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    Private Arrangements
    Private Arrangements
    Private Arrangements
    Audiobook10 hours

    Private Arrangements

    Written by Sherry Thomas

    Narrated by Virginia Leishman

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The highly regarded debut novel from Sherry Thomas, Private Arrangements was also a Publishers Weekly 2008 Best Book. When Lady Tremaine petitions her husband for an end to their civil but loveless marriage, Lord Camden agrees on one scandalous condition-she must give him an heir within a year. Their early attempts to fulfill this delicate arrangement are marred by cold detachment, but soon sparks of passion and long-forgotten lust begin to be kindled anew.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 29, 2009
    ISBN9781440718847
    Private Arrangements
    Author

    Sherry Thomas

    Sherry Thomas is the author of The Burning Sky and The Perilous Sea, the first two books in the Elemental Trilogy. Sherry immigrated to the United States from China when she was thirteen and taught herself English in part by devouring science fiction and romance novels. She is the author of several acclaimed romance novels and is the recipient of two RITA Awards. Sherry lives with her family in Austin, Texas.

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    Reviews for Private Arrangements

    4/5

    212 ratings26 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book deserves 5 stars. It's well written, the story is believable and it has substance. I've read it with interest and enjoyed it, even though I strongly believe that both the feminine protagonist and her mother didn't deserve to achieve happiness, due to their manipulative and unscrupulous personalities.
      It's too close to reality, too many manipulative and unscrupulous persons get to have everything they want...
      It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. The taste of unfairness.

      This is Why I usually read historical romance books where the good girl gets the guy.

      If you like reading books where spineless bitches get the guys, this one's for you.
    • 4/5
      Oh man, this book. It's a second chance romance, so the entire first half bounces back and forth, inching toward their reunion, and also toward the event that separated them originally. So it's like watching a very slow moving car wreck. Both characters make *terrible* decisions throughout the book. And often in books that's enough to sap all my enjoyment, but as frustrating as it was here, it was still surprisingly compelling. Rather than wash my hands of them and their foolishness, I cringed but didn't want to turn away, lol. I hate that they missed out on a whole decade of happiness together over things they should have just worked to find a way through. It feels like such a waste. But somehow I didn't end up hating them, or this book.

      Minor grievances, strawberry laurels were mentioned like four times too many, and Greek mythology, (though I'm a fan!) was also somehow shoe-horned in, every couple pages. Probably at least two dozen individual characters were named, not even as a part of the plot or anything, plus other odds and ends, all just sprinkled about. It felt very excessive. There were a lot of art references too, but often in reference to actual paintings in the story, so they didn't feel as blatant.

      My feelings about their major mistakes She definitely shouldn't have had a letter forged. That's obvious. But ultimately, he shouldn't have stubbornly continued to give blind loyalty to someone who didn't deserve it, (and if he hadn't then she never would have sent a forgery in the first place). And ultimately, her letter freed him to do what he most wanted to do anyway, and besides pre-empting the other woman's actual abandonment of him by a couple weeks, it changed nothing! And his not-even-betrothed that he was willing to sacrifice his happiness for didn't even bother to notify him that she was casting him aside! Not worth clinging to. And he knew from the first moments of meeting the heroine that she was sort of ruthless and he even liked that about her, so it was preposterous of him to doom both their futures in retribution for just that one thing. His response was agregiously outsized to the offence. (He married her for spite, he spurned her, he made her feel horrible about herself, he made her think he'd taken a lover, he mentioned the desire to repeatedly throw her against the wall?! wtf? Even years later when he still hadn't given up on the idea of a reunion with her, he still was being a huge ass, saying that bedding her would sicken him and that he pitied any man she "loved". Stop getting in the way of your own happiness dude!!! She genuinely put in some serious effort trying to make up for her mistake, sacrificing pride and humbling herself and stuff, and he could have decided to get over it ANY TIME in like the first 8 years, and she would have leapt at the chance. So honestly, I put 90% of the blame for both of them being heartbroken and miserable, (for an entire decade(!)), at his feet!
    • 5/5
      exceptional! I love a manipulative heroine, a woman who doesn't cower and swoon every time a man looks at her. She also learns from her mistakes! There should be more characters like her in historical romances.
    • 5/5
      More later,maybe. For now I can say I was absolutely forgetting I was reading in print and trying to highlight with my finger... And too lazy to mark the passages...

      She's so good. Ugh. And makes these romances I cannot put down. And these one-liners that slay me.
    • 2/5
      I really enjoyed the first book in the London Trilogy, but this one was a miss for me. Both Gigi and Camden are pretty unlikeable throughout the book, spoiled and petty. I also thought the plot was pretty unbelievable. Camden is angry because Gigi is deceptive, something she told him about as part of her personality. Because she gets him out of a betrothal he doesn't want in a dishonest way, he decides to marry her but then leave the next morning for ten years. Gigi can't believe that she can't get her own way and both decide to have affairs for spite, ensuring the other knows about it. Once she finally decides to get a divorce, he decides to argue the point in a cruel and high-handed way. There's some attempt to show that they've matured - what's up with the diamond-decorated Mrs. Croesus? But it's all pretty feeble as their relationship seems to be mostly based on mutual lust with very little real romance.
    • 4/5
      Far better than expected. Impressive writer. Only drawback was the sex scenes, which are a bit awkward. But there aren't that many of them, so not that big a deal. If you aren't a fan of sex scenes in your romance novels - this may be the book for you.

      The writer, interestingly enough, is not a native English speaker. She immigrated from China. Learned English through historical romance novels. Got a degree in economics and accounting. The book contains a lot of historical references to accounting and economics. So, she does write about what she knows to an extent. That said, her English is precise. And the dialogue is crisp, perhaps too crisp, but it fits the time period.

      What distinguishes this book from various others?

      * Strong heroine, both physically and mentally. She's tall and volumptious and beautiful. Not tiny.
      Rare in these novels. Usually the women are fragile and petite. She's also wickedly bright and a successful businesswoman.
      * Heroine is a bit on the ruthless side. She makes a horrific mistake that basically destroys her life.
      But it is an understandable one. Considering she is only 19 and her background. The writer does a good job of showing not telling, and implying things through subtext. What's interesting is what the heroine does - often is done by the villain in other books.
      * Hero - is a bit of a nitwit - you do want to smack him at times. But his actions do make sense. And he too does things that are nasty. He's horrible to her. And makes her pay for what she did in spades.
      But in doing so, hurts himself almost if much if not more than he hurts her.
      * There's a very nice older woman/younger man romance - between the heroine's 50 year old mother and a Duke in his late 40s. It's sweet, refreshing, and hilarious. Reads like something out of a Jane Austen novel.

      The writing style is reminiscent of Austen in some respects, also possibly Georgette Heyer, although I think Thomas is the better Heyer - or has a better grasp of language. It's admittedly been a while since I read Heyer.

      Liked the writing so much, purchased two more books for $3 each on my Kindle. His at Night (about a spy), and Not Quite a Husband (about a doctor).
    • 2/5
      A well-written novel with an interesting twist on the ever-popular reconciliation trope.

      I read this book over two years ago but failed to leave a rating or a review, perhaps because of my mixed feelings about the story and the characters.

      I re-read the book today and found that my reaction hasn’t changed: I still have mixed feelings about the love-lust-hate relationship between the two protagonists, and the relative weakness of the secondary romance. Instead of serving as a foil to the histrionically bipolar relationship between Lord and Lady Tremaine, I found it distracted from the main story and took up valuable space that could have been used to clarify the alarming mood swings of the leading couple.

      I doubt whether it was added for comic relief, but the sub-story of Lady Tremaine covering herself in a mountain of bling and running a for-ladies-only loan service under the name of Mrs Croesus verged on the ludicrous. As embarrassing as a talented diva hitting a wrong note.
    • 4/5
      Set in the late Victorian period, this story shifts back and forth 10 years in the beginning. Sometimes it confused me, even though the dates were clearly shown at the top of each chapter.

      There's a clever plot, by which the heroine tricks in hero into proposing marriage. Diabolical, really. He finds out and decides never to forgive her. The book tells the story of their meeting again, after 10 years apart, to negotiate their divorce.

      I liked the story. I liked the characters, especially the heroine's mother, who pursues a duke for her daughter and ends up marrying him herself. But, even though there's the obligatory HEA, the book left me sad somehow. Perhaps for the 10 wasted years . . . .
    • 3/5
      A well written book with an entertaining story line. I like the way both past and the present were merged. I would give 3.5/5
    • 4/5
      I should probably give this book five stars, because it's that good. I'm knocking it down a star because it's a romance novel and it really depressed me. Sherry Thomas is an amazing writer, which is, basically, the problem. She made the characters of Gigi and Camden so real for me, and their pain so vivid, that reading the book was kind of like walking on a bed of nails.

      We have two stories here. There's the story of Gigi and Camden's young romance, which starts out sweet and breathless and wonderful. I really believed, as I read these flashback scenes, that Gigi and Camden were meant for one another, a perfect match.

      But the flashback story is interwoven with the present-day story, so we know from the get-go that something very, very bad is going to happen. Present-day Camden and Gigi aren't just distant, they're cold and cruel with one another. We know that Gigi wants a divorce, and Camden agrees to grant the divorce if she'll give him a year to impregnate her. That could go a lot of ways; in most romance novels, Camden and Gigi would probably have blazing hot sex that quickly develops elements of sweetness and tenderness, and then the good feelings would gradually spread to the rest of their relationship. PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS is not most romance novels. For example - when discussing the prospect of having sex with Gigi, Camden tells her flat out that he finds sex with her disgusting, mocks her behavior in bed, and then announces he'll probably have to retreat to his room to vomit after he's done. Now, in reality, he's insanely attracted to her and loves having sex with her, but the dude's pretty committed to his role...and he STAYS committed. ALL the sex scenes in this book made me cringe.

      While present-day Camden and Gigi are kind of, sort of working through their problems and putting the past behind them, the reader gets more and more of the flashback story. Gigi betrays Camden in a pretty major way, and when Camden explains why he's so hurt by her behavior his reasons are good and sound. But then he sets out to get revenge, and he's...really, really good at it. So I'm reading all these scenes where flashback Camden is basically taking a knife to Gigi's heart and twisting it, and getting such a clear sense of how deeply in love with him she is, and how very, very vulnerable she is, and it made the tension of the present-day scenes almost unbearable. It takes her years of separation to pick up the pieces and move on, and here he is, storming back into her life and re-opening all the old wounds.

      I'm not the kind of person who likes to see heros grovel. I know some people dig groveling scenes and I generally hate them. But in PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS it seemed like Gigi was the one expected to apologize, to make up for the wrong she'd done him, when I thought it had been the reverse. I thought he was the one who needed to make amends and prove that he could be a better man. I wanted some grand gesture from him, at a bare minimum - I don't think any single act could really make up for all the pain he caused her, and continues to cause her through most of the book.

      We get our requisite happily ever after at the end, and like I said at the beginning, it was easy to believe that Camden and Gigi were really meant for one another...but the scenes of emotional violence in this book are just SO MUCH more powerful than the scenes of peace and joy, and so much more NUMEROUS, that the happily ever after couldn't bring me back to a tonic note. I didn't close the book with a warm fuzzy feeling, like I generally do with a romance. Even at the end, Camden and Gigi's story seemed sort of tragic to me, and I felt sad.

      I read NOT QUITE A HUSBAND just before I picked up PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS and I have to say, that was one of the most lovely, wonderful, bittersweet at times but ultimately joyful romances I have read in ages, really moving and excellent. I have every confidence in Sherry Thomas' talent, but PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS is pretty dark and if many more of her books are like this I might stop buying them and settle for wishing her great success from afar.
    • 4/5
      A lovely bite. I liked the main plot, but must confess that I swooned more over the romance between her mother and the Duke.
    • 5/5
      While currently struggling with my current "work in progress" which is as much of a prequel as a sequel to THE HIGHEST STAKES, I asked a friend if she had read any really good novels that employed flashbacks to tell the backstory story.She recommended Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas, which I immediately ordered. It arrived yesterday and I finished it late last night in a solitary sitting. It was incredible! I won't go into any plot details but just offer my overall impression.I loved her employment of flashbacks and never found it confusing, moreover, the story is superbly crafted in every way. It is beautifully descriptive, with meticulous historical touches which include the art, engineering, and technological advances of the age (late nineteenth century).The characters are realistically flawed, with the herione at times operating out of selfish, or even ruthless motives. The very honorable hero becomes the unknowning victim of manipulation, which compels him to less-than-honorable actions as well. The result is unhappiness for both with repercussions they are eventually forced to face. The romance is very sensual without being overly graphic, and deeply moving. The characters unexpectedly fall in love, lose one another, try to move on and fail, and then ultimately rediscover their mutual passion, finally learning to forgive and forget the past. This the first novel I have read by Ms.Thomas and certainly won't be the last.
    • 5/5
      Jane Feather called this book, "enchanting...An extraordinary, unputdownable love story." You would think a fellow author could conjure up better praise than "unputdownable," but Mary Balogh puts it better. She calls Private Arrangements "a love story of remarkable depth," and that's certainly true.In fact, the first half of Private Arrangements reads very much like a beautiful, artistic indie film. The first moments glimpsed between Gigi and Camden are intimate and sweet and summon a tone of magic. From the moment these two meet we feel the impression that they are soulmates, the kind of kindred spirits who finish each other's sentences and share silent exchanges. Sherry Thomas skillfully conveys their bond by capturing the real life nuances between a man and a woman, the instant connection that a man and a woman feel when they can share a joke in a glance. The silences are as telling as the words. This act in the story is possibly the most romantic I've seen in a romance. So I loved these flashes back. They're integral to the rest of the story, and they were placed ideally in the book to describe current events. (Don't worry, the flashbacks stop, they're not endless, LOL.)So it's all the more tragic when that communion is shattered. Both parties are to blame, but when we see, as we must, the sad straits to which the Tremaines come, two people once in love now unable to stop hurting each other, we feel the pain that Gigi and Camden must feel. Again, the author is brilliant at proving all her claims (aka "showing"). Gigi is meant to be intelligent and strong, and we see this in her actions and words, in the vulnerable heart of her that she protects so carefully. She is a real woman that we have all met at one point, not a manufactured heroine too stubborn or stupid to live or ridiculously naive. She is a proud woman, at once her strength and weakness. Likewise, we come to know Camden with his intelligence and calm, his humility and humor, his quiet dignity and strength. He's not arrogant or overbearing (though he can surely be aggressive/firm when the needs calls for it) and not led by the nose into the heroine's tricks or drama. At one point, he even makes light of a man flying into a jealous rage when a rival for the heroine's attentions is dangled before him-- which I found amusing, because we all have seen that device in historical romance. He is a very real hero, whom we probably all have met at one point or another. He makes mistakes and despite himself he's not invulnerable, though he's not a rake or resistant to love for the sake of resistance. Their histories have made the characters who they are, and they are not overdramatic or contrived.The ice between Camden and Gigi, the cold, polite relationship is Victorian British to the core and the barbs traded between them intelligent and biting. This is the first time I've seen this done right. This is the cut direct delivered with a smile, but the book is prevented from becoming too bleak or depressing because not only we do read about the longing and undying attraction, despite all, between these two, but we're promised an end in sight, a HEA. Needless to say, Thomas has done her research-- if you need proof, she drops a paragraph on the economics of the times, the only point in the novel where she reveals her research outright. She also roots us in the period with little windows into the time in a way that we can relate. We read a telegram from Camden to his mother-in-law, and it is as long-suffering as any modern man could be. At another point, instead of a description, we read a building plaque directly, Thomas illustrating the story herself. However, she remains firmly in the period. I particularly like that she doesn't try to make Gigi a modern woman from 2008 suffering the 1800s. In fact, Camden even looks back at medieval times as we would his time, saying something along the lines of, "Too bad we've made so much progress." That was a brilliant touch. Gigi exploits her advantages as much as he. Thomas also reminds us that the Victorians were human. Many authors research the strict accepted social norms of the times, but few realize they were flaunted just as the norms of today are. They laughed, they loved. Oscar Wilde would have approved. Thomas' style is another point in favor. She has a very elegant, spare style that suits the story far better than the purple prose we often find in romance. She is concise without verging into colloquial or informal, she's succinct in the way that Hemingway was, never too wordy. I also loved her physical descriptions of the characters because instead of using vague descriptors like "deep-set eyes" or a "bright eyes," she tells us a character has a chin like "Michelangelo's David" and we immediately have a concrete visual. She writes clever dialogue too, if I haven't mentioned that yet, that modern readers can understand without feeling dumbed down or too anachronistic.As for the plot, this is a relationship drama. There is no suspense or action to power the plot, but Thomas makes smashing-good drama of these characters' lives. The book is emotional not because of any manufactured devices, but because of the real pains that these characters suffer, the depths to which they plumb the human character when they're breaking up, when they're loving, hurting, parting, all of it, almost like Susan Wiggs if she wrote historical.In short, Thomas brings subtlety, a touch of realism, and human drama back into romance. She's a breath of fresh air in the romance genre, and I just hope I enjoy her next book as much.I should also mention that there's a current of heated tension between Gigi and Camden. However, while there are bedroom scenes, they are short and sensual. They are definitely not pages long, but enough details are conveyed to move the story as they are meant to do (and satisfy most readers, LOL). ;)
    • 5/5
      There's a fine line between love and hate and Camden knows it all too well. On the eve of marrying a woman who seems perfect for him, he finds out about her deceit and vows to make her pay by marrying her anyway, giving her one night of passion and then disappearing from her life. Yet he still loves her and the torment he hoped to leave Gigi with follows him everywhere he goes.Gigi has remained in love with him too but she's given up the hope of getting him back and now wants to get on with her life by marrying someone else. Poor Camden can't let her until he rids himself of his demons, and he's finding that impossible to do. The more he hates her, the more he wants her and vice versa. And this makes him hate himself too. His healing is long in coming, but when he decides to let her go on to her new life, you know he's almost there.I'll admit I wouldn't have liked Camden had I not seen him in his earlier years--before his anger and need for revenge consumed him. But Gigi, I loved Gigi from the start. She was a woman ahead of her time, strong and determined to get what she wanted at any cost. Whenever I think of her I remember the scene where she sees Camden unexpectantly on a boat that passes hers and she runs along the length of the boat unable to look away from him. Even when she trips and falls headlong, she gets up and keeps running to the end of the boat until he's out of sight.This isn't the typical historical romance and Sherry Thomas isn't the typical writer; she's one of the freshest voices in historical romance. I can't wait for her next one!
    • 5/5
      I really like the depth in Sherry Thomas's books. The writing is beautiful -- lyrical and descriptive. Once again, the theme is a relationship gone wrong and how the two find their way back together. It made me cry in one place and I read it in a day so I guess that makes it a pretty good book!
    • 5/5
      One of the best Historical Romances I've ever read! I was amazed to discover that this was her debut novel.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. The heroine is feisty and smart. It is typical with all romance novels and includes sexual content.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. The heroine is feisty and smart. It is typical with all romance novels and includes sexual content.
    • 4/5
      This book was my first by Sherry Thomas. I have to say I am a fan! I really enjoyed it. Even if some of the story line seemed a little bit far fetched, it was still fun to read. The main characters, Gigi & Camden were great. They were friendly and I found myself caring about and rooting for them. I also loved Gigi's mom! She was funny and her love story was also interesting and fun to read. I love historical romances and I really enjoyed this one as well. I would highly recommend it!!
    • 5/5
      Private Arrangements was Sherry Thomas's debut, and WOW! Does it ever take historical romance to a whole new playing field! She has a knack for creating such an intriguing story - a husband and wife who pretend each other does not exist and would rather not sleep in the same room - or the same continent?! I simply could not resist - and Gigi and Camden both complement each other so excellently that you wonder how they could have gotten in such a heart-rendering mess.If you are looking for a contemporary but historical romance (I know, it sounds almost impossible), then I would definitely recommend this book - it will definitely get you hooked on Sherry Thomas! :)
    • 5/5
      Gigi, Lady Tremaine, has been separated from her husband, Camden, for 10 years. Gigi loves her husband but she is tired of waiting for him and has decided to get on with her life and remarry someone else for some small chance at happiness. Camden doesn't want her but doesn't want anyone else to have her either. Especially dim-witted Freddie, her intended fiance. So Camden demands that they live together for one year so he can get an heir off her in exchange for the divorce she wants. And Gigi agrees.The story goes back and forth between the past and the present and slowly reveals why these two imperfect and somewhat unlikeable characters are so bitter and cruel to each other. When they first meet both characters are immature and Gigi has no self confidence in her beauty or personal attributes needed to attract a man aside from her considerable fortune. Camden is on the verge of proposing to another girl and Gigi is very determined to have him so she plots and schemes to bring Camden to propose. On the eve of their wedding Camden discovers her deception and is very angry (and I suspect, very hurt). He decides to proceed with the wedding and consummates the marriage, then very cruelly humiliates and rejects her. Of course, in this way he can throw her out and still have access to all her lovely money. Let's just say I was not too fond of Camden at this point. Especially after Gigi grovels and begs for him to take her back. Gigi is at fault for her deception but I found her much more sympathetic and I actually liked her quite a bit.The weaving of the past with the present was smoothly done and the use of language by Thomas was superb making this book hard to put down. When Camden and Gigi first marry they are very young and so I gave their initial poor behavior some slack, but it is now ten years later and Camden is still bitter and angry and seems to still want to punish Gigi for making him fall in love with her. Gigi has grown up and acts much more honorably towards Camden and I found her a much more sympathetic character.There is a lovely romantic sub-plot involving Gigi's mother, Mrs. Rowland, and a reclusive duke who lives next door. Mrs. Rowland tries to bag the duke for her daughter but ends up falling in love with him herself. A very amusing and well done sidebar to the main plot.Overall this was a somewhat deep historical with three dimensional characters and a very satisfying and romantic ending. Everything I enjoy in a romance. I enjoyed this book so much Thomas is an auto-buy for me now. I have read Delicious and have Not Quite a Husband on my wishlist. GRADE: A-
    • 5/5
      One of the most interesting romances I have read in a long time: an atypical storyline, excellent character development, sexy... The leading lord and lady have been married for a long time but have lived seperately after having deceived and hurt each other during their courtship leading up to their wedding. When they are finally in the room together, their mutual dislike does not prevent their attraction for each other, but overcoming their painful history does not happen easily and overnight. On top of that, the lady's mother has an interesting affair with her neighboring duke in a wonderful sidestory. A great read!
    • 2/5
      Weak writing, contrived plot, and a 'Hollywood lite' take on Victorian England. The premise is intriguing, and the characters likeable if two-dimensional, but far too fluffy. 'Gigi' falls head over heels in lust with her handsome, titled husband (a duke, naturally, there existing no other type of hereditary peer in these novels), fibs a bit to trap him into marriage, and then spends the next ten years pretending that she doesn't care where in the world he is or what he does with his life. Camden (or Kensal Green, whatever his place name is) ships off to New York to earn some Honest Money by Working With His Own Hands in a bid to pretend that he doesn't care who his wife shags or what she does with her inheritance. Gigi asking for a divorce throws a spanner in their mutual nonchalance, and Camden returns to indulge in some alpha-male post-marriage courting (mostly involving subjugating his wife in ever desperate scenarios).Gigi is lively enough before Camden comes home to roost, cynically looking for the next rung up the social ladder, but she is pathetic where her husband is concerned. And the pretence of the plot is flimsy at best: why would a woman independent enough to ask for a divorce submit to such demands, obviously jeopardising her future marriage plans? Camden is viewed through Gigi's lovelorn eyes, all manly chest and smouldering charisma. The subplot with Gigi's mother and the neighbouring duke takes up too much of the book, and consists mainly of misunderstandings and happy coincidences.However, the real deficiency of this novel is the overabundance of excrutiating similes - every other description is tagged with 'like', conveying what the author must assume to be poetic imagery. The faux-formal English lapsing into modern Americanisms ('mooning' - in Victorian England? How witty!) was to be expected and endured. (Was there no English editor to check in what context slang words and swearing should be used?) Apologetic presentation of the English upper classes comes as standard with American authors - Camden is a duke, but also runs his own business and likes to work with his hands, and Gigi is the daughter of a self-made man who sets up her own charity for fallen women. Liberal discarding of Victorian morals and gender relations that jar with the overall modern tone of the story is part of the formula. But being overpowered by similes like a ballerina dancing with a wrestler really lowered the tone of the whole book. Borrow and return, or read and donate. Not a keeper.
    • 4/5
      Gigi Rowland did something terrible in the name of love, which nabbed her Camden Saybrook, but lost him the day after their marriage once he found out. For ten years they've lived separate lives. He hates her, apparently, and she's gotten over him, apparently. Our story starts when Gigi wants a divorce in order to marry a devoted swain of hers, and Camden will only allow it if she gives him an heir. Private Arrangements was fairly predictable, though it managed to keep my interest with its well written prose - great descriptions sprinkled liberally with literary allusions and a fluid style that made the book very readable. Though be warned the similies can get a little out of control. At one point the heroine found her heart caught in the jaws of Cerberus of all things : ) Regardless, I can forgive a lot if the book offers a voice so well crafted, and that voice is what earned Private Arrangements its 3 1/2 stars from me. I also liked the parts where it jumps back in time to when Gigi and Camden first meet. During these episodes, the set up for their romance was nice, and Gigi seemed like an interesting heroine, unrepentantly mercenary and practical, but felled instantly by true love in a way that was believable and, considering its outcome, sad. This picture of young, naive love was well done - and usually I find such romances too nauseating to bear. But after a while the flashbacks became redundant (fortunately they stop eventually). When it comes to the reconciliation in the present the story really fell flat for me. Considering his antipathy towards Gigi, which borders on the psychotic, I don't understand why Camden returns to her with his ultimatum. Nor do I understand his reaction once he's discovered Gigi's deceit, particularly if he's so in love (yeah yeah, he hates her so much because he loves her so much, but still I'm not buying it - the love or the hate.) His prolonged separation from her seemed overly dramatic, the conflict between them overly contrived in order make me believe I was reading about some grand, doomed love of the century. Even worse, near the end of the book people start acting all noble and self-sacrificing, Gigi acts stupidly (but honorably), and Camden's feelings for Gigi do a 180 so abrupt it's disorienting. Their relationship didn't make much sense to me. All this diluted the emotional punch I was hoping to get from this book. Compared to other troubled marriage romances I've read, this doesn't really compare. But still, like I said, I liked how the story was told, and I'll be sure to read more by this author - what the story told just failed to engage me in the end.On the plus side, the cover is pretty. And there's also a secondary romance between Gigi's mother and a reclusive, former rake of duke, that was very cute. If anything, the book earns points for generating a lot of discussion both by people who loved and people who hated it. It's interesting that such different opinions can be formulated about Private Arrangements, make of that what you will...
    • 2/5
      I'm going against popular belief that this is a terrific book. Hey, isn't the first time I've read a book that left me cold and which had received positive buzz and it won't be the last - but maybe that's the problem: too much instant access to information, you expect to come away from the final page with what everyone else has: a big sigh and an oh-boy-this-was-the-best-book-I've-read-this-year. I don't read reviews for this very reason: usually too many spoilers, too much plot, and that can take the surprise out of any book. It took me nearly a month to slog through this book. Granted the writing and feel for the era were good enough, but I couldn't warm up to any of the characters and didn't much care what happened to them, felt they deserved what they got through the years, and ought to have lived with their miserable decisions. I'm just glad I didn't BUY this book, what a waste of good, hard-earned money that would have been, although I did have to waste gas picking it up at the library. The only way I will ever read subsequent Thomas books is if someone hand-delivers it to me at home so I wouldn't have to waste my time, physical energy and gas fetching it. I still can't believe I finished the book, had set it aside after 80 or so pages but I was determined to not let it get the better of me. I suppose that's something to be proud of - it doesn't happen very often when I set aside a non-starter. I don't know whether to pat myself on the back for being a big girl, or whether I should add points to my rating because the book apparently had *something* that drew me in. Naw, I'll leave the 2-star rating.
    • 5/5
      I cannot say enough good about this book. Thomas has a way with words that really pulls you in. I laughed, I cried, I screamed in frustration, I giggled, and I felt for both the hero and the heroine. When Camden complimented his wife, I felt her bemused confusion. When they fell in love the first time, I felt the bouyancy of their feelings. When he walked out of their house and away from their life, I despaired with Gigi that they would never be together again. When she decided to fight for him, I felt her determination. One of the things that I liked about this particular book is that it's unique. I don't know of any other romance that proceeds quite like this one, or has its basic premise. Certainly not in historical romances. Of course, this is set in a time period a little further into the future than what I usually read, but I think my statement is still true. The idea that girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, boy resists because of another he is only kinda promised to, girl plots to catch him and succeeds, boy finds out, marries her anyway, has amazing sex with her, then leaves her the next morning and doesn't see her again for ten years is a new one to me. Thomas weaves the story adroitly, inserting flashbacks in a such a way that have you falling in love with the couple the first time while witnessing their reunion after a ten year haitus. By the time you see the betrayals occur, you're enmeshed in what's happening in the present.I loved this book and can't really find fault with any of it. Sherry Thomas is definitely going onto my "must read" list.