The Bookseller's Daughter [Paperback]

Pam Rosenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

For Marie-Laure Vernet, serving as a scullery maid to a bored, aristocratic family isn't without its dangers. Trying to avoid the unwelcome predations of the men and their guests is one. Keeping the china in one piece is another - especially when she finds herself serving Viscount Joseph d'Auvers-Raimond. Only Marie-Laure knows that Joseph is also a smuggler of forbidden books who'd once fallen ill in her late father's bookshop. That fateful meeting led to an innocent flirtation, fuelled by a shared passion for books and ideas, but it had awakened desire that changed Marie-Laure forever. Joseph hasn't forgotten the encounter either. His papers are littered with drafts of an erotic story about a girl who bears a distinct resemblance to the servant spilling his tea. While pleasuring the jaded women of the aristocracy, he'd pictured this girl with the coppery hair and the ink-stained fingers who could indulge both his intellect and his most feverish desires. Now the only way to save her from becoming his family plaything is to seduce her first, and the lady seems extremely willing to comply...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Marie-Laure Vernet couldn't believe the arrogance of Joseph Dupin, the viscomte d'Auvers-Raimond. She saved his life; at least he could remember her name! Even though Joseph shows no sign of recognizing his family's new scullery maid, he remembers "Marianne" from when she was working in her father's bookshop, and Joseph, in the guise of a wounded book smuggler, showed up at her door one night only to disappear the next morning. When his lecherous father shows an interest in Marie-Laure, Joseph pretends to have already taken her as his mistress and the two enjoy innocent nights passionately discussing books and writing. Soon their sweet trysts turn into something much more sensual as the aristocrat and the commoner discover they share more than just an interest in literature. On the eve of the French Revolution, a heroine who loves books and reading vows to uncover an elegant aristocrat's true story, in Rosenthal's richly sensual, intimately detailed love story, one that will enchant readers with its lush prose, fascinating historical setting, and beautifully nuanced characters. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"She taps into the stuff of female fantasies: an empowered heroine to bring men to their knees and a handsome. sexy, strong, yet sensitive hero. Rosenthal has a glittering future in the genre."

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758204450
• ISBN-13: 978-0758204455
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensually Stimulating and Rich Historical, February 20, 2004

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Bookseller's Daughter (Paperback)

Setting - France 1783 (six years before the French Revolution)

We are originally introduced to Marie-Laure as a scullery maid ordered to serve tea to the aristocratic family she was working for. She is nervous enough but more so when she recognizes the younger son, Viscount Joseph d'Auvers-Raimond as the wounded book smuggler of outlawed and banned books that she and her brother had cared for one night, only to have had him disappear the next day. During that short time they cared for him, she became aware of him as a man and he, mostly in an unconscious state, inspired in her an awakening response that was so passionate in nature that she knew that the betrothal to a friend of her brothers could never be. Consequently, after the death of her father and no marriage in the offing, she was reduced to earning her way. Unfortunately, for a beautiful young woman, this involved fighting off unwanted advances from both servants and aristocrats.

Joseph recognized Marie-Laure, and was determined to do something to save her from the advances he knew his father and brother would be making and planned that he would save her by staging a tryst before they got to her. As embarrassing as the public tryst was, Marie-Laure agreed to playing the part of his mistress as they innocently spent their evenings in discussions of literature. Soon, though they each began thinking of more enticing ways to spend the time as they fell in love and after Marie-Laures innocent but provocative seduction of Joseph the nights were most definitely spent in more than discussions. But as all romances go between aristocrats and servants, jealousies and hatreds would tear the two lovers apart as betrayals abound and a murder mystery needed to be solved.

I think that for the readers who like a wealth of historical aspects thrown in to embellish their romances this book will certainly fill the bill and they will appreciate the many references made as well as the authors notes at the back of this story. The author writes in a very erotic tone both in the present, and then when separated, as letters were sent back and forth. As encompassing as the love story between the two protagonists is the author instills through the historical references, the heroines own independent spirit and mood of the common people over the excesses of the aristocracy in pre-revolutionary France. I found this to be an exceptional read that lovers of historical romances should flock to the stores to pick up and I recommend it most highly as both sensually stimulating with lush prose and captivating characters.--- Submitted by Marilyn, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and erotic..., August 16, 2005

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Bookseller's Daughter (Paperback)

I've had this book on my to-read pile for almost a year and finally decided to give it a whirl. The Bookseller's Daughter sucked me in and didn't let go until its final page. This is the story of Marie-Laure Vernet, a young, passionate, bookish daughter of a bookshop owner who has a strong, profound connection with a book smuggler who turns out to be an aristocrat. She tends to his wounded leg when he enters her shop and meets him again after her father dies, loses the bookshop and is forced to work as a maid for an aristocratic family. The attraction is undeniable and Viscomte Joseph d'Auvers-Raimond decides to take her into his room every night and pass her off as his mistress so as to protect her from his father and brother, who cannot resist a pretty maid. At first, their nights together are nothing more than intellectual discussions about literature, politics and Joseph regaling Marie-Laure with tales of his adventures as a roguish libertine. But then their nights become passionate ones of sensual, erotic sex and development of loving feelings for one another. However, things soon get in the way -- marriage, aristocratic titles, murder and revenge being just a few of their many obstacles. There are various twists throughout the novel.

I agree with the reviewers that say that Marie-Laure and Joseph spend most of the novel apart. I did not mind that bit because it gave the story and its main characters seem like star-crossed lovers, which is refreshing in a romance novel. After all, we all more or less know that the protagonists will end up together, why not add a different flavor? I loved their love letters -- Joseph's erotic ones as well as Marie-Laure's intimate and loving ones. The letters were indeed romantic. As for the sex scenes, I thought they were very well written and scrumptiously erotic. The reviewer who said that the sex scenes were vulgar, trashy and full of F words must have read a different book. Then again, perhaps I am so used to reading books in which the authors don't bother to sugarcoat their sex scenes with G-rated euphemisms and instead choose a more uninhibited, bolder approach to erotic romance that the scenes in this book seem incredibly mild in comparison. The scenes are sensual, erotic and smoldering at times. The protagonists are great and Rosenthal did a wonderful job differentiating the commoners from the aristocrats and their friction during those times. The backdrop of France before the French Revolution was also great. However, there are some blatant anachronisms in this novel that were difficult to overlook. And the dialogue in the story sounded too modern at times, a common problem with historical romances. All in all, The Bookseller's Daughter is a curl-up-under-the-covers book that you'll want to give a whirl. I recommend it most highly...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars mediocre, April 24, 2005

By 

A. Smith (West Tisbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bookseller's Daughter (Paperback)

While I enjoyed this book, I found it clumsy at times. In the first half, the two main characters have very little interaction with each other on-screen, which sometimes made it feel like nothing was really happening. Also, the story had a common problem of historical romances in which the characters are thoroughly (almost stereotypically) modern and don't fit their historical context. Both heroine and her love interest seemed a bit too uptight to be true, in their own ways (not sexually, though, the sex was all right). There were some small but jarring anachronisms in the setting, too. Otherwise, it was kind of a fun book.