A pretty good read. This book has a good story to it. It is full of romance and drama which is what a good romance novel should have.
Please look for the full review at the link below.

The outrageous women that cannot be forced into the traditional roles of their time are back in this second story in the London Jewels Trilogy by Jane Feather. I really enjoyed the first story in the series, despite the little weirdnesses that were in the story here and there and was looking forward to this second story. Jane Feather has been a favorite historical author of mine for many, many years and her writing and female leads continue to amaze me. This newest installment revolves around Fenella, a woman that has decided to live a life that she knows will put her on the bad side of most of popular society, but being an actress is the only thing that has ever kept her interest for long enough to bring her happiness. She has been taking lessons at a small acting academy and now she has the chance to be the lead in a new play, but the playwright is an ass in so many ways. Edward has lived on the edges of society since his birth, the child of a wealthy man and his actress mother, his label as the bastard son is one he embraces now. Edward knows that he has to have Fenella as the lead in his play and he is willing to work with her every step of the way to make it happen. As they work together to make the play happen they both come to understand that their feelings for one another are more than just actress and playwright. Soon their emotions are even more involved in their relationship than in their work and they have to find a way to be together despite all their differences and the obstacles in their way. I enjoyed getting to know Fenella and seeing her finding her footing in their personal and professional lives. She was a brave and sweet woman who knows how to work with the people around her to get what she needs, but at the same time she pushes those around her to be better people. She obviously loves Edward despite his many flaws and knows that he needs to make a success of his life in order to be happy and have a chance at a future together. Edward on the other hand was a bit of an ass most of the time, making me want to slap him, but I suppose that most would just write it off as artistic temperament. Personally I think he is just an entitled ass that doesn’t understand that there are good people in the world willing to love and care for him enough to offer to love and help him, so, much like a beaten dog, he attacks first when someone puts a hand out to him in support. Despite all that, in the end I came to see that Edward was the only man for Fenella and they were a perfect match for one another. I enjoyed watching them embrace their passionate natures and explore their love and the heat between them. I am looking forward to the next and last installment in the series for sure and I cannot imagine just how crazy that one could get knowing the outrageous personalities of these ladies.

DNF. This book didn't work for me. I liked the first the book in the series but I just didn't like either lead.
They just meet and they are hooking up. She doesn't have an rules and just sends all day with some man.

I didn't finish this.
The setting was new to me, but I found I like my historical romance in a different era. The characters have an instant physical attraction but also clash in words and thoughts. This felt really modern.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

Fenella and Edward's story in Seduce Me with Sapphires by Jane Feather was a good read. I enjoyed the heroines perspectives on following society's rules and how she handled her wants/needs. I like that this book touched on the fact that everyone is different and don't fall into one type of category. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy trendsetting and romance wrapped in one!

Available now: Seduce Me with Sapphires by Jane Feather

****3.5/5 stars: Liked it. A fiery and passionate character makes for a quick-reading, fast moving fiction in Jane Feather's latest historical fiction.



Recommended readers:

If you like a real taste of the life of that period
If you are a historical romance lover or Jane Feather fan
If you like a strong female lead who challenges society

Here's my Rankings:

3.5/5 for characters
3.5/5 for plot
3.5/5 overall
Note: Steamy factor (3 of 5 ... little steaminess)
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

Miss Fenella Grantley wants to be an actress - though society wouldn't like it. And Edward Tremayne, doesn't care much what society thinks, except when it comes to Fenella. As with all books in The London Jewels trilogy, Jane Feather focuses on a strong woman ready to change society. Fiery and passionate characters makes for a quick-reading, fast moving fiction in Jane Feather's latest historical fiction. You'll love the witty arguments and passionate fights from this duo.

Available now: Seduce Me with Sapphires by Jane Feather

The Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley has a secret: she’s been taking drama classes and longs to be an actress. Ladies of her standing don’t appear on stage, but Fenella has never been one for society’s rules. She’s quite excited to take on the challenge of reading the leading role in a new play—until she meets the playwright. Toeing the line between infuriating and irresistible, his first impression leaves a lot to be desired . . .
Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, scorned the ton years ago, making his own way in the world, and pursuing his literary gifts on the side. The only thing he misses from his old world is Fenella. Since seeing her at a ball when she was a young debutante, he’s never forgotten her. Now that fate has reunited them, Edward’s determined to make her his leading lady—in every way. But the only thing they see eye to eye on is their intense passion for each other. And it just may take a massive misunderstanding for their love to get on the same precious page.
This was a great story by a great author. I’ve read a number of her books and they don’t disappoint. I really liked both main characters as well as the plot. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This is the second book of the series and the second book I’ve read by this author. Or tried to read. Fenella is a young debutante taking acting lessons, and Edward is the illegitimate son of an Earl and also a playwright. I believe the story is set around 1900 yet Fenella leaves her parent’s house alone unchaperoned whenever she wishes, takes secret acting lessons, buys a theater, stays out all night having sex with Edward all the time, and finally acts in public. Her father just laughs, “oh well, that’s Fenella!” Edward is an angry jerk but that’s O.K., she loves him for it. They have a very dysfunctional relationship. Constant arguments with his orders expected to be obeyed. I didn’t find any of this interesting or romantic. I almost forgot to mention the stalking. Edward followed her around town skulking into alleys not to be seen for four years! If it was set in 2020 I would expect them to be the featured couple on an episode of Buried in the Backyard

Jane Feather gives the reader a Victorian romantic romp in Seduce me with Diamonds. High society meets the theatre. Which will come out on top? Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of an aristocrat, is a playwright who wishes to engage Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley as his leading lady on the stage and in the bedroom. Witty and fast moving.

I used to read nothing but romance, now I go for Thrillers, but like a romance on occasion for something light and fun. Hadn't read Jane Feather in quite awhile, and didn't realize this was the 2nd in a series. It was an okay book, but didn't really like the characters all that much.

The books was interesting to read. I did not read the 1st book, but that did not affect it at all. In fact I will read the book number one soon. Plot was fine. Character growth too. Strong feminine with a lot of guts. Good read!

Seduce Me with Sapphires is the second in this series, though it could be read as a stand alone. I found it rather odd. I really could not connect with either of the main characters.

Fenella Grantley has been suffering from ennui, bored with her life, which she admits to herself is ungrateful because as the daughter of a baron, she lives a very privileged life. She has a suitor, George, who believes that she will be his wife, but she only thinks of him as a friend, knowing they would not work, as he does not really listen to her or appreciate her opinions. One thing this book does do, is demonstrate how privileged the upper class was, when the author describes the life of the servants in comparison to that of Fenella and her friends. Fenella had enjoyed acting in plays when she was younger, so has joined a drama class. She is fortunate again, that her parents give her freedom to come and go as she pleases, trusting her to have good sense. The drama class is presented with the opportunity to perform a new play, by Edward Tremayne, the illegitimate son of an Earl and an actress. His father had removed him from his mother at the age of 7, educated him, but he was still treated as second class by his half siblings, receiving no love from his father. Instead of taking on the role offered by his father as groundskeeper, he works as a research assistant to a professor at King's College and wrote this play, Sapphire, with Fenella as his inspiration for the main character, Rose, although they had only passing acquaintance. The two of them are like fire and water. They quickly begin an affair, too quick in my opinion, and I find it hard to believe that after how he was treated growing up, that Edward would risk having a child out of wedlock and that Fenella would take that risk either. And like Fenella, I found parts of the book boring.

I read an ARC provided by NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. I felt that it did not stay true to the time period. Fenella acted more of a modern day woman. She went out with out a chaperone and was able to stay out all night. Edward was mercurial and I could not believe the attraction between the two.
I receive an ARC via NetGalley for my honest review.

An intelligent heroine more than a match for her hero. That's 3 stars right there, add humour, a brilliantly descriptive and immersive world, and some steamy scenes. 4 stars. Could have been 5, but the determination of the hero and heroine to fight, and her at times, dare I say, "childish" behaviour dragged it down for me. But, read it folks. Seriously

In the early years of the 20th century, the suffragette movement was in full swing in London, and Fenella, the heroine of this story, is at least tangentially involved, though she isn’t actually depicted going on marches or to meetings. She is, however, exceptionally independent, something facilitated both by her wealth and birth (daughter of a viscount) and by her extremely casual parents who don’t worry when she comes in at three in the morning after a night out with friends. Fenella dreams of being an actress and has been secretly taking drama classes, and the story begins when a playwright comes to her class of amateur dramatists and asks them to read his play.

Edward Tremayne hasn’t chosen this group at random, though, and he very specifically wants Fenella to read Rose, the main character from his play. It very quickly comes out that he’s been what I can only call stalking and obsessing over her, somehow conflating her with the character as ‘the only person who can play Rose’ which frankly is extremely creepy and disturbing, especially since Rose is morally ambiguous at best. Edward honestly appears morally bankrupt, and being illegitimate and cast off by his family is no excuse for his behaviour. It’s no use the author trying to make him appear heroic by saying of course he thinks women deserve the vote, when the very next thing he does is patronize and berate Fenella entirely unjustly. Actions speak much louder than words, and every action he took showed he didn’t think her to be his equal.

Fenella’s behaviour made no sense. Edward was horrible to her at their first meeting, at their second he confessed to literally stalking her, and at their third she slept with him. From then on she was lying to her family and using her friends to give her cover stories when she needed them. And for what? For a man with a hair-trigger temper who continually gaslit her and told her it was her fault he lost his temper? Walking away was the smartest thing she did, but unfortunately I knew it wouldn’t last.This was one of those rare romances where I just didn’t want the protagonists to end up together because I thought they were genuinely terrible for each other. One star for a romance which was anything but romantic.

Note: I forgot how much I hated the first book in this series. That’ll teach me to one-click on NetGalley titles just because the cover is pretty.

I love Jane Feather's books and Seduce Me with Sapphires which is one of the best ones yet! Really loved this one and highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am a fan of Ms. Feather but somehow I could not connect to the characters in this story. They seemed far fetched with no emotional connection to me or to each other.
Their relationship seemed dysfunctional and solely based on sex. I eventually just gave up and could not continue to read the book.

This was a good book overall, though I did have a few things that I looked at a bit cross-eyed. Both characters are well-born, but not typical of their contemporaries. Their relationship is very volatile, as both have tempers.

Fenella is the daughter of a baron, but one who doesn't enjoy Society life, which she finds dreadfully dull. She is a modern woman who is interested in world events, politics, and women's suffrage. She has a suitor who takes the progress of their relationship for granted. She also has a secret. She wants to be an actress and has been taking acting lessons in pursuit of that goal. She is excited when the acting coach brings a new play to class, and she reads the leading role. Things go downhill quickly when the play's writer verbally attacks her interpretation of the character, and Fenella fires back with her own opinion, then walks out.

Edward is the illegitimate son of an earl. After the age of seven, he was raised with his legitimate siblings, who never let him forget that he was an outsider. He received an excellent education but became persona non grata with his family when he preferred to make his own way in the world. Edward is happy with his job as a research assistant for an English professor, which gives him time for his writing. The lead in his play is based on the girl who fascinated him when he was younger - Fenella. The woman she is now is equally fascinating but also incredibly frustrating.

The sparks flew between Fenella and Edward from the moment they met. Fenella is independent and outspoken and has no problem telling Edward precisely what she thinks. Edward is focused on his goal and protective of his work. I will say that I didn't like Edward much at the beginning. He is so volatile, flipping from angry to nice to angry again at the drop of a hat. I would begin to think that he'd finally settled down when something would set him off again. I understood why Fenella wasn't sure whether she liked the man, even though she was attracted to him. She was interested enough in the play to give him a second chance, but she was also wary. That wariness, however, wasn't enough to stop the attraction she also felt.

I was surprised by the speed with which Fenella and Edward became intimate. Those sparks burst into flame within a few days, and from there on out, they could barely keep their hands off each other. The ease with which Fenella was able to be alone with Edward was surprising. No one seemed to care that she went off alone, came home in the wee hours, if at all, or changed plans with no notice. There were a few instances where I saw some logic in her actions. I liked that she was determined to keep their personal relationship separate from their professional one, as she worried that he was only interested in keeping her in her role as Rose.

There were several times when I thought Edward strayed too close to abusive behavior. His frequent bursts of temper were disturbing, especially when he didn't seem to know what set him off. He had some times of being controlling, though Fenella did fairly well of pulling out of those when she wanted to. The more I got to know Edward, the more I realized that some of it was that he didn't know any better because of the way he was raised. There were other times when he was charming and thoughtful, which gave me hope for their future.

There was one point near the end when that future became questionable. When Fenella impulsively does something she thinks will help Edward, she doesn't think it all the way through. Edward blows up, saying some unspeakably cruel things, rather than considering the spirit of the offer. I ached for them both, as Fenella believes that everything is over between them, and Edward wants to find a way to mend fences. The dinner scene before the ball was painful for all, but especially for Fenella, stuck between Edward and George. The ball scene was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing George get what was coming to him. Edward and Fenella had a productive discussion before going on to face down his nasty half-siblings. I loved the epilogue and seeing how the play was received. I loved Edward's big moment at the end. Fenella described their relationship perfectly when she said, "We're like pieces of a jigsaw; we fit together, except sometimes when we seem to be in different puzzles."

I liked Fenella's friends, Diana and Petra. I will need to go back and read Diana's story. I liked her and what I saw of her husband. There was a sneak-peek into Petra's book at the end of this one, and I am intrigued to read hers, too.

I've enjoyed binging on historical romance books lately. I"ve found some really good authors lately that I have not tried yet, but not everyone has a been a winner for me. I think this one is an example of a "it's not you it's me" case. I did not connect with either main character. I also did not get invested in the relationship they were suppose to have. This one also felt to modern/contemporary for me to like it as a historical romance book. I might have been able to overlook all of that if the plot was more than what it was. I just got bored, and felt nothing really every happened besides them having sex. How was I supposed to fall in love with their love if it was all sex?? I will try this author again but this one was a miss for me.

A FLAWED CUT . . .
The Honorable Miss Fenella Grantley has a secret: she’s been taking drama classes and longs to be an actress. Ladies of her standing don’t appear on stage, but Fenella has never been one for society’s rules. She’s quite excited to take on the challenge of reading the leading role in a new play—until she meets the playwright. Toeing the line between infuriating and irresistible, his first impression leaves a lot to be desired . . .

OR A RARE FIND?
Edward Tremayne, illegitimate son of the Earl of Pendleton, scorned the ton years ago, making his own way in the world, and pursuing his literary gifts on the side. The only thing he misses from his old world is Fenella. Since seeing her at a ball when she was a young debutante, he’s never forgotten her. Now that fate has reunited them, Edward’s determined to make her his leading lady—in every way. But the only thing they see eye to eye on is their intense passion for each other. And it just may take a massive misunderstanding for their love to get on the same precious page . . .
This is the second book in the series and although connected they can be read as standalone titles. I enjoyed this read more than the first book. although they are rated similarly.
Strong characters and plot are what they have in common.
This book gets 4.85 of 5.0 stars
I received a complimentary ARC to read which in no way influenced my opinion of this book.