To Catch an Heiress (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Caroline Trent hadn't meant to shoot Percival Prewitt, but she had, and now he was dead..." (more)
Key Phrases: south drawing room, personal dictionary, washing room, Seacrest Manor, War Office, Caroline Trent (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Caroline Trent is fed up with her greedy guardian, Oliver Prewitt, and his nitwit son, Percy. With only six weeks to go until she can claim her inheritance and rid herself of them, Percy attempts to forcibly seduce her. Fortunately, Caroline has a pistol at hand and she uses it--wounding the annoying man just enough to allow her to escape. Fuming, she flees the dark manor house determined to find employment and hide from her guardian for six weeks. But a bad night turns worse when a tall, dark stranger accosts her. Blake Ravenscroft thinks Caroline is a female spy, part of Oliver Prewitt's smuggling activities that include spying for Napoleon. He kidnaps Caroline, ties her to a bed at his nearby home, and grills her unsuccessfully before a friend arrives and tells Blake that he's captured the wrong woman. Caroline explains her predicament and, given what he knows of the larcenous Oliver Prewitt, Blake has no option but to offer her shelter. Caroline isn't a woman accustomed to sitting in the parlor sipping tea, especially while Blake's investigation has him involved in far more exciting, life-threatening activities. Blake isn't a man accustomed to having a woman ignore his commands. Sparks fly and passion sizzles between these two characters while a cast of endearing characters provide well-meaning assistance. To Catch an Heiress is both warm and wonderful, with witty dialogue and endearing characters. --Lois Faye Dyer

Product Description

When Caroline Trent is kidnapped by Blake Ravenscroft, she doesn't even try to elude this dangerously handsome agent of the crown. After all, she's been running from unwanted marriage proposals. Yes, Blake believes she's a notorious spy named Carlotta De Leon, but for six weeks until her twenty-first birthday, when she'll gain control of her fortune, hiding out in the titillating company of a mysterious captor is awfully convenient -- and maybe just a little romantic, too.

Blake Ravenscroft's mission is to bring "Carlotta" to justice, not to fall in love. His heart has been hardened by years of intrigue, but this little temptress proves oddly disarming and thoroughly kissable. And suddenly the unthinkable becomes possible -- that this mismatched Couple might be destined for love.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380789353
• ISBN-13: 978-0380789351
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Adequate Romance, June 17, 1998

By A Customer

Miss Quinn has come up with a whimsical romance about Caroline Trent, a runaway who is mistaken for a notorious spy by Blake, a government agent. Sparks fly between them, and the story takes place mainly in Blake's country manor. The jokes come fast, mainly due to Caroline's over-enthusiastic attempts to impress Blake and a surprise visit from Blake's sister.

Now, I enjoyed this book, but why didn't I give it 4 stars or more? Well, I have a few problems with this book:

(a) The absence of "movement" of plot - the story never moves outside the country house and I feel "trapped" after a while,

(b) Sometime the story loses steam as Caroline pours something or falls over Blake for what seems the millionth time, <c> A lack of chemistry between the two leads. By chemistry I mean heat and sexual tension. Here the sexual tension is at the minimum.

Despite the faults, I still enjoyed this book. But I wouldn't consider it anything more than the light-heartedromp it is.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quick and entertaining read, August 18, 2001

By A Customer

While I wouldn't probably rank this as one of Quinn's best, it is certainly a book that I will keep on my bookshelf. I found it vastly amusing. I couldn't put the book down. The story caught my interest from the very first line. It was cute, funny, and sweet. The banter between the two characters (as well as James, the Marquis) was highly entertaining. This is what is meant by quick repartee (w/the occasional element of slapstick too, I guess). The book is mostly dialogue (in my opinion) and very humorous. I was especially struck by the amusing anecdotes regarding the servants. While it wasn't the most complicated of plots, I found it very original to have these characters together in each other's company throughout the entire book rather than the typical romance chapters in which the hero and heroine are separated and pining mournfully. This was a nice change of pace. In regards to the "dead" fiancee the other reviewers are mentioning, it was not THAT big a downer. It was necessary to understand Blake's character. While the book is certainly a "fluff" one, the death of Marabelle wasn't such a tragic element, but a necessary one. I'm keeping this book and when it's a rainy afternoon and I want to quickly AND enjoyably pass the afternoon, I shall read *Catch an Heiress* again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars feel free to skip this one, April 20, 2004

By A Customer

As a huge fan of Julia Quinn, I picked up this book out of sheer boredom and a desire for a light, entertaining read. Since this is one of her earlier works, I wasn't expecting the quality of the Bridgerton series. Overall, I wasn't extremely impressed or disappointed. The hero and heroine are sometimes funny and sometimes annoying and far lacking the depth of Colin and Penelope (of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton). Their personalities seem a little slapdash at times--Blake was about the least convincing spy I've ever seen. However, the plot moves fairly quickly and the secondary characters are, of course, delightful (JQ's specialty, I think). If you can pick up this book for a bargain and want a qucik diversion, go for it. Otherwise, wait for Francesca's story (JQ seems to be getting better with every novel).