CANR
WORK TITLE: A Fire in the Sky
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.sophiejordan.net
CITY: Houston
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 371
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in TX; married Jared Kohler; children: daughter and son.
EDUCATION:Texas A&M University, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Former high-school English teacher.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking, reading, shopping, spending time with family.
MEMBER:Romance Writers of America.
AWARDS:Reviewers’ Choice nomination for best first historical romance, RT Book Reviews, 2006, for Once upon a Wedding Night.
WRITINGS
Also author of e-book Breathless, 2012. Author’s works have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
SIDELIGHTS
Sophie Jordan is a writer and former high-school English teacher who writes novels for teens and adults. Jordan is the author of the popular “Firelight” series of fantasy novels for young adults. The series, which contains Firelight, Vanish, and Hidden, follows the adventures of star-crossed lovers Jacinda, a young woman descended from dragons, and Will, a dragon hunter. Jordan, who also writes paranormal romances under the pseudonym Sharie Kohler, notes that her interest in the supernatural helped inspire her works for teens. “Other than fantasy, I couldn’t think of any ‘dragon’ books grounded within a contemporary setting,” she told Cynsations online interviewer Cynthia Leitich Smith. “I started wondering what if dragons had been real. … Where did they go? What happened to them? All those questions led me to create the lore of Firelight. ”
In Firelight readers are introduced to teenager Jacinda, who, as a member of the draki, possesses the ability to fly, breathe fire, and take on human form. Independent and strong-willed, Jacinda recklessly flies during daylight hours and is spotted by hunters, one of whom discovers her hiding in a cave. Transfixed by her beauty, Will lets Jacinda survive, but her transgression forces her family to escape to the human realm. When she encounters Will again at her new school, she feels an instant attraction to him even as she realizes the danger he poses.
Describing Firelight as a “rich romantic fantasy,” Voice of Youth Advocates critic Ava Ehde stated that the work “has all the tasty ingredients for an absorbing teen read,” and a Kirkus Reviews contributor reported that Jacinda’s “first-person, present-tense narration fires up the intensity with short choppy sentences and vivid sensual descriptions.” Writing in Booklist, Krista Hutley praised the “visceral writing and believable relationships among characters” in Firelight, “particularly among Jacinda’s family.”
Vanish, the second installment in Jordan’s “Firelight” series, finds Jacinda rejoining her draki pride accompanied by her mother and twin sister Tamra. Having broken sacred rules that endangered the pride, Jacinda is shunned by all the other draki except Cassian, a young prince who has always longed for her. Yet Jacinda still pines for Will, whose memories of her have been clouded by Tamra’s shading powers. When Will reappears Jacinda risks her life—and the lives of the draki—to join him again. A contributor in Kirkus Reviews applauded Vanish, noting that Jordan “manages to keep suspense high with thrilling fights and several escapes.”
In Hidden, Jacinda mounts a rescue effort to save Cassian’s sister Miriam after she is captured by dragon hunters. Allowing herself to be taken prisoner intentionally, Jacinda is placed in a secret research facility where humans experiment on the draki. Her escape plan—aided by Will and Cassian—frees a number of captive draki and leads to an epic confrontation with members of Will’s family. Reviewing Hidden in Voice of Youth Advocates, Nancy K. Wallace remarked that Jordan produces “a nail-biting climax for the series. The author neatly places the clandestine society of the draki in our world and time, lending authenticity to the story.”
Jordan published the novel How to Lose a Bride in One Night, the third installment in the “Forgotten Princesses” series, in 2013. Annalise’s newlywed husband, the Duke of Bloodsworth, tries to kill her on their wedding night. She is rescued by war veteran Owen but is too embarrassed to say how she ended up along the river where Owen had found her. Over time, though, the two learn to open up and come clean about their pasts. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews called the novel “an emotionally touching story in which two damaged souls heal and find their happy-ever-after in satisfying ways.”
In 2013 Jordan initiated the “Ivy Chronicles” with the novel Foreplay. Pepper is thrilled that the boy of her dreams, Hunter, has taken an interest in her. She goes to Reece to get some tips on being a good lover as she has only ever kissed a boy. However, her time with Reece makes her reevaluate what it is she wants in a man. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews said of the story line: “Readers may have been down this road before, but in Jordan’s expert hands, they are given a sexy, textured and satisfying ride.”
Wild, the sequel to Foreplay, was published in 2014. University sophomore Georgia Robinson lives under the sway of her parents, who continuously encourage her to reunite with her ex-boyfriend. When she meets her roommate’s younger brother, Logan, while he is working at a sex club, she is shocked at her attraction to this high school senior. A Publishers Weekly contributor claimed that the novel “perfectly fits the new adult mold.”
Tease is the third novel in the “Ivy Chronicles” series. Artist Emerson Wingate keeps men at a safe emotional distance and uses them for her pleasure. However, when she meets bad-boy biker Shaw, she finds it difficult to keep her emotional guard up. A Publishers Weekly contributor pointed out that the love scenes in the novel “are indeed steamy and give the story some spark, but the novel fails to ignite.”
The 2014 novel Uninvited is the first in the “Uninvited” series geared toward teens. Seventeen-year-old Davy Hamilton’s life changes when it is discovered that she is a carrier for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. She is pulled out of her school and forced to attend classes with other students with similar potential to become killers. There she finds a new love interest and a sense of camaraderie with her schoolmates. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the novel as “a schlocky bodice-ripper disguised as a dystopian romance.”
Unleashed is the sequel to Uninvited. Davy is on the run from the government and is tormented by thoughts linking Sean to the man she shot at the training school, leading to an emotional break with him. After the near-fatal failure of attempting to cross into Mexico, Davy is brought under the wing of teenage resistance leader Caden. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews suggested that “the ending seems to conclude the story … but readers may feel let down by the scant resolution of the HTS storyline.”
Jordan published her “Moon Chasers” series under the pseudonym Sharie Kohler. The first installment in the series, Marked by Moonlight, was published in 2008. In this novel a schoolteacher named Claire is bitten by a werewolf who is actually a student of hers named Lenny. A wolf hunter named Gideon March knows that he should kill the infected Claire, but he cannot bring himself to do it as he becomes increasingly attracted to her.
Reviewing the work on the RT Book Reviews website, Jill M. Smith claimed that the book is “filled with characters torn between anger, distrust and passion, giving this story lots of crackle.”
The second installment in the series, Kiss of a Dark Moon, follows Gideon’s sister, Kit March. Kit is a wolf hunter like her brother, but she is persecuted by hunting organizations that are opposed to women in the profession. A man named Rafe Santiago has been hired by the organizations to locate Kit and prevent her from engaging in hunting. However, things do not go as planned when Kit and Rafe find themselves attracted to one another.
Reviewing the work on the Fresh Fiction website, contributor Rachael Dimond lauded: “I absolutely adored Kiss of a Dark Moon and read it in only two days. The minute I picked it up, I could not put it down for literally five hours!” A contributor to the Dear Author website remarked: “It is some credit to the writing that I was actually compelled to finish. I thought that one of the villains was a nice and unexpected surprise.” RT Book Reviews contributor Jill M. Smith noted: “The interplay between these protagonists sets sparks off the page.”
The third work in the series, To Crave a Blood Moon, follows Rafe Santiago’s brother, Sebastian Santiago. Sebastian finds himself in trouble when he is captured and tortured by a pack that he had been hunting. In a review of the work, RT Book Reviews contributor Jill M. Smith stated: “The stakes are life and death for these protagonists, which means readers are in for an incredible ride.”
In the fourth installment in the series, My Soul to Keep, Sorcha is a widow out to avenge her husband’s murder. The problem is that a man named Jonah, whom Sorcha has known since childhood, is protecting her husband’s murderer. Things become even more muddled when romance blossoms between Sorcha and Jonah.
Reviewing the work, a contributor to the Backseat Nightmares website remarked: “The characters are diverse, interesting, and well-developed. And the world Kohler created is fascinating.” A contributor to Once upon a Chapter stated: “After you read the first half, you’ll love it. After the second half you’ll love it even more. Kohler does not disappoint, continuing her amazing Moon Chaser series with Sorcha and Jonah’s story. … The story moves so quickly, you won’t have time to put this book down. The beginning is entertaining and passionate, but the last half is suspenseful and thrilling.” RT Book Reviews contributor Cristina Merrill said: “Sorcha and Jonah are well-developed characters with a shared history and passionate chemistry.”
Aimed at young adults, the “Reign of Shadows” series begins with Reign of Shadows and continues with Rise of Fire. The opening installment follows seventeen-year-old Luna, the heiress to the Relhok Kingdom. The evil chancellor killed Luna’s parents and took the throne, and Luna has spent her entire life in hiding. Her protectors, Sivo and Perla, keep Luna in a remote tower, but now that Luna is older she longs to leave the haven that has become her prison. When Luna meets Fowler in the forest, she decided to run off with him and finally take back the throne. Sparks fly between the two, but their initial romance becomes fraught with misunderstandings and constant violence. As Luna and Fowler search for the evil chancellor, they must battle monsters and brigands alike.
Reviews of Reign of Shadows were somewhat mixed, and Booklist correspondent Stacey Comfort stated: “This ends on a startling cliff-hanger, but it’s probably the ardent romance readers who will stick around.” A Kirkus Reviews critic panned the novel, asserting that “tedious misunderstandings, feckless self-sacrifices, and an abrupt, over-the-top cliffhanger … may inspire eye-rolls from even the most fervent devotees of the genre.” As Library Journal contributor Abby Bussen put it, “the cliff-hanger ending guarantees more books to come, though readers might not feel compelled to stick around.” An onlineVampire Book Club reviewer stated that the novel is not without flaws but announced: “Despite all of this, however, I’d still give the second book a chance based on the fact that I’d like to see what the characters do with everything started here, I’d like to see where the story takes them.” Lauren Straub, writing inVoice of Youth Advocates, was even more impressed, and she advised that “readers will be left with unanswered questions … but there are hopes that these will be answered in the sequel to come.”
The “Devil’s Rock” series offers several straightforward romances, beginning with All Chained Up, Hell Breaks Loose, and Fury on Fire. The latter novel follows the reluctant courtship between ex-con North Callaghan and his new neighbor, Faith Walters. North has recently been released from prison, and he now spends most of his time either working or bringing random women home. Faith then moves in to the other side of the duplex he rents, and North hopes to bed her as well. Faith does not care for casual sex, however, and she is annoyed by the loud screams of North’s constant stream of lovers. Faith despises her inconsiderate neighbor, and North resents Faith’s complaints. Nevertheless, love blooms.
An onlineSmexyBooks critic complained: “Keeping her focus predominantly on the protagonists, Jordan merges their backstories with the present one, intent on building a bridge between these two different personalities. It works in the beginning but then quickly becomes trite and repetitive. Even the few minor conflicts tossed in for depth aren’t enough to save the story.” On the other hand, aHarlequin Junkie website reviewer found that “ Fury on Fire is a sexy and engaging opposites attract story. Sophie Jordan does a good job developing the characters and relationships. Ms. Jordan builds the tension and anticipation with every interaction.” An onlineEater of Books columnist was equally laudatory, announcing: “I liked how this began! It wasn’t instant lust or the couple having sex (or almost) within the first chapters, which is definitely different. North gets on Faith’s nerves almost immediately, for constantly making a racket (well, his guest of the night), for parking his motorcycle in her half of the driveway (they share a driveway), and things like that. Faith gets on North’s nerves for constantly telling him to keep it down, or move his vehicle, or things like that. The tug-of-war is huge.”
[open new]
In the fifth book in the “Devil’s Rock” series, Beautiful Sinner, reporter Gabriella Rossi is back in her hometown of Sweet Hill, Texas, trying to cover a story on ex-felon Cruz Walsh, recently released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Cruz won’t talk, mainly because he wants to leave things in the past, but also because he was Gabriella’s crush back in high school. Accidentally locked together in a custodian’s closet, Cruz reveals to her that he still has feelings for her. According to a Kirkus Reviews writer: “being locked up is much hotter when you’re with the one you love—a bold and lusty installment in the series.” In Publishers Weekly, a critic remarked, “Jordan is brilliant at creating vivid descriptions and using flashbacks to connect the lovers.”
Continuing “The Rogue Files” Regency series, The Virgin and the Rogue finds wallflower Charlotte Langley betrothed to her childhood friend, the boring and safe William Pembroke. When Charlotte visits her sister, married to the wealthy Duke of Warrington, she crosses paths with Kingston, the duke’s illegitimate stepbrother and a rogue. After Charlotte drinks a potent healing tonic, she releases her inhibitions and goes after Kingston with abandon. Readers of this erotically charged romance will appreciate “Charlotte and Kingston’s chemistry and the welcome humor Jordan weaves throughout,” declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In Library Journal, Kathryn Howe praised this “light and enjoyable comedy of errors.”
Jordan launches the “Duke Hunt” Regency romance series with The Duke Goes Down. Peregrine Butler has lost his title as Duke of Penning after learning that he is illegitimate. Now he hopes to win the heart of an heiress to secure his wealthy lifestyle. Back in his hometown, he encounters Imogen Bates, the righteous daughter of the vicar, whom he knew from childhood. Although they exchange barbs and Imogen sabotages his romantic prospects, they eventually acknowledge a simmering passion for each other. Despite the lack of empathy for such flawed characters, “Jordan’s writing is often lovely, the setting is charming, and there are intriguing secondary characters,” reported a writer in Kirkus Reviews. In Publishers Weekly, a reviewer commented: “Diehard fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope may forgive this flawed couple.”
In the second book in the series, The Rake Gets Ravished, Mercy Kittinger’s good-for-nothing twin brother, Bede, has lost the family estate to Silas Masters, in a game of cards in a London gaming hall. Mercy rummages through the establishment hoping to find and destroy the voucher of the win, but gets caught in Silas’s room. She pretends to be there purposely to seduce him, and they spend a fiery night together. Mercy thinks she’ll never see him again, until he follows her home and intends to stay until he learns if she is with child or not. During his stay, their passions grow for real. Despite the conflicting ending, “The country setting is a nice change of pace from the typical ballroom-set historical romances,” according to a writer in Kirkus Reviews. The sex-positive scenes will draw in readers and “the realistically drawn characters and passionate love story will hold their interest,” a Publishers Weekly critic declared.
Jordan kicks off the “Scandalous Ladies of London” series with The Countess, about Lady Gertrude “Tru” Chatham who is has just introduced her daughter Cordelia to society, hoping to find a love match for her. Unexpectedly, Tru’s adulterous husband, looking for a wealthy match, has declared that Delia marry Jasper Thorn, who is looking for a title and a mother for his young daughter. Surprisingly, Jasper falls not for Delia but for Tru, who is eager, after years of a loveless marriage, to find passion in Jasper’s arms. According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, Jordan provides “chemistry between Tru and Jasper—and makes Lord Chatham so odious—that readers will leave any qualms at the door.” In Booklist, John Charles remarked that Jordan “smartly deploys her skill for creating sensually charged romance and redhot passion.”
Jordan returns to the world of her young adult “Firelight” fantasy series with the adult fantasy prequel, A Fire in the Sky, which takes place 100 years before the Threshing that removed dragons from the world. Due to her remarkable healing ability, Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl to King Hamlin’s pampered princesses. When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, demands a princess to marry to solidify his protection of the northern border, the king sends Tamsyn in disguise. Surprisingly, Tamsyn and Fell discover a passion for one another. When they are attacked on their trip north, Tamsyn’s suppressed magical abilities emerge and she learns she can transform into a dragon. The story “contains a lot of popular romantasy tropes (including lots of spice), and fans of the genre will enjoy,” noted LynnDee Wathen in Booklist. The book has a compelling plot, “though it has several explicit scenes that are decidedly not YA, it ticks all the romantasy boxes,” a Kirkus Reviews critic commented.
[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, June 1, 2010, Krista Hutley, review of Firelight, pp. 50-51; October 1, 2011, Krista Hutley, review of Vanish, p. 84; October 15, 2013, John Charles, review of Foreplay, p. 23; March 15, 2016, John Charles, review of All Chained Up; January 1, 2016, Stacey Comfort, review of Reign of Shadows; February 15, 2023, John Charles, review of The Countess, p. 30; August 2024, LynnDee Wathen, review of A Fire in the Sky,” p. 46.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, October, 2010, Kate Quealy-Gainer, review of Firelight, pp. 78-79.
Daily Variety, September 20, 2010, Tatiana Siegel, “Stoking ‘Firelight’: Mandalay Picks Up Supernatural Novel,” p. 6.
Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2010, review of Firelight; August 1, 2011, review of Vanish; July 15, 2012, review of Hidden; June 15, 2013, review of How to Lose a Bride in One Night; November 15, 2013, review of Foreplay; December 15, 2013, review of Uninvited; December 15, 2014, review of Unleashed; December 15, 2015, review of Reign of Shadows; January 15, 2017, review of Rise of Fire; September 1, 2018, review of Beautiful Sinner; July 1, 2021, review of The Duke Goes Down; December 1, 2021, review of The Rake Gets Ravished; September 1, 2024, review of A Fire in the Sky.
Library Journal, December, 2015, Abby Bussen, review of Reign of Shadows; April 2020, Kathryn Howe, review of The Virgin and the Rogue, p. 73.
Publishers Weekly, February 9, 2009, review of Sins of a Wicked Duke, p. 38; August 23, 2010, review of Firelight, p. 51; October 25, 2010, review of Wicked Nights with a Lover, p. 35; September 16, 2013, review of Foreplay, p. 33; April 7, 2014, review of Tease, p. 50; September 1, 2014, review of Wild, p. 51; June 16, 2014, review of A Good Debutante’s Guide to Ruin; October 3, 2016, review of While the Duke Was Sleeping; August 27, 2018, review of Beautiful Sinner, p. 97; March 30, 2020, review of The Virgin and the Rogue, p. 48; May 17, 2021, review of The Duke Goes Down, p. 43; December 13, 2021, review of The Rake Gets Ravished, p. 60; January 9, 2023, review of The Countess, p. 53.
School Librarian, summer, 2011, Marianne Bradnock, review of Firelight, p. 119.
School Library Journal, November, 2010, Tara Kehoe, review of Firelight, p. 118; October, 2011, Angela J. Reynolds, review of Vanish, p. 138; April, 2014, Kristin Anderson, review of Uninvited, p. 168; December, 2014, Kristin Anderson, review of Unleashed, p. 134.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2010, Ava Ehde, review of Firelight, p. 367; February, 2012, Ava Ehde, review of Vanish, p. 610; August, 2012, Nancy K. Wallace, review of Hidden, p. 280; February, 2016, review of Reign of Shadows.
ONLINE
Backseat Nightmares, http://backseatnightmares.com/ (December 22, 2010), review of My Soul to Keep.
Best Reviews, http://thebestreviews.com/ (July 24, 2006), Harriet Klausner, review of Once upon a Wedding Night.
Bibliophilic Book Blog, http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/ (March 18, 2011), author interview.
Bookreview.com, http://www.bookreview.com/ (March 18, 2011), Harriet Klausner, review of Too Wicked to Tame.
Books and Things, http://melissawatercolor.blogspot.com/ (November 22, 2010), review of Haunted by Your Touch.
Bookworm’s Haven, http://abookwormshaven.com/ (September 6, 2010), review of Firelight.
BSC Review, http://www.bscreview.com/ (June 15, 2010), review of In Scandal They Wed.
Chick Lit Teens, http://www.chicklitteens.com/ (August 19, 2010), review of Firelight.
Curled Up with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (March 18, 2011), Helen Hancox, reviews of Surrender to Me, and One Night with You.
Cynsations Blog, http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/ (February 21, 2012), Cynthia Leitich Smith, interview with Jordan.
Dark Faerie Tales, http://darkfaerietales.com/ (September 22, 2010), review of Firelight.
Dear Author, http://dearauthor.com/ (September 25, 2008), review of Kiss of a Dark Moon.
Eater of Books, http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/ (November 1, 2017), review of Fury on Fire.
Electrifying Reviews, http://www.electrifyingreviews.com/ (September 15, 2010), author interview.
Examiner.com, http://www.examiner.com/ (September 24, 2010), Cassandra Yorgey, review of Firelight.
Fantastic Fiction, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (March 18, 2011), author profile.
Frenetic Reader, http://www.freneticreader.com/ (January 6, 2011), review of Firelight.
Fresh Fiction, http://freshfiction.com/ (December 17, 2008), Rachael Dimond, review of Kiss of a Dark Moon.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (November 1, 2017), review of Fury on Fire.
HarperTeen Website, http://www.harperteen.com/ (February 1, 2013), “Sophie Jordan Q&A.”
Heaven, Hell, & Purgatory, http://yafiction-heavenhellandpurgatory.blogspot.com/ (December 16, 2010), review of Firelight.
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read, http://www.sithereandread.com/ (October 8, 2010), review of Firelight.
Janicu’s Book Blog, http://janicu.wordpress.com/ (November 24, 2010), review of Firelight.
Night Owl Romance, http://www.nightowlromance.com/ (March 18, 2011), review of Haunted by Your Touch.
Once upon a Chapter, http://www.onceuponachapter.com/ (October 4, 2010), review of My Soul to Keep.
Pagan Book Reviews, http://paganbookreviews.com/ (September 12, 2008), review of Kiss of a Dark Moon.
RT Book Reviews, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (April 26, 2010), “Sophie Jordan Discusses Historical Romance Novel Then and Now”; (March 18, 2011), Jill M. Smith, reviews of Kiss of a Dark Moon, Marked by Moonlight, and To Crave a Blood Moon; (March 18, 2011), Cristina Merrill, review of My Soul to Keep; (March 18, 2011), Terri Dukes, review of Haunted by Your Touch; (March 18, 2011), Kathe Robin, reviews of Wicked Nights with a Lover, Sins of a Wicked Duke, Too Wicked to Tame, In Scandal They Wed, Surrender to Me, One Night with You, and Once upon a Wedding Night; (March 18, 2011), Kelly Brennan, review of Firelight.
Sharie Kohler Website, http://www.shariekohler.net (November 1, 2017).
SmexyBooks, http://smexybooks.com/ (November 1, 2017), review of Fury on Fire.
Sophie Jordan Website, http://www.sophiejordan.net (November 1, 2017).
Vampire Book Club, http://vampirebookclub.net/ (November 1, 2010), review of Firelight; (November 1, 2017), review of Reign of Shadows.
Wondrous Reads, http://www.wondrousreads.com/ (August 30, 2010), review of Firelight.*
Sophie Jordan
USA flag (b.1975)
aka Sharie Kohler
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History. A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love ANTIGONE, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, TOO WICKED TO TAME, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
And as if she's not busy enough, Sophie writes contemporary paranormals for Pocket under the name Sharie Kohler. Sophie resides in Houston with her family and loves to hear from readers.
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, Fantasy, Young Adult Romance, New Adult Romance
New and upcoming books
September 2024
thumb
A Fire in the Sky
(Fire in the Sky, book 1)October 2025
thumb
A Scar in the Bone
(Fire in the Sky, book 2)
Series
Derrings
1. Once Upon a Wedding Night (2006)
2. Too Wicked to Tame (2007)
3. One Night With You (2007)
4. Surrender to Me (2008)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
Moon Chasers
1. Marked by Moonlight (2007)
2. Kiss of a Dark Moon (2008) (as by Sharie Kohler)
3. To Crave a Blood Moon (2009) (as by Sharie Kohler)
4. My Soul to Keep (2010) (as by Sharie Kohler)
5. Night Falls on the Wicked (2011) (as by Sharie Kohler)
Darkest Temptation (2012) (as by Sharie Kohler)
6. A Soul So Wicked (2012) (as by Sharie Kohler)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumbthumb
Penwich School for Virtuous Girls
1. Sins of a Wicked Duke (2009)
2. In Scandal They Wed (2010)
3. Wicked Nights With a Lover (2010)
thumbthumbthumb
Firelight
1. Firelight (2010)
2. Vanish (2011)
3. Hidden (2012)
3.5. Breathless (2012)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
Forgotten Princesses
1. Wicked in Your Arms (2011)
2. Lessons from a Scandalous Bride (2012)
2.5. The Earl in My Bed (2013)
3. How to Lose a Bride in One Night (2013)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
Ivy Chronicles
1. Foreplay (2013)
2. Tease (2014)
3. Wild (2014)
thumbthumbthumb
Uninvited
1. Uninvited (2014)
2. Unleashed (2015)
thumbthumb
Debutante Files
1. A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin (2014)
1.5. An Heiress for All Seasons (2014)
2. All The Ways To Ruin a Rogue (2015)
thumbthumbthumb
Reign of Shadows
1. Reign of Shadows (2016)
2. Rise of Fire (2017)
thumbthumb
Devil's Rock
1. All Chained Up (2016)
2. Hell Breaks Loose (2016)
3. Fury on Fire (2017)
4. Beautiful Lawman (2017)
5. Beautiful Sinner (2018)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumb
Rogue Files
1. While the Duke Was Sleeping (2016)
2. The Scandal of It All (2017)
3. The Duke Buys a Bride (2018)
4. This Scot of Mine (2019)
5. The Duke's Stolen Bride (2019)
6. The Virgin and the Rogue (2020)
7. The Duke Effect (2020)
In Bed with the Stablemaster (2021)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumbthumbthumb
Duke Hunt
1. The Duke Goes Down (2021)
2. The Rake Gets Ravished (2022)
3. The Scoundrel Falls Hard (2022)
4. The Duke Starts a Scandal (2023)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
Scandalous Ladies of London
1. The Countess (2023)
2. The Duchess (2024)
thumbthumb
Fire in the Sky
1. A Fire in the Sky (2024)
2. A Scar in the Bone (2025)
thumbthumb
Novels
The Me I Meant to Be (2019)
Kissing Lessons (2020)
Sixteen Scandals (2021)
thumbthumbthumb
Collections
Haunted by Your Touch (2010) (with Shayla Black and Jeaniene Frost (as by Sharie Kohler) )
The Between the Covers (2013) (with others)
Fifty First Times (2014) (with others)
Off Base (2015) (with Tessa Bailey)
Glamour (2017) (with others)
How the Dukes Stole Christmas (2019) (with others)
thumbthumbthumbthumb
thumbthumb
Novellas and Short Stories
In a Stranger's Bed (2022)
thumb
Series contributed to
Naughty Brits
Naughty Brits (2020) (with others)
thumb
Omnibus editions hide
Origins (2011) (with Kresley Cole (as by Sharie Kohler) and Gena Showalter)
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed a natural choice. After several years teaching high school students to love ANTIGONE, Sophie decided it was time to pursue her long-held dream of writing. Two years later, she landed her first publishing contract.
Her first book, ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT, was a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical. Her second novel, TOO WICKED TO TAME, released in March 2007 with a bang - landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List. A few books later marked her first appearance on the New York Times bestseller list with the release of IN SCANDAL THEY WED.
And as if she's not busy enough, Sophie writes young adult fiction for HarperTeen and contemporary paranormals for Pocket. Sophie resides in Houston with her family and loves to hear from readers. To learn the latest information about Sophie and her books, follow her on facebook and twitter.
Beautiful Lawman
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $7.99 mass market (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-266656-7
Jordan's thoroughly enjoyable fourth Devil's Rock contemporary (after All Chained Up) brings family drama to the tiny town of Sweet Hill, Tex. Tenacious Piper's parents were famously terrible, so she doesn't expect the last name Walsh to get her anything in Sweet Hill but bad looks, false rumors, and a whole lot of trouble. Steely Sheriff Hale Walters is familiar with the Walsh family, but he doesn't let that--or the ice water Piper dumps in his lap--cloud his judgment regarding the young woman. Once he realizes his initial impression of her was wrong and his attraction to Piper intensifies, he reluctantly invokes his rule against dating women in his jurisdiction. Despite Piper's protests, he continues to find ways to assist her and her younger sister (of whom Piper is the legal guardian), and the constant interactions make it difficult for him and Piper to stay on opposite sides of the line they've drawn. Heat-loving readers will enjoy Hale's naughty, sexy side; he's a welcome reprieve from the usual tightly wound and inhibited sheriff character. Piper's dedication to her family balances out her rough edges. A twist here and turn there make this heady tale very fulfilling. Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Associates. (Jan.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Beautiful Lawman." Publishers Weekly, vol. 264, no. 43, 23 Oct. 2017, p. 69. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A512184191/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b74cb6b9. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie BEAUTIFUL LAWMAN Avon/HarperCollins (Adult Fiction) $7.99 12, 26 ISBN: 978-0-06-266656-7
A reluctant stripper gives her first lap dance to a small-town sheriff in this old-school tongue-in-cheek romance.
Piper Walsh doesn't want to work at a strip club, but it's the only job she can get in the small town of Sweet Hill, where everyone knows that her brother was arrested for murder. She's embarrassed when Hale Walters, the town's new sheriff, summons her to the police department to collect her teenage sister after a night of mischief. She's even more embarrassed when a bachelor party brings Hale to Piper's club--and she lands right on his lap. But their attraction is undeniable, and this good boy might be better for the bad girl than she thinks. Although the story addresses issues of poverty and sexual harassment through a contemporary lens, it does so without losing the joy of a woman finding a chivalrous man (aka a male ally) right when she could use a change of scenery. When Piper says something wonderful like "you don't own me...or my vagina" but moves in with him anyway, and Hale grabs her and says "this is mine" soon after agreeing not to pursue her romantically so as not to ruin her employment options, readers will be right there with her. No explanation needed. Sure, Hale "saves" her a couple of times, but he's a cop; it's his job. Piper throws a couple of good punches in this story, and that's what counts. There's a scene in which the wife of a lap-dance recipient confronts Piper that is laugh-out-loud funny, and the moment when Piper realizes people are rooting for her rather than judging her is something every woman, at some point in her life, has needed to hear.
Hilarious, sexy, and great fun.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: BEAUTIFUL LAWMAN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A516024680/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6343a74d. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE Avon/HarperCollins (Adult Fiction) $7.99 7, 24 ISBN: 978-0-06-246364-7
A duke tries to free a poor woman from a bride auction, but they both have trouble letting go.
Marcus, the fifth Duke of Autenberry, has just woken up in jail in a small Scottish village after a night of debauchery. Alyse Bell is about to dissolve her marriage of convenience to her late father's friend so they can both marry other people. When Alyse's fiance stands her up, her current husband uses a legal loophole to auction her off to the highest bidder in the town square. While Marcus watches the auctioneer extol Alyse's virtues in a thick regional dialect--"She can work yer farm, run a 'ouse, and care fer bairns"--he thinks of how best to save the young woman from slavery. And the answer is that he can't. So he buys her himself. Instead of a forced marriage, he offers her a job as housekeeper at Kilmarkie House on the Black Isle. It's nowhere near London, where she wants to go, but at least she'll get to see some dolphins. As the two strangers travel to the estate together, their close proximity puts them in danger of turning their fake marriage into a binding contract--or worse, true love. With a country setting and a hero with rough hands, this Cinderella story really emphasizes the cinders. Luckily, they're hot. Alyse doesn't dream of fancy balls and beautiful gowns; she dreams about having a choice about where she lives and what she does with her life. The author's sly humor softens what could be a grim situation for the purchased bride and turns it into a grand adventure.
The down-to-earth duke is the highlight of this muddy, messy, and very romantic road trip through Scotland.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE DUKE BUYS A BRIDE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A543009003/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1811c3f3. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie BEAUTIFUL SINNER Avon/HarperCollins (Adult Fiction) $7.99 10, 30 ISBN: 978-0-06-266659-8
In the fifth book in the Devil's Rock series, a journalist is trapped in a closet with her high school crush--an ex-felon.
Years ago, Cruz Walsh went to prison to protect his sister. Now he's back home in Sweet Hill, exonerated of his crime. Gabriella Rossi has never forgotten the steamy kiss Cruz once gave her in a dark corner of a boathouse, thinking she was someone else. But innocent or not, a man who once confessed to murdering her cousin isn't the kind of man she thinks she should bring home. Nor can she flirt with Cruz if she hopes to interview him for the Austin Daily Reporter, where her jerk of a boss is also her ex-boyfriend. Besides, Cruz is too physically fit to be interested in a girl whose nickname in high school was "Flabby Gabby." But when she and Cruz are accidentally trapped together in the custodian's closet at their old school, Cruz makes another shocking confession: He's had feelings for Gabriella all along. Between Gabriella's trash-talking family members and town pests with camera phones, Cruz's prison cell proves to be much easier to escape than his bad reputation. But as he patiently pursues the woman he loves, the beautiful sinner proves himself to be a saint. And Jordan (Beautiful Lawman, 2017, etc.) makes a strong case for body positivity when Cruz convinces Gabriella--with artful dirty talk--to leave the lights on as they make up for lost time.
The would-be high school sweethearts prove that being locked up is much hotter when you're with the one you love--a bold and lusty installment in the series.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: BEAUTIFUL SINNER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A552175382/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8418103d. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Beautiful Sinner
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $7.99 mass market (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-266659-8
First crushes get a second chance in Jordan's explosively sexy second Devil's Rock contemporary western romance (after Beautiful Lawman). Reporter Gabriella "Gabby" Rossi returned to Sweet Hill, Tex., to help her grandmother; as soon as her work is done, she's heading back to Austin. Not even Cruz Walsh, the high school hottie she could never forget, is going to change her mind. Gabby's no doormat, but she still struggles with self-esteem issues stemming from high school bullying, while Cruz tries to rebuild his life after serving time for a crime he didn't commit. Gabby's boss insists she get the scoop on Cruz's story, despite his refusal to be interviewed. Gabby wants to further her career, but not at the expense of Cruz's happiness. Jordan is brilliant at creating vivid descriptions and using flashbacks to connect the lovers. Old wounds reopen, jealousy reigns, and skeletons burst from the closets, while the foreplay is hotter than Texas summers. Cruz and Gabby are tremendously likable, together and separately, and their unknowingly mutual crush and deep emotional bond will place this masterpiece at the top of any romance reader's list.
Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Beautiful Sinner." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 35, 27 Aug. 2018, p. 97. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A553116281/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0169bd79. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE ME I MEANT TO BE HMH Books (Young Adult Fiction) $17.99 1, 1 ISBN: 978-1-328-97706-9
Texan best friends Willa and Flor both break "girl code" as they deal with personal crises, heartache, and love.
Sweet, loyal Willa Evans knows how to pretend. She has secretly loved her football-player neighbor Zach Tucker for so long even her bestie, popular, athletic beauty Flor Hidalgo, has no clue. Zach and Flor broke up nine days earlier, and Willa doesn't want her relief to show. Instead, Willa, Flor, and their rebellious friend Jenna decide to start an "official girl-code manual." Almost immediately, Willa breaks rule No. 1, "never date a friend's ex," when she ends up in a dark closet with Zach, while Flor keeps secrets about her increasingly chaotic home life (her mother abandoned the family, and her single father has started dating someone barely older than she) and her developing feelings for her smart and sexy new math tutor, Grayson O'Malley. While the book will please fans of "friends to more" and "opposites attract" romances, it barely passes the Bechdel test. Willa, who's white and middle class, and Flor, who's half-white, half-Mexican and conspicuously rich, talk more about boys and dating than anything substantive. Both love interests are white. The dual perspective may be necessary, but Flor's narrative is more nuanced and the chemistry in her banter-filled romance more exciting; Willa's gets steamy too quickly to offer much tension.
Two love stories for the price of one fun, but predictable, story. (Fiction.14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE ME I MEANT TO BE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A557887117/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6d4e33fd. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie. The Me I Meant to Be. HMH Books for Young Readers, January 2019. 304p. $17.99. 978-1-328-97706-9.
4Q * 5P * J * S * NA (a)
Senior Willa Evans is the quiet type, and her best friends, Flor Hidalgo, Jenna, and Farah, are loyal to the core. They have no idea that Zach Tucker--Willa's next-door neighbor and Flors boyfriend--is Willa's secret crush. The girls agree to try to restore Flor's relationship with Zach after he ends it without an explanation. When Ava, a less loyal friend, goes after Zach, the friends establish an "official girl code manual," the first rule of which is "Never date a friend's ex or a guy your friend is really into." Flor has other problems, too. Her mother ran away a year ago, and her wealthy father has a new companion only eight years older than Flor who plans to move in. Furthermore, despite her phenomenal soccer skills, Flors college plans are in jeopardy because of her failing grades. In order to improve, Flor hires cute and brainy senior Grayson to tutor her. All connections become more complicated when Willa discovers that Zach is actually attracted to her, and Flor develops unexpected feelings for Grayson. Willa struggles to remain loyal to Flor, while her strong feelings for Zach threaten to destroy their friendship.
Written in diary format with alternating chapters for Willa and Flor, The Me I Meant to Be is fast paced and compelling, thanks to distinct voices for the two main characters. The teens mature as they maneuver between friendship boundaries and romantic attractions, leading to the final girl code rule: "Remember true friends are to be forever." Powerhouse author Jordan seems to have another winner in her nineteenth teen romance.--Laura Woodruff.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Woodruff, Laura. "Jordan, Sophie. The Me I Meant to Be." Voice of Youth Advocates, vol. 41, no. 5, Dec. 2018, p. 68. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A571836485/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d50db7ab. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THIS SCOT OF MINE Avon/HarperCollins (Adult Fiction) $7.99 3, 12 ISBN: 978-0-06-246366-1
Superstition meets scandal in the fourth book of Jordan's Rogue Files series (The Me I Meant To Be, 2019, etc.).
By the time Lady Clara Autenberry makes it to her brother's house in Scotland, everyone in London society will know her secret: Clara is pregnant, and the baby is not her fiance's. Though Clara is ruined for life, Laird Hunt MacLarin proposes to marry her for a kooky reason: He's cursed. No man in his family has ever lived to see the birth of his firstborn child. Hunt has bided his time, sleeping with a barren woman who doesn't need a commitment, but when he meets Clara, he knows he wants more. With a curse-free child on the way, Clara can give Hunt the family he's always wanted--at least until he quarantines himself to avoid baby No. 2. But the truth is, there is no baby. Clara lied to her entire family, insisting she'd rather be a spinster than spend the rest of her life with her cruel fiance. When she finds out about the curse, she decides to marry Hunt anyway, get pregnant, and prove to him that the curse isn't real. But the curse makes a believer of Clara when she gets pregnant for real and mysterious accidents start to befall her husband. Hunt didn't exactly agree to die for her, but his fear of his impending doom imbues their romance with a spirit of carpe diem. As with previous books in the series, the Scottish accents and coastal location--complete with dolphins--add texture to the historical setting. A surprising development with Clara's beautiful young lady's companion, Marian, hints at what's to come in the next series installment.
The man in peril is a fun spin on the usual damsel in distress, leading to many heart-pounding moments.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THIS SCOT OF MINE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A573768909/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=da240131. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
This Scot of Mine
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $7.99 mass market (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-246366-1
In Jordan's satisfying fourth Rogue Files Regency (after The Duke Buys a Bride), a Scottish laird burdened by a family curse tries to avoid death by avoiding love. Lady Clara Autenberry, a duke's daughter who's about to marry the dangerous Earl of Rolland, gets out of her betrothal by convincing Rolland she's pregnant by another man. Her reputation in London now ruined, she moves to her brother's home in Scotland to live out her life. Her brother's friend Laird Hunt MacLarin, who becomes infatuated with her after he encounters her in a roadside inn, hears of her situation and thinks it might be the loophole he needs: if she bears another man's child, he won't be subject to the curse that kills each Laird MacLarins between when he sires an heir and when the heir is born. He proposes to her, and they marry--but then she confesses that she's not pregnant after all, and Hunt and Clara must try to find a way to break the curse. The balance of heat and suspense will delight Regency romance readers. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"This Scot of Mine." Publishers Weekly, vol. 266, no. 4, 28 Jan. 2019, p. 77. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A572145959/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=90355178. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE DUKE'S STOLEN BRIDE Avon/HarperCollins (Adult Fiction) $7.99 8, 23 ISBN: 978-0-06-288543-2
To prevent an impoverished governess from marrying the wrong man, a duke lives up to his bad reputation and steals her away.
Marian Langley is crouched under a table, hiding from one of her creditors, when she first bumps into Nate, the so-called "depraved" Duke of Warrington. She's heard rumors that he hides courtesans in his home, but at least he lets Marian hide under his table until her creditor leaves. Rather than marry an unappealing rich man to settle her debt, Marian asks Nate to train her in the art of seduction so she can become a courtesan and live on her own terms. Her one condition is that he can't deflower her--she's saving that honor for the highest bidder once she's skilled. At first, Nate isn't interested in ruining a nice girl's prospects. His own beloved wife is dead, and his loneliness requires professional help. But he'll do it to win a bet with his man of affairs. Nate and Marian agree to be discreet, but their lessons quickly pick up steam, and it's not long before someone uncovers their secret. To protect her from ruin, Nate abandons his plans, follows his heart, and insists on marrying her. But before she can claim her happily-ever-after, Marian will have to settle her debt to an unhappy creditor. She isn't exactly a free woman now, but she is much less inhibited. And despite his reputation for depravity, Nate proves his true skill as a lover by following her lead.
Depravity is no match for true love in this sweet and steamy read.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE DUKE'S STOLEN BRIDE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2019, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599964547/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=481e015e. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
The Virgin and the Rogue
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $7.99 mass market
(368p) ISBN 978-0-06-288544-9
A powerful aphrodisiac drives the smoldering sixth Regency in Jordan's Rogue Files series (after The Duke's Stolen Bride). Charlotte Langley's romance with her childhood friend William Pembroke had a hiccup when she and her sisters, Marian and Nora, briefly lost everything after the death of their father, but now that Marian is married to the wealthy Duke of Warrington, Charlotte and William's engagement is back on. Their relationship is comfortable, chaste, and boring. Enter Kingston, illegitimate stepbrother to the duke and a known rogue. His visit to his stepbrother's estate happens to coincide with Nora, an herbalist, accidentally mixing Charlotte a cordial that makes her overcome with lust. Their steamy first encounter escalates into a torrid affair as the effects of the love potion linger. What little plot breaks up the sex scenes follows a predictable formula, but Charlotte and Kingston's chemistry and the welcome humor Jordan weaves throughout will keep readers turning the pages. This erotically charged historical romance packs a passionate punch. Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Virgin and the Rogue." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 13, 30 Mar. 2020, p. 48. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622904590/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a90f88c8. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie. The Virgin and the Rogue. Avon. (Rogue Files, Bk. 6). May 2020.368p. ISBN 9780062885449. pap. $7.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Charlotte Langley has always considered herself the most timid and boring of her three sisters. Then one night, just weeks before marrying her dull childhood friend, she accidentally drinks a tonic that causes her to become uncontrollably aroused. Whilst under the influence, she accosts Kingston, her brother-in-law's roguish stepbrother, and does unspeakable things to him (not that he minds). The next morning she's horrified, while Kingston is intrigued, realizing she's not the stuffy miss he originally assumed she was. Charlotte is convinced that her attraction to Kingston is purely the effect of the tonic, but her insistence on the matter only convinces Kingston that there's a genuine attraction between them. In time, Charlotte begins questioning her motives for marrying her humdrum fiance, and begins to see herself as a woman of passion. VERDICT A light and enjoyable comedy of errors from best-selling Jordan (The Duke's Stolen Bride); this reads like a sexier version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Howe, Kathryn. "Jordan, Sophie. The Virgin and the Rogue." Library Journal, vol. 145, no. 4, Apr. 2020, p. 73. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A619849067/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c1eb5ff6. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie KISSING LESSONS HMH Books (Teen None) $17.99 6, 2 ISBN: 978-1-328-97707-6
A teen with a promiscuous reputation is hired for lessons on seduction and falls for her client’s brother.
Independent 18-year-old Hayden Vargas looks forward to leaving behind her judgmental high school classmates and neglectful mother to pursue her dream of becoming a tattoo artist. Every penny counts toward her dream, and when Emmaline Martin offers her money to teach her how to attract boys, Hayden struggles to turn her down. Popular classmate Nolan Martin has made it his mission to care for his family since his father’s death, so when he notices his younger sister, Emmaline, hanging out with Travis High School’s bad girl, he becomes suspicious and overprotective. But his attempts at intervention only result in him growing fonder of Hayden, who surprises him as she opens up. Points of view mainly shift between Hayden and Nolan but also focus, less frequently, on Emmaline and Beau—Nolan’s best friend, whose reputation at school mirrors Hayden’s. Despite cookie-cutter characterization, Jordan’s handling of themes surrounding teen relationships, such as the double standard of girls being sluts versus boys being players, is honest. The only kissing lessons involve girls practicing on one another at a sleepover, which later leads two of them to explore their mutual attraction. The sweetness of the happy ending does not make up for its abruptness, unfortunately. Characters are assumed white except for Hayden, who is cued as Latinx.
A steamy, straight-to-Netflix teen romance. (Fiction. 14-17)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: KISSING LESSONS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A620267941/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2b1e15bf. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE DUKE EFFECT Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $6.79 10, 27 ISBN: 978-0-06-288545-6
A powerful aphrodisiac upends a battle of wills between a taciturn colonel and a prickly herbalist.
Col. Constantine Sinclair was orphaned at a young age and raised by his uncle, the powerful Duke of Birchwood. Commissioned into the army as a young man, Con has been away from England for half his life. In the past year, all three of Birchwood’s sons died in freak accidents, and Con finds himself in line to inherit the dukedom. Upon returning home, he discovers his beloved aunt suffering from a painful but mysterious illness. Con travels to the countryside to ask a doctor he’s been corresponding with for assistance only to discover that the doctor is dead and his daughter has been impersonating him. Nora Langley was trained by her father and sees no harm in continuing his correspondence; after all, the only thing that prevents her from attending medical school is her gender. Determined to prove to Con that she is not a liar and charlatan, she follows him back to London, hoping to alleviate his aunt’s pain and suffering. After her normal remedies fail, Nora tells Con her most potent tincture has an unfortunate side effect: It’s a powerful aphrodisiac. Jordan’s aphrodisiac makes a second appearance in the Rogue Files series, functioning as an interesting metaphor for how people trapped by society’s rules can’t admit their deepest desires. However, the pacing of the story is uneven; the setup is complex and carefully fashioned compared to the quick, almost abrupt ending.
Interesting premise and likable characters shine despite a rushed conclusion.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE DUKE EFFECT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A638166045/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=04930b78. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie SIXTEEN SCANDALS HMH Books (Teen None) $17.99 5, 25 ISBN: 978-0-358-20621-7
A young woman in Regency London finds her place in society through a chance encounter.
It’s 1821, and Primrose Ainsworth has just turned 16, but her prospects of improving her boring life are dim. As the youngest of four sisters in a modestly comfortable family, pale, freckled, redhead Prim is in turn reviled and ignored by her siblings and her ambitious mother, whose one desire is to marry off her daughters to rich suitors. Prim is abandoned at home on her birthday when her mother and sisters venture to Bond Street for an expensive shopping trip. One benefit of this situation is that Prim is left to her own devices—so when she chooses to join light-brown–skinned, black-haired Olympia Zaher, her sophisticated, glamorous friend, on a nocturnal adventure to that den of iniquity Vauxhall Gardens, no one is watching. Prim’s mother disapproves of the Zahers, mother and daughter, whom she regards with suspicion as foreigners from Andalusia. Armed with masks for disguise and adventurous attitudes, the two girls head for the forbidden playground. Exciting chases and near misses abound as Prim is dramatically rescued from several scrapes by a mysterious and exceedingly handsome stranger. Prim’s feminist spirit and determination to rise above her station will resonate with modern readers who feel trapped in difficult family situations.
“Cinderella” meets Pride and Prejudice, and the result is a delight. (Historical romance. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: SIXTEEN SCANDALS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A656696400/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ba4827a6. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE DUKE GOES DOWN Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $7.99 7, 27 ISBN: 978-0-06-303563-8
Jordan begins her new series, The Duke Hunt, with an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Peregrine Butler used to be the Duke of Penning until it was discovered that his mother gave birth to him before his parents were married, making him only the illegitimate son of the former Duke. Now, he lives with his mother in Shropshire while seeking an heiress to marry. Imogen Bates, daughter of the local vicar, has known Perry since they were children, and they have never gotten along. Imogen holds a strong grudge against him for mean words she once overheard him saying about her, and she now feels compelled to protect the other ladies in Shropshire from this arrogant man. She starts unflattering rumors about him, but when he discovers and confronts her, she begins to realize there is more to him than she thought. Perry felt adrift after having lost his title, but he starts finding himself again when he’s with Imogen, forcing him to reevaluate his future plans. Perry and Imogen are such flawed characters that it can be hard to feel invested in their story. As they warm to each other and their chemistry fires up, it becomes more interesting, but the shift from enemies to lovers feels too abrupt, and the pair's final conflict is more exhausting than climactic. Still, Jordan's writing is often lovely, the setting is charming, and there are intriguing secondary characters who will hopefully get their tales told.
Not the best series start, but there’s promise for better future installments.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE DUKE GOES DOWN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667042269/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ce95b74a. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $7.99 mass market (352p), ISBN 978-0-06-303563-8
Jordan (Rogue Effect) launches the Duke Hunt Victorian romance series with an enticing premise and a dashing hero who suffers from an ill-matched eventual partner. When it's discovered that Peregrine Butler's parents married after his birth, making him illegitimate, Perry is stripped of the title of Duke of Penning. Forced to move out of his ancestral manor as a gentleman with no title and no income, he returns to his hometown of Shropshire in the hopes of marrying well. But the local vicar's daughter, Imogen Bates, has different plans for Perry. She's holding on to a 10-year-old grudge after overhearing a wildly unkind discussion of her flaws between Perry and his mates when they were teenagers. Ruining his prospects feels like satisfactory revenge--until both she and Perry realize that their mutual animosity hides a passion worth exploring. Readers will wish for a deeper focus on how Perry's sudden loss of title changes him for the better and will long to see a softer side of judgmental Imogen, who takes her revenge pretty far. Diehard fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope may forgive this flawed couple, but others will hope for greater compatibility in future installments. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella. Don Congdon Assoc. (July)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Duke Goes Down." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 20, 17 May 2021, p. 43. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A663389356/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b54999ee. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE RAKE GETS RAVISHED Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $8.99 2, 22 ISBN: 978-0-06-303567-6
The friends-to-lovers trope is inverted in the second installment of The Duke Hunt series.
When Mercy Kittinger visits The Rogue's Den, a London gaming hell, to steal back the voucher promising the Kittingers' farm and home, which her brother gambled away, owner Silas Masters catches her in his room. Acting as if she was there to seduce him, she realizes she indeed wants to do just that. After a passionate night of lovemaking, she sneaks away before he awakes, voucher in hand, believing she'll never see him again. When Silas realizes Mercy stole from him, he's angry but still determined to find her. He arrives at her country home and demands to stay until she knows whether or not she is with child. As they wait, a friendship naturally develops in the forced proximity. They have both experienced loneliness and had difficult childhoods that forced them to become responsible at a young age. Now, they discover the joy of companionship and support while their attraction continues to sizzle. Mercy and Silas are both soft-hearted people with tough exteriors. They are highly deserving of one another, and the ways they care for each other as their feelings grow are lovely. Big conflicts near the end don't fit with the introspective tone of the rest of the book, but they're exciting nonetheless. The country setting is a nice change of pace from the typical ballroom-set historical romances.
A satisfying romance between hardworking characters who ease each other's loneliness.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE RAKE GETS RAVISHED." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A684108551/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a912cdb5. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $8.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-303567-6
Jordan's deliciously scandalous second Duke Hunt romance (after The Duke Goes Down) returns to a vision of the Regency era where sin is in. A spinster at 26, farmer's daughter Mercy Kittinger is burdened with raising her 17-year-old sister, Grace, and cleaning up after her good-for-nothing twin brother, Bede, whose idea of a good time entails losing the family house and lands in a London gaming hall. Mercy's not about to let her livelihood go without a fight, so she makes her way to town to confront Silas Masters, the hall's attractive owner, and get their assets back--through seduction and theft if necessary. To say their first meeting is explosive is putting it mildly, but the real trouble starts when the unflappable and rather stubborn Silas follows Mercy home and shows no sign of leaving. While Silas tends to avoid romance thanks to a complicated past, Mercy captures his interest beyond all reason. Though familiar fare, the decadent seduction scenes and sex-positive message are sure to draw readers in, and the realistically drawn characters and passionate love story will hold their interest. This is a treat. Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Rake Gets Ravished." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 51, 13 Dec. 2021, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A688057680/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bed598e5. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE SCOUNDREL FALLS HARD Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $8.99 8, 23 ISBN: 978-0-06-303571-3
A lady blacksmith and a scoundrel plan for a temporary marriage of convenience and find themselves wanting forever instead.
Kellan Fox learned to be a swindler and a thief from his father. Most recently, Da posed as the Duke of Penning and Kellan as his eligible heir. When the real duke appears and their ruse is discovered, the villagers of Shropshire call for Kellan's hanging. He's saved by local blacksmith Gwen Cully. Gwen doesn't condone the scoundrel's actions, but she thinks death is an extreme punishment. On impulse, as the mob is about to hang him, she calls out that they can't kill him because she loves him, even though he's actually a stranger. To save face, the pair secretly agree to marry for one year. They'll be platonic, and he'll help at the smithy. The sham wedding is only three weeks away, but as time ticks closer, they both find themselves wanting to throw aside the platonic rule as they start falling in love for real. Gwen is a captivating heroine. She's independent and physically strong, yet there's a part of her that still craves being cared for and adored. Kellan is a great match for her and has his own journey of self-discovery as he moves outside of his father's expectations. And yet, despite chapters beginning with a countdown to the wedding, there's no sense of urgency or any real depth. The plotting feels phoned-in for much of the story, and even the emotions feel repetitive, making it hard for the reader to be invested.
Appealing characters can't save a dull story.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE SCOUNDREL FALLS HARD." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A711906379/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c37dae5b. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $16.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-0-06-327070-1
Bestseller Jordan (the Duke Hunt series) will have readers rooting for adultery with this risque and alluring series launch. Lady Gertrude "Tru" Chatham plans to help her daughrer, Delia, navigate London's Marriage Mart successfully, until her estranged, greedy husband declares that he has already picked Delia's match and demands she marry for money rather than love. Jasper Thorne is the wealthy chosen suitor, himself in need of a titled bride ro help raise his 10-year-old daughter. Jasper's on board with the scheme until he meets Tru and falls not for his intended, but for her mother. Only four years Tru's junior, Jasper is drawn to her fire and voluptuous curves. Tru is equally fascinated by the handsome and flirtatious newcomer, but she doesn't want to hurt Delia or stoop to the levels of her unfaithful husband. Not one to back down, Jasper goes after what he wants but is careful with Tru's reputation, concocting a plan with Delia that will save them both from bad circumstances. Jordan conjures such chemistry between Tru and Jasper--and makes Lord Chatham so odious--that readers will leave any qualms at the door. The tantalizing struggle between love and honor at the hearr of this delectable romance keeps the pages flying. Agent: Maura E Kye-Casella. Don Congdon Assoc. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 2, 9 Jan. 2023, p. 53. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A733607219/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1a4adcd1. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE SCANDALOUS LADIES OF LONDON Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $19.99 3, 28 ISBN: 9780063270701
Delia's mom has got it going on.
Lady Gertrude, the Countess of Chatham--known in the ton as the Cold Countess--is pleased. Her daughter, Cordelia, has debuted and has already merited a mention in a gossip rag sure to attract attention. The Countess, or Tru to her friends, knows how to play high society's games, and she'd rather use her skills to help her daughter land in a happy marriage than focus on her own loneliness. Unfortunately, that same mention has reminded her absent lout of a husband that he has a daughter he might use to generate an infusion of funds, and though the season has barely begun, the Earl of Chatham immediately arranges for Delia to marry Jasper Thorne, who "has very deep pockets" but lacks a title and a wife. Tru prepares to push Jasper from their lives, but on meeting him, she finds that from behind he is "virile and strong," and from the front, he's the same man who propositioned her just the evening before. It turns out that Jasper wants to marry because he has a 10-year-old daughter in need of a mother, but despite the potential consequences, he is compelled to keep pursuing Tru. He even arranges with Delia--who has no wish to marry him--to pretend there's a continued suit between them so he can visit the Chathams' country house simply for the chance to seduce Tru; after an entire adulthood in a loveless marriage, this means Tru finally has the chance to experience real affection and passion. But despite their magnetic attraction, she remains the Countess, and he remains in need of an actual wife--making their happily-ever-after dependent on fate alone. This is the first entry in a new series for Jordan, and it's a strong start built on a slow burn and a forbidden love. Though the ending feels a bit contrived, the rest of the story is fresh and engaging, and Jordan writes a more mature heroine thoughtfully. The rest of the scandalous ladies of the series are seemingly introduced throughout the book, which slows it down at times but is rewarding in the end--and fans of this installment will look forward to reading their stories next.
A countess falls for her daughter's beau in a surprising and charming Regency romance.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE SCANDALOUS LADIES OF LONDON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A735117989/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e32a5b7e. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess. By Sophie Jordan. Mar. 2023. 400p. Avon, paper, $19.99 (9780063270701); e-book (9780063270718).
Soon after marrying the earl of Chatham, Lady Gertrude "Tru" Chatham discovered her new husband was more interested in her dowry than Tru herself. So, almost 20 years later, when Tru learns her husband is arranging for their daughter, Cordelia, to marry Jasper Thorne to benefit his own pockets rather than to secure Cordelia's future romantic happiness, Tru decides to take action. After gathering all the societal intel she can find on him, Tru arranges a meeting with Jasper to convince him to set his matrimonial sights elsewhere. However, all this information doesn't prepare Tru for the fact that upon meeting Jasper, she discovers the man who wishes to marry her daughter also happens to be the same stranger who propositioned Tru the night before. For the launch of her latest Regency-set series, Jordan (The Rake Gets Ravished, 2022) smartly deploys her skill for creating sensually charged romance and redhot passion while at the same time giving a cheeky nod to two popular television series that feature housewives, both real and desperate, with her entertainingly sudsy cast of female characters.--John Charles
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Charles, John. "The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 12, 15 Feb. 2023, pp. 30+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A738954363/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=19a6e05a. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE DUKE STARTS A SCANDAL Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $9.99 10, 24 ISBN: 9780063035751
A duke with a secret past meets a housekeeper with a secret past.
From the beginning, they both know better than to be attracted to each other. Susanna Lockhart has been the housekeeper to the Duke of Penning for years, quite an honor at the young age of 28. A woman of "humble roots and precarious background," she's unable to return home due to one reckless mistake in her youth, so she's been content to busy herself with a life of proper work. Until now. Lucian, the unexpected new Duke of Penning, is a bit harder to ignore than the previous duke--he's both more attractive, and more arrogant, despite having come from an impoverished background. Like Susanna, he's also trying to stay focused, on two things in particular: first, keeping hidden his past as a young man who "peddled his flesh for coin," and second, making good matches for his young sisters so that they can live comfortably. Both Susanna and Lucian require nothing less than perfection to make good on their second chances at respectability, and they have it. That changes when the duke's valet is put temporarily out of commission, Susanna needs to attend to the duke in his stead, and their carefully tended boundaries start to collapse. Before long, their chemistry is evident to everyone around them, but it takes several twists of fate for them to overcome their fears of a scandal and be together. The final entry in Jordan's Duke Hunt quartet is just about as steamy as the earlier volumes, and adds a new twist by introducing both a heroine and a hero who fear ruination. Unfortunately, though it's an intriguing concept and there are some potentially interesting side plots, the story remains largely superficial and doesn't engage with the characters as deeply as it could have. Jordan's fans will find plenty to appreciate, though, and it's still an enjoyable, albeit somewhat uneven, Regency.
A slow build of a historical romance that ignites but doesn't fully burn.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE DUKE STARTS A SCANDAL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A760508376/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8f84b6d3. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie. The Duke Starts a Scandal. Avon. (Duke Hunt, Bk. 4). Oct. 2023.352p. ISBN 9780063035751. pap. $9.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Scandalous pasts and forbidden love collide in the final installment of the "Duke Hunt" series, after The Scoundrel Falls Hard. Susanna Lockhart has been the housekeeper at Penning Hall for 11 years. When the new duke, Lucian, arrives, she is put to the test and her job is in danger. While still attempting to keep her past hidden and avoid her feelings for Lucian, Susanna is determined to change his mind about sacking her. Lucian wants to establish a respectable life for himself and his family, away from his checkered past. He's on the hunt for a duchess but only has eyes for Susanna, the one woman he cannot marry. The story and characters develop quickly, keeping readers engaged as tension is built between the characters, whom Jordan crafts to fit the romance mold but to have unique, dynamic backstories that create intrigue and add depth to the novel. VERDICT For fans of the series, this book is a stunning finale and perfect for readers looking for a steamy novel. Those who enjoy alluring historical romances won't be disappointed. -- Jenn Laskosky
DEBUT OF THE MONTH
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Laskosky, Jenn. "The Duke Starts a Scandal." Library Journal, vol. 148, no. 8, Aug. 2023, p. 72. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A759873665/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5a5649e8. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie. The Duchess. Avon. (The Scandalous Ladies of London, Bk. 2). Mar. 2024.400p. ISBN 9780063270749. pap. $19.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE
In the second book of the "Scandalous Ladies of London" series (after The Countess), Jordan focuses on Valencia, the widowed Duchess of Dedham. Her late husband was a high-status but terrible person, so after the customary year of mourning, Valencia decides to enjoy her freedom. Just as she's working up the nerve, her husband's distant relative Rhain arrives, sisters and mother in tow, to take over his title. Valencia seems destined to spend the rest of her life in a remote dower house until she strikes a deal with the handsome but seemingly humorless Rhain to get his sisters ready for society. Along the way, Valencia and Rhain begin to fall for each other, but Valencia is understandably wary of remarriage. Like The Countess, this novel doesn't flinch away from the ugly underbelly of the upper crust. It features some tough moments, including violence against Valencia by her late husband, but it also has a strong dash of drama that makes the book hard to put down. VERDICT The second entry in Jordan's high-society historical romance series is a grimmer tale than the first, but the deserving heroine's HEA will satisfy.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Kobiela-Mondor, Jenny. "The Duchess." Library Journal, vol. 148, no. 12, Dec. 2023, p. 82. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A776316925/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3153e308. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie THE DUCHESS Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $19.99 3, 26 ISBN: 9780063270749
A young dowager duchess falls in love with another Duke of Dedham.
Valencia, Dowager Duchess of Dedham, is ready to enjoy life. After several difficult years with her husband before his death, followed by the mandatory mourning period, she's celebrating her birthday with a boat ride to the "infamous dark walks" of Vauxhall. She may even look for a gentleman to enjoy it with, but unfortunately, the only ones she meets are the young bucks who rescue her after she falls into the Thames, including one attractive but judgmental man she can't stop thinking about. The next morning, she's stunned to find him in her house. He's Rhain Lloyd, the reluctant new Duke of Dedham, and he's arrived from Wales with his mother and six ill-mannered, unmarried sisters in tow. Valencia prepares to pack herself off to her dower house in the country, but the new duke invites her to stay and help his fish-out-of-water sisters acclimate to their new lives. Unsurprisingly, Valencia and Rhain feel an immediate spark, but it isn't until they both unwittingly attend the same debauched evening at a private "hedonistic playground" that the embers flare into intimacy. Though they tumble from infatuation to true love very quickly, Valencia soon finds secrets from her first marriage coming back to haunt her. The second volume in Jordan's Scandalous Ladies of London series tells an intriguing story, though it comes to a rather sudden end. The harsh realities of life for women in Georgian-era London add depth to the story, especially as readers come to discover, through flashbacks, just how dangerous Valencia's late husband had been. The darker elements are balanced with several intense intimate scenes and a sweet, true connection between Valencia and Rhain, and it will hit the spot for Jordan's many fans.
A thoughtful and spicy historical romance.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: THE DUCHESS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A779191177/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=595ffc21. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
The Duchess
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $19.99 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-327074-9
Jordan's scintillating second Scandalous Ladies of London Regency romance (after The Countess) follows Valencia, the Dowager Duchess of Dedham, whose freedom is finally in sight as her socially mandated year of mourning the accidental death of her abusive ex-husband draws to a close. Then attractive Welshman Rhain, the new Duke of Dedham, arrives at her London home (now his) with his six unwed sisters and mother in tow. Before Valencia can depart London for the remote dower house in Yorkshire, Rhain, who is unaccustomed to the rules of London society, asks Valencia to help his sisters navigate the social season. Valencia's continued residence at the townhouse puts her and the new duke in close proximity, especially as their quarters share a tempting connecting door. Though Valencia is reluctant to be under any man's control ever again, she can't help her attraction to Rhain, whose good-hearted kindness will make readers swoon. In a plot development that Jordan masterfully utilizes to expose the dark side of glittering Regency society, the stolen moments of happiness between this well-suited duo are marred by blackmail when someone claims to know a scandalous secret Valencia harbors. The resilient heroine, powerful emotional and sexual chemistry, and hint of intrigue make this one to be savored. Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"The Duchess." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 3, 22 Jan. 2024, p. 72. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A781418341/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f12b4a76. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
A Fire in the Sky
Sophie Jordan. Avon, $30 (336p)
ISBN 978-0-06-339999-0
Jordan revisits the world of her Firelight YA series (begun in 2010's Firelight) with a seductive adult prequel set 100 years after the Threshing that essentially eliminated dragons from the world.
Tamsyn, who heals remarkably and mysteriously quickly, is raised as a sister of the princesses of Penterra, but used as their whipping girl. When the terrifying Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, demands one of the princesses as a bride in exchange for his continued protection of the kingdom's northern border, the royal family deceive him by sending Tamsyn instead. Though furious about the trickery, Fell finds himself surprisingly both protective and fond of his new wife, while she discovers the dangerous, wild magic that exists beyond the walls of the castle--and maybe also within herself. Jordan's protagonists fit nicely into outsider tropes--Fell as the violent warrior with a righteous heart, Tamsyn as the pampered fish out of water who finds her inner strength--while also exhibiting complexity beyond the stereotypes. Jordan keeps the politics and the action simple to instead center the love story and Tamsyn's self-discovery, leaving the novel with something of a YA feel despite the notably adult sex scenes. The final reveal, meanwhile, will keep readers on the hook for future installments. Fans who grew up with the original series are sure to be delighted. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"A Fire in the Sky." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 27, 15 July 2024, pp. 76+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A802348088/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bf1f803d. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
A Fire in the Sky.
By Sophie Jordan.
Sept. 2024. 336p. Avon, $30 (9780063399990); e-book
(9780063391543).
Tamsyn knows she's different. Raised as a royal whipping girl, Tamsyn is a princess but not a princess. Her skin breaks but leaves no scars. Her hair is red while her sisters' hair is gold. But Tamsyn doesn't think anything of her differences until King Hamlin asks her to perform one final duty. Fell, Beast of the Borderlands, is tired of protecting the borders of Penterra with barely a thanks. To bind himself to the king, he demands marriage to a princess of Penterra. King Hamlin dupes Fell into marrying Tamsyn, with the marriage becoming binding upon consummation. The passion between Tamsyn and Fell can't be denied, but a marriage based on lies is dangerous. On the way to the Borderlands, Tamsyn soon learns that the danger may lie within her when she's forced to defend herself from an attack and the claws come out. Dragon claws, that is. Romance author Jordan's latest (after The Duchess, 2024) contains a lot of popular romantasy tropes (including lots of spice), and fans of the genre will enjoy.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Wathen, LynnDee. "A Fire in the Sky." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 22, Aug. 2024, p. 46. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A808396754/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e0f543a9. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.
Jordan, Sophie A FIRE IN THE SKY Avon/HarperCollins (Fiction None) $30.00 9, 24 ISBN: 9780063399990
A whipping girl's life is transformed beyond her wildest dreams.
Tamsyn is a beloved member of the royal family of Penterra--sort of. Abandoned on the castle doorstep when she was a baby, she's been raised alongside the young princesses as their whipping girl, taking the physical punishment whenever one of the untouchable royal sisters does something wrong. Penterran society no longer fears dragons a century after their eradication, but fear of raiders has kept Tamsyn and her sisters close to home. She's starting to look forward to independence in the next chapter of her life, but then her family asks one more sacrifice of her: She must marry Lord Beast, the so-called barbarian whose people keep her city safe, who has requested a royal marriage as recompense. The Beast of the Borderlands, better known as Fell to friends and companions, is desperate to improve life for the impoverished northerners he rules, so he hopes that a royal marriage will help. That's why he's horrified to learn, after publicly consummating their hasty marriage, that he's been tricked into wedding the less-than-royal Tamsyn. Despite his anger and her fear, they find that they have an intense, unusual connection, and they set off north together, going home to Fell's people. When a surprise attack leads Tamsyn to learn she has the ability to turn into a dragon, their world expands far beyond what they initially expected for their lives together. This book, the first in a new series, serves as a prequel to Jordan's YA Firelight series, which centered romantasy before the current vogue for it. It will be enjoyed by many fans of the original tales, especially if they're now adults; though it has several explicit scenes that are decidedly not YA, it ticks all the romantasy boxes. Fans of Jordan's historicals, on the other hand, may be disappointed by a lack of the depth they've come to expect from her work--though that may be worth overlooking thanks to the compelling plot. A cliffhanger ending will leave readers anxious for the next installment.
A promising adults-only continuation of a YA romantasy series.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jordan, Sophie: A FIRE IN THE SKY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A806452833/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=62e420fa. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.