comparison to the life she craved with Joshua Spencer. Josh made her think of forever and it that petrified her. I fully expected Val to try and sabotage her relationship - I never thought she would take the chances she did. And I am glad for it.

A 21st CENTURY COURTESAN is almost surreal. No one writes erotic love stories like Eden Bradley. Her characters are educated and smart. The love scenes are erotic and intense. The words flow and the storyline is gripping. I experienced a plethora of emotions while reading A 21st CENTURY COURTESAN and now, days after having finished, I find myself thinking of this amazing story and the two characters that had enough guts to take a chance on love. While love is imperfect and has flaws, these two characters showed me what eroticism and true love are about - imperfections and all. Bravo!

Natalie S.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, May 24, 2009

By	Faith (Canada) - See all my reviews

I had read The Dark Garden and I was expecting something along the same lines. I was in for a surprise. Yes, the book is as described but it goes way beyond that.

It is a study of a woman who has fallen in love and begins to question the way she has lived her life for the past 10 years. The book is an exploration of the life of Valentine written in the first person. It is very detailed. We learn details of her life from childhood until today. She analyzes the choices she has made in the past and she is trying to deal with new choices for her future.

We follow her journey which is at times painful. I was quite engrossed in her life.

The book is also an erotic love story. I think this is the part that makes it a four star instead of five. This is not your typical romance. Valentine has several sex scenes with different men in her life as well as women. After all, she is a modern-day courtesan. I have never read such detailed sex scenes and I mean detailed. I found them a distraction from the part of the book I really enjoyed.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Courtesan Fairy Tale (B Grade), April 30, 2009

By	C. Garrabrant "Katiebabs" (Bloomfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Eden Bradley has taken a chance with her latest book about a high class escort in A 21st Century Courtesan. Definitely an erotica, but still very much a romance, Eden puts a face to the name of many women who get paid for sex. Perhaps A 21st Century Courtesan is a bit too fairy tale like in its telling from the call girl heroine being rescued by her Prince Charming who is so understanding, from her clients who are attractive, well to do men who appreciate Valentine for her body and beauty as well as her mind and her creativeness in accepting their sexual quirks and desires.

Valentine Day is a high-class call girl who lives in the Hollywood Hills of California. She loves her life as a prostitute, getting paid to pleasure men and getting pleasure in return. The only way she can have an orgasm is if she gets money. Valentine loves the power she has over these men and will never go back to a life begging for love or money. She is a woman who makes her own decisions and lives by her own rules. She makes no excuses for the life she lives.

One night, Valentine attends the opera and is seated next to a man who sends jolts of lust through her body. She has never reacted to another man like this unless she is working. His name is Joshua Spencer and he is a real estate developer. Valentine is so turned on by Joshua that it unnerves her. They share some conversation and a drink. He gives her his card hoping she will call him.

Joshua is on Valentine's mind all the time now. She can't stop thinking about him even when she's with a client. As she is alone in her own bed and in the shower, she pleasures herself imaging it is Joshua touching and kissing her. Soon her work is suffering and Valentine is not sure if she can continue being a whore. Even her madam is concerned and has her go talk to a therapist. Valentine becomes depressed and unsure. Finally she breaks down and makes a date with Josh. Josh loves to listen to her talk about herself and he wants to get to know Valentine more. Eventually these two do end up in bed and from her experience with Joshua, she feels whole and clean. Joshua wants a future with Valentine and it is up to Valentine to tell him what she does for a living or to keep living the lie.

Eden Bradley's blunt and risqué tale of a high class call girl taps into the reader's emotion. You can't help but care for Valentine even as she sells her body to the highest bidder. She is a not a bitter woman because she enjoys her work and the men she is with. Some reader will think A 21st Century Courtesan is a bit too perfect because all of Valentine's clients seem too handsome, rich and respectful.

Valentine's clients vary between Enzo Alighieri, the Italian film producer who introduced Valentine to her line of work. He is her mentor, friend and lover to whom she has always turned. Louis is a blind rich man who is one of Valentine's favorite clients with such wonderful hands. Colin Harper is a gorgeous movie producer who likes anal sex in motel rooms. Then there is Zayed Bin Saleh Al-Rahman, a member of the Middle Eastern nobility who loves the harem fantasy and expects Valentine to play into it along with two other girls who must act out the ultimate in girl on girl action.

As you can see, Valentine is an expert of everything sex. I wonder if she studied the Kama Sutra?

Joshua seems too good to be true, but he is the catalyst for Valentine to reevaluate her life as a daughter of an alcoholic mother who was in a cycle of destructive behavior at the hands of Valentine's father. Joshua becomes Valentine's savior and his reasons for accepting Valentine make sense. Joshua is all about forgiveness and spreading the love.

A 21st Century Courtesan does open your mind to a lifestyle that breaks many of the stereotypes, especially about the women involved. Valentine's story is an eye-opener and I give Eden Bradley major kudos for taking a chance in writing about such a topic in this mature erotic romance.

Katiebabs