The Essex Sister Series by Eloisa James tells love
stories of four sisters, daughters of Charles Essex, the late Viscount Brydone, who come to England from their childhood home in Scotland after their father passed
away in a horse riding accident. In England, they are staying with their new
guardian, The Duke of Holbrook. All four sisters are very different, in their appearance, personalities, and expectation in life and love life.
The
Eldest, Tess Essex, is bound by her obligations to her younger sisters to find a rich
husband who could support her and secure her sisters’ future, so Tess didn’t mind to
marry without love.
The second sister, Annabel Essex, wants to marry into English
title and also looking for a rich husband, because she didn’t want to go back
to Scotland or to live in poverty again like in her time growing up.
While the
third sister, Imogen Essex, is a romantic and already deeply in love with a
Lord, despite that he’s already engaged to other Lady.
And as for the youngest,
Josie Essex, since she’s still 15 years old when they come to England, romance
is not her priority right now.
The Essex Sister Series are Historical Romances with
adult content, so these novels are not suitable for anyone under 18 years old. There are 4 books and 1 short story in total in the series. And to maximize
your reading experience and avoid any spoilers, the books in the series
better be read in their sequence orders, starting from the first book Much Ado About
You to the last book Pleasure For Pleasure, and follow by the short story A Gentleman Never Tells.
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Serial The Essex Sister oleh Eloisa James menceritakan
kisah-kisah cinta dari empat bersaudari, anak perempuan dari Charles Essex,
Viscount Brydone yang baru saja meninggal. Mereka datang ke Inggris dari rumah
mereka di Scotlandia setelah kematian ayah mereka akibat kecelakaan dalam
berkuda. Di Inggris, mereka tinggal dengan wali baru mereka, Duke of Holbrook.
Keempat Essex bersaudari ini sangat berbeda satu sama lainnya dalam semua sisi,
dari segi penampilan, kepribadian, dan juga untuk harapan mereka dalam hidup
dan percintaan mereka. Tess Essex, anak tertua, terikat pada kewajibannya
sebagai anak sulung untuk segera menikah dengan seorang pria yang kaya yang
dapat menjamin kehidupannya dan juga masa depan adik-adiknya, jadi dia tidak
keberatan dengan pernikahan tanpa dasar cinta. Anak yang kedua, Annabel Essex,
ingin mencari Bangsawan Inggris yang bergelar dan kaya, karena ia tidak mau
kembali ke Skotlandia ataupun mengalami kehidupan miskin seperti sebelumnya.
Sementara Imogen, anak yang ketiga, merupakan seorang yang romantis dan sudah
jatuh setengah mati dengan seorang Lord muda yang sudah bertunangan dengan
seorang Lady lainnya. Dan untuk anak yang paling bungsu, Josie Essex, ia masih
belum memikirkan mengenai perkawinan, karena ia masih berusia 15 tahun saat
mereka baru datang ke Inggris.
Serial Essex Sister merupakan novel Historical Romance
dengan material dewasa, dan tidak cocok untuk para pembaca muda di bawah umur
18 tahun. Dan untuk memaksimalkan pengalaman membaca serial ini serta
menghindari spoiler, sebaiknya buku-buku di dalam serial ini dibaca secara
berurutan, dimulai dari buku pertamanya, Much Ado About You sampai dengan buku
terakhirnya Pleasure
For Pleasure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book
1 : Much Ado About You (The Essex Sisters #1)
Copyright © 2005 by Eloisa James
First Published in
Indonesia on 2009 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback, 38
Chapters + Epilog, 448 Pages (for
Indonesian edition)
Genre : Historical Romance,
Adult Novel
When
you're the oldest daughter, you don't get to have any fun!
Witty,
orphaned Tess Essex faces her duty: marry well and marry quickly, so she can
arrange matches for her three sisters -- beautiful Annabel, romantic Imogen and
practical Josie. After all, right now they're under the rather awkward
guardianship of the perpetually tipsy Duke of Holbrook. But just when she
begins to think that all might end well, one of her sisters bolts with a
horse-mad young lord, and her own fiancé just plain runs away.
Which
leaves Tess contemplating marriage to the sort of man she wishes to avoid --
one of London's most infamous rakes. Lucius Felton is a rogue whose own mother
considers him irredeemable! He's delicious, Annabel points out. And he's rich,
Josie notes. But although Tess finally consents to marry him, it may be for the
worst reason of all. Absurd as she knows it to be, she may have fallen utterly
in love . . .
Much Ado About You tells a love story
between Tess Essex with Lucius Felton. It sets in September 1816 at Silchester
and London, England. Tess is the eldest daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
She grew up in Scotland with her three younger sisters. When their father
passed away, the Essex sisters come to England to stay with their new guardian,
Duke of Holbrook. And since Much Ado About You is the first book in the
series, the story is not just focusing to Tess’ love life alone, but we also
have some of of her sisters’ story as well.
The story is quite good, but I don’t feel strong chemistry between Tess
and Lucius. And even though this book is dedicated to Tess and Lucius love
story, we also got Imogen’s story as well. I usually don’t mind if there’s two
love stories in one book, as long as the story for each couple equals and has
their own time to grow. Unfortunately for Much Ado About You, I feel that the main focus
is taken from Tess and Lucius, and there’s more about Imogen and her annoying
love life instead. And of course Imogen’s character portrayal also not helping
in gaining my sympathy. I find her character very rude, stubborn and
self-centered. I could be enjoying this novel more if the story focusing to
Tess and Lucius only.
Characters in Much Ado About You are as follows :
Teressa ‘Tess’ Essex : The eldest daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Annabel Essex : Tess’ younger sister, the 2nd daughter of the late Viscount Brydone,
22 years old.
Imogen Essex : Tess’ younger sister,
the 3rd daughter of the late Viscount Brydone, 20 years old.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : Tess’ little sister, the youngest
daughter of the late Viscount Brydone, 15 years old.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of Holbrook, the sisters’ new guardian after their father passed
away.
Lucius Felton : one of Rafe’s best
friend, exiled from his own family for doing well in the business world.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne, one of
Rafe’s best friend.
Lady Clarice Maitland : Rafe’s neighbor, a
widow who wants to become the next Duchess of Holbrook.
Draven Maitland : Lord Maitland, Lady
Clarice’s son, Imogen’s love interest.
Gillian
Pythian-Adams : Lord Maitland’s fiancée.
Lady Griselda Willoughby : Earl of Mayne’s sister, act as the Essex sisters’ Lady companion.
Derwent : Lucius’ personal
servant.
Brinkley : Rafe’s butler.
Mrs.
Margery Felton : Lucius’ mother, daughter of Earl of Devonshire.
Mr.
Felton : Lucius’ father.
Gussie : Tess’ maid.
Rating for Much
Ado About You
is 7/10.
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Much Ado About You menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta dari Tess Essex dengan Lucius Felton.
Mengambil setting pada bulan September tahun 1816 di daerah Silchester dan
London, Inggris. Tess merupakan putri sulung dari Viscount Brydone yang sudah
meninggal. Dia tumbuh besar di Scotlandia bersama dengan ketiga adik
perempuannya. Ketika ayah mereka meninggal dunia, keempat Essex bersaudari
datang ke Inggris untuk tinggal bersama dengan wali baru mereka, Duke of
Holbrook. Dan berhubung Much Ado About You merupakan buku pertama dalam
serial ini, cerita di dalamnya tidak hanya berfokus pada kehidupan cinta Tess
saja, namun kita juga akan membaca mengenai kisah para adik-adiknya juga.
Cerita dalam novel ini cukup baik, namun aku tidak
dapat merasakan adanya emosi ketertarikan yang sangat kuat antara Tess dan
Lucius. Dan walaupun buku ini didedikasikan untuk menceritakan kisah cinta dari
Tess dan Lucius, kita juga akan mendapatkan cerita dari adiknya, Imogen. Biasanya
aku tidak keberatan dengan adanya dua kisah cinta di dalam satu buku, selama
cerita untuk masing-masing pasangan dapat berkembang dengan cukup baik. Sayangnya
di dalam Much
Ado About You, fokus utama dalam cerita diambil dari Tess dan
Lucius, dan ada lebih banyak cerita mengenai Imogen dan kehidupan cintanya yang
mengganggu perkembangan cerita cinta dari Tess dan Lucius. Dan sayangnya
penggambaran karakter Imogen juga tidak membantu mendapatkan simpati. Menurutku
karakter Imogen sangat kasar, keras kepala, dan egois. Aku mungkin akan dapat
lebih menikmati novel ini jika saja ceritanya hanya berfokus pada Tess dan
Lucius.
Adapun para tokoh dalam Much
Ado About You
adalah sebagai berikut :
Teressa
‘Tess’ Essex : putri tertua
dari Viscount Brydone yang sudah meninggal.
Annabel
Essex : adik Tess, anak
kedua dari Viscount Brydone, 22 tahun.
Imogen
Essex : adik Tess, anak ketiga dari Viscount Brydone, 20 tahun.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : adik bungsu Tess, anak termuda dari Viscount Brydone, 15 tahun.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of
Holbrook, wali baru keempat Essex bersaudara setelah ayah mereka meninggal
dunia.
Lucius Felton : salah satu sahabat Rafe,
diasingkan oleh keluarganya karena terjun dan berhasil dalam dunia bisnis.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne,
salah satu sahabat Rafe.
Lady
Clarice Maitland : tetangga Rafe, seorang janda yang ingin menjadi Duchess of Holbrook.
Draven Maitland : Lord Maitland,
putra dari Lady Clarice,emuda yang dicintai oleh Imogen.
Gillian Pythian-Adams : tunangan Lord Maitland.
Lady
Griselda Willoughby : adik perempuan Earl of Mayne, bertindak sebagai Lady pendamping keempat Essex
bersaudari.
Derwent : pelayan Lucius.
Brinkley : butler di kediaman
Rafe.
Mrs. Margery Felton : ibu Lucius, anak perempuan dari Earl of Devonshire.
Mr. Felton : ayah
Lucius.
Gussie : pelayan Tess
Rating untuk
Much Ado About You adalah
7/10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book
2 : Kiss Me,
Annabel
(The Essex Sisters #2)
Copyright © 2005 by Eloisa James
First Published in
Indonesia on 2010 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback, 36
Chapters, 472 Pages (for Indonesian edition)
Genre : Historical
Romance, Adult Novel
The rules of
marriage . . . according to Miss Annabel EssexA husband must be:
- Rich.
Make that very rich. She's had enough of leaky roofs and thread-worn clothing.
- English.
London is the center of the civilized world, and Annabel has a passion for silk and hot water.
- Amiable.
Good-looking would be nice, but not necessary. Same for intelligent.
Isn't she lucky? She's found just the man! And her chosen spouse is nothing like the impoverished Scottish Earl of Ardmore, who has nothing but his gorgeous eyes, his brain—and his kisses—to recommend him.
So what cruel twist of fate put her in a carriage on her way to Scotland with just that impoverished earl and all the world thinking they're man and wife? Sleeping in the same bed? Not to mention the game of words started by the earl—in which the prize is a kiss. And the forfeit . . .
Well. They are almost married, after all!
Kiss Me, Annabel is a love story
between Annabel Essex with Ewan Poley, Earl of Admore from Scotland. It sets in
April 1817 in London, England, and along the trip to Scotland. The story in Kiss Me,
Annabel happens a few months after the ending in Much Ado About You.
Annabel is the second daughter of the late Viscount Brydone, and she’s
determined to get a rich and titled English husband, so she won’t have to
suffer to save every penny like when her father still alive. But she cannot
fight the attraction for a poor Scotland Earl of Admore, who come to London to
find himself a wife. When a misfortune events arise and makes both Annabel and
Ewan have to be married before any scandal tainted Annabel’s reputation, they
hurried travel to Scotland to get married at Ewan’s estate. And while
travelling, both Annabel and Ewan get to know about each other better, and fall
deeply in love.
I really like Kiss Me, Annabel. We got a chance to see the
love between Annabel and Ewan blossom during their trip from London to Ewan’s
estate in Scotland. I think their love story is kinda romantic and sweet. Of
course, I still find Imogen annoying, but luckily her appearance in this second
book didn’t ruin the story for me like in the first book, Much Ado About You. I also like
Josie’s care free character in here and we get to see what makes her vulnerable
about her curve body in her own story in Pleasure For Pleasure.
Characters in Kiss Me, Annabel are as
follows :
Annabel Essex : The 2nd
daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Ewan
Poley : Earl of Admore, from Scotland.
Teressa ‘Tess’ Essex : Annabel’s older sister, The eldest daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Imogen Essex : Annabel’s younger
sister, Lady Maitland, the 3rd daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : Annabel’s little sister, the youngest daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of Holbrook, the sisters’ new guardian after their father passed
away.
Lucius Felton : Tess’ husband, one of
Rafe’s best friend.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne, one of
Rafe’s best friend.
Lady Clarice Maitland : Rafe’s neighbor, Imogen’s
mother in law.
Draven Maitland : Lord Maitland, Lady
Clarice’s son, Imogen’s late husband.
Lady Griselda Willoughby : Earl of Mayne’s sister, Annabel and Imogen’s Lady companion.
Lady
Feddrington : one member of the tons.
Lady
and Lord Mitford : one member of the tons.
Lord
Rosseter : one of Annabel’s admirer.
Lady
Emily Blechschmidt : one member of the tons, one of Griselda’s friends.
Mr.
Barnet : manager of Grillon’s Hotel.
Lady
Admore ‘Nana’ : Ewan’s Grandmother.
Uncle
Tobin : Ewan’s uncle.
Uncle
Pearce : Ewan’s Grand-uncle.
Gregory : 11 years old,
Ewan’s ward.
Rosy
McKenna : Ewan’s ex-fiancee, Gregory’s mother.
Father
Armailhac : one of the monk living in Ewan’s estate.
Brother
Bodine : one of the monk living in Ewan’s estate.
Brother
Dalmain : one of the monk living in Ewan’s estate.
Mr. Maclean
‘Mac’ : Ewan’s estate manager.
Mr. and
Mrs. Peggy Kettle : a couple of pheasant in a small village that Ewan and Annabel find in
their journey to Scotland.
Elsie : Annabel’s maid.
The
Crogans : the leaders of neighbor clan.
Rating for Kiss
Me, Annabel
is 8/10.
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Kiss Me, Annabel merupakan kisah cinta antara Annabel Essex dengan Ewan Poley, Earl of
Admore dari Scotland. Berlatar belakang pada bulan April tahun 1817 di London,
Inggris, dan sepanjang perjalanan menuju Scotlandia. Cerita dalam Kiss Me,
Annabel terjadi beberapa bulan setelah akhir certia dalam Much Ado About
You. Annabel merupakan anak kedua dari Viscount Brydone yang sudah
meninggal, dan karena pengalaman di masa lalunya, Annabel bertekad untuk
mendapatkan suami Inggris yang kaya dan bergelar, sehingga ia tidak perlu lagi
mengalami kehidupan miskin dan harus pintar-pintar berhemat seperti saat ayah
mereka masih hidup. Namun Annabel tidak dapat menghindari ketertarikan yang
sangat kuat terhadap seorang Earl of Admore dari Scotlandia yang miskin, yang
datang ke London untuk mencari istri. Disaat kejadian yang tidak menguntungkan
muncul dan membuat baik Annabel dan Ewan terpaksa harus terlihat menikah untuk
menyelamatkan reputasi Annabel yang hampir tercemar, mereka harus menempuh
perjalanan jauh ke Scotlandia untuk menikah di kediaman Ewan. Dan selama
perjalanan menuju Scotlandia itulah, keduanya mulai saling mengenal satu sama
lain, dan jatuh cinta.
Aku sangat menyukai Kiss Me, Annabel. Di dalam buku
ini kita mendapat kesempatan untuk melihat cinta yang tumbuh dan berkembang
diantara Annabel dan Ewan selama perjalanan mereka dari London menuju kediaman Ewan
di Scotlandia. Aku pikir bahwa kisah cinta mereka cukup romantis dan manis.
Walaupun tentu saja aku masih menganggap Imogen cukup mengganggu, tapi
untungnya di dalam buku kedua ini Imogen tidak merusak cerita dengan mengambil
alih perhatian dari para tokoh utamanya kepada dirinya seperti yang terjadi seperti
di dalam Much
Ado About You. Aku juga menyukai karakter Josie yang cukup bebas di
sini dan di dalam buku ini muncul penyebab yang membuat Josie mulai merasa
rentan dengan bentuk tubuhnya yang berisi di dalam ceritanya sendiri di dalam Pleasure For
Pleasure.
Adapun para tokoh dalam Kiss Me, Annabel adalah sebagai berikut :
Annabel
Essex : anak kedua
dari Viscount Brydone yang sudah meninggal.
Ewan Poley : Earl of
Admore, dari Scotlandia.
Teressa
‘Tess’ Essex : kakak Annabel,
anak tertua dari Viscount Brydone.
Imogen
Essex : adik Annabel, Lady Maitland, anak ketiga dari Viscount Brydone.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : adik bungsu Annabel, anak perempuan termuda Viscount Brydone.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of
Holbrook, wali Annabel dan adik-adiknya setelah ayah mereka meninggal.
Lucius Felton : suami Tess, salah
satu sahabat baik Rafe.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne,
salah satu sahabat baik Rafe.
Lady
Clarice Maitland : tetangga Rafe, ibu mertua Imogen.
Draven Maitland : Lord Maitland,
putra Lady Clarice, suami Imogen yang sudah meninggal.
Lady
Griselda Willoughby : adik Earl of Mayne, Lady pendamping bagi Annabel dan Imogen.
Lady
Feddrington : salah satu anggota kaum bangsawan.
Lady
and Lord Mitford : salah satu anggota kaum bangsawan.
Lord
Rosseter : salah satu pengagum Annabel.
Lady
Emily Blechschmidt : salah satu anggota kaum bangswan, seorang teman Griselda.
Mr. Barnet : manager dari Hotel
Grillon.
Lady
Admore ‘Nana’ : nenek Ewan.
Uncle
Tobin : paman Ewan.
Uncle
Pearce : paman buyut Ewan.
Gregory : umur 11 tahun,
anak asuh Ewan.
Rosy
McKenna : mantan tunangan Ewan, ibu dari Gregory.
Father
Armailhac : salah satu biarawan yang tinggal di kediaman Ewan.
Brother
Bodine : salah satu biarawan yang tinggal di kediaman Ewan.
Brother
Dalmain : salah satu biarawan yang tinggal di kediaman Ewan.
Mr.
Maclean ‘Mac’ : Manager Estate Ewan.
Mr. and
Mrs. Peggy Kettle : pasangan suami istri yang tinggal di sebuah desa kecil yang
ditemui Ewan dan Annabel dalam
perjalanan mereka menuju Scotlandia.
Elsie : pelayan Annabel.
The
Crogans : pemimpin klan tetangga.
Rating untuk Kiss
Me, Annabel
adalah 8/10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book
3 : The
Taming Of The Duke (The Essex Sisters #3)
Copyright © 2006 by Eloisa James
First Published in
Indonesia on 2010 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback Edition, 35
Chapters + Epilog, 424 Pages (for Indonesian edition)
Genre : Historical
Romance, Adult Novel
Imogen, Lady Maitland, has decided to dance on the wild
side. After all, she's in the delicious position of being able to take a lover.
A discreet male who knows just when to leave in the morning.But Lady Maitland is still under the watchful eye of her former guardian, the wildly untamed Rafe, the Duke of Holbrook. He believes she is still in need of a "watchdog." She laughs at the idea that someone so insufferably lazy and devoted to drink can demand that she behave with propriety.
It's Rafe's long-lost brother, a man who looks precisely like the duke but with none of his degenerate edge, who interests Imogen. To Imogen, he's the shadow duke . . . the man who really should hold the title. But when Imogen agrees to accompany Gabe to a masquerade...whose masked eyes watch her with that intense look of desire? Who exactly is she dancing with? The duke or the shadow duke? Rafe . . . or Gabe?
The Taming Of The Duke mostly tells a love
story between Imogen, Lady Maitland (the third of the Essex sisters) with her
guardian, Rafe Jourdain, Duke of Holbrook. It sets in September 1817, just
after the ending in Kiss me, Annabel. A few months earlier, Rafe
just found out that he has another brother from different mother, his father’s
bastard. But he gladly welcomed his younger brother, Gabriel, and even granted
his request to held a theater performance at Holbrook Court Theater. Meanwhile,
Imogen and Griselda just got back from Scotland, when they finally meet with
Rafe’s brother and his daughter, Mary. And when Imogen notice that Gabe is not
married, she immediately considers him as a perfect candidate to become her
lover.
I still stand with what I said before, that Imogen is my least favorite
character from this series. She’s self-center, rude, careless and didn’t care
at all with her reputation by creating scandal after scandal that could harm
everyone else around her. But at least in The Taming Of The Duke, she seems to care
enough about Rafe and his destructive drinking habit. That’s the only positive
side of her that I can tolerate while reading this novel.
In The
Taming Of The Duke, we will find two love stories : Rafe and Imogen,
and also Gabe and Gillian Phythian-Adams. But in my opinion, this book feels just
so-so and holds nothing special in it.
Characters in The Taming Of The Duke are as follows :
Imogen Essex : Lady Maitland, the 3rd
daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : Imogen’s little sister, the youngest daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Teressa ‘Tess’ Essex : The eldest of the Essex sisters.
Annabel Essex : Imogen’s older
sister, the 2nd daughter of the late Viscount Brydone.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of Holbrook, the Essex sisters’ guardian after their father passed
away.
Lucius Felton : Tess’ husband, one of
Rafe’s best friend.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne, one of
Rafe’s best friend.
Draven Maitland : Lord Maitland, Imogen’s
late husband.
Ewan
Poley : Earl of Admore, Annabel’s husband.
Lady Clarice Maitland : Imogen’s late mother
in law.
Lady Griselda Willoughby : Earl of Mayne’s sister, Imogen’s and Josie’s Lady companion.
Gabriel
‘Gabe’ Spenser : Rafe’s half brother, his father’s bastard, only a couple of days
younger than Rafe, a Theology Professor in Cambridge.
Peter
Jourdain : Rafe’s late older brother, died six years ago.
Mary
Spenser : Gabe’s daughter, 2 months old.
Loretta
Hawes : an actress, 19 years old, Mary’s mother.
Gillian
Pythian-Adams : Draven Maitland’s ex-fiancee.
Lady
Ancilla Pythian-Adams : Gillian’s mother.
Brinkley : Rafe’s butler.
Mr.
Crogan : the leader of Crogan clan, Earl of Admore’s neighbor.
Mr. Hew
Crogan : Mr. Crogan’s younger brother.
Daisy : Imogen’s maid.
Jenny Collins : Loretta’s friend.
Cristobel : a famous singer.
Mrs.
Blessams : Mary’s Nanny.
Lady
Emily Blechschmidt : one member of the tons, one of Griselda’s friends.
Mrs.
Fulgens : one of the guest invited to watch the theater performance.
Rating for The Taming Of The Duke is 7/10.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The Taming Of The Duke sebagian besar menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta antara Imogen, Lady
Maitland (Essex bersaudari yang ketiga) dengan walinya, Rafe Jourdain, Duke of
Holbrook. Terjadi pada bulan September tahun 1817, hanya beberapa saat setelah
akhir cerita dalam Kiss me, Annabel.
Beberapa bulan sebelumnya, Rafe baru saja mengetahui
bahwa ia ternyata mempunyai adik berbeda ibu, anak haram ayahnya. Tetapi ia
dengan senang hati menerima adiknya itu, Gabriel, dan bahkan memenuhi
permintaannya agar dapat menyelenggarakan pertunjukan drama theater di gedung
theater keluarganya, Holbrook Court Theater. Sementara itu, baik Imogen dan
Griselda baru saja kembali dari Scotlandia, saat mereka bertemu dengan adik
Rafe dan anaknya, Mary. Dan saat Imogen mendapati bahwa Gabe tidak menikah, dia
segera memutuskan bahwa Gabe sangat cocok untuk dijadikan kandidat kekasihnya.
Aku masih memegang teguh pendapatku sebelumnya, bahwa
Imogen merupakan karakter yang paling tidak aku sukai di dalam serial ini. Dia
egois dan berfokus hanya pada dirinya sendiri, kasar, sama sekali tidak
berhati-hati dalam bertindak, dan sama sekali tidak mempedulikan reputasinya
dengan menciptakan scandal demi scandal yang dapat mempengaruhi dan menyakiti
orang lain di sekitarnya. Tetapi setidaknya dalam The Taming Of The Duke, Imogen
sedikit cukup perhatian terhadap Rafe dan kebiasaan buruknya dalam meminum
alcohol. Itu merupakan satu-satunya hal positif dari Imogen yang dapat membuat
aku tetap meneruskan membaca buku ini.
Dalam The Taming Of The Duke, kita akan mendapati
dua kisah cinta antara : Rafe dan Imogen, lalu antara Gabe dan Gillian
Phythian-Adams. Tetapi menurut pendapatku, buku ini hanya terasa biasa-biasa
saja dan tidak ada yang terasa special di dalamnya.
Adapun para tokoh dalam The
Taming Of The Duke
adalah sebagai berikut :
Imogen
Essex : Lady Maitland, anak perempuan ketiga dari Viscount Brydone.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : adik Imogen, anak bungsu dari Viscount Brydone.
Teressa
‘Tess’ Essex : kakak tertua
Imogen.
Annabel
Essex : kakak Imogen
yang kedua.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of
Holbrook, wali dari para Essex bersaudari setelah ayah mereka meninggal dunia.
Lucius Felton : suami Tess, salah
satu sahabat baik Rafe.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne,
salah satu sahabat baik Rafe.
Draven Maitland : Lord Maitland,
suami Imogen yang sudah meninggal satu tahun yang lalu.
Ewan Poley : Earl of
Admore, suami Annabel.
Lady
Clarice Maitland : ibu mertua Imogen yang sudah
meninggal.
Lady
Griselda Willoughby : adik Earl of Mayne, Lady pendamping Imogen dan Josie.
Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Spenser : adik Rafe, anak haram ayah Rafe, hanya beda beberapa hari lebih muda
dari Rafe, seorang Professor Teologi di Cambridge.
Peter Jourdain : kakak Rafe yang sudah meninggal enam tahun lalu.
Mary Spenser : anak
perempuan Gabe, umur 2 bulan.
Loretta Hawes : seorang
aktris panggung, umur 19 tahun, ibu Mary.
Gillian Pythian-Adams : mantan tunangan Draven Maitland.
Lady Ancilla Pythian-Adams : ibu Gillian.
Brinkley : pengurus rumah Rafe.
Mr. Crogan : pemimpin
Clan Crogan, tetangga Earl of Admore.
Mr. Hew Crogan : adik Mr. Crogan.
Daisy : pelayan Imogen.
Jenny Collins : teman Loretta.
Cristobel : seorang
penyanyi terkenal.
Mrs. Blessams : pengasuh Mary.
Lady Emily Blechschmidt : salah satu anggota kaum bangsawan, teman Griselda.
Mrs. Fulgens : salah satu
tamu yang diundang untuk menonton pertunjukan theater.
Rating untuk The
Taming Of The Duke
adalah 7/10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book
4 : Pleasure
For Pleasure (The Essex Sisters #4)
Copyright © 2006 by Eloisa James
First Published in
Indonesia on 2010 by Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback, 46
Chapters + Epilog, 520 Pages (for
Indonesian edition)
Genre : Historical
Romance, Adult Novel
Fueled by the knowledge that notoriety is better than
failure, witty, unconventional Josie does what no proper young lady should--she
challenges fate. She discards her corset and flirts outrageously. She attends
the horse races and allows an arrogant rakehell to whisk her behind the stables
for a surreptitious kiss . . . and is caught!She doesn't want to marry the young hellion--but who's to help? Her chaperone keeps disappearing for mysterious appointments; her guardian is on his wedding trip; and his friend the Earl of Mayne is too busy staring into the eyes of his exquisite French fiancée.
Can a marriage forced by stuffy convention and unwilling desire become the match of the season?
Pleasure
For Pleasure tells the love story between Josie Essex with the charming Garret
Langham, the Earl of Mayne. It sets in London on 1818. The story in Pleasure For
Pleasure begins a few months after the ending The Taming Of The Duke, at the
night before Rafe’s and Imogen’s wedding. It was Josie’s first season in
London, and she’s already suffering in her debut season with her body image.
Her feud with the youngest Cogan several months before, resulted by the
young Cogan writing to his friend, Lord Darlington, about Josie. Darlington
comes up with a nasty nickname ‘Scottish Sausages’ for Josie. And that mocking
from Darlington and his friends, makes several Gentlemen interested in Josie,
backed away from their attempt to courting her.
Only by the help of Garret, the Earl of Mayne, Josie finally could
embrace her body and her confidence. As soon as Josie gets rid of her corset,
she gains all the attention from prospective Gentlemen. But Josie only has eyes
for one particular person, and unfortunately that person already off the market
and engaged with someone else.
Originally Pleasure For Pleasure is the first book from
this series that I read, and at that time it was a bit confusing at first for
me since I hadn’t read the first three books, but I still like it and decided
to get the other three novels and re-read Pleasure For Pleasure again after I finished
with the first three books. I like both Josie and Mayne character’s development
throughout the series and their friendship finally turns to love. I also like
the second love story between Griselda and Darlington. I’m glad that Griselda
finally got her own happy ending in this book. Although Kiss Me, Annabel is still my
favorite in the series, but I also really enjoy reading Pleasure For Pleasure, mostly
because there’s not much Imogen in it.
Characters in Pleasure For Pleasure are as
follows :
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : The youngest daughter
of the late Viscount Brydone.
Teressa ‘Tess’ Essex : Josie’s eldest sister
Annabel Essex : Josie’s 2nd older sister.
Imogen Essex : Josie’s 3rd
older sister.
Lucius Felton : Tess’ husband, one of
Rafe’s best friend.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of Holbrook, Josie’s guardian after their father passed away,
Imogen’s husband.
Ewan
Poley : Earl of Admore, Annabel’s husband.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne, one of
Rafe’s best friend, 35 years old.
Lady Griselda Willoughby : Earl of Mayne’s sister, Josie’s Lady companion, 32 years old.
Charles
Darlington : the 3rd
son of Duke of Bedrock.
Oliver
Berwick : one of Darlington’s friend.
Eliot Thurman : one of
Darlington’s friend.
Sylvie
de la Broderie : Mayne’s fiancée, a France Lady.
Lady
Lucy Feddrington : one member of the tons.
Lady
Gemima : one member of the tons.
Billy : Mayne’s stable
boy.
Lady
Henrietta Mucklowe : one member of the tons.
Lord Skevington : one of Josie’s
admirer.
Lord
Tallboys : one of Josie’s admirer.
Lady
Emily Blechschmidt : one member of the tons, Griselda’s friend.
Rating for Pleasure For Pleasure is 7.9/10.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Pleasure For Pleasure menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta antara Josie Essex dengan Garret
Langham, Earl of Mayne yang mempesona. Berlatar belakang kota London di tahun
1818. Cerita dalam Pleasure For Pleasure dimulai beberapa bulan
setelah akhir cerita dalam The Taming Of The Duke, lebih tepatnya pada
malam sebelum pesta pernikahan Rafe dan Imogen. Musim semi itu merupakan season
pertama Josie di London, dan dia sudah mengalami penderitaan dalam musim debut
pertamanya itu akibat bentuk tubuhnya.
Pertengkarannya
dengan Cogan muda beberapa bulan sebelumnya, merupakan salah satu sebab
penderitaannya itu karena Cogan menulis kepada temannya, Lord Darlington, mengenai
Josie. Darlington lalu menjuluki Josie dengan nama panggilan ‘Sosis Scotlandia’.
Dan ejekan dari Darlington dan teman-temannya itu membuat beberapa pemuda yang
tadinya tertarik kepada Josie, mengurungkan minat mereka untuk melakukan
pendekatan kepada Josie.
Hanya melalui bantuan
dari Garret, Earl of Mayne, akhirnya Josie kembali mendapatkan kepercayaan
dirinya dengan bentuk tubuhnya itu. Dan benar saja begitu Josie membuang
korsetnya, dia mendapatkan perhatian dari banyak pemuda yang layak untuk
dinikahi. Tetapi Josie hanya peduli dengan satu orang tertentu saja, dan sayangnya
orang tersebut sudah bertunangan dengan orang lain.
Awalnya Pleasure For
Pleasure merupakan buku dalam serial ini yang aku baca pertama kali,
dan ceritanya terasa agak membingungkan pada awalnya karena aku belum membaca
tiga buku sebelumnya, tapi aku tetap menyukainya dan akhirnya memutuskan untuk
mendapatkan tiga buku sebelumnya lalu membaca kembali buku ini setelah selesai
dengan tiga buku pertamanya. Aku menyukai perkembangan karakter dari Josie dan
Mayne dalam keseluruhan cerita di serial ini dan bagaimana persahabatan mereka
akhirnya berkembang menjadi cinta. Aku juga cukup menyukai cerita cinta kedua
antara Griselda dengan Darlington. Aku senang bahwa akhirnya Griselda mendapatkan
akhir bahagianya sendiri di dalam buku ini. Walaupun Kiss Me, Annabel masih merupakan
buku favoritku dalam serial ini, tapi aku benar-benar menikmati membaca Pleasure For
Pleasure, mungkin sebagian besar disebabkan oleh sedikitnya karakter
Imogen yang ada di dalamnya.
Adapun para tokoh dalam Pleasure
For Pleasure adalah sebagai berikut :
Josephine ‘Josie’ Essex : anak perempuan termuda dari Viscount Brydone, 18 tahun.
Teressa
‘Tess’ Essex : kakak tertua Josie.
Annabel
Essex : kakak kedua Josie.
Imogen
Essex : kakak ketiga Josie.
Raphael ‘Rafe’ Jourdain : Duke of Holbrook,
wali Josie setelah ayahnya meninggal, suami baru Imogen.
Lucius Felton : suami Tess, salah
satu sahabat baik Rafe.
Ewan Poley : Earl of
Admore, suami Annabel.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne,
salah satu sahabat baik Rafe, 35 tahun.
Lady
Griselda Willoughby : adik
Earl of Mayne, Lady pendamping Josie, 32 tahun.
Charles Darlington : anak ketiga
dari Duke of Bedrock.
Oliver Berwick : salah satu teman Darlington.
Eliot Thurman : salah satu
teman Darlington.
Sylvie de la Broderie : tunangan Mayne, seorang Lady dari bangsawan Perancis.
Lady Lucy Feddrington : salah satu anggota bangsawan.
Lady Gemima : salah satu
anggota bangsawan.
Billy : pengurus istal
kuda milik Mayne.
Lady Henrietta Mucklowe : salah satu anggota kaum bangsawan.
Lord Skevington : salah satu pengagum Josie.
Lord Tallboys : salah satu
pengagum Josie.
Lady Emily Blechschmidt : salah satu anggota kaum bangsawan, teman Griselda.
Rating untuk Pleasure
For Pleasure
adalah 7.9/10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book
4.5 : A Gentleman Never Tells (The Essex Sisters #4.5)
(Lizzie Troutt
& Oliver Berwick)
Copyright © 2016 by Eloisa James
eBook,
12 Chapters + Epilog, 160
Pages (eBook)
Genre : Historical
Romance, Adult Novel
Eighteen months ago, Lizzie Troutt’s husband
died in his mistress’s bed, leaving her determined to never marry again….and
unfortunately virginal.
Eighteen years ago (give or take a few) the Honorable Oliver Berwick blackened his own soul, leaving him hardened and resolutely single.
When the chance for redemption in the form of a country house party invitation comes his way, Oliver is determined to prove himself a gentleman.
Until he breaks all the codes of gentlemanly behavior…once again
Eighteen years ago (give or take a few) the Honorable Oliver Berwick blackened his own soul, leaving him hardened and resolutely single.
When the chance for redemption in the form of a country house party invitation comes his way, Oliver is determined to prove himself a gentleman.
Until he breaks all the codes of gentlemanly behavior…once again
A Gentleman Never Tells is a short love story connected to the Essex Sister Series. It tells a
love story between Oliver Berwick (we got a glimpse of him in Pleasure For Pleasure)
with a young widow named Lady Lizzie Troutt. A Gentleman Never Tells take
place in Yorkshire and Sussex, England, in 1826, 8 years after the ending in Pleasure For
Pleasure.
Oliver Berwick was one of Darlington’s friend that in
his younger years like to make fun of young ladies and creating nasty nick
names. Some of the victim of their cruel treatment was Josie Essex (now Lady
Mayne) and Lizzie’s older sister Catrina (now Lady Windingham). And when his
niece got an invitation to Lady Windingham’s house party, he feels that it is
time for him to apologize to the Lady for his wrong doing in the past and
redeem himself.
Meanwhile, Lizzie Troutt is buried herself at her
sister country estate after her husband betrayal and scandalous death eighteen
months ago. Her older sister, Catrina is doing the best she can to make Lizzie
move on with her life. So Catrina give Oliver a task to make her sister laugh and
enjoying life again.
A Gentleman Never Tells is a sweet love story, and I quite enjoying myself reading it. Although
the story feels a little bit rushed because it’s still a short story after all,
but I think it’s still an OK light reading.
Characters in A Gentleman Never Tells are as follows :
Lizzie Troutt : a widow,
currently staying with her older sister in her country estate.
Oliver Berwick : a wealthy Gentleman, wants to redeem his mistakes in his younger
years
Hattie Sloane : Oliver’s niece.
Catrina ‘Cat’ Windingham : Lizzie’s older sister, known with nick name ‘Wooly Breeder’ in her
first London season, the nickname was invented by Oliver’s friend.
Joshua Windingham : Cat’s husband.
Sarah Windingham : Joshua’s daughter from his first wife, Cat’s step-daughter, Hattie’s
best friend.
Adrian Troutt : Lizzie’s
late husband.
Sadie Sprinkle : Adrian’s former mistress.
Josie Langham : Countess of
Mayne, Cat’s friend.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne, Josie’s husband.
Cecily Langham : Josie’s and Garret’s daughter.
Rating for A
Gentleman Never Tells
is 7/10.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
A Gentleman Never Tells merupakan cerita cinta pendek yang masih berhubungan dengan serial
Essex Sister. Menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta antara Oliver Berwick (ada
muncul sekilas dalam Pleasure For Pleasure) dengan seorang janda
muda bernama Lady Lizzie Troutt. A Gentleman Never Tells mengambil latar
belakang daerah pedesaan Yorkshire dan Sussex, Inggris, pada tahun 1826,
tepatnya 8 tahun setelah akhir cerita di dalam Pleasure For Pleasure.
Oliver Berwick merupakan salah satu teman dari
Darlington yang pada masa mudanya sering mengolok-olok para gadis muda dengan
menciptakan nama panggilan yang memalukan. Beberapa korban yang mendapat
perlakuan buruk mereka diantaranya adalah Josie Essex (sekarang sudah menjadi Lady
Mayne) dan kakak Lizzie, Catrina (sekarang sudah menjadi Lady Windingham). Dan saat
keponakan Oliver mendapatkan undangan untuk menghadiri pesta rumah Lady
Windingham, Oliver mengambil kesempatan itu untuk meminta maaf secara langsung
kepada Lady Windingham untuk menebus kesalahan masa lalunya.
Sementara itu Lizzie Troutt mengubur dirinya di rumah
kakaknya di desa setelah kematian suaminya yang penuh dengan skandal dan
pengkhianatan delapan belas bulan lalu. Kakaknya Catrina sudah mencoba dengan
segala cara untuk dapat membuat Lizzie kembali bersemangat untuk melanjutkan
hidupnya. Jadi ia memberikan tugas kepada Oliver selama pesta rumah tersebut untuk
dapat membuat adiknya kembali tertawa dan menikmati hidupnya lagi.
A Gentleman Never Tells merupakan sebuah kisah cinta yang cukup manis, dan aku cukup menikmati
membacanya. Walaupun ceritanya memang sedikit terasa agak terburu-buru tapi hal
ini memang tidak dapat dihindari dalam sebuah cerita pendek, namun secara
keseluruhan buku ini cukup OK sebagai bacaan ringan untuk mengisi waktu.
Adapun para tokoh
dalam A Gentleman Never Tells adalah sebagai berikut :
Lizzie Troutt : seorang
janda muda, sedang berada di rumah pedesaan milik kakaknya.
Oliver Berwick : seorang Gentleman kaya, ingin menebus kesalahan masa lalunya.
Hattie Sloane : keponakan Oliver.
Catrina ‘Cat’ Windingham : kakak Lizzie, sebelumnya terkenal dengan nama panggilan ‘Wooly
Breeder’ di debut London seasonnya, nama panggilan itu diciptakan oleh teman Oliver.
Joshua Windingham : suami Cat.
Sarah Windingham : anak perempuan Joshua dari pernikahan pertamanya, anak tiri Cat,
teman baik Hattie.
Adrian Troutt : suami Lizzie
yang sudah meninggal.
Sadie Sprinkle : wanita simpanan Adrian.
Josie Langham : Countess of
Mayne, teman baik Cat.
Garret Langham : Earl of Mayne, suami Josie.
Cecily Langham : anak perempuan Josie dan Garret.
Rating untuk A
Gentleman Never Tells
adalah 7/10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~