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Lisa Kleypas
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Suddenly You Mass Market Paperback – Nov. 28 2006

by Lisa Kleypas (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,017 ratings
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She was unmarried, untouched and almost thirty, but novelist Amanda Briars wasn′t about to greet her next birthday without making love to a man. When he appeared at her door, she believed he was her gift to herself, hired for one night of passion. Unforgettably handsome, irresistibly virile, he tempted her in ways she never thought possible...but something stopped him from completely fulfilling her dream.

Jack Delvin′s determination to possess Amanda became greater when she discovered his true identity. But gently-bred Amanda craved respectability more than she admitted, while Jack, the cast-off son of a nobleman and London′s most notorious businessman, refused to live by society′s rules. Yet when fate conspired for them to marry, their worlds collided with a passionate force neither had expected...but both soon craved.

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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Avon
  4. Publication date
    Nov. 28 2006
  5. Dimensions
    10.64 x 2.44 x 17.15 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0061259357
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0061259357
  8. See all details
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  1. “Good,” he said softly. “Set the world afire. Just let me hand you the matches.”
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  2. Children have a way of reminding one of the true purpose of life.” “Which is?” “Why, to love and be loved, of course.”
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  3. Everything came with a price, and she had bought her autonomy with a good amount of loneliness.
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Product description

From the Back Cover

She was unmarried, untouched and almost thirty, but novelist Amanda Briars wasn't about to greet her next birthday without making love to a man. When he appeared at her door, she believed he was her gift to herself, hired for one night of passion. Unforgettably handsome, irresistibly virile, he tempted her in ways she never thought possible. . .but something stopped him from completely fulfilling her dream.

Jack Devlin's determination to possess Amanda became greater when she discovered his true identity. But gently bred Amanda craved respectability more than she admitted, while Jack, the cast-off son of a nobleman and London's most notorious businessman, refused to live by society's rules. Yet when fate conspired for them to marry, their worlds collided with a passionate force neither had expected. . . but both soon craved.

About the Author

New York Times Lisa Kleypas graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. Her historical romance and contemporary women’s fiction novels are published in forty different languages, and are bestsellers all over the world. Currently she lives in Southern California with her husband Gregory.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon (Nov. 28 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061259357
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061259357
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 186 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.64 x 2.44 x 17.15 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,017 ratings

About the author

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Lisa Kleypas

Lisa Kleypas

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Lisa Kleypas is the author of a number of historical romance novels that have been published in fourteen languages. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts and competed in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. After graduating from Wellesley College with a political science degree, she published her first novel at age twenty-one. Her books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists. Lisa is married and has two children.

Visit her website at: www.lisakleypas.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,017 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

aries2014
5.0 out of 5 stars unusual heroine
Reviewed in Canada on February 1, 2019
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borrowed from the library and loved it so much that I decided to buy it. I have read it several times and love the interplay of the two main characters, ahead of their times and devotion to each other despite the age difference (of merely 5 years which is nothing in modern speak).
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Marilynn Garnier
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read !
Reviewed in Canada on September 5, 2020
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Lisa Kleypas is one of my favourite romance authors. Her books usually have a very nice mix of humour, erotica and mystery. Her characterization and research is excellent !
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V
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a perfect representation of great, sensual romance
Reviewed in Canada on January 27, 2004
I first read Suddenly You about two years ago, when I first began reading romance. I did not write reviews at the time but would make a few notes to myself concerning how much I enjoyed the book - if it were keeper status - and then assigned a grade to it. Of course I gave Suddenly You the highest rating two years ago but my only notes were "Read again and again and again!" Although I have a fairly large keeper shelf, I seldom read books that second time. I think I'll change my mind about that because I enjoyed Suddenly You as much or more the second reading and it still goes back on my keeper shelf. It is a great romance with a bit of naughtiness and great leads. I remember that I had relished Kleypas' unusual characters in that they were - refreshingly - not members of the aristocracy. And even though I have literally read hundreds of romance books since Suddenly You, I still remembered the opening scene. It really sticks in your mind. Where else in romance have I read of a nineteenth century spinster hiring a man to take her virginity for her thirtieth birthday present to herself?
Amanda Briars is a strong mature heroine who also is a well-known author. She lives a contented life in London in her small home with three servants. She is not rich but she has a comfortable income and decides that before she is too old, she wants to experience a physical relationship with a man just once. She never plans to marry and believes it would be foolish to hope for marriage at her age. Although she is very attractive, she does not see herself as much beyond plain. The night of her thirtieth birthday, a man shows up at her door to talk with her about publishing one of her books and Amanda mistakes him as her "gift".
Jack Devlin is a man who knows what he wants in life and accomplishes almost anything he sets out to do. He has risen from a penniless youth to own the largest publishing house in London and has diversified this publishing business into many additional sources of income. He is our classic hero with an extreme amount of arrogance, alpha deluxe, handsome, and rich. He is a workaholic basically and doesn't care much for society unless it is to advance his business interests. He visits Amanda Briars one evening to discuss publishing with her and is greatly surprised to find that she believes him to be her hired "gift" for the evening. The resulting scenario is quite entertaining but Jack ends up being a good guy in the end (he thinks) by not completely fulfilling the "gift" role. He leaves without making Amanda aware of his true identity.
Within days of this encounter, Amanda formally meets Jack for the first time at a party and is greatly mortified and incensed that Jack played along - even a little - as her birthday "gift". The delicious repartee between the two fill pages as they get to know each other and as Jack pursues Amanda concerning publishing one of her novels. But Jack doesn't just pursue Amanda for business purposes. They both are highly attracted to the other and although each is determined not to indulge in an affair - it seems it is beyond their control. The book is highly entertaining and quite sensual. The sensual rating is a strong 4.50 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). Amanda keeps a pretty sound head throughout it all. I thought most of her actions seemed realistic and well warranted considering the social expectations of the day. Jack is not as protective of Amanda's reputation as he should be and thus the story spins.
Suddenly You is probably my favorite Kleypas book to date. I have read nine of her books and I can't remember being disappointed in any if them. Once I began reading her books, she quickly became one of my favorite authors. She also holds the status of a "must read" author when she releases a new book. She consistently writes highly entertaining historical romance.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An amusing Victorian omance
Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2001
In 1836 London, Amanda Briars is turning thirty, remains a virgin, and has no male prospects. Deciding she deserves a special gift for herself, the lone female orders a stud from Mrs. Bradshaw's stable so she can have sex one time in her life.

When the hunk arrives at her door, a shy Amanda understands immediately with one look why he is a pro. Mr. Jack goes along with Amanda, but mentions that he enjoyed reading the last book she wrote.

One week later, Amanda meets Jack Devlin, her publisher and alleged male whore, at a party. She is mortified and he is delighted. Jack wants to taste more of Amanda's passion while she wants to hide. As love enters the relationship, Amanda wonders whether she will ever live down her opening act.

SUDDENLY YOU is an amusing early Victorian romance that works because of the believability of the star protagonists, especially in their witty, double entendre exchanges. The story line is fun as the audience will cherish Amanda, but outright adore that devilish Devlin. Lisa Kleypas provides sub-genre fans with a 200-proof entertaining historical romance.

Harriet Klausner
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C. Vowels
3.0 out of 5 stars Suddenly you don't know where the momentum went.
Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2004
Spinster Amanda Briars is a Dickensian era novelist living an independent life in London. As a gift to herself for her thirtieth birthday, Amanda has engaged the services of a top madam to find her a man to initiate her in the ways of love. Plain and nearly a wallflower, Amanda doesn't suffer from terrible insecurities, but she doesn't seem to think she could get a man without paying for him.
Jack Devlin is a hard-nosed publisher who started with nothing and in a few short years is leading all aspects of England's literary industries. Having recently acquired one of Miss Briar's early manuscripts, Jack shows up on her doorstep thinking a meeting has been arranged by a friend to discuss the publication of her work. He's a little surprised, but quickly adapts when he realizes that Amanda thinks he's a gigolo.
The premise might make you think that Amanda is one of those silly historical heroines who do stupid things just for the sake of an outlandish plot (and the first couple of scenes might not convince you otherwise), but as we dig into the story we find that she's actually a sharp, normal person. Kleypas's characterization is, as usual, first rate and you find yourself sympathetic to Amanda who just wants to experience a little bit more of life now that her "advanced" age allows her to do so. I'm an Amanda fan right up until about the last fifth of the book when her otherwise strong character begins to suffer for the sake of a conflict in the romance. Suddenly, she's unassertive, dishonest, and willing to play a quiet martyr, and I find my warm feelings for her starting to cool.
From the moment of their first meeting, Jack is taken with Amanda. He's read her work and respects her as a writer, but he's also compellingly attracted to both her body and her personality. I've been in kind of a drought where it comes to finding heroes who would make your toes curl lately, and I'm really happy that I ran into Jack in "Suddenly You". He's got a dark past, but he isn't overly weighed down by his baggage. There is definitely a reluctance to commit on his part, but when he does-watch out. And the love scenes? Don't burn yourself, they're very hot.
I was really into this story until about three quarters of the way through. The romance and characterization were so well done that things were wrapping up a little too soon I think, so the author had to introduce some conflict. I can understand why it was done, but the story really seemed to suffer for it. There's a reluctance on the part of both the protagonists to be honest that is completely out of character for both. No one wants to say how they feel after they'd been so forthright throughout the story to that point. It's like the romance just runs out of steam and there's a last ditch effort to revive it at the expense of the characters themselves. Toward the last few pages, things started to turn around and the hero and heroine were back on track, but it was hard to recover from the let-down of their unnecessary angst.
In the end, I have to give this book three stars, although if there were a three and a half star rating, that would be more appropriate. Lisa Kleypas is a first class romance author who consistently delivers stories worth reading and characters worth loving. If you haven't read anything of hers, I'd suggest you browse through her offerings and just pick the storyline that appeals the most to you, because you'll probably love it.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sandy Reads
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best Kleypas
Reviewed in the Netherlands on March 24, 2023
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⭐️⭐️⭐️,5/5

This was on its way to become a 5 star read and then the lying by the fmc began..
then she had the nerve to call the mmc out for lying to her about his age???
Nope. It felt totally out of character for the fmc unfortunately and my rating dropped immediately to 3 for me. The ending thankfully saved it a bit.
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Sofos
1.0 out of 5 stars Noioso e basta
Reviewed in Italy on August 10, 2021
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E' un libro noioso e scontato.
Ho smesso di leggerlo dopo una ventina di pagine perchè non lo reggevo più.
I personaggi sono uno più schizzinoso dell'altro, suscitano antipatia.
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Michael Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Regency romance
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2021
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A very interesting tale and a page turner
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MB
5.0 out of 5 stars Just go for it❤️
Reviewed in India on June 7, 2021
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Love this book
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AmCust
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite Kleypas books
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019
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Although I enjoy almost of Kleypas' historicals, I have a soft corner for her characters that are professionals-- writers, publishers, detectives-- who are doing something useful and relevant in the world, have independence, a worldview and a a sense of humor to boot.

In this book, writer Amanda Briars (spinster/virgin) decides to get herself a prostitute for her 30th birthday. She wants sex without the pesky marriage/husband part. When a man (Jack) lands on her doorstep at the appointed time, she chickens out. The man turns out not to be prostitute.. and the book goes from there.

The dialogue throughout the book is sparkling-- I laughed out loud at least a dozen times. The plot gets a little light in the latter half, but is still engaging.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the gifts that Jack gives Amanda. Most heroes in most books give heroines jewelry as gifts. But this man gives her a rare-edition book and a sterling silver pen stand. His respect for her mind, and her interests, is delightful. (He does give her jewelry toward the end, but it makes sense in the context of the plot).

Of all of Kleypas' heroes, Jack Devlin has to be one of my favorites. He comes off as capable, cunning, funny and kind-- a sort of English George Clooney (with blue eyes) He's also proof of concept for the "good alpha" hero: someone who uses his strength and smarts to do productive and useful things in the world, rather than lording it over the heroine (or other women).

This book left me with an abiding sense of how many good men there are in the world who support and respect women. And it did that while being funny, engaging and inspiring. Can't love this book enough.
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