The Accidental Courtesan is book two in the School for Brides series.

Lady Noelle Seymour is in a bit of a quandary. She broke into the home of an earl to return a necklace stolen by her friend, the earl's former mistress, only to find herself in hot water with the earl's visiting American cousin. This man is nothing like the staid, sedate gentlemen of titled England, and wants Noelle to come through on her promise to become his lover. Lady Noelle, of course, has no intentions of tossing aside her reputation for stolen bliss, but something in the American's brash, bold ways is very attractive to her, and she quickly finds herself caught up in passion...and danger from those who seek the necklace that started it all.

Gavin Blackwell is surprised beyond measure to be faced with an offer like this one. He'd expected England to be different from America, but he is unprepared for just how different it actually is. The bewitching minx who broke into his cousin's house, isn't a woman of ill repute as he'd originally thought, but instead is a titled lady. This lady is everything he wants, but there's a spine-tingling sense of something not quite right, that seems to follow her everywhere. When Gavin finds himself set upon by thugs and threatened, he knows he needs to take action, both to protect Noelle and to find out who's behind all of this.

The Accidental Courtesan is an entertaining and fun ride. Noelle and Gavin exist in Regency England, with its rules and strictures, but neither of them is traditionally minded in the least. Noelle is a wonderful character, unafraid to take risks and single-minded. Gavin is a new breed, an American shipwright who won't take no for an answer, and that serves him well with the feisty Noelle. While more than a bit farfetched as far as plotline goes, I was still amused by the antics involved in this tale and found this story enjoyable. Secondary characters are interesting and add flavor, as well as advance the "redeeming the soiled dove" thread that seems to be the premise of the series. The author does a creditable job in fleshing out this story with an era-appropriate feel to the book. Four Angels.

Reviewed by: Michelle B.