Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas

Book Description:
What is the price of love?

Nick Gentry is reputed to be the most skillful lover in all England. Known for solving delicate situations, he is hired to seek out Miss Charlotte Howard. He believes his mission will be easily accomplished -- but that was before he met the lady in question.

For instead of a willful female, he discovers one in desperate circumstances, hiding from a man who would destroy her very soul. So Nick shockingly offers her a very different kind of proposition -- one he has never offered before.

He asks her to be his bride.

And he knows that this will be much more than a union in name only. For he senses what Charlotte does not yet know -- that her appetite for sensuality matches his own. But what Nick learns surprises him. For while London's most notorious lover might claim Charlotte's body, he quickly discovers it will take much more than passion to win her love.

Well, this was the third and last of the Bow Street Runners series, and as much as I loved the 2nd book in the series, this one wasn't nearly as good. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I'm not a big fan of the "tormented young man meets good woman who helps him learn to love" scenario. As much as I love Lisa Kleypas and this book had much hotness and I enjoyed seeing some old familiar characters from her other books, there was something about this one that left me cold. I never quite warmed up to either the hero or the heroine all that much, I just didn't care. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I disliked it, but it wasn't one of her best, in my opinion.

Perhaps part of the problem was I didn't really like Nick Gentry that much. We meet him in the 2nd book of the series, Lady Sophia's Lover. A ne'er do well and former underworld felon (who's really a viscount), he has now become a Bow Street Runner. On assignment in Hampshire, he is out to find Charlotte Howard, who has run away from her old and icky, not to mention, debauched fiance, Lord Radnor. Radnor has hired Nick to find her. Upon meeting, there is an undeniable mutual attraction. She is working as a companion for the dowager Lady Westcliff at Stony Cross Park (same place as where all the Wallflower books take place.) Now, throughout the majority of the book, Nick has this deep, dark secret that he is witholding from everyone but his sister, Sophia (from the last book). This is the same secret that has tormented him since he was a young teenager on a prison ship. It has prevented him from ever wanting to be touched, until a friendly madam from a high class brothel cures him of it, and for three years, she schools him in the art of love. He becomes a master lover, yet he has never once practiced on anyone... until Charlotte.

Nick is drawn to Lottie (her nickname) and realizes he can't deliver her to Radnor. Will she marry him instead or accept the honorable proposal of Lord Westcliff (this is before he marries in the Wallflower books). Nick has a brash and infamous reputation himself, but Lottie remembers his hot kisses in the woods, and an offer she can't refuse in Lord Westcliff's library - she agrees to marry him. To say the least, bedtime is when they are happiest, yet Nick will not stay with her in bed and always leaves her alone for the rest of the night. *pout*

If I were Lottie I would be so upset!

Yet, she's so nice and understanding, she just accepts everything! Lottie is aware of how volatile a personality he has, and how he can flare up in anger, so she doesn't press him on it. It turns out he has nightmares and doesn't want to have her witness his nightly thrashings in bed. That's one of the things that really bugged me about her. She believes that their marriage is a "marriage of convenience," so she feels beholden to Nick for rescuing and marrying her, so now she just takes all this shit he doles out! One minute he's Mr. Passion in bed with his Tantric sex, and the next morning he's taut and angry, storming out for the day with no word of where he'll be. I just really got a bit fed up with him and his moods, no matter how great a lover he was! Eventually, she stands up to him at the same moment she tells him she loves him. And after that he tells her the big secret and -- he's magically healed! LOL! Either she's in love with him because she loves a tormented guy and his vulnerability or it's because he's so great in bed! I know what I'd pick!

All in all, it's not a bad romance, I know many people loved this book, but I just didn't fall for this plotline, maybe it's me, maybe I'm just not a sucker for a bad boy turned good scenario - I think that's it. Now that I think about it, I know that's it.

3.5/5

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Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas

Book Description:
Why is Lady Sophia looking for a lover?
And could she seduce the most marriageable man in London? Lady Sophia Sydney would do anything to ensnare the unattainable Sir Ross Cannon. Her goal - to ruin his reputation and cause a scandal that would be the talk of all London. So she insinuates herself into his life by gaining his trust and living in his house. Every morning, her lush presence tempts him beyond all reason...the way she bends over the table to serve him the meals she has prepared...the way her hands oh, so gently - yet sensuously - brush against him. Every night, she promises with her eyes - and her body - that the hours before dawn could be spent in unbridled passion instead of restless sleep - if only he'd let her share his bed. She knows he is falling more in love with her each day. But she never counted on falling in love with him. And she never dreamed he might very respectably ask for her hand in marriage... Are you ready to be seduced by New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Kleypas and her most compelling love story yet?

Wow! This was a great romance - I think it's the best Lisa Kleypas book I've read to date, which is saying a lot, since all her books are wonderful. Ironically, I was not bowled over by the first in this Bow Street Runners Series, but this book more than made up for it!

I really loved the hero, Sir Ross Cannon, the chief magistrate of the Bow Street Runners. We read a little bit about him in the first of the Bow Street Runners books, and I was intrigued and interested in him in the first book, so I was thrilled to realize this one is his story! The book takes place around Regency times in London, although the exact date of when is never quite revealed.

Ross is approximately 40 years old, a widower, quiet and nicknamed "the Monk" of Bow Street. A workaholic with no time to spare, that all changes on the first page of the book. In walks Sophia and turns his world upside down! Suddenly, he's no longer the Monk and he can't stop thinking about her. He hires her to work for him and so begins their "courtship".

Sophia has her own private motives for why she's trying to seduce him. She wants to ultimately destroy him, because she thinks he is the cause of her brother's death. He becomes enamored of her immediately, unaware of her true motives and can't get enough of her. At first, I groaned when I realized this was going to be another "revenge" sort of story like the first of this series, but soon enough, Sophia realizes her feelings are too strong for Sir Ross and she can't go through with her revenge plot. Yay! What a relief! I wanted to like her, and didn't like the idea that she was tricking him. But, she grows on you, and as her feelings become deeper and stronger for Sir Ross, you see how she hovers around him and wants to take care of him. Yet, she's also very passionate and has a past of her own (as is so often of many of Lisa Kleypas' heroines). She's not a young, innocent virgin, she has more substance to her. Born a lady (her father was a viscount), she was orphaned at a young age and had to fend for herself with her younger brother, who turns to a life of crime, leading to his death in prison. She also has a past lover who dropped her after promising to marry her. She's tarnished, yet rises above it all, and Sir Ross is so wonderful and noble and honorable, he overlooks her past. Did I mention how much I love him? I think he's my favorite LK hero!

With Sophia working at Bow Street, she and Ross ultimately fall in love and it's a pleasure to read about how they do and I savored every page. The love scenes are hot and sexy, but there's a whole relationship being built between the two of them, which is a big part of the book. The dialogue is perky and fast with a lot of character development and an intricate plotline - it all grabs you from page one. I guessed how the outcome of the book would be, but it was so much fun getting there to see how it all winds up and if I was right. There was not a dull moment of this book and it kept my attention throughout - I read it one day. The historical detail is accurate, you feel you're in London, seeing both the glamorous side of Mayfair as well as the seamy side of Bow Street and Covent Garden, I ate it all up like candy.

Do yourself a big favor and read this book, it's the 2nd in the Bow Street Runners Series, but I don't think it's a must to read the 1st to enjoy this one. I highly recommend it!

5/5

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Someone To Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas

Book Description:
She couldn't remember who she was...

A temptingly beautiful woman awakens in a stranger's bed, rescued from the icy waters of the Thames, her memory gone. Told that she is Vivien Rose Duvall, one of London's most scandalous beauties, she finds herself under the protection of enigmatic, charming Grant Morgan. Her life is in his hands. Deep in her heart, she knows he has mistaken her for someone else...

He was the only man she could trust. As one of London's most eligible, and unattainable catches, Grant Morgan is a man who has known every kind of woman. And the one in his arms now seems so innocent, so vulnerable, that he can't help but be enchanted. And as his love for this mysterious beauty grows, he's determined to unravel the secrets of her past and discover the truth--no matter what.

So far I've liked everything I've read by Lisa Kleypas, but this book was the first of hers that hasn't thrilled me. It wasn't bad, but it didn't grab me either - a bit too on the melodramatic side for me, and hardly any humor in it. It just took itself too seriously. I like a more lighthearted romance.

This is the story of a young beautiful woman who had amnesia. She's in the care of tall, handsome, and slightly uncouth Grant Morgan, a rich Bow Street Runner who thinks she is London's greatest and notorious courtesan. Plus, he has no liking for her - though he has desired her in the past, and was rebuffed by her. He has an axe to grind with the great Vivien Duvall and plans to even the score with her. But, he unwillingly falls in love with her instead because she's nothing like the scheming vixen he had known previously. This amnesiac Vivien is all sweetness, caring and considerate of others. But, someone is trying to kill her and it's up to Grant to find her would be murderer and bring him to justice. Plus, he has to solve the dilemma of his heart that he's falling for nothing better than a high priced whore who will sell herself to the highest bidder. How can he come to terms with it - the more he investigates her almost murder - the more he finds out about her secrets and just how nefarious her past really is.

Vivien (as I will call her) is not much of a heroine. I don't feel like we really get into her. I never really "bonded" with her, perhaps it's because through most of the book we don't know who she really is. I knew she couldn't possibly be the courtesan everyone thinks she is, so who is she? A sister? A long lost cousin? She seemed so boring to me compared to everything we hear about her notoriously promiscuous sister. Plus I think she gave it up to Grant much to easily, which wasn't in keeping with her maidenly charms and shy demeanor. I also felt sorry for her at the same time. Their first time together, he realizes she can't be Vivien because she's a virgin. I saw this happening from almost page 1, so when it really did happen, it was a bit anti-climatic (no pun intended, of course!) and no surprise. Not only that, but I guessed immediately who the real culprit of the book was, the one that was trying to murder Vivien.

I'm not saying I disliked this book, but it was a little boring at times, the sex was okay, not as good as in her later books, and I just felt like this needed something. It all seemed lacklustre - needs more oomph! Give me some humor and the hero and heroine poking fun at themselves a bit. Grant was so big and huge and forbidding all the time. Always scowling or trying to stop himself from going berserk from his pent up desire or anger. It got kind of old. Vivien was predictably uncertain of herself and just too sweet and good to be true - it made for a dull heroine.

This is the first of the Bow Street Runners Series, and I'll continue with it, I hope they get better. I think they will, as I said before, this is an early book of Kleypas', and I'm sure they'll improve, for her Wallflowers Series is great!

I'll give this a 3.5/5.

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