Tracy’s review of The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton 
Being kidnapped is teaching Miss Celia Seaton a few things about life:
Lesson one: Never disrobe in front of a gentleman . . . unless his request comes at gunpoint.
Lesson two: If, when lost on the moors, you encounter Tarquin Compton, the leader of London society who ruined your marriage prospects, deny any previous acquaintance.
Lesson three: If presented with an opportunity to get back at Mr. Compton, the bigger the lie, the better. A faux engagement should do nicely.
Lesson four: Not all knowledge is found between the covers of a book. But an improper book may further your education in ways you never guessed.
And while an erotic novel may be entertaining, the real thing is even better.
Celia, for unknown reasons, is kidnapped. Her captor needs to leave the house so takes her clothes with him. She manages to talk him into leaving her in her shift and despite her attire she escapes. She comes across Tarquin Compton, a dandy from London who once likened her to a cauliflower and made her feel about 2 inches tall with his disdain. When Tarquin comes to after being hit on the head by Celia’s kidnapper she discovers that he not only doesn’t remember Celia – he doesn’t remember his own identity.
Choosing to play a small trick on Tarquin to get back at him for his comment Celia tells him that he’s a man study in the church, that his name is Terence Fish and that they are engaged. Tarquin/Terence doesn’t believe her entirely but since he can’t remember anything he has to go along with it and hope that his memory returns.
When the memory returns Tarquin’s not to pleased to find out what Celia’s done – but he can’t stop thinking about her. She has no one in the world and he feels obliged to take care of her since they had relations while they were trying to find shelter from the kidnappers.
Tarquin and Celia go through lots of ups and downs and questions about their suitability but in this story love conquers all. Of course – a little amorous education by an erotic book helps the two stick together in more ways than one.
This was a cute book. I thought that what Celia pulled with Tarquin was a little much but she was hurt quite badly by his comment. And of course, the made up stories never quite work out for the teller, do they? Lol I really liked Celia when she was with Tarquin but when she was apart from him she had such insecurities it got a tad old after a bit. I have no doubt that a woman of her station might have had those thoughts I just didn’t want to keep reading about them.
Overall the story and the small suspense plot was done well. This is my first read by Neville but I would definitely read her work again.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Series:
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This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here
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