Reviews

Enticing Benedict Cole by Eliza Redgold

carolhoggart's review

5.0

“Love, A more ideal Artist he than all.”

So opens Enticing Benedict Cole – with a quote from the poet Tennyson. Lines from Tennyson’s “The Gardener’s Daughter” thread throughout this deliciously romantic tale of Victorian art, aristocracy, passion and repression. Cameo – real name Lady Catherine Mary St Clair – yearns to paint, but is barred from furthering her art by her aristocratic status. A Victorian lady may dabble in art, but she must definitely not associate with that scandalous Pre-Raphaelite set. Thus she seeks out in secret the tuition of artist Benedict Cole – which he refuses – forcing her to learn clandestinely by means of turning artist’s model in order to observe him at work. For Benedict Cole is painting a scene from “The Gardener’s Daughter”, and Cameo fits Tennyson’s description almost exactly.

What follows is a tale of secrets unpeeled and explosive artistic intensity. This is a Harlequin romance that breaks the mould – deeply embedded in the art world of Victorian London, well-researched, beautifully romantic, and threaded together with poetry and paint. Highly recommended.

wyvernfriend's review

3.0

Not bad, there were moments when I wondered how Lady "Cameo" Catherine Mary St Clair would cope with the issues brought up by her being unaccompanied but I found it interesting that she was dealing with issues about her wants and what society wanted her to do, and she also has to deal with the attentions of a man who makes her feel uncomfortable. The artist she tries to get her to teach her more, Benedict Cole, refuses to help, and when she goes to him he assumes she's a model, and they both discover things about each other and discover that maybe they need each other, but can he overcome his prejudices?

It was interesting but just felt like there could have been more