Sleeping Beauty (Mass Market Paperback)

by Judith Ivory (Author) "James Stoker, or rather-he liked to remind himself-Sir James Stoker these days, dashed between horses and carriages, finally leaping a puddle to get himself across..." (more)
Key Phrases: bible fund, James Stoker, All Souls, Coco Wild (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Following his spectacular African expedition, Sir James Stoker has become the darling of high society. At last, this coachman's son achieves fame, fortune and the Order of the Bath from Queen Victoria. And he is about to throw it all away with his obsession for an infamous Parisian courtesan. At 37, Coco Wild is eight years his senior and jaded in matters of love. She is flattered by James's youthful charm and gallantry, and though tempted, she rejects him. After repeated chance encounters, James breaks through her defenses to become her lover. Now, their association threatens his reputation, his chances for a formal title, his friendship with his mentor (the father of Coco's child!) and even his life. From Victorian England to Italy and Monaco, this fair hero plots his seduction of a mysterious beauty amid threats of greed, betrayal, treachery and political machinations. Ivory (Beast) enchants her readers with intense sexual tension, understated but powerful symbolism, great plotting and sympathetic characters who buck tired types.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Newly returned from an extraordinary African expedition, geologist Sir James Stoker, now wealthy, knighted, and society's man of the moment, never dreams that his future is waiting for him in a London dentist's office. But lovely, mysterious, and totally scandalous Coco Wild attracts him as no one before and proves to be a challenge in more ways than one. Ivory offers a cast of well-drawn, sympathetic characters, a setting that vividly portrays the inherent Victorian conflict between appearance and reality, and a plot liberally laced with politics, jealousy, and greed. The result is a beautifully romantic fairy tale, exquisitely told and infinitely satisfying. Ivory (Beast, LJ 5/15/97) also writes as Judy Cuevas and lives in Miami, FL.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380786451
• ISBN-13: 978-0380786459
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #561,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Judith Ivory's seductive writing takes my breath away, September 26, 2000

By	Lee Haskell (CHARLESTON, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I read her book Bliss (written as Judy Cuevas) I thought it was the best book I had read in a VERY long time. And I read 3 to 4 novels a week. Dance was even better. Beast was just as great. But I feel as though if Sleeping Beauty was written just for me. If someone asked me what I wanted in a perfect romance, this is it. This is not a suspense/romance, or any other combo-romance. This is a TRUE ROMANCE. Yes, there is suspense but not at the cost of giving me what I want: A great story about two people falling in love despite the dictates of the society in which they live.

If you need lots of action/gore/murder/betrayal and worst of all, a BIG MISUNDERSTANDING to get you interested in a love story, then this is not for you. Nor is this a G rated book, thank goodness. This book does not insult your intelligence but that does not mean it reads like a textbook. It's VERY easy to read. You know what he/she thinks and feels. This is one element that Ivory truly excels at. I've read so many other authors where I can never figure out what the hero is feeling or when the two are getting hot & heavy, they suddenly become mute as far as the reader can tell. Let me tell you, you will need a cold shower after reading about some of the heated moans and pants these two can generate. I also loved the fact that this book turned the tables on the old 70's & 80's romance stand by. This time, it's the woman who is older and more sexually experienced. And he declares his love for her first and he never falters in his pursuit of her from the minute he meets her. What woman wouldn't want all that! Not me & Coco.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Unique - Throw away all typical romance lines, November 27, 2003

By	"readinganddreaming" (Green Country, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

What a fantastic romance! Judith Ivory has departed from nearly every romance formula in creating Sleeping Beauty. First, we have a hero, Sir James Stoker, in pursuit of the heroine AND he respects her AND he accepts her with all her past dalliances AND he is seven years younger than her AND he thinks she is the most beautiful woman AND he is not an alpha type! He is highly intelligent, humble despite wide popularity as an African explorer/geologist, extremely successful for his age, honest almost to a fault, and perceptive with an ability to care deeply for a woman. He is not noble although the Queen really likes him. He has little care for what others think and he is overall one very attractive hero to the reader.

Enter Coco Wild, soon to be 37, a woman with a very questionable past - a past that she is not ashamed of. She has become a very wealthy woman and has no need for a protector. Fretting about her age, she first encounters James in a dentist office where she is scheduled to have a tooth pulled. She hides behind a beautiful smile that rarely leaves her face. James wants to know her better - she refuses. James is too young for her and she would be very bad for his golden reputation. Plus, she has no desire for a broken heart and she highly suspects that is the condition she would find herself in once James lost interest in her. But they seem "meant to be together" as they encounter one another again and again. Most of the story occurs at Cambridge where James has many responsibilities, which include studying the many notes and artifacts from his disastrous, yet, eventually successful African exploration.

James is highly alluring and very likable as this most unusual hero. He's not a rake and doesn't have the typical aversion to love. Coco seems to constantly run from James although he becomes dearer to her with each meeting. Their interaction is very refreshing and their communication is honest. We get to see a precious friendship develop between the two although their relationship eventually becomes quite sensual as well. Those sensual scenes rate about a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).

I highly recommend Sleeping Beauty. I have read four of Ivory's books and each have been the equivalent of a four or five star rating. Her writing captivates you and you must continue reading because you probably will not be able to guess what comes next. My interest never lagged once and I have decided Sleeping Beauty definitely belongs on my keeper shelf. I wish Ivory had a larger backlist because I am making my way through it rather rapidly. However, I have discovered that she also writes as Judy Cuevas and I plan to explore some of those books as well.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A refreshingly down to earth tale...., February 25, 1999

By	Sarah "sssspro" (North East, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I think what struck me the most about this story, was the way that something so...whimsical, can be written so solidly. Our hero, the dashing James, is such a character, I'm almost affraid to believe in him. His struggles thru Africa, in a time when it was thought to be "the White Man's Burden" to civilize these barbarous wilds. He "goes native" and really learns how to appreciate life much like we do today, (but never would have in Victorian England). This sets the stage nicely for him to fall in love with our heroine. Coco has had to do whatever she can to raise her son, alone in a world none to friendly to women. She makes no appologies for having to sleep her way through the world and James must come to grips with this. The story was quite romantic and I loved following our characters through their path to love. Unlike in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Ms. Ivory has our African explorer make it back, though profoundly changed. I have to say, I loved this book.